Reversed the Curse

By Ronny Lambert

From what Ive seen, the best parts of life are always permanently cemented by great moments, flashbacks, so to speak. If youve read the entire book, youd know that I have a lot of special moments in my life and theres even more that I couldnt work into the manuscript. With that being said, this book to me is not only a work of art, but its also a testament to me and my readers that I pride myself in squeezing the best out of life no matter what the situation. It gives a clear explanation of the choices and decisions I and my generation battle with on a regular basis, and it shows that Im willing to work as hard as I need to in order to accomplish my goals. Even when the solutions seem outside of the box, Ill do whatevers necessary to improve or maintain my living conditions. Whether it be for work or for playtime, Ive found out that if I dont put 100 percent into what Im doing, Ill never know how great my accomplishments could be.

This book is one of the things in my life that Im most proud of. Through this book, I was able to explain how much friends and relationships in general can affect your life. This is what makes trusting God even more important. Ive had several times where Ive felt like I was in the wrong place or with the wrong people or with people that didnt really care as much as theyve led on. But through trusting God and finding some patience, life showed me that I was exactly where he wanted me to be. The love and loyalty my friends and family members have continually showed me is a true testament to that. If I wouldve given up on a few people that I thought about giving up on, I wouldve never known how great a particular relationship or two couldve turned out to be. So with that being said, my proudest accomplishment in this book is the fact that I have valued the people I was supposed to value the most and that they know Ive done everything in my power to shield them from lifes hard times as well. The funny part about me falling out with a few people I loved is that if I never had to feel alone, and these friends and family always protected me, I wouldve never known how strong I really was. Luckily for me, God put a lot of people in my life that were honest, intelligent, and sincere, and the bond that Ive shared with these people alone has made my life worthwhile. But through the trials and tribulations that rested solely on my shoulders, I was able to find my true inner strength. And from what Ive seen, Im a pretty strong individual! Still through all of the good and bad, looking at things from my friends and family members perspective, I was able to see the mistakes that I couldnt recognize; I was able to experiment with new ways to live my life better, and I was able to learn to appreciate the different thoughts and gifts that make us all special human beings. So to everyone that holds me down in Cleveland, Atlanta, and abroad, I sincerely love you and always will even after my death. Never forget that.

Ive learned a lot about life in my brief twenty-eight years of existence, and I wish I could share everything Ive learned with everyone whos alive. And vice versa, I also wish everyone else could share their learning experiences with me. I think we all have things to teach each other. When youre able to somehow connect the different struggles and paths of totally different people, you can see that our differences are what let us connect the dots, so to speak. In other words, our differences help us learn more about each other and more about life. As a people, I dont think we embrace our differences too well, and thats something we all need to work on as a whole. Unfortunately, we cant undo our past mistakes, but we can take one day at a time to perfect our way of life. I hope that one day, we all can perfect our lives to a level that makes God happy and, at the same time, helps us live life to the fullest. Because certain Christians try to pressure certain beli

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 14, 2009
• ISBN: 9781469101798

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Copyright © 2010 by Ronny Lambert.

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Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 1

Intro

One of the most well-known scriptures in the Bible states that God wants us to live life to the fullest. The truth is, some people just take it more to heart than others. Some people get comfortable in a situation and they settle. Some people spend their whole lives trying to get in the right situation. And then there are others that just try to maximize the potential out of every situation.

That last set of people take great pride in their work and try to triumph over any obstacle set before them. Usually there is a just cause for them to take a chance and live on the edge for a while, but their mentality isn’t driven by evil. Their focus is solely on being crowned hero every time the smoke clears. They also define the meaning of the phrase, Work hard, play hard. They’re willing to risk blood, sweat, and tears to make their world a better place, and every day that they move closer to their goal is a successful day, and they have reason to celebrate. These people live every day like it’s their last. They also live to right the wrongs of their domain, and to help as many people as they can along their way. These people are also the most misunderstood people of them all. To not be scared to try your luck when you have faith, skills, and knowledge on your side is the equivalent of living life on the edge without going overboard, and it is one of the most adventurous lives you can lead. This people always stand up for what they believe in, and refuse to just accept what life throws at them. High risk brings high reward. Of course you know, you can’t win them all. Sometimes they do fall, and when they do . . . . they fall hard. But the wild part is they have to fall to be able to find out who really has their back and who is just along for the ride. Still, those people that try to maximize the potential out of every situation define the phrase Live life to the fullest, and the good ones win way more than they lose. Now don’t get me wrong; when you’re settling in a situation where you’re progressing as an all-around individual at a consistent pace and you’re spending quality time with people that you love to be around, it’s not really settling, it’s living life. The question is, if you settle for anything less, are you really living?

Now picture somebody you know pretty well who, just in casual conversation, asks you about your family and where you’re from. This somebody’s opinion you value, so you don’t want to lie to him or her. You want to continue to communicate, learn, and laugh with this person so you want them to know the real you, right? Well, picture having to tell him or her that you’re not only from two cities, but you also have three moms, five sisters, seven brothers, and one dad, but you don’t know your real father. That person would probably look at you in disgust, thinking you were part of one of those polygamy cults, or they might just have one of those blank looks on their face that translates to the phrase "What the HELL???." Either way, an answer like that will pique some curiosities, and somehow, someway, you would be forced to explain yourself and go into a little detail about how this situation came to be. And you know what, I’m tired of this damn Wyatt having to go into this deep spill about his situation every time we meet somebody cool. So I’ma just tell his story myself to everybody, once and for all, so he ain’t gotta explain it no mo. I’ve been knowing him most of my life, and just like a few other stand up guys we mutually know, I’d take a bullet for him easily and love him dearly, but he talks too damn much already! So if I can make him feel as if he’s understood, I think that will give him peace. And peace for him, means peace and quiet for me and the rest of his friends. But, the sad part is, I’ll have to tell you from the beginning. The very beginning, that’s the only way it’ll make sense to you. So I hope you packed a lunch, buckled your seat belt, and got your thinking caps on, ’cause his story will definitely take you for a ride. Hell, we’ll be halfway around the world twice before this story is over. To fully understand, you may want to ask yourself: if you were in some of his situations, what would you do, and more importantly . . . . how would being in those situations make YOU feel?

Some twenty-eight years ago, a young man was born in Cleveland, Ohio, conceived from a gay relationship. His real mother gave his real father the option of not sticking around, and he took advantage. The last sighting of his real father was when he was only two years old. His mother, the man of her relationship, was more of a father figure than the typical nurturing mother anyway, and still like a proud father, she spoiled her son in his first years on earth. Hell, her "baby boy" made nothing but A’s and B’s in school from as far as anyone could remember and was raised with the manners of a Southern minister. He always, tried to be respectful of people’s feelings as long as they respected his. He did learn that from his mother. He will tell you himself that he has learned a lot of foundational values from his mother, things like how to treat the next person, whether you know them or not, and also things like lending a helping hand when at all possible. Surprisingly, no matter how good or bad he got, those traits have always stuck with him. He got to see Chuck E. Cheese and Sea World a few times and loved to play with his He-Man and Transformer toys like most kids, so you can’t say his childhood was totally ruined. While his mother, Veronica, was working for General Motors, they were living it up on the west side of Cleveland, but he also lived with his godmother, Vanda, part time. She lived on the east side of Cleveland, where his mother grew up at. Early on, Veronica was doing well. She had a Harley, a dog named Tangeray, and a nice-size house for her and her son. Vanda wasn’t as fortunate at the time, but she had a big house in the old neighborhood that Veronica had grew up in. Veronica’s son had a blast when he would spend the weekend with Vanda. He would go in her backyard, garage, and basement imagining and acting out a new scenarios with his He-Man and Transformer action figures. Vanda also had a basketball goal in her backyard, and Veronica’s son loved to play basketball. Over Vanda’s house, Veronica’s son could also spend time with his best friend Sean and Vanda’s, daughter, Charlynn, n who is of course one of his sisters.,

You could tell by the time he was three that he had some special juice in him. In preschool, he was involved in an end-of-the-year school play. It seems as if all he did during rehearsal was joke with the little girls that were in the play with him. He never studied one line outside of school and remember this is . . . . just preschool. But just from picking up the dialogue and the angle of the story in rehearsal, he was able to learn the script inside and out. To the point where, when it came to the real performance, he was finishing the lines of other kids who had either forgotten their words or were just stuck in stage fright. There were at least thirty children in the play, and every time one would so much as stutter, he was there to finish their sentence. He stole his first show and his first kiss all in the same day. Oh yeah, he wasn’t supposed to kiss the girl at the end either??. But for some reason, the little boy who was supposed to kiss the girl at the end of the play, hesitated just a little bit too long, and Veronica’s son snagged another opportunity.

His quick thinking and ability to adjust have always kept him ahead of the class. Like few, as long as he’s totally focused on whatever he’s doing, he can always remain calm, confident, and efficient no matter how bad a situation might get. But it’ is his balanced Libra traits that really define his existence. These Libra traits also make him never afraid to speak his mind, and they help him rationalize anything life throws at him. This rationalization usually leaves his listeners in awe because he usually mixes a lot of facts with his reasoning’s, and he expresses himself so sincerely. So sincerely, in fact, that after one conversation, you will undoubtedly know that he would jump to put his life on the line just to prove his reasoning to be true. Before he was 9, he was condensing his reasoning’s to catchphrases. And soon after, children his age in Cleveland made his catchphrases part of their daily dialogue.

I’m pretty sure that most would have been willing to bet that this little boy would grow up to be a politician, a lawyer, or maybe even a doctor. But all his honesty, loyalty, respectfulness, and realness couldn’t even save him from the path he was destined for. By the time he was ten years old, his childhood, as he knew it, was over. Talks of his mother being laid off were surfacing. Plus the situation with his mother’s new wife was worsening. To the point where his mother was slapping her new wife around every other day for whatever reason she could think of. As it turned out, his home life wouldn’t be stable again for another eight years.

During those eight years or so, his mother also went into a dry spell financially. By the time he was ready to wear Jordan’s, his mother couldn’t even entertain the possibility of buying them. He was wearing Goodwill and hand-me-down clothes for most of that time, and most of his clothes had holes in them. Soon the struggle to try to make something out of nothing had begun. And he found himself more comfortable with kids from the rougher backgrounds. The little kids that played with him and his best friend Sean in Cleveland would sit on his porch for hours and talk about what was new in the neighborhood and what their dreams were as they moved past the ghetto. They shared a common bond—the struggle. Before he left Cleveland, he ended up having ice creams at the corner store with the neighborhood killers and drug dealers. It wasn’t a secret who they were; most of them stayed in the same house right across the street from them. You could see the pistols hanging out of their pockets when they got close to you. Charlynn’s soon to be husband, Dale, had warned Wyatt and Sean about the trouble that followed murderers and drug traffickers, but every now and then, he would run into them at the corner store on East 130 in Cleveland. He wasn’t scared of them at all; instead he spoke to them as if they were regular people. Nothing major, just hi, bye, and how’s your day going, things like that. Surprisingly, the criminals and outcasts of the neighborhood liked being treated like regular people. I guess other people were too scared to even acknowledge them. And when Wyatt or Sean spoke to them, they spoke back. Soon they would buy him and Sean an ice cream sandwich or two when he ran into them at the corner store. While they were enjoying their ice cream, the neighborhood troublemakers would talk to Wyatt about little things he could do in real-life situations, like times when they didn’t have heat and what they did extra to stay warm. They even offered cold remedies when he was sick and aloe plants when he got poison ivy. They seemed to want to make real-life situations a little easier for him. The neighborhood street thugs never involved him with any drug trafficking while he lived in Cleveland, but they were eager to see him around the neighborhood so that they could share a little bit of positivity and some words of wisdom.

So thanks to Dale, Sean, the neighborhood kids, and the hoodlums across the street from Vanda, his street senses really began to form as he got older. And the people he grew to love in Atlanta didn’t do anything but make it worse. As high school ended, he would formally sign his name in the streets, and from that point on, he would live with that mentality in the front of his head instead of in the back where it used to be. Still, just because he thinks it, doesn’t mean he always feels the need to act on his street mentality. But he’s always kept it close as if it’s his protection against all who want to see him fail. And if you mix a quick temper with someone who’s prideful and hates to lose, you have someone who can explode on impact. I’ve seen him mastermind and execute some really violent plans. Some of his plans are so, smart plans that his victims could never even see it coming. And then, there are some plans of his that are designed to be up close and personal. Step for step, he can find and attack somebody with the calmest demeanor and coolest walk. So when Veronica’s son really decides to lose his cool, he’s not only dangerous to everyone around him, but he’s also dangerous to himself.

It started out so pure and innocent, and the irony of it all is that if you ask him, he’ll be the first to tell you that the respectful, happy-go-lucky little boy, that wants to see everybody live happily ever after, is still very much alive in him. Veronica’s son loves to make people smile, loves to see people having a good time, and will do whatever it takes to brighten a stranger’s day, whenever he can fit it in his hectic itinerary. So, with all that being said, please understand that, the world made him the man he is today, and like it or not, he has to play out the hand he was dealt. If you don’t believe me, here’s his story to prove it. He never dreamed of being any type of street hustler, even when the original street hustlers where giving him good advice. But he’ is living proof that u really can’t choose the life, the life chooses you. The people that choose the life, always choose the life for the wrong reasons, but the people that the life calls to serve it, always change the game in their own way. And to all the people across the world that share this particular gift and curse with him, of just being street orientated, all you can do is make the best of it. No matter how shallow or deep you’re in.

CHAPTER 2

Cleveland

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From what I hear, Lucy Lambert was a short and small woman all her life, and she was also light skinned with long hair and thought to be gorgeous in her younger years. With a bad attitude and a headstrong mentality, Lucy did whatever it took to get the job done, especially on community issues. She rarely didn’t get her way, and the people of her community seemed to support her views, no matter what the situation was. She was the official spokeswoman for her community, and everyone, including the mayor, knew her on a first-name basis. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Lucy was also a hard worker that loved to bake, cook, and sew for the whole neighborhood; and thanks to her daughters, she had a complete garden of fruits and vegetables in her backyard. I say thanks to her daughters, because they kept up with the maintenance of it every day after school. Lucy looked out for her neighborhood friends, especially the one’s on her street, East 128th. She gave them big discounts on whatever kind of groceries they needed. Before he daughters were teenagers, Lucy was selling everything from bakery items to fruits and vegetables to the whole east side of Cleveland. She even made colossal sized dinners and sold plates to the whole neighborhood a couple times a week. Those were just some of her part time hustles though, by day she was a hairdresser and she also got paid to knit and sew. And by the time her daughters were teenagers, people from the south and the west sides of Cleveland were willing to take a drive to the east side, just for her plates and her discounted groceries. Lucy Lambert had a good heart and usually meant well, but when she didn’t get her way, Lucy would degrade, embarrass, or simply back hand the first person that she could. She could be stern and she could be sweet, but whichever she chose, where ever she went on thing remained the same, her presence was always felt. From the City Council to the streets, Lucy said what she meant, and meant what she said all day long, everyday of her entire existence.

I guess that’s why she pushed her daughter so hard, so they wouldn’t sell themselves short. If you ask any of her four adopted daughters or her ex-husband, they would probably tell you that she was one of the toughest people to live in the same house with. I can still hear her oldest daughter, Rhoda, and her youngest daughter, Rochelle, as grown women, crying to Veronica (the second to the oldest) about who was beaten the worst and who had the most scars. Whether it was an extraordinary beating with a hard object, or things that were said that hurt their feelings, they could go on for hours about their mother. Out of Lucy’s four daughters, Rhonda already had a little girl, but Rochelle and Jackie hadn’t given birth to a child by the time Veronica got pregnant. Lucy loved her first granddaughter, but she didn’t play with her or offer to keep her. Lucy did her granddaughters hair and kissed her frequently, but she had a problem with being around little children for a long period of a time. After months of pleading, Rhonda finally talked Lucy in to keeping her granddaughter every so often, but Lucy never volunteered for grandma duty. For some strange reason, things went a little different when her first grandson was born. He was one of the lightest babies she had ever seen, but somehow, Lucy seemed to loved her grandson like he came out of her stomach. When Lucy found out, Veronica, was pregnant, but still wanted to live the gay lifestyle, she swore to cut all ties with her, and her unborn son. But that plan backfired as soon as she made eye contact with her newly born grandson. It was love at first sight. Soon, he could do no wrong. Over grandma’s house, he was king. The woman everybody was scared of and intimidated by, finally showed some emotions. So it was no secret that he was in love with his grandmother as much as she was with him. Lucy always gave her grandson more love, attention, and affection then she ever gave anyone else, and she loved when he sat on her knee. Even though Lucy only got to spend his first five years with him, the love she showed him, still motivates her grandson to this day. And the legacy she left behind in the communities that knew her, is still something that he hopes to accomplish before his time is up.

Cleveland is not a diverse city. Cleveland is not a clean, thriving city. The majority of the houses and buildings in the Cleveland metro area are at least fifty years old. A lot of the streets there have never been paved. The weather is usually one extreme or the other, and the year is filled with really hot summers and frigid winters. Going to school in six feet of snow is not a big deal to Clevelanders. They are forced to wear long johns and shovel snow out of their driveway in the winter, much like New Yorkers. But somehow, whether it was raining, snowing, or sunny, the clouds in Cleveland never seemed to go away. It was like they haunted the city and forced the people to have irritable attitudes and quick, hot tempers. With houses in the city right next to each other, it never seemed like you had any privacy living in Cleveland. The only thing that still separates some houses is a tree or two. And unless you went to the city park, usually the trees were scarce too. For a long time, there was never any in-between classes in Cleveland, like a lower middle class, a higher middle class, or even a higher low class. You were strictly middle class, strictly poor, or strictly wealthy. I’ve heard Cleveland jokes since I was young and I’m not even from Cleveland. You hear Cleveland jokes on stand up’s, in movies, and usually when a long time acquaintance starts a phrase like, I bet you haven’t heard this one?. Or Do you wanna hear a joke? People can make all the Cleveland jokes they want to, but I would bet my right arm that those same people wouldn’t make those jokes while walking in the city of Cleveland. Because of low expectations and high unemployment rates, Cleveland has always been a haven for violence and malicious attacks. Cleveland has very few gangs if any, but for what they lack in gang violence, they more than make up for when it comes to armed robbery. The saddest part about the violence in Cleveland is that most of the violent fatalities happen because of disagreements and big egos. It’s senseless violence with out all the gang rules, you just shoot anybody that pisses you off, and go on about your day like nothing ever happened. The funny part about this, is that it’s not just poor minorities that feel like this in Cleveland. Corporate people, middle class factory workers, and sometimes even soccer moms in Cleveland have been known to just overact and kill somebody on any given day. It’s like somebody just pushed them too far on the wrong day, and they had to prove to the person that pissed them off, that they were indeed crazy enough to kill, so they did. The average person in Cleveland right now, in present day, is waiting for the wrong person to say the wrong thing, . . . . and hence another murder investigation is not too far to follow. Executions, torture, rap, and drive-bys were a weekly thing, especially on the east side of Cleveland. To the point where when certain cars came down a street, all the kids knew it was time to go in the house. Little children were getting hit with stray bullets randomly, and this was in the early ’80s. Cleveland was on a slight rise in the early 2000’s, but when the industrial jobs dried up, Cleveland got worse than ever before. The government has been putting up new buildings and has fixed up a few parts of downtown, in an attempt to attract more visitors, but for the moment, the only people that revisit Cleveland are the out of towners that have roots in Cleveland.

Growing up in Cleveland, Veronica’s son didn’t have a lot of friends. He had so much blood and adopted family around the city, that he never needed any. And with his imagination, he had been known to spend hours by himself with his action figures, in his room, making up his own cartoon show as he went along. He would pretend he was GI Joe, Superman, He-Man, or Optimus Prime. He had the original He-Man toy, and he guarded it with his life. I mean, he literally would create his own private cartoon show in his room, and imagine that it was on TV and millions were watching. He would acted out all kind of scenarios’, everything from, saving a comrade from drowning in the toilet, to saving Lois Lane from a burning stove (when his mother wasn’t home of course). When he wasn’t in make believe land, his mother would take him to Sea World, Cedar Point, McDonalds, or Dairy Queen when she had the time. He never missed a birthday at Chuckie Cheese and he always had a birthday cake while he grew up in Cleveland. While imagining he was He-Man or Superman, he would swing from tree to tree in his backyard sometimes. And surprisingly, falling every so often, didn’t make him stop swinging. He sprained his knees and wrist a few times but somehow managed to never suffer any serious injuries. Every time he went up a tree in his backyard, he tried to climb higher than he had climbed the previous day.

The year his grandmother died, Veronica’s son met his very first friend. She was his next-door neighbor. Her name was Cassie, and Veronica had known Cassie and her family for years already, before her son was born. Cassie was a cute, freckle-faced white girl with long black hair. Veronica and Cassie’s mom hung out so frequently that it was only a matter of time before Cassie would meet Veronica’s son. From playing in the sandbox Veronica built for them, to playing baseball, Cassie and Veronica’s son did everything together. And then one day, their relationship took a slight turn. Cassie overheard a conversation about her parents’ sex life that had something to do with what was between her father’s legs. Since Veronica’s son was a male, she figured that she could see what the fuss was all about, by seeing what was between his legs. So Cassie talked him into meeting her, on his back porch one afternoon, while her parents were away. She proposed a challenge for him. "Let’s pull down our pants at the same time, and see what the other has, she said?" Veronica’s son already liked girls more than the average little boy, so he had no problem with the idea. Plus he wanted to know what girls were hiding under their clothes, so he was just as curious as she was. He actually began taking his pants down about two seconds after she proposed the question, just off natural reaction. A couple moments of silence passed before she pulled down her pants, but after she did, the two agreed to touch what each other had before they pulled their pants back up. Veronica’s son went first, and after he touched it, he smelled his hands to get the full effect of what just happened. Surprisingly, the smell aroused him. He smiled. It was Cassie’s turn. She grabbed what Veronica’s son had between his legs, but as soon as she put it down, she kissed him. So, he kissed her back. Lastly, they grabbed each others private parts, and kissed at the same time. They ended their afternoon activities with a smile and a hug, and swore secrecy for the rest of their lives. But that wasn’t the last encounter where they both undressed for each other. Actually, it was just the beginning. They didn’t know a thing about boyfriends, girlfriends, or sex; they just continually enjoyed each other’s company, and had no boundaries on their friendship They would swing in the trees together. and kiss after they both made it to the other side safely. Later on down the line, they both agreed to put their mouth on each other’s private areas, because Cassie had seen her parents doing that as well. Cassie and Veronica’s son seemed to have used their friendship to experiment, but somehow they knew that they’re friendship always came first.

It seems like wherever he was, God sent Veronica’s son a partner in crime. His very first partner in crime was a short, chubby, dark-skinned little boy named Sean. Sean had a low haircut and wore big clothes. Sean’s mother, Regina, was best friends with his godmother, Vanda. He would see Sean almost every time he went to the east side of Cleveland to see Vanda. It was actually Vanda’s parents house that Veronica’s son would visit. Vanda’s parents were named LD and Charlie’s and they were in their late 60’s when they first laid eyes on Veronica’s son. Vanda kept up all the payments on the house and inherited it when her parents passed on. Honestly, Veronica’s son bonded with Vanda way before he bonded with Veronica. Vanda would keep Wyatt when Veronica was running errands or when she was just running the streets. Right across the street from Vanda’s house, stood the neighborhood crack house. When the drug dealers that owned it didn’t have half of the neighborhood hanging outside their house, drive by shootings were randomly occurring on their block and surrounding blocks. These drug dealers were the people Wyatt would run into at the corner store. Lucky for Wyatt, Vanda’s daughter, Charlynn, married a former kingpin of the dope game. His name was Dale. Dale was making five grand a week selling heroin and cocaine before his rivals got jealous and dropped dimes on him. The police never had enough information to make a case against Dale, but all the extra attention scared Dale out of the game forever. It just wasn’t worth it to Dale, especially since he was in the process of starting a family. Wyatt and Charlynn fought like they were only a year apart, but they’ve always had a great understanding of each other feelings and thoughts. In reality, she was almost twelve years older than him. They played practical jokes on each other and picked fights with each other, like real brothers and sisters. They honestly felt and still feel like they have the same blood running through them. With all the time that Wyatt spent with Vanda, it was almost like he and Charlynn grew up in the same house together.

It just so happens that Dale was the first former gangster that Wyatt had the pleasure of getting extremely close to. Dale is about six foot three and dark skinned. Growing up, Dale was like a father figure and a big brother all in one. Day after day, Dale would take Wyatt around the local neighborhood when he was only seven years old and show him what was going on around him. Dale knew Wyatt didn’t scare easily and just wanted Wyatt to be aware of his surroundings. Dale would point out things that only he could. Like certain little kids he knew from the neighborhood running to a stranger’s car to pick up Ziploc bags for their parents. Dale let Wyatt know that the kids were picking up heroin for their parents. He told Wyatt that a real man or woman wouldn’t have their children risking their lives to get them drugs and that most of the drugs were probably fake anyway. Guys would use baking soda disguised as heroin because the kids who were doing the pickup and delivering couldn’t tell the difference. The kids would just run up to the car and give the driver whatever money their parents gave them, in exchange for a small bag.

Soon Dale explained to Wyatt about the shooting across the street. And why until the current residents moved out, it probably wouldn’t stop. Things started to make sense to Wyatt. His buddy Sean was always with Wyatt, while Dale would do his daily sermon about life’s truths. Dale would even show them some veteran tricks to use on girls, that would get pretty girls attached to them. Things like tongue kissing, rubbing their hair, remembering their birthday, and his favorite, feeling on their booty. He was on a roll early. Between Dale’s and Cassie’s training, he was armed and ready to learn more about the women species. Some of Vanda’s other friends had daughters that would come over and visit Wyatt, and every so often Wyatt and the girl would disappear for a few hours and just try things on each other. Although he never claims to have lost his virginity until age eleven, it’s safe to say that he had a lot of practice until then.

Veronica was actually "well-to-do", up until she was getting ready to leave Cleveland. Veronica was one of the first African American women to be an Aviation Mechanic in the Air force, and she had obtained a few engineering certificates before then. Veronica had come a long way since her days of growing up in Lucy’s house. When she was younger, she was a bit of a mischievous troublemaker herself. Her and her older sister, Rhonda, were always sneaking to house parties, or sneaking off with guys at night. They would even get drunk and high in the bathroom at school. And Veronica had been carrying at least one pistol on her, since she was in her late teens. She always stood her ground, but her goal wasn’t to be sadistic and violent, it was to protect her way of life. She like many grew up adoring the Hippie evolutional phase that Americans went threw. And she like many, thought that the Hippie generation defined what it meant for their generation to live life to the fullest. So she wanted to break barriers and make money during the day, but she lived to bar hop and dance all night long. Accomplishing goals, all by herself became her greatest sense of pride. And that sense of pride, made her heartless and cold when it came to the idea of family unity and unity in general, but nevertheless her pride made her the strong woman that she is today. She would still lend a helping hand to family members every so often, but she believed in individual strength, not strength in numbers. By the time she had Wyatt, she was stable and thought she could be a good parent. Veronica and Wyatt started out in a nice house off Astor Road on the west side of Cleveland, and graduated to a minimansion in Westlake. Some team members of the Indians and the Browns still reside out in Westlake, Ohio. While they lived in Westlake, Veronica’ son was in to everything from swimming to karate classes when he wasn’t with family or friends. Wyatt had been swimming since he was three years old, so by the time they moved to Westlake he already felt like a professional swimmer. And he gotten all the way to blue belt in karate, before he got bored and decided to pursue other after school activities.

When Wyatt wasn’t with Cassie, Dale, Sean, or Vanda, Veronica, would drop him off with any one of his many cousin’s that stayed in bordering neighborhoods inside of East Cleveland. It seems like he has about six hundred or so cousins that are actually from the city of Cleveland. And only about four families of theirs were bold enough to move out of Cleveland, so now most of his cousins are just scattered in different parts over the city. From the south side of Cleveland to the east side, they are all over, and Veronica made it a point to make them a part of Wyatt’s life. His two childhood favorites were Cousin Chris and Cousin Allen.

Chris was skinny as a toothpick, dark brown, and always keeps his hair low. While they were kids, Chris was the best comedian of the family. Chris also liked new adventures and would wander the streets seeking them. That was right up Wyatt’s alley. Between playing baseball with a stick and some rocks in the middle of the street and looking for young girls, the two had a blast when they were together. They were seen frequently running or fighting their way out of trouble, but at the end of the day, the two always ended up unscathed, and always had a story to laugh about when they got home. As Chris got older, he got less funny and more street smart. He had a son right after he turned twenty and has been in and out of jail ever since. Rumors spread about him trying cocaine, and by the time Wyatt started getting his life back on track, Chris was looking at life in prison for shooting somebody execution-style. In 2006, Cleveland’s Justice System gave one of Wyatt’s favorite cousins 40 years in prison, but luckily for Chris, at least they dropped the original death penalty sentence they were looking for.

Allen and Wyatt got along so well because they were more like twins. I’d consider Allen the good twin, which of course would make Wyatt the more stubborn and mischievous of the two. Allen has always had big muscles and a football-player frame. Brown skinned with big legs and calf muscles to match, he grew up to be Eddie George’s size, but when he played in college, he chose to play linebacker. I guess he was in to knocking people out on the football field, but in real life, he is one of the calmest and sensible people I know. Very sincere and naturally a good person, Allen is pleasant and caring to everyone he meets. He and Wyatt have always had similar traits and as far as mannerisms go, they somehow manage to rub their faces exactly the same way, for exactly the same length of time. To make it even creepier, they both seem to rub their faces in the oddest