All That Matters by Paulette Jones Page B

and those smiles….drive mi heart wild.’
    ‘Well Nanny K would love for you to come by I’m sure.’
    Sedric left the order with him then headed out to finish the other task on his list. From the moment he stepped in the house his mom had a list a mile long for him but he had missed her so much he didn’t mind the task. By the time he got back to the main house more of the family had arrived and more had started pulling up.
    ‘Sedric sweetheart how are you…you look well?’
    ‘I’m much better now that I’m home…your son put me down a few weeks back you know tee?’
    ‘Oh, don’t you speak only one side you put up a major fight mi witness two of them come close.’
    ‘Not close enough…though auntie.’ Sedric smiled and took the boxes from his aunt’s hands.
    When he first moved to the states for college she had come to visit him several times bringing him food and cooking him meals trying to help him adjust so he had grown extremely close to his aunt Brenda. Inside the house he came into his cousin Ashley and her family who had arrived as well. Ashely was another big supporter when he decided to turn pro she had even come to a few of his games with her husband and sons. But their lives were just as busy as his so they didn’t get to see each other that often.
    ‘Ash, wassup long time no see…you look great.’
    ‘Hey Sed how are you goodness you look like you’ve grown even more…good job putting up that fight against Brandon…old man thinks he still can hang.’
    ‘Ha…yea he does where is he by the way they coming in today?’
    ‘Yea their here they wanted to rest first Taye said the baby was up for the whole flight so she didn’t rest any on the way over. Taye says she is different than the other two girls she wants to see everything.’
    ‘You mean she is just like her mom want to see things for herself.’
    ‘You’re right about that one for sure.’ They both laughed at the reality of the statement.
    ‘Where your boys…I didn’t see them when I come up.’
    ‘Matt has them out back Tye loves running around now so he let him loose. I swear since he started walking I can’t keep up with him.’
    ‘Hey…we have to let little man grow let me go put these in the back your moms out front.’
    ‘Great I’ve been waiting on her…I’ll go see if she needs help…where is Nanny K?’ Ashley asked as she retreated out the front door.
    ‘I think she went over to my parent’s place my mom want her to rest up some.’
    ‘That’s good she would just want to do everything herself here…I’ll be back in a sec to help with those let me go see my mom.’
    The family decided on having the celebration and making it a reunion of sorts just to get everyone in the same place at the same time for once. They had grown quite a bit from those early days of struggle and all had lives that keep them so busy it was hard to ever catch up with any of them so the gathering to celebrate their matriarch was just what they needed.
    By sunset just about everyone had arrived and the guest of honor had also made her way back to the main house. There were tons of different foods being prepared and so many different voices floating through the house and outside it was hard not to find the joy of the occasion. The kids were all running around and there was a huge sense of peace over them. By sun down they all gathered around the large family table passing around the different dishes of food. The peace Sedric had been searching for was finally real, but in the back of his mind he knew the things he left behind would not just go away. Pressing those thoughts as far back as possible he focused on the conversations around him.
    ‘So you two had me on pins and needles there for a couple of those games, and what was with all the winking?’ Ashley was the first to bring up the subject just about everyone was waiting to talk about.
    ‘What are you talking about fathead nobody was winking?’ Even after she had