Skip to main content

THAT OLD BLACK MAN


I love men. Some of you know that I particularly love OLD men. There is something about their geriatric spirits that gives me sheer joy. Most are acutely sensitive, exceptionally charming, easily moved to laughter and truly wise. They like to tease and a few can be quite fresh. It’s easy to decipher though which are quite harmless and who needs to be put in his place. They will talk for hours if you afford them the opportunity and most have the most amazing stories to tell.

I’ve written about my dear old friend Mr. Ben before. In fact, Mr. Ben got his own label to make it easier for his fans to find him here. Mr. Ben acquired quite a following who still email me periodically to ask how the old guy is doing.

Family and friends had written Mr. Ben off months ago. His failing health had him with one foot in the grave ready to kick off at any moment. Mr. Ben, however, had other plans. He’s still hanging in here, still doing what he does best.

He has a home health nurse who comes in daily to help take care of him. Number One Son finally relented and hired a woman to help him handle his father. It only took a good month or so before Mr. Ben got the hint that he couldn’t play tackle and tickle with her whenever he felt like it. Once the two settled into a routine they became quite comfortable with each other. The fact that he frequently mistakes Nurse Patty for his late wife may also have something to do with his newly acquired timidity.

The last time I visited Mr. Ben didn’t remember who I was. But he was still has enchanting as ever, introducing himself two or three times as he told me what a beauty queen I was. His complements were knee deep, his stories just as engaging, and the man made me laugh like we were sharing old times. It was only as I was readying myself to leave that he remembered my name and questioned why I hadn’t been there to visit with him sooner.

I absolutely adore Mr. Ben. I also miss him very much. I’m hoping he’ll remember me the next time I go to visit with him. I’d gladly let him cop a feel just so I can reprimand him like old times. Time is slipping away too quickly and I know Mr. Ben is slipping away with it. I’m not at all ready to let my sweet friend go. I dearly love that old black man.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DAMMIT, DO BETTER!

I love reading. I get excited when I discover a new author or find an outstanding story. I’m eager to leave reviews and share with others my new finds. When a book or story is lackluster, leaving me less than thrilled, I usually remain silent. I know the effort that an author has put into a story. I know how hurtful a bad review can be. It is not for me to dash anyone else’s dream because what I might not have liked, someone else may have loved. Recently I read books that left me disappointed, and angry. One was an award-winning title, the author gleefully claiming a coveted statue for her efforts. Clearly what I hated, others found award-worthy. And that actually scares me. The story was as well-written as any other in the genre. Its formulaic plot hit all the buttons that her publisher required. But as a woman of color, I found it as insulting and as distasteful as any story I have ever read. The story featured a Native American heroine. She had self-esteem issues, co...
40 comments
Read more

TREYVON MARTIN

Seventeen-year old Treyvon Martin was walking back from a convenience store to his father's home, when he was allegedly accosted and shot dead by a community watch captain.   Heading home put him in a “gated” community where he clearly wasn’t welcomed.   Treyvon was black and his presence in that “gated” community was a source of consternation for the man who shot him dead as evidenced by the 911 telephone call that was made just minutes prior to the deadly shooting. The media reports that George Zimmerman, a white man, called for police assistance, reporting that Treyvon was “a suspicious person".   Despite being advised by the 911 dispatcher to not follow the young man and to wait for police, Zimmerman felt that he had the authority to approach and confront Treyvon instead.   That confrontation has now left a family to bury a child who once had a bright and promising future. The central Florida police have yet to levy any charges against Z...
16 comments
Read more

NAUGHTY OR NICE TOUR - DAY 6 - DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO

I'm so excited to be a part of the NAUGHTY OR NICE BOOK BLOG TOUR. And it gives me great pleasure to give you the first peek at my next release, PLAYING WITH FIRE . Available from Dafina books on February 24, 2015, wherever books are sold, PLAYING WITH FIRE is the first in my two-book Sultry Southern Nights series. ENJOY this excerpt and please, PRE-ORDER your copy today! Romeo Marshall is over six feet of cool, smooth, hot, southern seductiveness--just like the music at his popular Raleigh club, The Playground Jazz and Blues Bar. With his beloved mother gone and no father he's ever known, the business is Romeo's everything. It's a place where anything can happen--and the evening one gorgeous young woman and one intriguing old musician walk into the bar--and into Romeo's life--it does. There's something about high-powered, down-to-the earth Taryn Williams that captures Romeo's attention like no other woman has. Yet unanswered questions from his past s...
30 comments
Read more