by Doris Miller
It is a week later. Inside the living room of Dana’s relatives home, Nicolas, Mickey, many of Christine's relatives including her sister Patricia and some kids, Michael, Kelly, Miranda, Nancy, Kenny and the members of the Diaz-Davidson Band are all talking, laughing and drinking with Kelly, Miranda and Nancy all dressed in identical pearl colored leggings, pearl colored long sleeved short shirts showing their bellies and fluffy slippers with their long hairs loosed out along the back and sides.
In the kitchen, Lonna, Charlotte and Bernice also dressed in identical pearl colored leggings, pearl colored long sleeved short shirts showing their bellies and fluffy slippers with their long hairs loosed out along the back and sides, Dana's cousin Judy, other Jamaican relatives, Diane D's family and some kids hang in the kitchen. Mary, Margarita, Gracy, Christine and Marie cook over a stove and counter. They then look in the stove to check on something cooking in it as Lonna, Charlotte and Bernice stand next to them looking on. Marie then asks, “Is the ham ready yet?”
“I don't know,” Christine says. “Diane was checking on it, hold on.” Christine turns toward the kitchen doorway and shouts, “Diane! Diane!”
Diane D enters the kitchen behind the Dianettes wearing a cap, also dressed in an identical pearl colored leggings, pearl colored long sleeved short shirt showing her belly and fluffy slippers with her long hair loosed out along her back and sides as she says, “What's up Aunt Christine?”
“Is the ham ready?” Christine asks.
Diane D gently comes between Lonna, Charlotte and Bernice. She then goes in front of them and opens the stove looking into it. “It’s almost ready,” she says. “I'll give it another ten minutes.” Diane D closes the stove back and says, “Could you take it out after ten minutes Aunt Christine? I gotta step outside for a minute.”
“Okay Diane,” Christine says.
Diane D turns to Lonna, Charlotte and Bernice and says, “Girls come with me.” Diane D turns away and heads out the kitchen as Lonna, Charlotte and Bernice turn and follow her out the kitchen.
Marie turns to Winston and says, “Winston you don't want any salt on your food right?“
“No, no salt Marie,” Winston says.
Everyone suddenly hears keys unlocking the front door around the corner. “Here comes Dana now,” Christine says. “That's her keys unlocking the front door.” Some of the people in the kitchen go towards the kitchen exit.
Suddenly Diane D enters the kitchen again. Judy hands Diane D a large opened bag of rice as she is about to go out the kitchen and says, “Here you go Diane.”
Christine's sister Patricia comes into the kitchen next to Diane D holding a champagne glass in her hand as she shouts, “More champagne!” Patricia and Judy bump right into each other causing Patricia to drop and break her champagne glass all on the floor and causing the large bag of rice to fall, spilling rice all over the floor. Everybody stops and looks down at the spilled rice and broken glass.
“What the .....!” Uncle Harold says.
“Look!” Christine shouts. “What a mess here! Rice and glass all over the place!”
Christine's brother Harold looks at Patricia, Diane D and Judy and shouts, “Look what you three did!”
“Three?!” Diane D shouts. “It wasn't my fault Uncle Harold!”
“It wasn't my fault either!” Judy shouts.
“What are y'all trying to say it's my fault?!” Patricia shouts.
“Well whose fault was it?!” Uncle Harold shouts.
“I don't know Uncle Harold!” Diane D shouts. “All I know is that Judy just threw the opened bag of rice right in my hands and let go of it without waiting for me to get a good grip on it!”
“Well excuuuuse me!” Judy says as she places her hands on her hips.
“Excuse you nothing Judy! Clean this rice up!”
“Me?! Now wait a second Diane….”
Diane D holds her hand out to Judy's face and walks away going towards the kitchen doorway as Judy, Uncle Harold, Aunt Patricia, Christine, Marie, Winston, Mary, Barry and everyone else in the kitchen start to fuss as they follow off after Diane D.
In the hallway, there are murals of old large pictures on the hallway wall of a young Marie, a young Winston, a young Christine, Christine's siblings a young Patricia, Harold, Alan and other family and relatives during Christine's childhood. Missy, Landa, Londa and Linda excitedly run down the hallway past the mural of large pictures, smiling shouting, “Dana! Dana!”
Missy, Landa, Londa and Linda reach the front doorway! They approach Dana and wrap their arms around Dana, giving Dana big warm hugs as Dana, dressed in a short brown shirt, brown leggings and brown cap, has her arms wrapped back around her sisters.
Nicolas, Mickey and some relatives come down the hallway as Nicolas says, “Man, I wish I can get that much love.”
“Yeah right,” Mickey says. “I've been working all day too.”
Dana and her sisters turn and see Nicolas, Mickey and the relatives coming down the hallway towards them.
Nicolas, Mickey and the relatives approach Dana and say, “What's up Dana.”
“What's up guys?” Dana says.
“Gosh Dana,” Mickey says. “Where have you been all day?”
“You went hunting again Dana?” Nicolas asks.
“Sort of,” Dana says.
“Sort of? You didn’t kill another deer did you Dana?”
“No Nicolas. Sammy, Thomas, Uncle Alan, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Willie and I went fishing.”
“Y’all went fishing?”
“Yeah, we brought fish for everybody.”
“Oh that‘s good. I can‘t wait to eat it.”
“You coming in the living room Dana?” Linda asks.
“Yeah, hold on baby,” Dana says. She turns back to Nicolas and Mickey and says, “Guys do me a favor? They got a lot of fish in the van. Could y'all help them get the fish out the van?”
“Sure Dana,” Mickey says. “We'll go get it.” Suddenly, they all hear the sound of glass breaking coming from the kitchen. They all look towards the kitchen as Mickey says, “Is that Aunt Patricia again? Don't tell me she dropped another champagne glass.” They all start to hear fussing coming from out of the kitchen.
“There they go again,” Nicolas says.
“I'll take care of them,” Dana says. She then walks away into the hallway with her sisters. Everyone else follows Dana and her sisters. Nicolas and Mickey and a male relative turn away and head towards the front door.
Chapter 42
School Committee Wants Diane D To Visit Schools Again