NUMBER FORTY-FOUR

About the Book

November 4, 2008, I’m watching the election; I gave my cousin a call. “Henry, what are you doing?” “I’m just sitting here eating some walnuts,” he replied. My response was “What! How can you be sitting there eating walnuts at a time like this? Henry, turn the TV on.” By that time, the results from Virginia came over. Breaking News, Senator Barack Obama, President- Elect flashed across the screen. My cousin still cracking walnuts as I immediately informed him, “Henry, Henry, it’s over, it’s over, it’s Obama.” “What!” he said excitedly. “What! Let me see,” he continued as he searched for the channel I was watching. “Lord! Lord have mercy,” he said as he began to shed tears, yet repeating, Lord, have mercy. I asked Henry, “Are you crying?” “I can’t help but to cry.” “Henry, Henry,” I called once again. “Call your wife.” “OK, all right,” he said. We hung up, and I then called my oldest son. He answered the phone, “Tell me about it.” My reply to him was yes as I extended my right arm out and jerk it back, just as my grandson BJ sometimes does when he’s happy about something. We talk awhile as we began to hear fireworks. Before we hung up, my son said, “Martin Luther King is probably turning over in his grave.”

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