Weekend at Miranda and Ben's

Saturday/Sunday

Ben and Miranda went inside to see the boys sitting at the kitchen island. Tuck was visibly shaken, and it hurt Miranda's heart. Even though they had prepared their sons for something like this, they still couldn't believe it happened.

Ben whispered in Miranda's ear to let him talk to the boys alone. She knew she was not the one to help them through this, right now so she kissed his lips and told him okay. She picked Pru up who was sitting on Joey's lap. She kissed him on the cheek and turned and did the same to Tuck then left the room.

Ben went to the cabinet and got three bowls out. Going to the drawer he retrieved three spoons. He spoke while going into the freezer,

"You know when I was about your age, my father knew when I needed to talk about something. He would take me into the kitchen and make me an ice cream sundae. He wouldn't push me, he just made the sundae, set it in front of me and waited until I was ready."

The boys watched Ben make three sundaes with all the fixings. He gave each one a bowl and sat down on the stool across from them and just waited. It did not take long for, Joey and Tuck to start talking. The told him how they felt about the whole incident. How it made them angry that in 2022 there are still people who believe that black men young, and old were worthless and can be treated any way they see fit. Ben was sad at their words but said,

"Never feel worthless. Your life does matter. Do you hear me...Never let anyone make you feel less than......You are both intelligent young men. I need you to always hold your heads up and walk with pride.......Show them that you are better than what they think you are. Work hard and get an education so that one day you will be in a position of power and be able to make the changes that are needed in this society."

The boys listened and talked with their dad for a while getting out their frustrations and even shedding some tears. Ben looked at the clock. It was around 9:00 and he knew it was past time to feed Pru and get her to bed. He asked the boys if they wanted dinner, but they said that they weren't hungry but would get a snack later if they did. They gave their dad a hug and also each other and they left to go to their separate rooms.

Ben went to go check on Pru and Miranda who were in their bedroom. They were both laying on the bed watching television. Miranda was in the middle of the bed and Pru was on the side of her with her head on her chest. Ben took off his shoes in got on the bed next to Miranda.

He kissed her lips and rubbed Pru's head.

"Are my babies alright?"

"Yes, their good baby. We talked a while and I think they got all the hurt and anger out. I will continue to talk and watch them. Just to make sure I think I might get Diane to talk to them too. It will do them some good. I know she has helped me a lot."

"That's a great idea baby"

"She looks sleepy do you want to fix her some leftovers from last night and then get her to bed?"

"Yeah we can do that"

Miranda picked Pru up and took her to the kitchen. She fixed her a small plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Pru ate a little and soon her eyes were heavy. She started was falling asleep in her plate. Miranda cleaned her face and hands and opted not to give her a bath until the morning. She carried her into her room and put her pajamas on skipping their normal book routine. She put her in the bed and straight way she snuggled against her bunny, falling fast asleep. Miranda kissed her cheek and left with the monitor closing the door.

Returning to the kitchen, she and Ben heated up some leftovers for themselves. They ate at the island quietly talking about tomorrow's cookout and the surprise for Joey. When they finished, they decided to prep some food for the cookout. Ben seasoned the hamburger and made patties placing wax paper between each one. He put the ribs in a marinade and made his homemade BBQ sauce. Miranda made pasta and potato salad and cut up vegetables for dipping.