Darrel Curtis, Jr.

All respect to the twins but I’m still raising Soda(and the rest of the gang), y’all.

Oh, wow. Congrats, kid! I’ll see what we can do about findin’ you some insurance, how’s that?

I don’t knooooow. Just—what if I’m a bad uncle? Mom and Dad didn’t have siblings, so I dunno what uncles even do. What if I mess up? What if I mess them up? Or what if I come home from college and they don’t even remember who I am? I’d just be a stranger livin’ in their house!

relax, darlin', ya ain't gonna be a bad uncle or mess them up. and it ain't like your brothers wouldn't still talk about ya when you're away so don't think you have to worry about that either

I really hope you’re right. I just wanna do right by the kids and Soda and Cherry and Darry. We don’t have a lotta family left, ya know? I need to make sure I’m good enough

Hey, you know how excited Soda’s been tellin’ me he is for you to be an uncle? You’ve got the biggest heart out of all of us. You’re plenty good enough and plenty bright, baby. They’re going to love you.

You really mean all that? No joke? I—I really hope you’re right, Dar. I ain’t ever taken care of kids before, and I’ve got no clue what to do

Ain’t I always right, Pony? I’m Superman. Soda ain’t got a clue what he’s doin’, neither. You just focus on your schoolwork an’ Johnny. You’re plenty a help, kid, but they ain’t your babies, aight? Don’t put more on your shoulders than you need to.

(smiling a little) Hmmm, you’re definitely Superman, but that don’t mean you’re always right. I know they ain’t mine, but I still wanna, I dunno, step up? Make sure I’m pullin’ my weight? Or at least make sure I don’t make things harder than they need to be

I don’t knooooow. Just—what if I’m a bad uncle? Mom and Dad didn’t have siblings, so I dunno what uncles even do. What if I mess up? What if I mess them up? Or what if I come home from college and they don’t even remember who I am? I’d just be a stranger livin’ in their house!

relax, darlin', ya ain't gonna be a bad uncle or mess them up. and it ain't like your brothers wouldn't still talk about ya when you're away so don't think you have to worry about that either

I really hope you’re right. I just wanna do right by the kids and Soda and Cherry and Darry. We don’t have a lotta family left, ya know? I need to make sure I’m good enough

Hey, you know how excited Soda’s been tellin’ me he is for you to be an uncle? You’ve got the biggest heart out of all of us. You’re plenty good enough and plenty bright, baby. They’re going to love you.

You really mean all that? No joke? I—I really hope you’re right, Dar. I ain’t ever taken care of kids before, and I’ve got no clue what to do

Ain’t I always right, Pony? I’m Superman. Soda ain’t got a clue what he’s doin’, neither. You just focus on your schoolwork an’ Johnny. You’re plenty a help, kid, but they ain’t your babies, aight? Don’t put more on your shoulders than you need to.

…guess not a real reason then, no. thanks, darry. promise i’ll help out much as i can

Look, you don’t gotta break your back to earn livin’ here, neither. Er, you know what I mean. Poor choice of words. Point is, just havin’ you around is more than enough. Just keep doin’ your work on gettin’ better.

I don’t knooooow. Just—what if I’m a bad uncle? Mom and Dad didn’t have siblings, so I dunno what uncles even do. What if I mess up? What if I mess them up? Or what if I come home from college and they don’t even remember who I am? I’d just be a stranger livin’ in their house!

relax, darlin', ya ain't gonna be a bad uncle or mess them up. and it ain't like your brothers wouldn't still talk about ya when you're away so don't think you have to worry about that either

I really hope you’re right. I just wanna do right by the kids and Soda and Cherry and Darry. We don’t have a lotta family left, ya know? I need to make sure I’m good enough

Hey, you know how excited Soda’s been tellin’ me he is for you to be an uncle? You’ve got the biggest heart out of all of us. You’re plenty good enough and plenty bright, baby. They’re going to love you.

gentle reminder you can rise up from everything. you can recreate yourself. nothing is permanent. you are not stuck. you have choices. you can think new thoughts. you can learn something new. you can create new habits. all that matters is that you decide today and never look back.