Family Name

Ten

A FULL YEAR LATER

"Okay boys, are you ready for your first interview?" Dad asked us. Jay and I nodded. I was nervous, but dad would be there if the interviewer was making us uncomfortable. He told them what questions she was allowed to ask us and he wanted to make sure the interviewer had respect for hisself and our family's privacy. We were giving the interview in the lounge area downstairs at Paisley Park. Mom was with us, too just in case we needed more backup. But we shouldn't if dad is there. The four of us walked into Paisley and the new dosage of my medication was making coping with the world much easier. I was able to open doors only once and sit next to my parents and brother with no problems. I was wearing my combat boots, black jeans, and a white t shirt while Jay was wearing jeans and a sweater with his Jordans. His Afro grew back, but he was keeping it slightly smaller than what he had before and of course it was as round as it could be. The interviewer was a friend of dad's named Tavis Smiley which neither Jay and I had ever met. "Well, here they are!" Dad dapped his friend up clean before giving him a hug. Jay and I were equally shy around new people. He shook Jay's hand and respected me by patting me on my shoulder. Okay, this dude was cool. We sat on the couch across from Tavis and I looked around for cameras. Yay, no cameras. I was tired of cameras. Jay was leaned back on the couch while I sat there watching my parents and Tavis talk for a little.

"Okay, Richard and James." I laughed. "Richie and Jay." Tavis' eyebrows raised in surprised. "Sounds good to me, son." I decided that maybe if I relaxed I wouldn't be so nervous so I leaned back on the couch with JJ. "How old are you boys?" "Fourteen. We just turned fourteen a couple of months ago." Jay said politely. My mom smiled at us. "Can you guys believe the short film did as good as your dad's album?" I glanced at dad who was leaned in with his elbows on his knees. "Um...No, sir? Really. I mean, I'm glad it did. I just can't believe the album did well. I'm glad I helped my dad with it." I looked at Jay. "I'm really happy I helped my dad, too. It was cool to be in a movie. I mean, not like a Hollywood type of movie but...a movie." Jay and I both laughed. "Your dad told me you did a really good job and playing his younger self. Did you have anything to go off of when it came to playing the part." I fidgeted with my thumbs knowing it wasn't my turn to speak. "Dad told me a few stories from when he was our age. He told me about the music he loved. Actually, when we were twelve, my dad showed us who we were named after. I was glad they were in the movie too." Dad chuckled. "Well, they weren't in the movie, but they were mentioned." I smiled as Tavis turned to me. "What was making the music like? Your mom and dad say you're really good at music." I put my hands down. "I uh, I really liked making the music. It was easy to get the concept of what my dad and my brother were trying to portray. It was my dad's vision, so all I had to do was make it come to life with music.

Now it was my dad's turn to sit with us. Mom didn't want to be interviewed because the world already knew about her in a way. "Wow look at you three." Dad laughed. "Yeah, no need for a paternity test here." He said jokingly. "Were you nervous about letting them help with the movie?" Dad shook his head before Tavis even finished the question. "Absolutely not. The one thing I wanted to make sure of was that they were comfortable doing it and that they WANTED to do it. These kids are incredibly smart and although they're very different they both know how to work together. I think they work together better than they do with me. Most of the movie I was letting them do their thing as long as they followed what I had in mind." I leaned over dad and saw someone walking into the park, but all it was was Uncle Andre.

"Richie, do you want to be a musician like your dad." I turned my attention back to Tavis. "I already am a musician, but I am nothing like my dad. I don't really want to be like my dad. No one can be like my dad. Imagine if there were two other Jay's and Richie's. They wouldn't act like us. They might try to look like us, but they would never be us." Dad patted my back. "Ew, imagine if we were cloned." Jay said. That made me laugh and even mom giggled. She was watching us in fascination and I think it was easing her anxiety that we were laughing. "So, do you mind me asking how these two came to be?" Tavis asked dad. I wasn't quite sure if dad wanted to answer that as it involved mom. We weren't stupid on how we got here. "Let's just say that the boys are a blessing. Our blessings. Definitely for my wife. She had been..." Dad stopped to look at Mom and she smiled at him. It reminded me of when I was little and she would see a picture of dad. "...We had been wanting to be together for a long time. She wanted children. That's it." Dad said it simply. Uncle Andre was tiptoeing to the kitchen and honestly I wanted to join him. "Back to your younger days, can we talk about how the movie was a snippet of an autobiography?" He asked. This didn't involve me answering, so I stood and walked to the kitchen.