It was a mid morning on Wednesday with Deja picking her husband up from the airport after his last deployment, the kids were all there, overjoyed that their father would be home. Malachi and Aundrea were particularly happy that their father would witness them on their first morning going into middle school. One the way home Deja received a phone call from her mother regarding an aunt who resided in Iowa, LA who recently passed away.
âHello?â She waited for a response and her mother said âDeja are you there?âÂ
Her mother paused for a moment and said âDeja, my sister just passed. I got the message about an hour ago. Your aunt Anna had been battling cancer for a while and I really think we need to go down thereâ
Deja immediately responded and said âMom, you want to go down there? You avoided that place like the plague when we were growing upâÂ
âI know dear but I kept contact with her even though we were light years apart. Just think about it. Iâm going to go and I would love it if all of my daughters could make this trip with me. Will just at least think about it?â They ended there phone call and Deja made a call. Clarissa was in the middle of a college lecture when her phone began to vibrate. âExcuse me class, I need to step out it appears to be an urgent matterâ âHello?â  Â
âHey Rissaâ Deja replied âDid mom give you the news?â
âNo, whatâs wrongâ?
âOur Aunt just passed away and she wants us to go down there with her to pay our respectsâ
Clarissa went to the restroom for a more privacy and continued âWhy? We had not bee down there for a few years and even at that, mom would send us there, however she hated that place! She couldnât get out of there fast enoughâ
âI know, I know and Iâm not thrilled about this either, but it would mean a lot to mama and it would give us a chance to reconnect with that side of the family, the funeral is Saturday. Weâll talk more this afternoon at dinner, Iâve called a meeting. â
At dinner, while digging into the feast, Quincy was welcomed home and he talked about his time in the service. He reflected on some of his best and worst times. In the middle of his speech, he is interrupted by Clarissa âSo what are we supposed to do about this? Has anyone decided what they are doing regarding the wake?â Â
âI donât work during the summer and Iâve already put in for my two day absenceâ said Deja.
Yvonne responded with concern âAm I missing something?âÂ
âWowâ said Deja, âsince the cat it out of the bag, Iâm going to come out an say it, our aunt Anna passed away this morning, she had been battling cancer for a few years now and her body ultimately gave out, mom wantâs us to go down there with her to LouisianaâÂ
Yvonne always loved visiting Louisiana as a teen and always loved listening to her auntâs stories when going down.  âI work for myself so going down there is no issue for me, I just donât know of any flights on such short noticeâÂ
Deja intervened-âI found a flight that leaves out tomorrow, it will land in Dallas, but weâll have to get a car there and drive the remaining tripâ.
The kids and Dejaâs mother were eating on the porch, they noticed that their grandmother was quieter than usual. âGrandmaâ Malachi asked âAre you okay?â
âMy heart is heavy at this momentâÂ
Malachi didnât ask much more, he continued eating the barbecue ribs and rice dressing that were on his plate though he briefly went in the house to grab a soda out of the ice chest. It was there that he heard his mother talking the travel plans. âMom?â âWhere are you going?âÂ
âGrown ups are talkingâ Deja snapped
Malachi, grabbed his soda and returned to the porch.Â
âGrandma, whatâs mom talking aboutâÂ
âMy sister, your great aunt passed away and I am going down to Louisiana. Sheâs probably trying to decide whether or not to goâ
âMom, told us about her trips in Louisiana but she didnât really talk about who she was visiting.â Malachi being the inquisitive child that he was asked for more information
âWell baby, Iâm from Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles in particular. The area is referred to the Lake area due to the abundance of the water that runs through the city and itâs surrounding areas.â âThe area is known for being somewhat prejudiced towards people of our complexion and race. I came out here for a better life. Your aunt Anna was my closest sister, Iâm having some regrets that I did not have better communication with her than I did. We didnât grow apart, we called each other, but itâs not the same as seeing my sister face to face and I wish I had made more of an effort. I sent your mother and your aunts to stay with her for one week each summer. It gave them something to talk about when school time came around and it allowed them to know their family.âÂ
âWell thatâs another story for another dayâŚâŚâŚIâm hoping that sheâll bring herself to goâ
It was getting late and they decided to retire themselves in the house for the evening.Â
To be continued w/ episode 2