Confessions of a Bunny

Charmaine "Diamond" Johnson

"One day you're going to be a big star, Charmaine!"

Charmaine! Charmaine! Char... ok I am up I said sitting up and looking at my aunt coming through the door. You gotta get a move on if you want a ride to school Girl. School! Yes, girl school you know the rules school or work, but you can't lay around in my house doing nothing. Especially if I am working every day! You don't have to work you're retired! Ha very funny these bills say otherwise. One day I am gonna make it so you don't have to work, and you can relax. That's sweet baby girl, and that day I'll appreciate it, but today you need to make it to that bathroom and then to that school. I am going I said sliding out of bed and grabbing my toiletries before going to the bathroom to get ready for my day.

In this house it was never a dull day, and something was always going on at my aunt's house and in some way, I think she enjoyed having all of those people around because it means she never had to be alone. Her and my uncle had 5 kids and of those 5 only 2 were still at home. The other 3 moved off started their lives and barely remember they have an aging mother that needs them too. But I digress on them because they weren't exactly the nicest people to me when I got here either, but that's a story for a different day. My aunt genuinely loves helping others, whether it be people at the church or people from the community center she was always helping somebody, and I admired her for that. She really didn't have to work she had money from my uncle's life insurance policy, her retirement from teaching, and investments they'd made together years ago but she refuses to use it. She says she wouldn't touch that money as long as she could physically work and do for herself. Now she spends her days working as a receptionist at one of the doctors' offices here in Clearwater and when she's not doing that, she's at church or at the community center volunteering.

After handling my business in the bathroom, I came out and got dressed before going into the kitchen to see my aunt making plates of food. Aunty I am sure they can make their own plates you don't have to do that. It's easier if I do it, don't need them breathing all over my good food. Mama why you gotta talk about us like that? Like what, like you're 23 and 30 years old still living with me with no jobs! Un uh mama I have a job! Barely, speaking of your job why aren't you there now? I laughed as she shut up my two grown cousins. She was right they were way too old to be living in her house especially my cousin Jojo, he was pushing 30 still at home with mama washing his dirty drawls, I have no idea how he gets dates cause he can't keep a job to save his life. And his personal hygiene could be better. He has this long beard looking thing that he's growing out and it needs to go like asap. His sister Tricia is 23 and called herself going to college or so she told her mama, instead she took the money to start a fashion line. She sold 3 shirts and ended up back at home. Most parents would have been pissed if they'd given their child ten thousand dollars and they just wasted it, but Aunty wasn't it was like she knew it was going to happen, but she wanted to support her. I'll give Tricia this she didn't completely give up; she's been working at local dress store to get her money up and try to restart her business in the future. Charmaine baby if you want a ride you need to finish up that food. Yes, ma'am I said finishing my food before grabbing my stuff so she could drop me off at school.

Aunty! Yes, baby she said as she drove have you heard from my parents lately. No, I haven't last I heard from them was in December when they sent the check for Christmas. Mhmp, I said looking down. I guess I was too much of a burden to go with them to New York. Don't think that baby girl some people are just selfish. Selfish! They took my brothers and sisters and moved to upstate New York and left me here as if I was a problem child or something. They never come to see me, nor do they call it's like I was the mistake and they got it right with the other ones. Don't think that baby because it's not the truth. You always speak so kindly of them, why? Why! Yeah why, they leave child with you to take care of why you always take up for them? One day you'll understand that you were better off with me instead of being in New York. I guess so. Know so, you really want to be in nasty New York walking everywhere? I guess not, I love Florida, and being able to go the beach whenever I want. See if you went with them, you'd have to wait till Summer to go to the beach and plus I hear they got rats the size of cats of up there. Aunty I said laughing. Imagine waking up and a big ole rat is sitting at the table with you. She had me cracking up talking about a rat sitting at the table eating with us, but it was her way of taking my mind off of it.