VENTURES: Thanksgiving Toast

It was nice being back from San Francisco....Nice being home... Olivia's cousin Kayla allowed us to use the third floor of their house across the street from us...We had decided to have a big Thanksgiving dinner and invite our close friends and associates..

We sat a big table up....

"Ouuu this is sooo nice." said Olivia..

"The Boys did a really good job cleaning and setting up this morning."said Beverly...

"They did...wowww..I didn't think we'd ever finish in the kitchen." I said..

"I know...Thanks for letting me and Rockland stay over last night..." said Alfreda..

They had stayed with us in the spare bedroom....

Josie and Paris had slept in the extra bedroom in Nelson and Beverly's place..

Olivia, Beverly, myself ,Alfreda and Josie had been cooking for the past two nights...It was fun having a full house...and yet being at home here in Philly.

We fixed the table with the turkey, cranberry sauce, dressing, candied yams and sweet potato pie..

Nelson, Paris and Ray had set the tables up earlier and were bringing in the other food...

Chinese food

Mexican Food

and Italian Food..

All brought in by Alfreda's caterer friend... We had food for all of our friends coming..

Kayla was astounded at all of the food...not to mention the Beverages brought in by Gary and Rockland, who felt so honored to be a part of this..

Beers

and sodas..

"Here are the Beverages guys.." said Gary as he and his boss, Rockland loaded everything into the upstairs..

Rockland smiled... He had spent a few Thanksgivings alone or at Sam Mother's early before closing.He felt so good, actually having friends...Actually being accepted into this large ever growing group of people.

He smiled when he thought...The best day of his life was the day he met Olivia and Beverly and faced off against them in court...It led to meeting Beverly's sexy mother , who he had been dating for three years now and being included into their group of friends..

Our guests began coming... Our neighbors from down the street...

Yvette Jones, one week from getting married to Gary Lockwood and our soon to be newest neighbors, Bee Bee Evans and Sofia Garcia , who had practically already moved in and their soon to be husbands..Keith Jones and Kahlil Ahmed, who were soon to be married and soon to be our newest neighbors..They had bought two homes, next door to each other.. and Jade Lee, who had bought a home a few doors down from them...

"Heyyyyyyy Everybody" said Yvette..."Ouuuuuuuu the food smells sooo good....everything looks so nice." said Yvette Jones..

"It Really does..."said Jade..

"Ohhhhh Wow...I can't wait to use our third floor for a house warming party."said Bee Bee..

"Me Neither." gushed Sofia..

Keith Jones just looked around and smiled..The thought of having Bee Bee totally alone in a house intrigued him....No apartment, no running down the hall half dressed from one apartment to another..Just the safety and autonomy of their own home..

Kahlil felt the same way about him and Sofia..

"Hola" said our new friend, Attorney Jessica Sanchez-Burrows and her husband, Attorney Charles "Chip" Burrows... We had all crossed paths in court and become friends...When they got married they too bought one of these new houses in this new development across the street from us...

Jessica had no family here in Philadelphia and was honored to be celebrating the holiday with us...They lived a few doors down..

"Heyyyy guys!" said Jazzy as she and her husband, Dabnis entered.

From around the corner, Attorneys Jasmine and Dabnis Coley arrived. "Jazzy|" as Olivia nicknamed her had graduated law school with Beverly and Kayla and had worked in the public defenders office with Olivia, Beverly and Nelson for a few years before leaving to be an Assistant District Attorney, She was now in Private Practice.. Her then friend and confidant, Attorney Dabnis Coley had worked with Yvette and her crew on a few cases and eventually Olivia, Beverly and Nelson.. He helped Law school graduate Josie Boyd study for and pass the Bar exam...before reuniting with and falling in love with Jasmine Jenkins and marrying her...They too found themselves moving in our neighborhood.

as did Jade's significant other ,Lieutenant Danny Ho.

Attorney's Zoey Easter and her husband Lem were the only guests who didn't live in this neighborhood..They lived a few blocks away...She had been Olivia's divorce attorney who helped her leverage a masterful divorce from her first husband, Elwood Barnes, who at that night was a very successful attorney and a millionaire..Olivia got their plush house which was on the mainline, which she sold and used the money to buy our present office duplex and furnish it completely and his cars which she sold and pocketed the cash until her law firm got up and running..Olivia felt as though she owed Zoey everything..They remained good friends until this day.

Zoey's husband, Lem was actually an Attorney she met while at a speaking engagement in San-Francisco, who happened to also be from Philadelphia..He and Zoey met during a case and fell in love and got married a few months after her niece, Beverly and former protoge' Nelson got married..

There was a lot of history and warm friendships in this room today for Thanksgiving..

II-

Olivia looked around the room ....She wanted to give a toast....

"I look around this room and I see all of you good people and it almost brings tears to my eyes...I remember just a short time ago when I bought my Duplex-Office......It was just me and Bev and Josie...

"Just three Black women trying to strike out on our own....I didn't even have a man.." said Olivia..

That brought howls of laughter from most of the people within earshot....

"They had just finished building these houses you all live in and are moving into and for a few years there were some elderly people living in these houses..

but they were mostly empty....a lot of empty houses...Now....My favorite little cousin and her husband have moved in, My best friend in the world , Yvette has moved in and since she's getting married , I'll actually see her in the neighborhood..

Which brought howls of laughter from everybody

and a sweet kiss between Yvette and Gary....

And all of you people here today....I just want to say...I don't feel soo alone anymore...I feel apart of a real community, a family....You all are my family and I love you all.." said Olivia, getting chocked up..

I put my arms around her and held her....

'Awww Olivia, we love you too!" said Alfreda..

"Next to Ms. Yvette, we owe you a lot.."said Keith Jones..

"Yes....I can't wait to be your neighbor."said Bee Bee.

"That goes double for me....You've always had an open door for us."said Sofia.

'Ditto that." said Kahlil..

Gary popped open a bottle of Champaigne..

"A Toast and let's eat!" said Gary... The rest of our guests, Danny Ho,Jade Lee, Rockland Cambridge, Gary Lockwood, Yvette Jones, Chip, Jessica ,Dabnis, Jazzy and Kayla all cheered and began eating..

"Everything looks delicious.."said Danny Ho..

"Yesssss, they have something for everyone.." said Jade..

"Yesssssss."said a very happy Rockland..

"May I fix you a plate Future Mrs. Lockwood?" said Gary...

"Ouuuuuuuuu I like that, getting in practice huh?" joked Yvette..

"Ummmmmmm everything looks and smells delicious.." said Chip..

"Yes it does and I am famished.."said Jessica..

"Ummmm let me fix you a plate baby!"said Dabnis..

"Ouuuuuuu thank you...I was fixing you a plate..."said Jazzy...

"Awwwww that's so cute.."said Kayla..

Ray walked over to Kayla with two plates..

"Uh I made us plates...If there is anything you don't want..Uh I can change it.." he said.

Kayla's face lit up like a Christmas tree..

"Nooo, everything is just fine.." she giggled and gave Ray a soft, slow kiss...

III-

The table was beautiful....Those that could fit around the table did...There were other tables and chairs...

The Food was delicious..

And the additional steam tables were filled with enough food that

All we didn't eat....

could be taken home by us all and keep us eating at home for weeks...

I smiled as I looked at all of the people gathered here today... I wasn't born or raised in this city...I was a stranger, but all of these people had taken me in, made me feel at home...

My beautiful wife , Olivia...who I loved more than life, and who inspired me to leave my native New Orleans and move here..

her beautiful warm and sensitive niece, Beverly, who took to me right away and became my buddy, my partner in crime...She was my niece....That's how I felt about her..

her husband Nelson...who has become a good friend and confidant..

Josie, sweet Josie...One third of the triumpherant I call "The Girls", "My Girls..

Paris , her boyfriend...

and Alfreda, Beverly's mom...Who calls me "Tall Dark and Southern" I live and work with these people.

Kayla, sweet, sweet Kayla, My wife and Beverly's cousin who also embraced me right away.....

and her husband, Ray......

Then there is our extended family...

Yvette Jones, "Vettie", Olivia's best friend, Also an Attorney...

Her fiance, Gary Lockwood , An Investigator for the D.A.'s office and like me, a former Homicide Detective...

And her young protoge's, The Attorneys

Keith Jones

His fiance, Beatrice "Bee Bee" Evans..

Kahlil Ahmed..

His fiance, Sofia Garcia..

and their investigator, Jade Lee, who like me was also a former Homicide Detective...

We had worked cases with them ,both here and across the country....We all even went to London once..I was happy they were all going to be our neighbors soon...

And then our new friends,

Jazzy and Dabnis

and Jessica and Chip

and of course..

Lt. Danny Ho of Robbery -Homicide, Jade's boyfriend

and Assistant District Attorney, Rockland Cambridge, Alfreda's boyfriend, once an adversary, now our friend..

Last but certainly not least..I couldn't forget Zoey and Lem... They had been good friends to us over the years too!

I watched them all laughing and enjoying their food and soon I was enjoying my food too...

I felt all warm inside...

IV-

As we ate, I appeared deep in thjought...

''What'chu thinkin about honey bunny?" asked Olivia..

"My first day here...When I came up for good to move in with you girls.."I said smiling..

"Oh yeah, I remember that day vividly." she said and smiled..

NOVEMBER- 2013-

We pulled up in front of a duplex....Olivia smiled brightly...

"This is it ....My new home....and my law office, which is on the side.." she said.

I was impressed...

''Wow...It's nice..." I said.

"Beverly and I live on the first floor...There is an empty apartment on the second floor....You uh, didn't sign anything yet did you? I know you were looking for a place?" she asked..

"I had talked to my friend Clerow and he was looking for a few places for me...I was going to stay with him and his family until I found something..."I said.

"Well Look no more...The upstairs unit is yours if you want it..." she said.

"For real?" I asked..

"Yes.." she said. "My crazy niece said -'Auntay, you know you gonna be spendin all your time upstairs in his place...you should let me have the whole downstairs."she said.

I smiled...

"But you of course said no right?" I said.

"Right...." she said and winked..

"Come on...look at my office and meet the rest of my staff." she said.

''Oh you got a staff?" I said.

"Yes.. I have an administrative assistant...There is Bev, who you know already and you, my new full time investigator..." she said.

I pulled her to me just then...

"Huh? what?" she asked...

I kissed her....a nice long passionate kiss.....She softly and slowly broke our embrace...

"What was that for?" she asked and smiled...

"I just felt like doing that." I said and smiled...

"Hmmmm...nice to know." she said and smiled..

How nice was this? I had a job, a place to live and a girlfriend...I was loving Philadelphia already...

I was impressed with he office...A bit bright for my tastes...but I could work with it...

"Josie...Come here,I want you to meet someone." said Olivia...

A very pretty young woman in her early 20's walked out into the foyer....

''Hello" she said.

"Josie..This is Donnie Ray Alexander...My friend from New Orleans that I told you about...He's going to be our full time Private Investigator...Donnie Ray, Ms. Josie Boyd." she said.

Josie smiled and I smiled too...Oh My god...How was I going to work with all these fine women around me?

From the back, I heard a familiar voice...

"Is that D.R.?" came the voice of Olivia's foxy niece, Beverly..

I smiled...

"Indeed..Come here girl and give me some sugar." I said.

"Ouuuu, these southern mennnn." she cooed....She looked at Olivia..."You don't mind do you Auntay?" she asked.

Olivia cracked up...

"Go ahead crazy girl." she said.

I hugged Beverly, who had an equally soft and curvy body...My...My..My...I felt like a kid in the candy store...

''You didn't get the Immigration gig huh?" I asked.

"Oh I did get it...I turned it down....I can't be in a different city from my Auntay...Who will I have to watch my back??....Tell me I'm dating the wrong guy??" she giggled.

''Well, we'll go and get your stuff out of storage tomorrow and you can put it in your apartment upstairs...I'll give you your keys...You can enter from the side or the front..."said Olivia..