The Greatest Man Alive

Good lord, mama…I am tired.

What’s the matter? I only made you go to church with me this once

Oh you know what I mean that’s why you’re laughing, mother.

Boy you know how this goes every week. Ya know, I could do you like Roots and chop ya feet off.

But then that means I can’t take those heinous trips to the library to get those books you always torture me into reading.

Haha son, you know I’ve always loved your sarcasm. In fact, I love it so much that you get to be the first one to read tonight after dinner.

Really mama! You know I hate being the first one that has to read.

Exactly, but it gives me so much joy watching you chafing under pressure. We’re exercising a lot of demons, you know.

Mama if I didn’t love you so much I wouldn’t be helping you carry the groceries in the house.

Oh son, that’s not true. You love helping me carry the groceries in the house because you value the sanctuary of not getting a butt whoopin’.

Right because I definitely need more of that.

What you say, smarty?

I said if you let me not read tonight I’ll try to go one whole nine weeks without getting a D or an F on my progress report.

So you should be tryna do that anyway. I would’ve thought you’d be tired of having to go to after school throughout the year and summer school over the summer.

I know, I know. It’s just this stuff is kinda hard for me, mama. It’s like every time I see it I just get drained of energy. Language Arts and Algebraic thinking just ain’t my cup of tea.

I think anything that’s not movies, video games and French fries just ain’t your cup of tea, son. Help me get these groceries in.

Good lord this first bag is heavy, what’s in here?

Well that’s the ground beef and the Blazin Wings you like so much. I was gonna grill all of em’ out on Friday, but since you don’t wanna read tonight maybe I should just cook em another time.

Oh no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. I’ll read tonight mom dukes I swear. I’ll even read first with a smile on my face. Heck I’ll read the whole night. You won’t even have to let those two lesser children read.

If I had known that this is what it took to get you to read I would’ve been cooking like this every night, haha.

Well this is my favorite mix. But seriously mama, why do you like reading so much? I mean you read when you watch TV, you read when you work out and not to go all Forrest Gump but I think I’ve seen you reading in your sleep.

You know son, reading is good for your mind and your soul. It makes your brain smarter and healthier. Reading keeps you educated and not just in a scholastic way, but on life in general. You always say you like Malcolm X right?

I love Malcolm X

Well Malcolm X always said that education was a passport to the future and that tomorrow belongs to those who seek it today and I have faith that you will one day have knowledge like that.

Oh I don’t think I could ever be like Malcolm, mama.

Malcolm would believe that you could be better than him, son. He would have that much faith in you.

You think so?

Nope, I know so.

So I guess I really should hit the books and start reading more, huh?

Yes you should and I promise that the more you read, the more you will become the greatest man alive.

~ Dedicated to my mother who inspired me to read and be a writer.