NANA'S GIRL

I HAVE A DARLING GRANDDAUGHTER, ACTUALLY TWO DARLING GRANDDAUGHTERS. ONE IS ALEXANDRA AURORA SEE AND THE OTHER IS AUDREY ELIZABETH SEE. ALI IS GOING TO BE 4 AND AUDREY IS A YEAR AND A HALF. THE LIVE IN EL PASO TEXAS WITH THEIR BROTHER BEN, MY PRECIOUS SON AARON AND MY LOVING DAUGHTER IN LAW SARAH. BEFORE I TELL YOU ABOUT THEM, LET ME PREFACE WITH THIS. I LOVE FRIED CHICKEN. I CANNOT EAT FRIED CHICKEN ANYMORE DUE TO DIGESTIONAL DIFFICULTIES, BUT I STILL LOVE IT. I BELIEVE THAT THE STOCK FOR KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN DROPPED DRASTICALLY WHEN I HAD TO QUIT EATING FRIED CHICKEN, AS WELL AS CHURCH'S CHICKEN, POPEYES CHICKEN AND HARTZ CHICKEN. I LOVE FRIED CHICKEN. HEAVEN FORBID, BUT I HAVE ACTUALLY EATEN A BUCKET OF CHICKEN BY MYSELF IN A STRESSFUL MOMENT. ACTUALLY, MY CHICKEN EATING STORIES ARE LEGEND. ONE DAY, I WAS GIVEN A SCRATCH OFF COUPON FOR KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN, AND WHEN I SCRATCHED IT OFF, I WON A 20 PC BUCKET OF CHICKEN! FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, ALL I COULD TALK ABOUT WAS MY "FREE CHICKEN". YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I HAD WON THE LOTTERY.. SADLY, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER. NO MORE FRIED CHICKEN FOR ME. NOW, THE REASON FOR THIS EXPLANATION IS: MY PRECIOUS GRANDDAUGHTER ALI CALLED ME THE OTHER EVENING. SHE TOLD ME SHE HAD EATEN FRIED CHICKEN AT KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN. SHE SAID IT WAS SO GOOD, SHE COULD NOT STOP EATING IT. THEN SHE TOLD ME HER TUMMY WAS GOING TO "ESPLODLE". HER MAMA EXPLAINED THAT SHE MEANT THAT IT WAS GOING TO EXPLODE. OH, HOW HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF! SHE LOVES FRIED CHICKEN TOO! THAT JUST TICKLED ME TO DEATH. IT REMINDS ME OF THE TIME THAT WE TOOK THE CHILDREN TO PANCHOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH PANCHOS, IT IS A VERY AFFORDABLE MEXICAN BUFFET. BACK IN THE DAY, A BUFFET WAS ALL WE COULD AFFORD TO TAKE THE KIDS TO, AND WE REALLY UTILIZED PANCHOS. CHILDREN COULD EAT ALL THEY WANTED FOR .99 CENTS. ADULTS WERE ONLY 2.99. THE BUFFET CONSISTED OF 8 KINDS OF ENCHILADAS, CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS, TAMALES, FLAUTAS,TACOS, RICE AND BEANS, FLAT TORTILLAS WITH BEANS AND SALAD,AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS. AND, IF YOU WANT, THEY WOULD PUT CHEESE OR GRAVY OR BOTH ON EVERYTHING. SO HALLELUAH PANCHOS! NOW, WHEN YOU SIT DOWN WITH YOUR FIRST ROUND OF ALL YOU CAN EAT, YOU SETTLE YOURSELF AND THE KIDS AND GO TO TOWN. IF YOU STILL WANT MORE, YOU RAISE THE LITTLE MEXICAN FLAG AND THE WAITRESS COMES TO SEE WHAT YOU WANT. OF COURSE WE USUALLY RAN HER RAGGED. THE GIRLS ATE AS GIRLS WILL DO, SOMETIMES A LITTLE, SOMETIMES A LOT. BUT THE BOYS- GOODNESS, I COULD NOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH THOSE LITTLE BOYS ATE! IT BECAME A CONTEST AS TO SEE WHO COULD EAT THE MOST. MARTIN, THE GIRLS AND I WERE FINISHED LONG BEFORE ONE OF THEM WOULD GIVE UP-WE JUST WATCHED THEM STUFF THEMSELVES. AARON WOULD TELL US HE WANTED TO GET HIS MONEYS WORTH. (HIS MONEY?) ONE TIME, HE AND LITTLE OTTO WERE HAVING THEIR USUAL EATING CONTEST, EYEING EACH OTHER'S PLATES CAREFULLY SO THAT ONE OF THEM WOULD NOT OUTDO THE OTHER. FINALLY, (THANK GOODNESS) OTTO LEANED BACK AND SAID, "IF I EAT ONE MORE BITE, I AM GOING TO EXPLODE!" AARON TOOK ONE MORE BITE AND BEGAN TO CROW THAT HE HAD WOND THE EATING CONTEST. THE BOYS DECIDED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AND WHEN THEY GOT UP AND LEFT, I WENT AND GOT A BALLOON DOWN FROM THE BUNCH OF BALLOONS THAT THEY KEPT FOR THE CHILDREN. I WENT TO THE DOOR OF THE MEN'S ROOM, AND TOOK A FORK AND POPPED THAT BALLOON. I RAN BACK TO MY SEAT AND WAITED. THE BOYS CAME RUNNING OUT OF THE BATHROOM AND UP TO THE TABLE AND WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THAT LOUD POP WAS. I SAID, "OH! SOME LITTLE BOY TOOK ONE MORE BITE, AND HE EXPLODED!" THEY BEGAN TO FRANTICALLY LOOK AROUND THE RESTAURANT, AND I TOLD THEM THE WAITER HAD ALREADY CLEANED UP THE MESS. IT TOOK THEM A FEW MOMENTS TO REALIZE THAT I WAS JUST KIDDING WITH THEM. WE HAVE LOTS OF MEMORIES OF PANCHOS, AND TODAY WHEN THE GRANDCHILDREN TAKE MCDONALDS FOR GRANTED, I REMIND THEIR MAMAS THAT DINNER OUT WAS A LUXURY FOR THEM. THERE WAS ANOTHER BUFFET THAT WE COULD GO TO, IT WAS CALLED OLD DADDY GROVERS. IT WAS A COUNTRY BUFFET, WITH ALL THE COUNTRY GOODIES YOU COULD THINK OF. CHICKEN FRIED EVERYTHING, (DON'T ASK, JUST EAT), POTATOES OF ALL KINDS, VEGETABLES, (ALL OF THEM HAD BACON IN THEM), HOT ROLLS AND ALL KINDS OF DESSERTS. OLD DADDY GROVERS WAS A BIT MORE EXPENSIVE, SO WE ONLY WENT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. THERE WERE CAKES AND PIES OF ALL KINDS, COBBLERS, ICE CREAM AND MANY OTHER THINGS. EVERY THING WAS SERVED ON A HUGE TURNTABLE, (THERE WERE THREE OF THEM) AND YOU HAD TO WAIT FOR YOUR CHOICE TO COME AROUND, AND THEN QUICKLY SERVE YOURSELF. IT WAS LOTS OF FUN AND WE LOVED IT. THE BOYS AGAIN STUFFED THEMSELVES EACH TIME AND TO THIS DAY, AARON TALKS ABOUT OLD DADDY GROVERS. ONE TIME AFTER WE GOT BACK INTO THE CAR AFTER A TRIP TO OLD DADDY GROVERS, I NOTICED THAT THEIR COAT SLEEVES AND SHIRTS LOOKED LUMPY. I SOON DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD "FILCHED" ROLLS, CHICKEN, COOKIES AND CAKE FOR LATER. I HAD TO EXPLAIN THAT CLOTHING WAS NOT THE BEST PLACE TO HIDE FOOD. WHEN I THINK OF EATING OUT AS A CHILD, I REMEMBER THAT MY GRANDFATHER, (POP) WOULD TAKE US TO A PLACE CALLED "BIG BOYS" FOR SUNDAY DINNER. THEY SERVED THE FOOD ON PLATTERS ON YOUR TABLE, AND YOU WOULD ORDER A ROAST BEEF MEAL, OR A ROAST CHICKEN MEAL OR WHATEVER, AND THEY WOULD BRING BOWLS OF VEGETABLES, BREAD, THE MEAT AND DESSERT. THEN, YOU WOULD SERVE YOURSELF. NOW, BACK IN THE 50'S, RESTAURANTS WERE STILL SEGREGATED. THE WHITE PEOPLE ATE ON ONE SIDE AND THERE WAS A GLASS WALL AND THE BLACK PEOPLE ATE ON THE OTHER SIDE. ONE TIME, WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG, I REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT HAS SHAPED MY LIFE. IN THAT RESTAURANT ONE SUNDAY, I GOT DOWN FROM MY CHAIR AND WENT TO LOOK AT THE BLACK PEOPLE EATING ON THE OTHER SIDE. A LITTLE BOY CAME TO THE WINDOW AND SMILED AT ME. WE COULD NOT HEAR EACH OTHER BUT WE COMMUNICATED WITH A LANGUAGE THAT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS, WE SMILED AND LAUGHED AT EACH OTHER. WE POKED OUR FINGERS AT THE GLASS, PATTED OUR HANDS TOGETHER AND PUT OUR FORHEADS TOGETHER. FINALLY, WE KISSED EACH OTHER THROUGH THE GLASS, (I WAS ONLY 3 AT THE TIME), AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW, MY DADDY WAS GRABBING ME BACK BY MY ARM AND TELLING ME TO GET AWAY FROM THAT WINDOW. THEN, AMAZINGLY, THE RESTAURANT MANAGER CAME OVER AND TOLD MY FAMILY WE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE, AS HE DID NOT ALLOW "THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR" IN HIS RESTAURANT! MY FATHER WAS FURIOUS, AND WE LEFT. I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY EVERYONE WAS SO ANGRY, BUT I HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN THE ANGER DIRECTED AT US FOR SUCH AN INNOCENT ACT. THAT MEMORY WOULD SERVE ME WELL DURING THE 60'S WHEN RACE RIOTS WERE IN FULL SWING-IT GAVE ME A REASON NOT TO HATE. I WAS ACTUALLY ON A CITY BUS WHEN A BRICK WAS THROWN THROUGH A WINDOW, HITTING A BLACK WOMAN. ANOTHER TIME, I WENT TO SET DOWN NEXT TO MY GRANDMOTHER ON A CITY BUS, AND A VERY ELDERLY BLACK WOMAN STRUGGLED DOWN THE AISLE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SIT. SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO GO TO THE BACK OF THE BUS, BUT THERE WERE NO SEATS THERE EITHER. SO, I GOT UP AND GAVE HER MY SEAT. THE WHITE PEOPLE GAVE ME SOME REALLY UGLY LOOKS AND I FELT IT WOULD BE BETTER FOR ME TO GO TO THE BACK OF THE BUS AWAY FROM THEM. WHEN I GOT TO THE BACK OF THE BUS, I HAD TO STAND, AND WAS TRYING TO KEEP MY BALANCE AS THE BUS TRAVELED ALONG. A LARGE BLACK WOMAN LEANED DOWN AND SAID TO ME, "WELL, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?" I TOLD HER FROM THE FRONT OF THE BUS, AND SHE SAID, "NO HONEY, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM THAT YOU WOULD BE GOOD TO AN OLD BLACK LADY?" I TOLD HER THAT IT DIDN'T MATTER THAT THE OLD LADY WAS BLACK, SHE WAS JUST OLD, AND NEEDED A PLACE TO SIT. SHE HUGGED ME AND TOLD ME THAT I WAS SPECIAL. I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THAT EITHER. WELL, I HAVE RAMBLED TODAY, JUST THOUGHTS THAT WERE ON MY MIND. I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND, TOMORROW I WILL GET BACK TO MY LOVE STORY. THANKS FOR READING, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME, LOVE, NANASEE