Uncle Trip and My Pseudo-Cousins

Chapter 4

“Lawd, y’all always to come up in my house when I look t’rough. C’mon up in he’e,” said Aunt Beatrice as she came to the door in her nightgown.

“Hey B! How you doin’?” my momma asked.

“Gal, stop wit’ me. You know I’s da same I was da last time you see me. Looka dese boys!”

Aunt B grabbed me, my brother Andrew and my first cousin Darius one by one (Darius is Aunt Gee’s only son).

“And you, da baby?!” she said turning Darius around. “Shee, what you be feedin’ dese boys, Della? Gee?”

My mom and aunt are too preoccupied with Great-Grandma to answer Aunt B.

“Hey, Grandmama! It’s Gee! I’m ya grand!” Aunt Gee shouted at Great-Grandma.

“Mama! These are ya grands! You know, Bubba’s gals!” Aunt B said. Great-Grandma Linnese had to be introduced to us again each time she saw us. She had Alzheimer’s.

After no audible response from Great-Grandma, momma started to talk to Aunt B.

“B, where is Vy?”

“She ova at Sulla house,” Aunt B says motioning next door. Sulla, also known as Ursula from her birth certificate, was Beatrice’s sister who lived in the trailer next door. Ursula and Beatrice were Mitchell and Linnese’s children, so that made her a half sister to my Pops, so a half aunt to my momma, Aunt Gee, and myself.

“She gettin’ her hair done?” momma asked.

“No, chile. She ova dere playin’ wit’ dat’ li’l girl.”

“Who?” Aunt Gee spoke up.

“You know Sulla got a fosta baby,” Aunt B says. “Yeah, girl, she got dis li’l girl. Cute, fat li’l thing.”

“For real?” momma asked.

“Yeah. Tha’ li’l hussy always to come up in my house askin’ fo’ sumtin’ to eat. I dunno why Sulla ain’t feed dat gal. Always to ask me if I got sumtin’ in my box. I ain’ got nothin’ in my box. Nothin’! You hea’ dat, chicken man?!” Aunt B explained pointing at my brother. He got that nickname one visit when he asked for something to eat and all she had was chicken. He was okay with the chicken as long as it wasn’t the chicken from outside Aunt B’s house. “You still scared’a eat my chicken, chicken man?”

“No, ma’am,” my brother laughed.

“It don’t look like you scared’a no chicken. You look like you be eatin’ fine.”

“What you got to eat, B?” Aunt Gee asked.

“Gal, stop wit’ me! I jus’da tol’ you I ain’ got no food. Sulla li’l baby eat all my food. Shee… What you want, Mama?!” said Aunt B turning towards Great-Grandma tending to one of her movements.

“How’s she been doin’?” momma asked.

“You know, she fine. Da doctor said she ain’ gettin’ no worse, so you know you gotta thank God for what you got,” Aunt B said.

“Amen,” momma said. “Well, Beatrice, we should be on our way.”

“Y’all comin’ in, or y’all on yo’ way out?”

“We just got here. We haven’t seen Daddy yet,” said Aunt Gee.

“Alright, well, y’all stop by again befo’ y’all leave. An’ tell Bubba I saw ‘Uise at da sto’ da other night.”

“Who is ‘Uise?” Aunt Gee asked.

“Louise Grayson. Dat girl Bubba be talkin’ too.”

“Lord, have mercy,” momma said. “Alright then B. We’ll talk to you later.”

“Alright girls. I love y’all. You boys be good! Oh, an’ go see your new niece!”

“What?” Aunt Gee asked.

“You know Trip had a baby?” asked Aunt B nonchalantly.

“No!” momma exclaimed.

“Yeah, gal. And I tell you what, dat gal look just like you. I tol’ him, I said Walter, dat’ baby look just like Della!”

Aunt Gee laughed.

“Why you da laugh, Gee. Yo’ brotha for real got a baby!” Aunt B assured us.

“Who is the momma?” momma asked.

“Shee, some girl out in Townsend.”

“Lord. Alright, B. We’ll be seein’ you,” momma sighs.

“Yeah, girl. Bubba got a picture of dat girl. She look JUS’ like you, Della. I mean, it look like yo’ baby.”

Aunt Gee laughed again. My brother, cousin and I all exchanged looks of confusion. Momma just seemed to shudder at the thought that she had a new niece whom she never even knew was coming.

Once we got into the car, Aunt Gee laughed, “Well, Delia, you got a niece.”

“Girl, stop wit’ me, that’s prolly not Trip’s only little girl.”