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Cornelius Dennis Mrs. Oates Period 5 11/18/10

Respect for a Generation

A father whos a comic genius, a mother whos a strong supporter and provider; sisters

who are good role models and to go to church with other family members, such as aunts, uncles and cousins is a joyful and grateful experience. This is how Clarence Jenkins grew up in Fairfield, California. His family on his mother Trishas side lived closer, so he would see them a lot more than he did his father Lamonts family. Clarence and his sisters Trina and Tamela would hang out with their cousins a lot more than they would their regular friends. Clarence would like going to his Grandmother Helens (who he called Gramie) house every Christmas Eve. When he enters her house all he could smell was good food being cooked, and the classic decorations on her wall made it feel like being in a five star restaurant. She had never gone a Christmas without cooking her famous chocolate chips cookies. Unfortunately, Clarence had little respect for his grandparents. He did not think they were doing anything with their lives, and that they are not doing much now. Many of Clarences friends at school agreed with him about this, and they also got tired of old people lecturing them about the music they listen too, or what cloths they would wear. Clarence would not get lectured as much, but every time he saw his grandpa Thomas, his grandpa would utter the same words, Hey young fella, remember -dont be like all them other young hoodlums. On December 23, 2009, Clarences mother Trisha met with her sisters Gina, and Patricia. They discussed about the surprise party that they had wanted to throw for Gramie on her fiftieth birthday, but couldnt because of money issues. So they decided to throw a surprise party for

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Gramie for her sixtieth birthday. Gina stated, We need to call every family member from LA, and tell them to come, and we need to make sure that Gramies best friend Betty comes out for the party,. Clarence thought that it would be nice to see Betty again, and Gramie would be astounded to see her. Aye Mom will cousin Javon, Mario, and Mariah be coming to the party? asked Clarence with excitement. Yeah they should, replied Trisha. They were Clarences favorite cousins, him and Trina loved hanging out with them. When they came out from LA they had the most fun, their parents would pay for them to go to the movies and hang out at the mall. When they finally came out they had to go to the mall to pick out the proper attire for Gramies party. Javon and Clarence were suppose to get the CDs, so they decided to go to Best Buy, Aye man you know what CDs were getting right, asked Javon, Yeah, we are suppose to get some Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder; you know all the old school stuff, replied Clarence, Javon looked little puzzled as if he had never heard of these names before. So when they got home Clarence used the internet to introduced Javon to some of the popular artists from the 70s onward. Meanwhile Patrice, Gina, and Trisha were picking out the appropriate cake for the party, and Trina and Mariah were laughing while looking at their parents old pictures from their days in high school. Lamont came down stairs, laughing and smiling while he was holding a video tape. Trisha looked at the tape, and put her hands over her mouth, with a mortified look on her face. Where did you find that tape, asked Trisha. I found it in one of the photo albums, and I have to say that I have not laughed this hard in a while, replied Lamont while laughing. Patrice and Gina saw the tape, and started laughing.

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Trina and Mariah asked if they could see the tape. Trisha did not really want to show them the tape, but Lamont put it in anyway. We all sat in the living room, and watched the video. Trisha and Curtis were sinning at a camp in the 80s. Trisha wore an orange dress with a flower decoration on it, and Curtis was wearing tight jeans and a white T-shirt, and he also had a large afro. Everyone was rolling on the floor, and tears came out of peoples eyes, We have got to show this at the party, said Lamont. Even though Trisha and Curtis would be embarrassed. It was November sixth 2010, and family members from L.A. started to come into the Community Center. They were all dressed up, and ready for the party. Clarence ended up meeting people he never knew, and people he has not seen in years. Everybody recognized him, and he tried to be respectful and just smiled at them. Later on Clarence and Javon went into another room and were talking, When their uncle Lenard entered the room, Whats up young men I aint seen yall in a while, they did try to be respectful and listen to him, You know you guys should be grateful that yall have a grandmother that cares for you, because most people dont have an old grandma, there are too many young grandmas nowadays, said uncle Leonard, Clarence felt he had to ask him a question about old people, just so he could understand what his friends always complain about. Uncle Lenard why do old people always lecture young people about everything they do? asked Clarence. Well we just try to keep young people on the right path, because I know too many people who ended up in jail, because of the choices they made, responded Uncle Lenard. Uncle Leonard had always been a little preachy, but his advice was very wise, and Clarence and Javon used to listen to him more than anybody else. Meanwhile, the time came for them to turn the lights off, and everyone had to be absolutely quiet. As Trisha and Gramie came

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in through the doors and everybody yelled Surprise! Gramie was quite overwhelmed, she had not seen half of these people in years, and the stage was set for her and Thomas to sit together. While everybody was eating they watched a slideshow on Gramie, and what she had done in the early 70s. She had worked as a chef, and she soon became a nurse while raising four kids. She did not leave a legacy, but she was still widely known by a lot of people. These pictures kind of changed Clarences perspective on her, and he also saw that she and other old members of his family marched during the civil rights movement. Clarence suddenly realized that his grandparents had done a lot more than he thought, and came to respect them. They also showed the tape, and everyone roared with laughter. Trisha and Curtis felt a little embarrassed, but they still laughed along. Meanwhile Betty finally arrived and Gramie was so elated to see her again. Betty gave Gramie her gift, it was shining, and could easily fit her neck, Helen you remember the necklace you gave me before I left; well, now you have your own, spoke Betty. Oh trust me I will keep this thing for a long time, stated Gramie and she started to hug her. Clarence and Javon started to play the music they had bought, and everybody started dancing. Gramie soon got up to give an honest speech, and she personally thanked everyone for giving her this party. She mainly thanked all of her grandchildren for appreciating her. After the party was over Clarence said goodbye to his family members he had met for the first time. He had realized that he should respect his grandparents for what they have done. He explained to his friends at school what his Uncle Leonard had told him, and to respect the older generation that paved the way for them.