The Begining
(Page 1)
I was about 10 or 11 years old and I stood in front of a brown brick two-story building that I called home. I had a black bag thrown over my shoulder as I waited for my cousin Lennell to creep around that corner, so we could start our usual walk up to the pool that was just about a mile away. Lennell was a chubby kid who had more than just an eye for pretty girls. He always seemed to know every girl on our way to the pool and the really pretty ones we saw in route to the pool, Lennell would stop and hold court for a few minutes either convincing them to come swimming or trying to convince them to hang out with us. I, of course, was the shy and quiet kid who wore glasses that were always broke and had black electric tape holding them together. My grandmother would always say to me, " I'm not going to go broke, paying to keep getting your glasses fixed every time you break them". Needless to say, I was rough on a pair of glasses. So pretty much for about 15 years, I was always wearing broke glasses held together by black electrical tape. And even then the tape wasn't enough because my lenses were thick. They looked like two Mason jars wrapped in plastic framing. This was my life as a 10-year-old and those are the cards I was dealt. So I played my hand the best I could. I vicariously lived through my cousin Lennell because he could talk and conversate easily and he wasn't scared to talk to the girls even though their answers would more than likely, No, to everything he asked. It never stopped him from asking all the same. We weren't the most attractive 10-year-old kids to 10-year-old girls. One fat kid who talked a lot and a skinny kid who had glasses that could literally see the future. I knew God had a sense of humor. If you listened hard enough you could hear him laughing. I waited for about ten more minutes in front of the house. When around the corner comes Lennell. Singing and loud. He called my name from the corner like he was a parent looking for their child. He throws one hand up and I acknowledge throwing the peace sign up. Lennell is halfway waddling but with a rhythm to it. As he gets closer I could recognize the song he was singing. It was LL Cool Jay's hit, "I Need Love"... once I heard it, I knew it.. So as we started walking to the pool, we kept the melody rolling. "Let's take it from the top Jay". So as we walked we sang.."When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall"........... And to the park, to swim we go...... Page 1