So Gone - By Jennifer Luckett Page 0,59
out to the picnic shelter where about seventy-men, women, and children sat around the banquet tables laughing and talking. We stood, went over to the food, and all of us held hands as the eldest man, Uncle Willie, was about to bless the food.
“Put that beer bottle down, so we can pray Lou,” he told my other uncle.
Uncle Lou looked up, lifted the bottle in the air, and guzzled a few swallows down. “I ain’t puttin’ shit down. That’s what’s wrong with you so called, Christians. God’s been looking down at me getting tipsy for two days straight. I’ve been drinking like a fish both days. He knows I drink, and it ain’t no use in me trying to hide it. Why would I stop now ‘cause you ‘bout to pray?” he asked.
“Put that damn bottle down, fool, so we can thank God for this meal and eat!” Aunt Katie yelled out. She rubbed her stomach. “I ain’t ate shit all day,” she grumbled.
Uncle Lou raised his balled fist in the air. “You gon’ be eating a knuckle sandwich if you don’t quit saying something to me.”
Aunt Katie lifted up her walking stick and held it high. “If you do I’m gon’ hit you like a hurricane.” A loud burst of laughter came from a lot of mouths including Leesha. She was acting silly and bent over to her knees giggling and grinning.
Things soon calmed down. “I’ll say the prayer,” Uncle Lou insisted.
“I don’t want to hear that shit you ‘bout to say. I don’t even think anybody in heaven likes you. I’m in the world, and I know I don’t. You stay drunk as Cooter Brown, and you don’t even go to church. Shut up and let Willie pray!” Auntie Katie hollered.
Uncle Willie held his head down, closed his eyes, and started the prayer. “Lord, we thank you for the blessing of this day and for this time together as a family. We thank you for this wonderful meal and for this time that we can share it. Lord, help us to remember those who have so much less than we do. Bless us as a family. Help us to grow in love and care for each other. We ask you to comfort and give strength and peace to those who are sick and struggling in any way…”
Uncle Lou clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “Look, it don’t take all of that. God can hear a simple prayer.” He used his hand to move Uncle Willie aside, cleared his throat, and waved his right hand up toward the sky praising the Lord. “God is great, and he’s sho’ nuff good. Lord, we wanna say thank you for this food. Amen.”
“Amen,” Leesha joined in.
I elbowed her and whispered, “Girl, now you know Uncle Lou is wrong for that.”
“No he’s not. He’s got more sense than you. We’ll be alright without the two page prayer. God don’t want us to be hungry. That short prayer was good enough.”
Uncle Lou began to serve the hog. First, he carved through the twine. As he cut the stitches, the food inside spilled onto the table.
For all of us over age twenty-five, it was a beautiful sight. The younger generation, however, thought that it was absolutely disgusting. “Ugh, what is that?” shrieked one of my younger cousins. “They cooked the guts too?”
“Eww! I ain’t eating that!” cried another.
Aunt Katie said, “Hush up and let me tell you about this hog!” As she talked, other elders joined in with their own stories about growing up in hard times. They told us about working to raise hogs, only to be allowed to eat just the parts that had been discarded.
All of us learned volumes that day about the journey of our family in the face of tremendous barriers. The elders also used the opportunity to talk about everything from expectations, responsibilities, and pride. The conversation also went on to explain the disappointments, betrayals, losses, and victories that they had experienced over the years. The elders were survivors. They understood and communicated that the animal represented a lot in the African American quest for life. By the time she finished talking, the younger generation should have had great appreciation for what our elders had been through.
After we ate, the backyard turned into a nightclub. Relatives young and old took to the center of the yard and shook their moneymakers. Leesha hopped up and dropped that ass low. The twins got up and mimicked their mama's moves.