"Allen, Allen Dwayne Anthony,"
a tall, well built, brown skinned
woman yelled, as though she had meaning in the life of the person she
called for, "if you don't hurry down those stairs, you are going to miss
your flight back to LA."
"I'm coming down now Mama."
Moments later Allen walked down the stairs, carrying on his right arm
a dozen red roses with a box of candy and dangling from his other arm
and six foot five inch frame, his luggage.
"Are you all packed," Allen's mother asked while she looked out the
window.
"Yes Mama I am, and I got something for you."
Allen placed his luggage by the door and extended the roses to his
mother who hadn't turned from the window.
"Allen I can see your father tapping on the dashboard, you know what
that means?"
"Yes I do. Mama, please don't do that."
"Do what?" His mother replied with a choked up tone. "All I'm doing
is looking out the window and from what I can see, your father is getting
out of the car."
As Allen was about to speak, he heard his father's voice.
"Helen, Helen where is Allen? Tell that boy to come on and I hope you
not in there cryin' for him to stay."
"That's what I'm talking about."
Allen spoke softly.
"Whenever I come
home, you cry when I leave."
"Well,"
Helen spoke,
"what do you expect, I only see you once a year
and if I really get lucky, I might see you twice a year. I miss you baby.
You are my only child you know?"
"Yes ma'am I know that I am I'm your only child and I miss you too
mama," Allen spoke sympathetically, "but my life is in LA now, not
Chicago."
"I know honey," Helen said as she turned with tears in her eyes to
face Allen.
Again Allen extended the roses and candy to his mother. Helen
smiled and told him as she relieved him of the roses and candy that she
would feel much better if he had a good woman to give the roses to
instead of her. Allen smiled back and told her that at this time in his life
there was no other woman worthy of receiving those gifts. Allen then
assured his mother that she would be the first to know when GOD
blessed him with a good woman. With drying tears on Helen's face, the
two give their final goodbye hug. While they embraced one another, Allen
could smell the scent of the Tranquil Breezes lotion that he bought for
her on Mother's Day.