Original Date: 5-12-97

I spent a lot of time with Kourtnee after the first two weekends. It was fun. I got to meet a few members of Kourtnee's family. I even got to meet Colt's mother, Monica Austin. Kourtnee has a big family. Kourtnee's grandparents had 10 children, one who died, Booker D. Adams. Kourtnee has five brothers and sisters. Her brother, Thomas Shields, II had died.

Themophilis Adams

I met Kourtnee's grandfather, Themophilis Adams. Mr. Adams is a man of honor, wisdom, and hard work. His wrinkled forehead and hard-skinned hands were proof of this. He often has a stern look that hides his caring heart. His dark brown skin is a result of years in the sun. He has a very deep voice that commands attention.

I was at Kourtnee's house in the game room playing pool by myself. All of a sudden I heard a voice say, "Who's winning?" I turned around and saw the founder of Shimmers, Inc. standing in the room with me. I knew that he was Kourtnee's grandfather because I had seen a picture of him on Kourtnee's desk. I looked at him and said, "No one." He asked me if I wanted to play a game with him. I just looked at him. I wasn't sure if I should play him or not. I was good at pool and I didn't know what would happen if I beat him. I decided that it was best not to play him so I said, "No, I don't think so." He inquired, "Are you scared that I will beat you?" I smiled at him and started walking out of the room. He stopped me and asked, "Are you scared to beat me?" I glanced at him and said, "Maybe." He smiled and said, "I promise I take it easy on you." That was a challenge that I couldn't pass up. At the end of the games, I found out that he was a great fisherman, a great pool player, and a sore loser. We played three games and I won all three of them.

He stomped out of the game room and went downstairs. About three minutes later Kourtnee came upstairs and said, "Did you play pool with my grandfather and beat him?" I answered with a yes. She looked at me, covered her mouth, and giggled. She hugged my neck and told me to come downstairs and meet her grandmother.

I got downstairs. Mr. Adams saw me and walked off into the living room. I looked at Kourtnee. She giggled. I had a feeling that Mr. Adams was not to pleased with me.

Mary Adams

Mrs. Adams' light beige features illustrated her Caucasian filled bloodline. She had a very sexy smile. Her dancing magical eyes seem to be attached to her soul. Her thick eyebrows laid very still. Her face shows her years of wisdom, but she still has a youthful look.

Mrs. Adams hugged me so hard that I thought I was going to burst. As she held me, I felt as if I had known her all my life. There was such love and warmth in her hug that I did not want her to let me go. She let me go and started talking to me about the family, her life, and her beauty shop. Kourtnee left us alone and went into the living room with Mr. Adams.

Mrs. Adams loved to talk. She told me about every one of her children. She had over 50 grandchildren and twice as many great grandchildren. She even had several great-great grandchildren.

She owned her own beauty shop, Mary's Place. She had five locations. I was very impressed. She said that she still styled hair from time to time. She touched my hair and said, "You have a good, thick head of hair. Shimmers products work wonders don't they?" I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I was too scared to tell her what I products I really used. She kept on going for a while longer.

A few minutes later Kourtnee's mother, Anna came to the door. We all went to dinner at a restaurant. We went to Torrez. It was uneventful for me. The grown-ups talked and talked. I felt left out yet again. Every now and then someone would throw a comment or two my way. I tried not to let it show on my face, but I wasn't sure it worked. Kourtnee smiled at me a couple of times and told me to smile. We finally left and we all went on our separate ways.

Some Crazy Drama

I met Colt's mother when Colt, Ms. Austin, Mrs. Jackson, and I had dinner.

On Thursday afternoon, I rode the bus up to Shimmers. I wanted to see Kourtnee. I called Colt and told him that I was at the complex after I got to Kourtnee's office. He told me that he would talk to me later. He came up to Kourtnee's office to talk to me. Kourtnee was not in her office when he came by. When he walked up to Paula's desk outside of Kourtnee's office he said, "I am here to see Ms. Adams." Paula responded, "Kourtnee is not here right now." Colt said, "I am not here to see that Ms. Adams, I am here to see the young Ms. Adams." I walked out of Kourtnee's office and said hi to Colt. Paula looked at Colt, rolled her eyes, and said, "Quit playing around."

Colt started talking to me. We talked for about five minutes, then Kourtnee walked in. She looked at Colt and then at me. She looked as if we had something up our sleeves and it involved her. Colt said, "Excuse me. Kourtnee can I talk to you for a minute?" Kourtnee said yes and they went into her office. Paula picked up a piece of paper and then asked me, "What is that all about?" I looked her and said, "I have no idea." "Girl, what have you done now?", Paula retorted. I sneered and said, "I haven't done anything. I have been up here all day." Before Paula could reply, Kourtnee and Colt walked out of her office. Kourtnee stared at me and said, "LaDawnya, come in here for a minute." I looked at Colt, then Paula, and then at Kourtnee. I slowly walked into Kourtnee's office.

When we got into Kourtnee's office, she told me to sit down and then she said, "Colt asked me if you could go out to eat with him and his mother tomorrow night." I just stared at her and said, "Huh?" She repeated the question. I looked at her again. She looked troubled. I could tell that she was nervous about me going out to dinner with Colt. I asked, "Is it okay if I go? If you don't want me to go, I won't go." She smirked at me and came back with, "Colt and I have a history. I am wondering what he is thinking about." I said, "Oh, I didn't know." She gave me a wave that let me know to leave that subject alone. I asked Kourtnee who was Colt's mother. She told me that Colt's mother was Monica Austin. I almost freaked out. Monica Austin was a famous author and painter. When I found out who Colt's mother was, I wanted to go out to dinner with them. I was excited for a second then I felt bad because of Kourtnee. I decided to try to figure out a way that everyone would be happy. I asked Kourtnee, "Do you think they would mind if you came with me? I would feel weird without you there." Kourtnee said, "I don't think that would be a good idea." I looked off and then said, "Well, I just won't go to dinner then." She looked off and said, "Go outside and ask Colt to come in here." I went outside and told Colt what Kourtnee had told me to. I was about to go back inside the office with them when Kourtnee asked me to close the door and wait outside. I had a pretty good feeling that GROWN FOLK were about to talk.

I sat in one of the chairs. I looked at Paula who was on the phone. She looked at me and mouthed, everything is going to be okay. I wasn't convinced. I was scared, nervous, and tense. I felt sick and I wanted to go home. I got up and went to the restroom. A few seconds later, Paula walked into the restroom. She asked, "Are you ok?" I gazed in the mirror and said "Yes, I am fine. I think I might have messed up." Paula asked, "How have you messed up?" "I didn't know that Kourtnee knew Colt and I go and meet Colt and start this whole thing," I answered back. Paula hugged me and said, "Don't worry about it. It's not your fault." Paula then escorted me out of the restroom.

When we got back to Kourtnee's office, Colt was standing outside of Kourtnee's office scowling. He tried to smile at me as he said, "LaDawnya, maybe you can go out with my mother and I some other time." Then, he looked at Kourtnee and stormed off. I looked at Kourtnee. Before I could say anything to Kourtnee, Paula pulled Kourtnee into her office and closed the door.

In Kourtnee's Office

Paula roared, "What in the world happened between you two?"

Kourtnee replied, "Not now Paula. I don't feel like getting into this right now."

Paula said, "I take it that LaDawnya isn't going out to eat with Colt and his mother." Kourtnee gave Paula a look that let Paula know what the answer was. Paula continued, "She already feels bad because she thinks that she did something wrong by meeting Colt. Now she is really gonna feel like she did something wrong. You should have let her go with Colt and his mother."

Kourtnee looked at Paula and said, "Paula, look stay out of it. Don't you have a job to do!" Paula scowled at Kourtnee and walked out of Kourtnee's office. Kourtnee said, "Tell LaDawnya to come here."

Would Somebody Tell Me What Happened?

When Paula went into Kourtnee's office, I followed behind Colt. When I got to the elevator, he said, "Girl, what are you doing?" "I came to see what happened," I responded. Colt looked agitated. I just stood at the elevator. Colt looked at me and said, "Go back in there with Kourtnee?" I responded, "I want to know what happened." Colt responded, "Ask Kourtnee." "I am asking you," I retorted. Colt was getting more stressed. He raised his voice and said, "Go back in there with Kourtnee. I will talk to you later." He stepped into the elevator and left me standing in the hallway. I almost started crying as I walked back to Kourtnee's office. I sat down in one of the chairs and stared at the ceiling.

Paula walked out of Kourtnee's office. It was obvious that she was mad. She walked towards the restroom. I felt out of place. I didn't know what to do. I went to Kourtnee's office door and peered in. She looked up from the stack of papers that she was reading. She didn't say a word to me. I walked to the elevator. I rode the elevator to the first floor and went outside. I decided to walk around the complex. Walking always helps me to think. I went to the entry way of the complex and sat on the edge of the fountain. I sat there staring at the water as it shot from the fountain and flowed back into the pond. It was a calming scene. I looked down into the fountain. There were all denominations of coins in the pond. I looked at the granite wall that surrounded the pond area. The wall had plaques that had names written on it. I got up to go read the plaque that was by the wall. The names on the wall were names Shimmers' of employees who had passed away. I thought that was very nice of Shimmers to remember its past employees. I walked around the wall looking at the names. I was mid way around the wall when I looked up and saw Kourtnee. When she caught up to me she said, "This wall was Colt's idea. A member of his department died. He wanted to do something to remember her. He wrote up a proposal and presented to the board of directors. We thought it was a good idea." She looked in the direction of the plant. She sat down on the edge of the fountain. I sat down next to her. She looked disheartened. She told me about how she and Colt met. I don't think she liked to talk about it, so she gave me the short version.

They met in college. They started dating. They dated for two years. After graduation, they drifted apart once Kourtnee began working at Shimmers. They hadn't seen each other in over a year when one day, Colt was sitting at a meeting of the department heads at Shimmers. Colt had been hired by the Plant Operations Vice-President to be the director of the Research and Development Department. Colt wanted to start back to dating, but Kourtnee knew that as the president of the company, she couldn't date an employee. Colt tried on several more occasions to go out with Kourtnee, but she wouldn't go out with him. Kourtnee looked very sad while she was telling her story. I was upset because I had stumbled upon Colt. If I hadn't been nosey, we wouldn't be in this situation. I felt horrible. It must have shown on my face because Kourtnee took my face in her hands and said, "Sweetie, don't feel bad. This has nothing to do with you. It has to do with Colt and me. Why don't you invite Colt and his mother over to the house for dinner? Mrs. Jackson has wanted to see Monica and Colt for awhile. I will go over to my mother's house while they are at the house. Go ahead and tell Colt." I got up to leave, but I didn't want to leave Kourtnee. She smiled at me and said, "Go ahead. It's okay." I ran off to go talk to Colt. I looked back a couple of times at Kourtnee.

I got to Colt's office. I was half scared to go in his office. He saw me standing at the door and waved me into his office. He was on the phone. He was talking about a new product that was in development. I sat down in a chair. He was on the phone for about twenty minutes. I got up a couple of times to leave, but he kept motioning for me to sit down. I waited. I didn't wait patiently, but I waited.

He finally hung up the phone. He said, "I'm sorry about that. What did you want?" I started, "Well, Kourtnee said that I could invite you and your mother over to the house for dinner." Colt interrupted, "Huh?" I continued, "Well, Kourtnee is not going to be there. She said that Mrs. Jackson could cook and that you all could come over to the house. She said that Mrs. Jackson had been asking about you and your mother." Colt said, "I am not sure about that." I finished, "Well, it's okay then. I guess I will have to meet your mother some other time." I was about to walk out of the office when Colt said, "Hold on. Let me call my mother and see what she thinks." He picked up the phone and called his mother. From Colt's expression, his mother thought it was a good idea. We were set.

On Saturday, Colt, his mother, Mrs. Jackson, and I were going to have dinner at Kourtnee's house and Kourtnee wasn't going to be there. I felt really creepy about the whole situation, but the ADULTS seemed ok with it.

Saturday: Preparation

On Saturday, I was edgy all day. I tried to watch TV, but I couldn't get into any of the cartoons. I tried to read a book, but my mind kept wandering. I tried the working out, but I dropped a dumbbell on my toe. (Ouch. That hurt!) I went downstairs to see if anyone wanted any company, but Mrs. Jackson was out shopping for dinner and Kourtnee was in her room with the door closed. I didn't have the nerve to go knock on her door.

At 11:30 AM, Kourtnee came out of her room. I was sitting in the family room acting like I was watching TV. I was totally uninterested in watch was on. I looked u at Kourtnee. She was beautiful. You would have thought that she was on her way out of the door, but she wasn't. She had on a pair of pink slacks, a pink and white blouse, and a pair of pink sandals. I felt under dressed in my blue warm-ups with the hole in the leg, my favorite Hardaway Hurricanes t-shirt, and my socks. She looked at me from head to toe. She frowned when she saw the hole in my warm-ups. She said, "When you take those things off today, bring them to me." I responded with an ok as she sat down next to me.

She took the remote control from my hands and tapped me on my knee. "You weren't watching this were you?" she asked as she changed the channel. I said, "Apparently not." She smiled and flipped through a couple of more channels until she got to a channel that had some business news report going on. I frowned and said, "You do know that today is Saturday." She kept looking at the TV. Finally she responded, "What is that supposed to mean?" "Nothing. Do we really have to watch this?" I finished. She looked at me and retorted, "Yes. Is there a problem"? I thought for a moment. I decided to see how far I could go without agitating Kourtnee. I didn't have anything better to do so I said, "Well, I was in here first and I was watching something else." Kourtnee was not even rattled. She kept looking at the TV. "This is my house, so I can do whatever I want to do in my house," she remarked as she smirked. I made a face and started drumming on my knees. I had a pretty good tune going when she grabbed my left hand and stated, "If I wanted a music lesson, I would have put it on a music station. Would you stop that?" We bantered like that for a few more minutes.

The business program was finally over. I was so happy. Kourtnee turned the television off and said, "What are you going to wear tonight?" I looked at her and said, "This." She swung at me and I moved out of the way just in time. She grimaced and said, "Girl, come on here so we can find you something to where." She walked out of the family room and went towards the stairs. I slid by her almost hitting the wall because the floor was so slick. She laughed and said, "You are gonna hurt yourself if you don't be careful."

When we got upstairs, Kourtnee went to my room and looked in the closet. I asked her, "What are you doing?" She responded, "I am looking in her to see what you are going to wear tonight." I scowled and said, "I think I am old enough to pick out my own clothes." "I don't think so. You are talking about wearing what you have on. Why are you wearing those raggedy warms-up anyway?" I didn't answer her on purpose just to see what she would do. She stepped out of the closet and turned in my direction, "Didn't I just ask you something?" I pretended that I not hear her. She walked over to the bed, "Why are you acting like you don't hear me?" I got up and went over to the closet and starting laughing. She walked over behind me and said, "You think you are funny. Move out of the way." I moved out of the way, "Why you gotta pick my clothes for me? I can pick my own clothes." She giggled and paid me no attention. She kept riffling through my clothes.

She stepped out of the closet and said, "Come with me." I followed her out of my room, down the stairs, and into her room. When she got to her room, she went into her closet. I sat down on the love seat that was in her room and asked, "What are we doing down here?" She stuck her head out of the door and said, "I am trying to find you something to wear." I looked puzzled and said, "But my clothes are upstairs." "I know that," she answered back. She stepped out of the closet with a blue coordinated short set, "Go in the bathroom and see if you can wear this." I grabbed the short set and went into the bathroom. I was very excited while I tried on the short set. It fit pretty well except for in the chest area. (I can't help it because I am not as well endowed as some other females.) When I came out of the bathroom, Kourtnee tugged at the shirt and readjusted it. Then she jerked on the shorts. She didn't say anything to me. She walked over to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer in the middle of her dresser. She dug around in the drawer until she found a pair of blue earrings that were about the same color as the outfit that I was wearing. She looked through the drawer again and found a gold necklace and bracelet and handed them to me, "Go put these on so I can see what they look like." I went into the bathroom and put the jewelry on. I looked pretty in the ensemble that Kourtnee had given me. She walked into the bathroom and stood behind me and said, "Now, we have got to do something about that ponytail that is sticking straight out on the back of your head." She pulled my ponytail and then said, "Take all of that off and hand it here." I reached for my warm-ups and she grabbed them before I could not get my hands on them. She said, "You are not putting those things back on." I looked at her and said, "What am I supposed to put on when I take these clothes off?" She walked into her room and went in one of her drawers and came back in the bathroom with a black silk robe, "Here put this on." I unbutton the shirt as Kourtnee walked out of the bathroom. When I put the robe on, it was too long. I walked out of the bathroom and handed Kourtnee the clothes and jewelry. She hung the clothes up. She hung the necklace and bracelet on the neck of the hanger. She clipped the earrings to the collar of the shirt. "Go take this put this up and put some clothes on. Make sure that whatever you put on is not torn, ripped, or broken," she declared as I walked out of the room.

When I got up to my room, I laid the outfit on the bed. I started to change clothes. When I put the robe on the bed and reached for the outfit, tears started falling out of eyes. I hung the outfit up in the closet and ran into the bathroom. I closed and locked both doors to the bathroom. One door lead into my bedroom and the other door lead into the study. I sat on the tub. I was still crying. I was so overcome with emotion. I was crying for no apparent reason. I guess Kourtnee was expecting me to come back downstairs because I heard her voice coming from my room calling my name. I tried to get myself together. I dried my face. I looked into the mirror. My face and nose were bright red. I shook my head, cleared my throat, and said, "I am in the bathroom. I will be out in a few seconds." She said, "Alright. Don't forget to spray." I heard her laugh. That was so corny, but it made me laugh. I splashed some cold water on my face and it helped a little, but it still looked like I had been crying.

I walked out of the bathroom with my head down. Kourtnee said, "That's look better. Do you have anything else in here that has holes in it?" I was still looking down at the floor. I mumbled, "I don't know." She walked over to me, grabbed my chin, and looked at me with a puzzled stare, "Have you been crying?" Tears started to form in my eyes again as I said, "Yes, mame." She hugged me and said, "Is something wrong?" I told her no. She asked me if I needed to talk about anything. I told her no all the while more tears were forming in my eyes. I felt like an idiot.

Kourtnee stopped hugging me and told me to sit down on the bed. She asked, "Are you gonna tell me why you are crying?" I said, "It's nothing." "Well, then why are you crying?" she walked in the bathroom and got some Kleenex. When she handed me the Kleenex, tears were rolling down my cheeks. She took the Kleenex from my hands and wiped my cheek. She looked at me and stared at me like she had never seen a teenage girl sitting on the edge of the bed crying for no reason. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked with a twist of my lips and a smirk. She shook her head as if she had been in a daze and said, "I am trying to figure out why you were crying." I got up from the bed and walked over to the closet and acted like I was looking for something. She stated, "Come back over here and sit down." As I sat down the opposite side of the bed that she was on, she said, "Back over here where you were sitting." I rolled my eyes and didn't move. "Do you want me to come over there?" she threatened. I rolled my eyes again and shrugged my shoulders. The next thing I knew, she was on my side of the bed. I was trapped. She was blocking the only entrance that I had. I could have tried to jump across the bed, but she could have grabbed me before I made it across the king sized bed. She sat down and said, "I am going to sit in her with you until you tell me why you were crying." I looked at her and shrugged my shoulders. She didn't know it, but she was about to find out that I was very stubborn when I wanted to be. We sat on the bed for fifteen minutes. I stared at the floor. Kourtnee stared at me.

She picked up one of the pillows on my bed. I thought she was going to get more comfortable, but the next thing I know, I am getting hit with a pillow and Kourtnee is laughing, "You are one stubborn child. If you don't want to tell me why you were crying, you don't have to. I just thought maybe I could help you." She stormed out of my room and down the stairs. I felt silly. I lay down on the pillow that Kourtnee had hit me with.

I don't know how long I slept. I woke up to Kourtnee calling my name. I looked at the clock. It was 5:30 PM. Kourtnee told me to get up. She asked me what shoes I was going to wear with my outfit as she riffled through my closet. I was still groggy, so I mumbled something incoherent. She pulled a pair of brown sandals out of the closet along with the outfit. She looked at the outfit and said that the sandals would go with the outfit. I headed for the bathroom to handle some business and wash my face. Kourtnee was sitting on the bed with the remote control changing the channels. She took one look at my hair and laughed. I asked, "What's so funny?" She didn't say anything. She went over to my dresser and looked around. I scratched my head and asked, "What are you looking for?" She looked around the room before she said, "Where is your hair stuff?" I rubbed my face and responded, "It's in my bag." I pointed to my bag that was lying on the floor. She picked up the bag and inquired, "Why is your stuff in the bag?" As she took my hair care products out of the bag, she had figured it out. She smiled as she looked at the jar of non Shimmers hair gel that was in her hand. She dropped the jar of hair gel on the bed and looked at her hand as if it had a hole in it. I shook my head, "Very funny." She stood behind me and took my ponytail down. She ran her fingers through my hair and chuckled, "Grandmama was right. You do have some thick hair. It would look better if you used Shimmers products." I snickered as she combed my hair. I grabbed her hand and took the comb from her. I felt tears forming in my eyes. I swallowed the frog that had formed in my throat and said, "I can comb my own hair." She said, "Are you sure?" I said yes and she walked to the door and looked at me. She looked hurt. I felt bad. She left my room. I stared in the mirror. A few minutes later, I was walking into Kourtnee's room.

I knocked on the door. When she opened it, she was in a pink silk robe. I told her that I could come back later. She said I could stay in the room. She went to the bathroom and got dressed. She was talking through the bathroom door, "What do you need?" I didn't say anything. She stuck her head out of the door and repeated her question. I was staring out of the window when she walked over to me. She was still in her robe, but she had on black skirt under the robe. She touched me on my shoulder. When I turned around to look at her, I was crying. She dropped her head and let her shoulders droop. She went back into the bathroom and came out with some Kleenex. I wiped my face. Kourtnee took the Kleenex from me as I put my elbows on my legs and put my chin in my hands. Kourtnee put her arm around my shoulders. I laid my head on her shoulder and began crying and speaking incoherently trying to explain why I was crying. She said Uhh huh and yea like she understood what I was saying, but I didn't believe that she understood me. After I finish spilling my guts, she repeated some of what I had said. To my surprise she had understood most of what I had said. I smiled and wiped my face with my hands. Kourtnee shook her head, "That's what Kleenex is for." I smiled back at her. She talked to me and reassured me that everything was okay while she combed my hair.

Ms. Shields knocked on the door at 6:19. She was supposed to be there at 6:30. Ms. Shields was very punctual. Mrs. Jackson answered the door and told her that Kourtnee and I were in the room. Ms. Austin came in the room. She took one look at Kourtnee, "Kourtnee, you are not ready! We have reservations at Le'Mesun at 7:00 PM. Why aren't you ready?" Kourtnee walked over to her mother and hugged her, "Hello, Mother." Ms. Shields did not smile. She looked at me, "LaDawnya, what time is Colt and his mother supposed to be over here?" Kourtnee answered before I could respond, "Mother, they are supposed to be over here at 7:30. Would you quit worrying. I was helping LaDawnya with her hair." Ms. Shields looked at my head, "Isn't she old enough to do her own hair?" I looked at Kourtnee then back at Ms. Shields. I tried not to let my emotions show, but I was furious with Ms. Shields, she was interrupting the moment that Kourtnee and I were sharing. Ms Shields looked at me like I was supposed to be doing something. I looked at Kourtnee. She smiled at me and said, "Baby, go ahead and go upstairs and get dressed. I'll be up there in a few minutes." Ms. Shields twisted her face. I walked out of the room and went upstairs.

I was putting on the earrings when Kourtnee walked in the room. She smiled at me, "You look cute." I smiled and shook my head. She walked over to me and adjusted my necklace. I looked at her and uneasily said, "Can you stay here with me and have dinner?" She grabbed my chin and said, "Well, my mother has gotten dressed, and driven all the way over here. If you want to go down there and tell her that I am not going to dinner with her, I will stay here with you." I rolled my eyes. Kourtnee pulled my hair and told me to quit rolling my eyes. I slumped down on the bed. She gracefully sat down on the bed, "Don't sit like that. That is not how ladies sit. You are gonna be alright. Mrs. Jackson is going to be here with you. You will like Ms. Austin, she is very nice. If you need to, you can call me on my cell phone." I acted like that made me feel better, but it didn't. I laid my head on Kourtnee's shoulder. She hugged me. Ms. Shields walked in the room, "Kourtnee, it's time to go! The child is not leaving for college. Good grief. The both of you will be alright. We will only be gone for three or four hours." A look of distress came across my face. Kourtnee was about to react to my expression when Ms. Shields grabbed Kourtnee and told her to go downstairs and wait. Ms. Shields sat down beside me, "Don't worry, you are going to be okay. How are you sitting? That's not how ladies sit." She kissed me on my cheek and left the room. I heard Ms. Shields say, "Kourtnee go back downstairs. We are never gonna get out of here. LaDawnya, stay in the room. Mona, please come up here with LaDawnya." I stayed in the room and yelled bye after Kourtnee yelled bye to me. Mrs. Jackson came in the room, told me I looked cute, and then escorted me downstairs. I felt so alone.

Monica Austin

Well, 7:30 rolled around, and no Colt, no Ms. Austin.

Seven forty-five PM, and still no Colt, no Ms. Austin.

I was getting restless. Mrs. Jackson told me to go up to my room. I could tell I was getting on her nerves. I tried to calm down, but I was too fidgety. I called Kourtnee on her cell phone. She talked to me for two minutes. I heard Ms. Shields voice on the phone, "Calm down, they will be there before too long." I heard Kourtnee's voice back on the phone. She told me not to worry. I wasn't buying it but I said okay, goodbye, and hung up the phone. I paced in my room. I went downstairs and went in Kourtnee's room and lay on the bed. I was wrinkling up my clothes, but I didn't care anymore.

Mrs. Jackson was calling my name. I woke up and looked at the clock, it was 8:23. I got up and washed my face in the bathroom. I walked out of Kourtnee's room. Ms. Austin and Colt were in the living room. Colt introduced me to his mother. She was very nice. She smiled this big smile. I smiled back. She apologized for being late. It was her fault. She told me that I could call her Monica. Colt smiled at me and I made a face. Mrs. Jackson seemed comfortable with Ms. Austin and Colt. She talked as if she had known them all of her life.

I learned a lot about Monica. Monica Austin was blessed with smooth, deep dark skin all her life. Her dark mysterious eyes can hide what she is really thinking. She is a full-figured woman that is not ashamed of her figure. Her soft golden voice sounds like music when she speaks. She has had some crazy hairstyles in the past.

Monica is a very talented and gifted woman. She is endowed with talents in all the genres of the arts. She can dance, write, paint, and sing. She has received awards in all of these areas. She is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken woman. She has a sweet innocence about her and she can tend to be shy. She is an excellent cook.

Dinner was great. Mrs. Jackson cooked meatloaf, mashed potatoes, carrots, and spinach. We had pecan pie for dessert. I know I ate too much. Monica made it a point to make sure that I was a part of the conversation.

I learned everything about Monica that I thought I could ever want to know…

Colt's full name was Thunder Colt Austin. He was named after his father Thunder Austin. Colt's father was part Indian, so he wanted Colt to have an Indian name, so Colt was named Thunder Colt although his uses his middle name.

Monica is a professor at Absanie Community College. She received an Associates of Art Degree from Absanie Community College. She is a preacher's kid. Her father was the pastor of Reed's Chapel COGIC. She learned a lot growing up in a Pentecostal household. She wouldn't change her upbringing for anything in the world.

Monica became interested in art and writing at the age of 7. She began drawing and writing poetry then. One of her teachers noticed her talent when she was 13. When she was 14, she was introduced to Molly Heatherford. Mrs. Heatherford was an art professor at Absanie Community College. Mrs. Heatherford began to nurture Monica's talent for drawing. She also helped Monica developed her painting skills. Monica has been painting since she was 16. In 1961, she met Arthur Pepperton, a famous artist in Maddocha. He helped her and he also gave her an easel that she still has today. In 1962, she had her first art show, which was a success.

She has been writing and keeping a journal since she was 10 years old. She met the assistant vice-president of Absanie Publishing, Jacob Lasloe through her husband, Thunder Austin, in 1976. That year she began working on a book. Her book, The Girl is Bad - Writings of My Life and Times, was published in 1982.

I tripped out. Colt and I didn't get to say much, but we felt like we were a part of the conversation. After dinner, we went up to the TV room. Monica went to the piano and began playing and singing. She had an awesome voice. I sang with her, too. Mrs. Jackson and Colt were surprised to find out that I could hold a tune. We were into singing so until we did not hear Kourtnee and Ms. Shields come in the house. When I looked up from the piano, Kourtnee and Ms. Shields were walking in the room. Colt looked bewildered. I looked at the floor. Monica got up from the piano and hugged Kourtnee and Ms. Shields. Ms. Austin did not seem the least bit weird about the whole situation. She talked to Kourtnee and Ms. Shields for a few minutes. Colt walked out of the room. I followed him into the hall, "Are you ok?" He looked at me and said, "Yea. I'm okay." I walked over to the banister and leaned on it, "Kourtnee knows that you are not using me to get back with her." He leaned on the banister, too, "How does she know that?" "I told her," I returned. He said, "I am glad that you told her that. Did she believe you?" I looked down at the stairs below, "Yes, she believes me." "I am glad that she believes you," Colt responded.

Kourtnee walked out of the room, "LaDawnya get off of the banister before you hurt yourself. You have got to stop doing that." Colt smiled and grabbed me by my shoulders like he was going to push me. Kourtnee grabbed for me, "Colt stop playing. LaDawnya come over here." I walked over to Kourtnee. Colt walked towards the family room he turned and said, "LaDawnya, she's gonna be an over protective mother." Kourtnee sneered at Colt as he turned to walk in the family room. I just looked in the opposite direction. I walked towards the family room. Kourtnee started walking down the stairs. I followed her, "Where are you going?" She responded, "I am going to my room." I asked, "Why?" She looked at me, "Because I want to." I kept following her down the stairs. She stopped on the steps and said, "Where are you going?" I wrinkled my face and said, "I am going with you." She pulled my nose and said, "Quit scrunching your face up like that. You are gonna have wrinkles. Go back upstairs. You have company up there." I twisted my lip, walked up the stairs, and said, "The only person that doesn't want you upstairs is you." I turned and ran up the stairs before she could say anything. I figured that I was going to get in trouble for that comment, but Kourtnee was being childish.

Mrs. Jackson left the family room at 10:30 to go clean up the kitchen. Monica and Colt left the house after 11:00 PM. I was sitting on the couch half asleep. Colt tapped me on the shoulder and told me to go in my room and go to bed. I went in my room. Before Monica left, she came in the room and kissed me. Colt patted me on the head and messed up my hair. Monica brushed it back into place with her hand, and then hit Colt. They left the house. All in all, the evening went well after they finally showed up nearly an hour late.

Ms. Shields stayed over at Kourtnee's house that night. She came upstairs and slept in one of the bedrooms. Before she went to sleep, she came into my room, "Tell me everything that Monica did before she left." I asked, "Why?" She sat down on the bed, "Because I asked you to tell me." I told her everything that Monica did. I made it a point to tell her that Monica said I could call her by her first name. Ms. Shields looked at me, "I don't care. You are going to have to call me Ms. Shields." She hugged and kissed me, then walked out of the room.

I Better Go Smooth Things Out

I went downstairs and walked to Kourtnee's door. I knocked on her bedroom door. She answered me. She was in her office. I walked in her office. Kourtnee was wearing a pair of pink silk lounging pants and the shirt that matches. She was typing on the computer. I sat down in a chair, "It is still Saturday." She smiled and turned around and looked at me, "I know what day of the week it is. Why aren't you in bed?" She gave me a quick look up and down. She smiled. I walked over to the filing cabinet and put my hand on the handle of one of the drawers, "What's in here?" She responded, "Nothing that concerns you. You didn't answer my question. Why aren't you in bed?" I sat down in the chair, "I came down here to say goodnight." She smiled. I scratched my eyebrow, "Are you upset with me for what I said earlier?" She tossed her hair and responded, "Which time? You said a lot to me earlier." I sucked my teeth and shook my head. She frowned and then smiled, "No, I am not upset with you because of what you said. Now go to bed. We have to get up and go to church tomorrow." I raised my hands like I was praising the Lord and said, "Oh, Glory. Wellllllll." She smiled when she heard me riff the word WELL, "Praise him then baby." I grinned, hugged her, walked out of her room, and went upstairs into my room. I looked at my t-shirt. Ah man, I had my t-shirt on backwards. I hoped Kourtnee didn't notice. I went to bed after I prayed.