The Roadmap to Heaven!

            As I sit in my rocking chair, I realize that I am lonely. A twenty-five-year-old lonely boy living at his grandmother’s house working for the state of Tennekee. Just got off work, today I worked the morning shift. Grandmama left a pot of mixed greens simmering on the stove. She always makes them with smoked neck bones. I remember the recipe… Grandmama would say, “I’m going to put some greens on, let’s clean them together” So I would come and help her clean the greens. We would tear the leaves in half because they were extremely big. Whatever leaf was damaged we would take off. We would also take the stems off. “Place a little water in the pot, then put the kale greens in first, smoked neck bones, then the collard greens, smoked neck bones, then the mustard, smoked neck bones, and last the turnip greens.” Grandmama would instruct. Now I plan to go to my Uncle Hudson’s house to eat. He is throwing a New Year’s Eve party. Let me put this Danielle Steele book back on the coffee table so Grandmama will know where it is when she comes in from work. I am going to call my Uncle Hudson right now.

             “André, are you coming out?” Hudson replied. “Yeah, Uncle Hudson, how do I get there?” André asked. “Hey Carrie, André’s coming in from Cashville.” “Alright, as you come out of Mama’s go down to Pier One Imports Drive and when you get to Snow White Pike make a left” Hudson exclaimed. “Okay, Uncle Hudson, there’s a garden on Snow White Pike and Rebel’s Drive… stopping to get some collard, kale, turnip, mustard greens─already got the boiling meat…, smoked turkey wings and legs” André said. “Cool, then when you get down to Isley Parkway, you make a right going up the ramp and merge to SAP-SEE East.” Hudson directed. “You know Uncle Hudson; they really have done nice work to these neighborhoods” André stated. André drove by Little Red Riding’s neighborhood and looked over at the gentrification that had taken place on his right. Then as he moved further down the interstate, he saw the restoration and remodeling of Princess Belle and her Prince’s castle.

            “André you know to take exit 5A for I-31 West toward Candyland, right?” Hudson added. “Yeah, Uncle Hudson, passed that section of the freeway” André said. “True, true, alright you used the left lane and drive-up the ramp to I-31 West, then take Exit Seven [7] for Global-83 South toward Candyland!” Hudson inserted. “Yeah, yeah Uncle Hudson, I’m at the exit right now,” André projected. André in his Studebaker automobile got off at exit seven to Candyland and turned left into Global-83 South route. “André, are those greens cooked, or do we have to cook them?” Hudson asked. “Uncle Hudson, got four containers of cooked mixed greens [collard, kale, mustard, turnip, and mustard] from the house and four bags (bushels) of uncooked greens from the garden for Grandmama’s house” André proclaimed. André stopped at a Walmart on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Boulevard and got some ginger ale, coffee, cola, lemonade, tea, root beer, and apple cider for the family to drink at his Uncle Hudson’s house.

             “Alright, André after about a mile and a quarter on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Boulevard turn right on Mount Rushmore Road, then not too long after that make a right on Triton Road” Hudson instructed. André turned right on Mount Rushmore and then made another right on Triton Road. “André watch it, watch it, or you’ll miss it; Hollywood Drive is on the left” Hudson shouted. “Hudson, about to pull up now” André employed. “André you can cut in now and then after you had a time with us you can cut out early in the morning” Hudson plotted. So, André turned in on Hollywood Drive and from there made a turn on Bow Wow.

            André brought drinks and food to his Uncle Hudson and Aunt Carrie, and they had food preparations there as well. His Aunt Carrie fried chicken wings all night, set out the Tabasco and Louisiana hot pepper sauce, along with the Ranch and Blue cheese dressings. “André, Carrie made this meal for you” Hudson shouted. You and Mama worked so hard making those greens, hey you can’t beat that!” Hudson said sarcastically. André brought out the mixed greens with smoked neck bones. “André, this is nice. Mama having those greens shriveled up around those neck bones, you can’t beat that” Hudson said. “Uncle Hudson, Aunt Carrie, I also brought with me [a barrel] Kedem Sparkling Grape Juice. “André, remember if your gonna sing, you’ve got to carry somebody with you.” Hudson told me. “Yes, Uncle Hudson,” André yielded. “Don’t do it completely by yourself,” Hudson demanded.

             “Cousin William plays the guitar… and maybe we will be able to bring other with us.” André said. “It is not good to keep it all to yourself. You want to bathe in the sunshine, bask in the glory, but not all the way. Help somebody else out” Hudson replied. “You bring somebody with you, you made it!” Hudson shouted. André a boy from Cashville, Tennekee with a music band, it would be unbelievable. “Check this out André, all those things your Daddy and I had is because we believed.” Hudson added. “You mean I could have a music band?” André questioned. “Yeah, you’ve got to have faith!” Hudson demanded. “Who would you bring along, Baby Bubba?” Hudson asked.

            André took a deep breath and thought long and hard about things. “First I would bring Cousin William as lead guitar who would help me lead the pack.” André said. “Uh-huh!” Hudson gestured. “Then I would ask Charlene (his father’s wife) for Jullian and Anthony… Jullian would be over all the piano work arranging the notes with us and Anthony (his baby brother) would be a singer in the group writing songs with us.” André exclaimed. “Uh-huh” Hudson motioned.

            André went deeper into thought and discovered more band members. “Next, I would ask Shelly (his aunt) for my cousins Daniel and David to join us. Daniel would be co-arranger with Jullian because the job of music arrangement is a big job Jullian would need help. Daniel would be the one over song development. David would help us flouge, floss, and style being the choreographer and designer of the group” Andre thought. “Uh-huh” Hudson smiled.

            André pulled an Ace from underneath his sleeve with more band members. “Finally, I would ask Junior (his older cousin) for Antonio, Ontario, and D’Angelo to come with us. Antonio would be great for singing, Ontario as a guide, with swag and wisdom, and D’Angelo with quick wit and business skills to our advantage. “Uh-huh” Hudson gasped! “André you need another, one more to go along with your group” Hudson suggested. “And for my secret weapon, I would ask my friend Christopher Garcia to join the band and help push the goodness.” André added. “Uh-huh” Hudson jumped with excitement. “And Uncle Hudson, Aunt Carrie, I could not forget about myself singing lead with the fellas.” André dreamed. “André you got yourself a band!” Hudson stated.

            “Hey Carrie, André got a band!” Hudson shouted. “Uncle Hudson, I do not have the band yet! “Hey Carrie, hey Carrie… André got a band!” Hudson shouted louder. André could not believe the thoughts that came to his mind. “Now André just keep on working and have faith that it will happen⸻then watch what GOD will do.” Hudson instructed. A band of brothers on the prowl, be on the look out for the new sensation from Cashville, Tennekee… “The Oracles!”

            André was ready in thought, without a dime in his pocket, yet he had faith. Music is something a lot a people grab a hold to, and thus fewer people Music grabs a hold to. André wanted to be like his daddy (Hamlin), his Uncle Hudson, and his Uncle Bill so badly. Big groups were a thing of the past (outdated), it seemed as if no one walked around like that anymore. André was half popular in school; people only wanted him for his mind and always threw the rest of him away. André had a forehead shaped like a mastodon’s frontal lobe, the ancestor of the elephant species, and roamed as a loner like them as well. Do you think that a mastodon would roam with the woolly mammoth and the elephants? Will not that be a sight for soar eyes as they heal! Would you believe the ten of them going to the studio to record an album in fur coats in the winter or what about each of them going to the studio in their short sets in the summer! These are just dreams.

            Our founding scripture would be “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen,” written in 1 Peter 4:11, King James version. Our mission statement would be “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” written in Ephesians 5:19-21, King James version. “Uh-huh, True, true!” Hudson motioned. “And Uncle Hudson, Aunt Carrie, I would ask each of the group members to pick a personal scripture as well. And we will not just be group members; we would be family.”

            Just in that moment with my Uncle I thought of all the different things I would do with my music group… I would take the fellas everywhere with me to school, to church, to the restaurant, to the family house, everywhere. I would have the group with me as I make each music album, and we would take a group picture and then individual pictures. “Uncle Hudson, the first album would be about each of us coming together as one. The second album would be about how we have fun together in the moment. The third album would be so hot that no one could handle it. The fourth album would be running with flooding water. The fifth album as a concert stage in a circus arena. The sixth album would be a double portion of the previous albums. The seventh album would surely be perfection. The eight album a touchdown and the nineth album homerun. The tenth album would be a synopsis of every thesis we ever produced. The eleventh album would be…” André kept going on and on and on!

            “André, you are also going to need a bride… some one that will enhance you… someone who will love you” Hudson said to his nephew. “Uncle Hudson, what about someone from New York?” André asked. “Take your time André but pick wisely!” Hudson chucked. “André, a wife will help pull you out of the mud, when you’re stuck. A wife will wipe you down when the world is boo booing on you. A wife will hold you down when the wind is blowing you away,” Hudson advised. “Yes, yes, yes, Uncle Hudson” André gathered.

            Hudson and André talked, laughed, joked, drafted, sung, plotted, and planned all night. Hudson wanted André to remember, “Always bring something to the table.” André exchanged words with his Uncle Hudson and Hudson exchanged words with his nephew, André. Hudson instilled a large portion of his wit, wisdom, will and ways into his nephew, André. Hudson never had children from his loins, but he did have children with Carrie, and he has a nephew Anthony that looks just like him. Water, H²0, works miracle, just like Hamlin and Hudson did. And the brothers are still working miracles. André’s Uncle Hudson has now gone away to be with the LORD. Yet, André still remembers the long, cozy fireside chats with his Uncle Huddy Buddy (his Daddy’s younger brother).