by Doris Miller
PARTMENT NEXT TO PICK UP THE REST OF DANA'S BELONGINGS OUT OF THERE AND SHIP THEM TO JAMAICA ALSO!"
"WHAT!" Missy worriedly shouts!
Everyone stands around in shock and disbelief! They then go into the other rooms. They are half-empty also! Most of the rooms are half-empty, except for a couple of rooms, including Gracy and Mike's room. Everyone continues to stand around in shock and disbelief! Missy begins to cry, "Oh Grandma," as she goes to cry on her grandmother's shoulders. Londa starts to cry on Gracy's shoulders also. Teary eyed Gracy hugs and holds Missy and Londa both as Sammy and Robert both full of tears stand there, sadly looking on at them.
Later on that evening, Tony's mother Susan tries to call him on the telephone. She keeps trying to call Tony all evening, but does not get an answer. She decides to stop by his apartment.
Around 8:30 PM, Susan reaches Tony's apartment door. She rings the doorbell. She hears someone on the other side of the door. She then hears the door unlocking. When the door opens, Susan sees her very sad and depressed looking son at the door. She quickly goes inside the door and closes it. She sees how terrible Tony looks and asks, "What happened to you Tony? I kept trying to call you all evening! What's the matter?"
Tony points his arm towards the direction of the living room. Susan looks towards the living room. She sees the apartment. It is half-empty! Susan walks into the living room! She shockingly looks around and asks, "What in the world happened here Tony?" as she goes to walk around, looking at the half-empty apartment! She is in disbelief! She then asks, "What happened Tony? I kept trying to call you! I was getting very worried about you!" Sad and depressed Tony just, nods his head with his eyes closed. Susan smacks Tony out of his depression! Tony looks at his mother! Susan asks, "Tony, what happened here? This place is half-empty! What happened?"
"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED MA! CHRISTINE AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS HAD BARGED IN HERE THIS AFTERNOON TO PICK UP THE REST OF DANA'S CLOTHES AND BELONGINGS! THEY CAME IN HERE AND SAID THAT THEY WERE HERE TO PICK UP DANA'S CLOTHES AND BELONGINGS AND SEND ALL HER THINGS DOWN TO JAMAICA! THEY SAID THAT THEY HAD A TRUCK WAITING DOWNSTAIRS FOR ALL OF DANA'S BELONGINGS! THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO SEND ALL OF DANA'S BELONGINGS TO CHRISTINE'S HOUSE DOWN IN JAMAICA! OH MA, THEY'RE ALL PLANNING TO TAKE DANA BACK TO JAMAICA WITH THEM! THEY'RE DETERMINED TO TAKE DANA BACK TO JAMAICA!"
"What! So Christine is actually going to have Dana move back to Jamaica with her, isn't she? When you had told me about what happened in the court building and you said that Christine was talking about having Dana and all her other children move back down to Jamaica with her, I thought she was just saying that out of anger! I didn't know that she actually meant it! I didn't know that she would actually go through with it!"
"NEITHER DID I MA! I DIDN'T THINK THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY GO THROUGH WITH IT EITHER!"
"Well where's Dana at now?"
"THEY GOT DANA AT HER UNCLE KEVIN'S HOUSE! CHRISTINE SAID THAT SHE WAS GOING TO KEEP DANA OVER THERE UNTIL THEY ALL GO BACK TO JAMAICA!"
"What do you mean Christine is going to keep Dana over there until they all go back to Jamaica? Tony, Christine and her family members aren't holding and keeping Dana over there against her will are they?"
"I DON'T KNOW MA! EITHER WAY, THEY WON'T ALLOW ME TO SEE HER!"
"Well Tony if Christine and her family members are keeping Dana over there against her will, they can be charged with false imprisonment you know!"
"BUT MA, WHAT CAN I DO? FILE FALSE IMPRISONMENT CHARGES AGAINST CHRISTINE AND HER FAMILY MEMBERS? OH MA, DANA WOULD NEVER EVER FORGIVE ME IF I GO AGAINST HER FAMILY! ESPECIALLY IF I GO AGAINST HER MOTHER! OH MA, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO DO WITHOUT DANA! I LOVE DANA WITH ALL MY HEART AND I DON'T WANT TO LOSE HER!"
"Oh Tony I know you don't want to lose Dana! I know you don't want to lose her, but I guess we both have to try to understand where Christine is coming from!"
"What do you mean?"
Susan sits Tony down on the sofa. They both turn to face each other. Susan begins to talk to Tony and say, "Tony, Dana is Christine's child, right?"
"Yeah?"
"You see Tony, a mother is gonna always worry about her child or children no matter how old her child or children get! A mother is gonna always worry about her child, especially a child that she sees is going or has gone astray!"
"Gone astray?"
"Yes! You see Christine is very worried and scared that Dana is gonna wind up spending the rest of her life behind bars! No mother wants that for her child Tony! I certainly wouldn't want that for you or any of my other children! Christine certainly doesn't want that for any of her children either! Didn't you say that Christine had invited you to move down to Jamaica with them because she knows how much you love Dana?"
"Yeah she did invited me. She invited me when we were all down at the court building."
"Well have you thought about it?"
"Oh Ma, I thought a lot about it! It's a big step for me! It's a big step that I would have to make! A very big step! It means giving up my life here, giving up my job here and moving away from you and the rest of my family! It means moving away from my entire family to start a new life in another place! Oh Ma, this is gonna be a real tough decision for me!"
"I know Tony! You're gonna need a lot of time to think about it! When are they all suppose to leave?"
"They're all supposed to leave in less than a month!"
"Yeah? I'll tell you what Tony! Since you said that Christine had invited you to move down to Jamaica with her family, why don't you just go down to Jamaica with them and stay with them for a few weeks! That way you'll have some time to think about your plans while you're down there and you'll still get a chance to spend time with Dana!"
Tony smiles and says, "Oh Ma, you're wonderful! That's a great idea! I think I'll do that!"
"Why don't you! It will give you some time to think about what you're going to do with your future!"
"Okay Ma! I will!"
"Now, are you able to take some time off from your job?"
"Sure, I can make some arrangements! I'm supposed to have some vacation time coming up soon! I'll use that time to go to Jamaica with Dana and her family!"
"That sounds good! I just want you to be happy Tony! If being with Dana makes you happy, then I want you to be with her!"
"Oh thanks Ma," Tony says as he hugs his mother.
After their embrace, Susan says, "But Dana has to get help for her problem! She has to get help for her violent temper!"
"Yeah, we all know that Ma! I think Christine and her parents are planning on getting Dana some help down in Jamaica!"
"They are? That's good! I hope it works out for Dana!"
"Yeah me too!"
"Now you're gonna have to call up Christine and let her know that you're planning on going with them! Let her know that you're only going to stay with them for a few weeks!"
"Okay Ma, I'll do that! I'll get ready to call her right now! You know Ma, when Christine and her family members had come in here this afternoon to pick up the rest of Dana's belongings, she had asked me have I thought about moving down to Jamaica with them all. She did ask me have I thought about it. I told her that I have thought a lot about it, but I haven't made up my mind yet!"
"Okay! Just tell her that you'll go down there with them to stay for a few weeks."
"Okay Ma," Tony smiles and says as he starts to dial on the telephone.
Around 10:30 that same night, a very sad Missy is sitting in her half-empty room. She then hears a tap on the bedroom door. She looks up and sees her grandmother standing there. Gracy asks, "Missy are you alright?"
"Yeah Grandma, I'm alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
"Well I just wanted to tell you that your mother is on the telephone." Missy looks at her grandmother. Gracy then says, "She wants to speak to you."
Missy gets up from the chair. She walks out the bedroom door and goes to her grandparents' room. She picks up the telephone and says,
"Mom?"
Christine, who is laying on the bed at Kevin's house, says, "Hi Missy. How are you? How do you feel?"
"I feel very sad Mom!"
"You feel sad?
"Yes! Mom, I don't want to quit my job! I don't want to leave the school! I don't want to leave the children that's in the school! Oh Mom, if I leave those children, I'm gonna really miss them!"
"Well Missy you can still work at the school until we all get ready to leave for Jamaica! You still have a few more weeks! Have you turned in your resignation papers yet?"
"No Mom, I haven't!"
"Now Missy, I had went with Dana to her old job the other day, don't tell me that I might have to go with you now!"
"But Mom, I don't want to quit my job!"
"But Missy, you have to quit your job! I have arranged everything for everybody to all move back to Jamaica! Tony just called me up a little while ago! He's going with us! He says that he's going to Jamaica with us to stay just for a few weeks!"
"He is?"
"Yes! Now Missy, I bought all the airline tickets already! I expect all the airline tickets to be used! I don't plan to waste any of them, alright? Now I'll be over there in the morning to pick you up. We are going to go to your job tomorrow morning together, so we can turn in your resignation papers."
"MOM PLEASE!"
"I'll see you in the morning, goodnight." Christine hangs up the telephone.
Missy then hangs up the phone. She goes to her grandmother and shouts, "OH GRANDMA," as she starts to cry uncontrollably on her grandmother's shoulders.
Around 8:00 the next Friday morning, Christine stops by her in-laws house and rings the doorbell. Gracy opens up the door to let Christine in. They both kiss each other good morning. Christine asks, "Where's Missy? Is she ready?"
Missy comes sadly down the staircase. Christine goes to Missy and gives her a morning kiss. Christine asks, "Are you alright Missy?"
"No I'm not alright Mom!"
"Now Missy, I don't want to go through this again! We had already discussed everything about this on the phone last night and we are not going to talk about it anymore, alright? Now are we ready to go?" Missy sadly heads for the front door as Christine follows behind her. Christine tells Gracy, "I'll talk to you later Mom."
"Okay Christine."
Christine and Missy head out the front door. They walk down the block together. Gracy sadly watches them both as they disappear down the street.
A few hours later, Christine and a very sad and depressed Missy leave the school office. Missy had already turned in her resignation papers to the school office! She then walks her mother to the front door of the school building. As Christine and Missy reach the front door, Christine turns to Missy and says, "I'm sorry Missy. It's for the best." Christine kisses Missy on the cheek and tells her, "I'll see you later, okay?" Christine opens the door and starts to depart from a sad looking Missy. She then heads out the door and starts to leave the school building. Missy stands in the doorway and sadly watches her mother as her mother walks away from the school building. Christine then heads down the street as sad looking Missy continues to watch her.
Soon, word is all out among the entire school staff that Missy is leaving the school. The word is out that Missy will quit her job within a few weeks and move with her entire family back to Jamaica, West Indies. All of the employees are shocked and stunned! They all become very sad to hear that Missy is gonna leave the school within a few weeks. They are all sad to hear that Missy will no longer be with them anymore. Some of the school staff members quickly approach Raymond! They all begin to question him and ask, "Is it true Raymond? Is it true that Missy had just turned in her resignation papers this morning and that she is quitting? Is it true that she is moving back to Jamaica with her entire family?"
"Yes it is," Raymond says. "She had told me before that her mother wanted the entire family to move back down to Jamaica, all because of her sister!"
"Her sister?" Neil asks. "Who Dana?"
"Yeah! Dana had gotten arrested again for suspicion of murder!"
"WHAT! SUSPICION OR MURDER?" the school staff shout!
"Yeah! Missy's mother was in Jamaica when she had found out about it!"
"Well what happened?" Russell asks. "Why was Missy's sister Dana suspected of murder?"
"Well I heard some ex co-worker of Dana's had caused her and a friend of hers named Teresa to get fired from their jobs over a month ago! Then I heard that the guy was found outside his apartment building in the Bronx with his head bashed in a week later! He died later on at the hospital from a hard vicious blow to the head!"
"WHAT! OH MY GOD!"
"Yeah! His skull was fractured! The police arrested Dana on suspicion of murder! I heard the police claim to know Dana's violent tempered history from her fingerprints! Then I heard that Missy's mother had gotten very angry and upset when she heard the news! She was in Jamaica, then I heard she flew up here with her family members and sort of ordered all her children to move back to Jamaica, all because Dana keeps getting arrested and going back and forth to jail!"
"Yeah?" Neil asks. "But what happened to Dana? Did she go to court?"
"Yeah! I found out later that she went to court, but the courts let her go! They couldn't find any proof or any evidence against her! And now Missy and the rest of her brothers and sisters have to all move back to Jamaica, all because of one sibling!"
"But they're all grown! They shouldn't have to move back to Jamaica if none of them really want to!"
"Yeah they all know that, but they will all move down to Jamaica for their mother! I guess they all feel kind of bad about what their mother has been going through with their sister Dana constantly getting arrested for assault or murder charges, going back and forth to jail and everything and going back and forth to court!"
Everyone is sad. Neil says, "Oh Raymond, I don't want Missy to leave! She's one of the nicest people we have here!"
"You don't want Missy to leave? She's one of the nicest people we have here? At one time, nobody wanted to be around Missy! I noticed how everybody was staying away from Missy because you all were afraid of her sister! At one time, I noticed Missy sitting alone in the cafeteria! Everyone seemed like they were all trying to avoid her and didn't want to sit with her, and now she's leaving! Now you all want to be with her! Like they say, you never miss a person until they're gone! And now Missy is going! She is leaving with her entire family for good! Well how do you all feel now? None of us are happy about her leaving! None of us are!" Raymond turns around and walks away. Everyone just stares sadly at one another.
Later on that evening, Tony calls up Diane D‘s cell phone. Diane D picks up her cell phone. She looks at it and says, "Hey Tony."
"Hey Diane!!"
"What's up? How you doing?" Michael smiles and comes near Diane D to listen.
"Oh I'm alright Diane," Tony says. "I just wanted to call you and Michael up to tell you both that I have decide to go with Dana and her family to Jamaica!"
"Oh really?” Diane D says as she switches the cell phone speaker on. “You decided to go with them?"
"Yeah! I decided to go and stay just for a few weeks! I called up your Aunt Christine! I told her that I would go with her family to Jamaica and stay just for a few weeks, to give me some time to think! She said okay! I told her at least while I'm down there, it will still give me some time to spend with Dana!"
"Yeah that's true! Boy that sounds great Tony! Hey, maybe I should come along for the trip! Maybe me and Michael should go along with you guys!"
"Hey, that's a good idea Diane! You are Dana's cousin! You're part of her family! Why don't you and Michael come along for the trip?"
"Okay! Let me ask Michael!" Diane D turns to Michael and says, "Well how about it Michael? Do you want to go along for the trip?"
"That sounds like a good idea! Hey Tony! What's up man?"
"Oh nothing much Mike. How've you been?"
"Oh I've been okay. We were kind of worried about you
, being that Dana is most likely going to move back to Jamaica."
"Yeah I know. That's why I called up you and Diane to let you both know that I decided to go down to Jamaica with Dana and her family next month! I decided to go down there and stay only for a few weeks! At least while I'm down there, it will give me some time to think and some time to still be with Dana."
"Yeah that's true!"
"Diane was thinking about coming along for the trip! What do you say Mike? Would you two like to go with the family down to Jamaica?"
"You know that doesn't sound like a bad idea Tony." Michael turns to Diane D and asks, "So do you want to go along for the trip to Jamaica?"
"Sure I want to go along!"
"Okay, but first we have to speak to Aunt Christine about it."
"Okay. No problem."
Michael turns back to the cell phone and says, "Yeah Tony, Diane and I want to come along for the trip!"
"Okay! Good!"
"We're gonna get ready to call up Aunt Christine and let her know that we want to go along."
"Okay Mike! After you call her up, call me back later and let me know what's up!"
"Alright man! We're gonna get ready to call her up right now."
"Okay Mike! I'll talk to you and Diane later!"
"You got it man! Take care!" Michael closes the cell phone.
It is now 8:00 PM. Missy and Linda are out sitting on a park bench with their male friends James and Terrance. They are sitting under the trees. Missy and Linda are telling the guys about their family's situation. They tell the guys about how their mother is still trying to make them all move back down to Jamaica. James shouts, "WHAT! YOU MEAN TO TELL US THAT YOUR MOTHER IS STILL PERSISTING TO HAVE YOU ALL MOVE BACK DOWN TO JAMAICA WITH HER? ALL BECAUSE OF DANA?"
"All because of Dana, yeah," Missy tearfully laughs as she sadly looks towards the side. Linda and Terrance sadly look at Missy. Missy begins to cry on James' shoulders. James puts his arms around her. Missy starts to cry out, "She already bought our plane tickets! She even bought us all suits to where for the plane ride!"
"She also bought us shoes and already sent some of our belongings down to Jamaica," Linda says.
"I guess that means you all are leaving aren't you?" Terrance sadly asks. They all sadly look at each other. Terrance begins to hold tightly on to Linda. They all are very sad. They do not want to leave each other. Terrance excitingly says, "Hey! Maybe we can come along for the trip! Maybe we can come with you guys to Jamaica!"
Missy's and Linda's faces light up as James excitingly says, "Yeah, how about that? That sounds like a good idea!"
"Yeah that is a good idea," Linda says.
"Yeah, why don't you two come along," Missy smiles and says. "Me and Linda could speak to our family about it!"
"Okay good," James says. "When do you think you could be able to speak to your family about it?"
"Well, maybe tonight, right Linda?"
"Yeah," Linda says. "If not tonight, then maybe tomorrow. Okay guys?"
"Okay," Terrance says. They all look up at the sky. They see very thick clouds. Terrance says, "I think a thunderstorm is coming. Come on you guys, let's get out of here." They all get up from the bench and start to leave the park.
10:00 that same night, Diane D calls up Tony's number. Tony picks up the telephone and says, "Hello?"
"Hey Tony, it's me Diane!"
"Hey Diane, what's up? What's the deal? Did you and Michael speak to your Aunt Christine?"
"Yeah, we spoke to her! We're going!"
"Oh really? You and Michael are gonna come along for the trip to Jamaica?"
"Yeah, we're both coming along!"
"Oh that's great Diane! I'm glad to hear that!"
"Yeah! And guess who else is coming along for the trip?"
"I don't know. Who?"
"A lot of my other relatives!"
"A lot of your other relatives?"
"Yep!"
"Like who?"
"Well, my Uncle David is coming along!"
"Your Uncle David?"
"Yeah! And both of my grandparents!"
"Both of your grandparents too?"
"Yeah! And both of my parents!"
"Both of your parents?"
"Yeah! And my Aunt Celeste and her husband Andy, my Aunt Jean and her husband Clifford, my Uncle Kevin and my Aunt Laura!"
"You're kidding Diane!"
"No I'm not kidding Tony! My Aunt Christine told me that my Uncle David, both of my grandparents and my parents, my other aunts and uncles are all coming along on the trip!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah!"
"Boy, that sounds great Diane! But what made them all decide to come along?"
"Well, after I spoke to my Aunt Christine on the phone, I called up my grandparents personally and spoke with them. I told them that Michael and I are planning on coming along on the trip. Then they told me that my Uncle David is planning on moving down to Jamaica for good also!"
"WHAT!"
"Yeah! I found out that my Uncle David is planning on quitting his job next week to move with his children to Jamaica!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!"
"Boy, this is unbelievable! I mean that's great Diane, but what made your Uncle David decide to just quit his job and move to Jamaica just like that?"
"Well, my Uncle David claims that he loves his children and didn't want to be apart from them. He claims he doesn't want to leave his job either, but he says that he rather have his children than have his job."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Oh that's nice Diane."
"Yeah. Plus he says that he wants to be there for Dana and make sure that she stays out of trouble and stays out of jail."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah."
"Boy that sounds real great Diane! It sounds like Dana is gonna have both of her parents on her trail, huh?"
"Yeah I guess so Tony."
"Well what about your grandparents and the rest of them? How long are they all planning to stay in Jamaica?"
"Oh they're all planning on staying in Jamaica for a couple of months to help my Aunt Christine, my Uncle David and the rest of them all settle down."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. After a couple of months, they're all gonna come back up here."
"Okay! Well how long are you and Michael going to stay in Jamaica?"
"Oh we're only going to stay for a few weeks also. After a few weeks, we're gonna come back up here."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"I guess that means you, Michael and I can all fly back up here together when it's time for us to come back home, huh?"
"Sure, why not?"
"Okay! But where is everybody gonna stay when we all get to Jamaica Diane? Is there room for everybody?"
"Oh everybody is gonna stay at my grandfather's mansions! My grandfather owns a few big houses in Jamaica you know!"
"Yeah I know. Dana told me before."
"Yeah. The houses are out in the countryside! My Aunt Christine stays and lives in one of the big houses, while her parents and some of her other family members stay and live in the second and third houses. My Aunt Christine says that she's gonna put all her children in the big house with her when they all move down to Jamaica."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. So Dana and all her brothers and sisters are gonna move into the first big house with my Aunt Christine. So will my Uncle David."
"What! Your Uncle David is gonna move into the same house with his children and your Aunt Christine?"
"Yeah! It's like Dana's entire family is gonna all live under the same roof again!"
"Oh yeah? That sounds nice Diane. But what part of the house is your Uncle David going to stay in?"
"Oh I hear he's planning on moving right into my Aunt Christine's bedroom!"
"He's gonna move into your Aunt Christine's bedroom?"
"Yeah."
"Well where will your Aunt Christine stay?"
<
br /> "In the same room! My Aunt Christine has always been in that bedroom! She's not going anywhere! My Uncle David is going to move into the bedroom with her! That's where he usually stays anyway whenever he goes to Jamaica to visit my Aunt Christine! He stays right in the bedroom with her."
"Yeah I heard."
"My grandfather had owned a smaller house in Jamaica."
"Yeah Dana told me that too."
"He had bought a small house for my Uncle David and my Aunt Christine when they first got married! But when my Aunt Christine kept popping up with a lot of babies, that's when my grandfather decided to buy them a bigger house and put them all in it."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"So what did they do with the smaller house?"
"Oh my grandfather still kept it for a while. Then he sold it and bought another big house in Jamaica. So that's where everybody will be staying, at my grandfather's big houses."
"That sounds good Diane."
"It does. Okay Tony, I'm gonna get ready for bed."
"Okay Diane. I'm glad you and Michael are both coming along."
"Yeah me too."
Chapter 27
Teresa Wants To Come Along On Trip
