Growing Up Nelson: Book 3

Chapter 22

While me and Erin continued thumbing through the photo album that my dad let me look at I glanced over the huge book shelf and marveled over the collection of novels and poems books he had. There was one book in particular that caught my attention. It didn't stick out like a sore thumb but it blended in so well that it was the gold trimming on the spine of the book that was calling to me. I slowly went over to the self and stared at the book. I wondered if I were to pull it would it be some type of trick handle and the shelves would turn me into some type of secret room. With the dad I have it wouldn't surprise me one bit. I still didn't touch it though. I just looked. I could hear Erin calling my name a few time from behind me but I continued to ignore her.

  "If you don't get back over here?!?! Technically we're not supposed to be in here and if Prince finds out that's gonna be our behinds! Are you listening to me Carly????"

  "Not really." I said to her shortly as I still stared at the book.

  "What in gods name are you looking at kid!?!?!?" Erin snapped.

  "This book. I feel like.....I feel like I've seen this book before.....maybe in a dream or something."

  "Girl please! As insane as your life as been you probably could have seen it while you were awake. Now let's get out of here. Prince isn't very nice when he's pissed. Being his kid I'm sure you know that."

Erin got up and went over to the door and kept her eyes on me as I began to reach for the book.

  "Carly? Don't do it." She said.

I still kept reaching.

  "Carlyn I'm serious. Leave it alone."

At this point my fingers had just grazed the spine of the book.

  "Will you stop playing around?!?! Leave it alone and let's go before we caught!"

It was already too late. I grabbed the book and pulled it down from the shelf. Looking back at Erin I can see that she wasn't happy that I touched my dad's private stash of secrets but there's still so much that I don't know and I want to. I'm tired of being in the dark about things I feel like I'm old enough to understand. As I opened the book Erin sucked her teeth and closed the door.

  "I can't believe I'm letting you do this. If you go down the guilt will eat me alive so I guess we're in this together." She said as she met me on the other side of the desk.

  "I knew you would see things my way eventually." I said with a big grin.

  "Oh shut up." Erin sassed as she shoved me gently.

  "Ok. This is it. You ready?" I asked before taking a deep breath.

I opened the cover and the first thing I noticed was my name written at the top along with a message.

  "My sweet Carlyn. This book contains all the answers to your questions. I hope you find what you've been looking for. Forever and always, Dad."

Erin and I looked at each other a little confused  but we certainly weren't uninterested. We turned to the next page to find a picture of my dad as a child with two other kids that looked about his age.

  "Hey! I've seen this picture before!" Erin exclaimed.

  "Really? Where?" I asked.

  "Well remember over the summer when you got a hold of Prince's guitar? Before that fiasco Prince and I were talking about his childhood and he pulled this very same picture out of one of his guitar cases. The guy on the other side planting the wet kiss on the girls face is Andre."

  "What!?!?!? Geez uncle Dre looks like a desperate soul. Poor girl looked so skeeved out. Ugh. I do t blame her either." I giggled.

As I examined the picture closet I noticed that they were all wearing bright yellow camp shirts.

  "Camp Minnetonka. I thought black kids and camps didn't mix. At least that's what the scary movies make it seem like."

  "What????"

  "Yeah! You know? Every time you watch a scary movie the black guy always dies first? You never noticed that?"

  "I wish you would stop believing in the politically incorrect BS. Besides LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes were in scary movies and they didn't die first. So what does that say?"

  "That says some directors in Hollywood were smart not to follow the stereotype."

  "I feel like you need to stop watching so much CNN."

  "And I feel like you should stop sounding like my dad. It's creepy."

  "One of us needs to! You're always finding yourself in a world of trouble."

  "Pause! Trouble finds me. There's a difference."

  "Whatever you say Carly!" Erin giggled as she shook her head.

We continued flipping though the book and we found more pictures of my dad and uncles and as we got closer to the middle we found pictures of my dad and a very wanted and familiar face.

  "Look! This is her!" I said excited as I tapped Erin.

  "Yes! I see! Who is she?"

  "That's Regan! That's the girl who my dad loves so much!"

  "How do you know if they're even gonna get back together? You don't know if they feel that way about each other!"

  "Oh yes I do! Those two are downstairs right now playing tongue twister in the kitchen as we speak. Which is how I also know we won't get caught up here."

Erin looked very confused. She really had no idea about how deep and extensive my dad's life really is and to be honest neither did I until just a few days ago.

  "Ok so then what's the plan?" She asked with a half smile.

  "Plan for what?" I asked back.

  "Well you said you wanted to get them together so what's the plan?"

  "Don't know. I'm kinda just playing it by ear right now."

  "Figured you'd say that. Let's get out of here and bring the book with you. Don't let anybody see you with it. I have an idea that just might rekindle what they used to have."

  "You mean you really wanna help?"

  "Duh! If making Prince happy is what makes you happy then I'm all for it!"

  "Alright!"

We did a double high five and sneaked out of the office with the photo album in hand. Finally! A plan to get this love train out of the station!