Way Back

Well how could I not drive the 5½-hours through a hell of beach traffic for your big surprise birthday Horace, even though you found out about it in the end and did all the cooking yourself? How could I not come when I was the one who brought you to Brown every September and back again every May? We packed my van to the roof  20 times if we packed it once. It went with you to grad school at Tufts and it made the long sad trip home when your grandma died and we missed the wake because you had been asked to address 700 school-kids for the big Martin Luther King Day Assembly and you didn’t want to let anyone down. It was OK though because by then you had moved back home to be with her and your mom by then and weren't we there for the funeral where you spoke and didn't you toss that first shovelful of dirt into her grave?Grandma died just after you guys bought this place that your sister Crystal stood in front of last night and I have to say, Horace  I think of  Eula every time I hear this Tanya Stephens song Way Back because I gave her the CD that it’s from and when I next saw her she put it and made me dance with her.She sure would have loved the fun last night.When I got to your house  at 6:00, the kitchen was still a sauna of cooking and you guys were all still in your work clothes. But not 50 minutes later your mum was crisp in white linen, your little brother Travis was calmly texting a Haverford classmate and Crystal here was resplendent in forest green.You too had on a just-ironed shirt as you set out the food, all of which you cooked yourself - all but your mom's rice and peas and the two desserts brought by your godmother and  Crystal’s potato salad and killer mac-and-cheese.Anyway I hope it was a nice day. You and I have walked many a mile together since you came so thoroughly into our family that my kids took to calling you The New Baby. I guess you could say that we go 'way back' too. You came to MY big 60th last year and to my big 50th ten years before and you danced at my daughter’s wedding. So how could I not return the favor and come to yours? Especially when you were serving  (deep breath) curried chicken, jerk chicken, curried goat, oxtail-and-beans, rice-and-beans, rice-and-peas, cabbage-and-carrots AND all that homemade dessert, plus Crystal’s potato salad, and mac-and-cheese AND Myra's homemade cakes, carrot and pineapple upside-down! :-)