July 24th, 2004

Big Mama These chilen need to come on. Mama just got out of the pen. I want her to see what I've done with Legacy. I want her to see my children's children. I have three children: Rose, Gerald, and Amanda. Rose has 8 kids: Aisha, Meisha, Jayla, Kayla, Montrell, Jakell, Tyler, and Nicholas. For Rose's birthright she ran the Legacy until she gave it to her eldest daughter Jayla in 2000. The Legacy is running smoothly. Finally my children have arrived. Rose comes over and kisses my cheek.

"Ma where you want me to put the drinks?"

"Just set them inside the coolers. Make sure you put the alcoholic beverages up we wouldn't want the kids to get them."

"Yes ma'am will do."

Next my daughter Amanda kisses my cheek and asks

"Mama where you want me to put all this meat at and charcoal at?"

"Put them in the house in the fridge for now while we wait on your big headed brother."

"Yes ma'am."

I feel my flip phone buzzing. I see Jayla calling me.

"Hello."

"Grandma I'm at the store with my sisters and brothers. What do you need us to get? Orlando no you ain't getting that."

"Don't do my great gran baby like that. Let him get it."

"See grandma you got him spoiled. Gon get it."

"I'll tell you what I'll tell you everything we need and y'all can decide who gets what."

"Okay."

"You got a pencil and paper ready?"

"Uhhh yeah. I'm ready what's the list."

"We need napkins, paper plates cause y'all not finna have me in the kitchen washing all them dishes, plastic eating utensils, table cloths, sweets that all of us can enjoy, kool-aid, water, little hug fruit barrels, barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, mustard, ketchup, mayo, cheese, meat and I think I got everything else."

"Alright people granny gave me the list this what we getting so let's go!"

"Alright love see y'all when y'all get here."

"Bye grandma."

"Bye baby."

I close my flip phone and turn to my house. It's time to set up and prep everything. I go in the house and pull out the huge bowl of potato salad. I then start whipping up a seasoning for the ribs. I finish and start seasoning the ribs, chicken, smoke sausage, steak, and hamburger patties. After I finish I set it all in a big pan. My son just walked in the kitchen.

"Hey old lady."

"Old lady? You best to watch that mouth of yours. Now come here and gimme my kiss. You came just in time."

"I already fired up the pit. This the meat?"

"Yup. Already seasoned and waiting to get on the pit."

"Alright. Mama it smells good in here."

"It's suppose to that's how you know it's finna be good."

I walk over to the oven and open it to check on my cakes. Looks like they're ready.

"Gerald pass me my oven mitts."

"Here you go mama."

I take each one of them out carefully and flip them on parchment paper.

"Alright go ahead and start barbecuing. If you wanna put beer on the meat make sure you separate them from the ones the kids gon eat. Here take these pans. Can you dig it?"

"Yes ma'am. I brought my speakers and sound system. I even managed to get a bouncy house and water slide for the kids."

"Alright that's perfect. I'll get one of the boys to pull that trampoline from the back so they can jump on it. We also need to get the volleyball net out for my grandchildren. Oh yeah and that basketball too."

"Yes ma'am consider it done."

"Thank you son."

"You welcome mama."

With those words being said he left and did what I asked him to.

Jayla "Okay everyone know what they getting?!"

"Yeah Jayla we know!"

"Alright let's get it!"

I rush down the aisle with the paper plates, foil, napkins, paper towels, and eating utensils. I grab a lot of paper plates, to-go plates, foil, napkins, and plastic utensils. Out of all my siblings I've been the prepared one. No matter what time of day it is I'm prepared. Cause I'm the bomb!

Kayla Who does Jayla think she is? She always taking or trying to run something. It's aggravating because everyone think she's the best and wisest. Just because she's the oldest by 2 minutes don't mean she knows everything. I got things to say too I'm the second oldest. Just because I'm born second does mean I'm second best. I look down at my two beautiful twins Ryan and Rylee. If only I'd been born 2 minutes earlier than Jayla then I'd be over the Legacy. Then my kids would take over after I step down. If I step up and say something everybody would have a cow.

Meisha RJ is just the spitting image of his father. It's hard to forget about a man that your son looks like sooo much like. Like yo whoop there it is! I can't believe he just left us. He told RJ he was going to the store and then he never came back. I reported him to the missing persons list, but it's only so much they can do. I figured if he wanted to be found he'd come out of hiding. I didn't choose the single moms life the single moms life chose me.

"Mama can I get this?"

"RJ what I told you before we came in the store? Didn't I say don't ask for nothing, don't touch nothing, and don't look at nothing?"

I look at my lil stanka he in the buggy poutin. Maybe I am being a lil harsh, but I need to get the stuff I need first before I get the extra things.

"Here hold on to this I'm n...

"Thank you mama. I love you."

He starts kissing my face and I feel like for once I've done something right.

"Yeah. Yeah. Now we gotta get the kool-aid, water, and little hug fruit barrels for the family reunion."

Aisha "We gotta get barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, and mayo. This should be a piece of cake right?"

My kids aren't playing a bit of attention to me. They over here chillaxin in the buggy.

"Guess y'all don't want a toy today."

TJ was the first to reply.

"Yes getting barbecue sauce, mustard, ketchup, and mayo should be a piece of cake."

"You heard me?"

"Every last single word."

"Okay you don't have to be a smart alec."

"Shawn you okay there bud?"

"Yeah mama I'm okay. I just saw a pretty sight."

I follow his eyes and see what he talking about. I shake my head, but she is fairly pretty. I guess he has some good taste.

"As long as you don't show daddy your pretty sights then we're good. Got it?"

"Yes mama."

Montrell Unlike everybody else I gotta buggy full of straight up girls. A three year old finna be four and two month old baby.

"Alright ladies we have to handle the big stuff. We need to get cheese, lettuce, and the table cloth.

"Cheese! Yay!"my three year old baby girl Jomellia "Jojo"gets excited over pickles and cheese. That's all her mama really craved when she was pregnant. Time to get this and roll out I'm ready to eat.

Jakell "Miguel sit down and quit putting stuff in the buggy boy!"

If his mama didn't have to run an errand earlier this morning she would've had his butt. I wish he was a morning person so she could've woke him up and took him. Now I wonder why he wanna act a fool while we in public? He gon know before it's all over I don't play. All we need to get is the tomatoes and potatoes.

"You better sit down and act like you got some sense. Don't think just cause we in public I won't take you to the bathroom and wear you out. You hear me?"

He nods his head I can see his eyes threatening to water. He need to toughen up and besides you gotta be tougher on boys. I ain't raising no weak, mamas baby. He gotta be tough if he gonna help wit Legacy.

Tyler "Kyle my boy...."

"What are you trying to do dad?"

"I'll give you five dollars if you remember what I tell you."

"What about me daddy?" My daughter Kami says to me with her big brown eyes.

"I'll give you five dollars too princess.

I was constantly playing games to sharp their senses they gotta be prepared to solve anything that comes their way when the time is right. As their dad it's my job to teach them how to eat or be eaten.

"Aight I'm in."

"Me too."

"Okay we need to get some meat."

"What kind?"

"Think son what kind of meat is served at a family reunion?"

"Can we get hotdogs daddy?" Kami asks as she swings her legs.

"Yes we can baby."

"Aight dad I got this."

I ain't never put doubt in him cause I know he got it and my daughter does as well.

Nicholas "Carlos, Malik, Malcolm. We finna rack up on them sweets."

"Sweet!"

"When we go down the sweets' aisle I want y'all to put as many sweets in the buggy as you can."

We walk down there and they're grabbing cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, and anything else they thought was good enough. Over the intercoms we hear an announcement.

"Party of Jayla meet at checkout 1. Leave it to my sister to cramp our style."

Jayla "Alright do we have everything?"

"Yeah we do so let's check out."

"Dang Kayla why you buggin'?"

I look at my twin she doesn't say anything, but I know somethings up I'll wait until later. We get all the items checked out and split the bill eight ways.

Big Mama Everything is in place now all we need to do is get the people here. Right on cue they all pull up and start unloading.

"Everyone put all the groceries in the kitchen and let the kids play outside. Raymond and Lorenzo will look after them. I need some help in the kitchen so wash ya hands and get the steppin."

One after one they came into the kitchen with washed hands.

"Imma tell you what I need done and pair y'all up. I need the baked beans to be cooked, fresh ice on the drinks, clean the fish, peeled, cut, deep fried potatoes (for homemade fries), sliced tomatoes, the tables outside set up, and set the food up. Meisha and Aisha you're a pair. Kayla and Jayla you're a pair. Montrell and Jakell you're a pair. Tyler and Nicholas you're a pair. Let's move it!"

"Wow I can see you run this place with an iron fist!"

I turn around and see my mom Adelita smiling at me. I rush to her and hug her.

"Hola madre! ¿Comó estás?"

"Bien. ¿Y tú?"

"Bien! I'm would've picked you up if you have of asked!"

"I know. I know, but I took a cab. It's a lot easier this way. I saw the kids out front those are my great-great-grand kids? Aye aye aye I'm getting old niña."

The food was ready and we gathered around the table. My son blessed the food and we dug in.

After everyone was done they brought a couple of spoons and pans in. Rose started cleaning them. I look in the fridge for a drink. RJ runs in the kitchen.

"Big Mama! Big Mama! Big Mama!"

"RJ what have I told you about running in the house?"

"Ryan started beating up Orlando!!!!"

"What?!!"

I book it out there and see the two rascals wrestling on the ground. Little Orlando was throwing some fierce punches. We had to pull him off of Ryan.

"Rose go clean him off in the guest bathroom."

I look over all of the family.

"We need to talk!"

This don't make no sense this is ignorant behavior.