Beautiful, Loved and Blessed

Devine Intervention

It was 5:30pm and the phones at Paisley had been ringing non-stop.  I was allowing the answering machine to do its job today, but since I was walking past the phone I decided to answer. "Helloooo..."

"Happy Birthday Princey!"  And this is why calls were going unanswered today.  Recognizing the voice on the other side, I could only smile and try to use the best serious tone I could muster;  'Now you know I don't celebrate birthdays Tyka, so why are you calling?'

Even though I stopped celebrating my birthday years ago, it still felt good to know that I was being thought of, especially by someone dear to me.

"You don't celebrate birthdays, but I do.  I made you some homemade cookies and I'm bringing them right over.  And Prince, don't play and leave me waiting outside the gate like I'm some groupie.'

I couldn't help but laugh.  Even though Tyka and I have had strains put on our relationship through the years, she'll always be my sweet baby sister. As children, we went through so much together.  As children of divorced parents, there was a time when Tyka and I were all we had.  Relying on each other to get through the hurt and pain that our parents' divorce brought.

When our mother remarried, neither Tyka nor I liked my stepfather, but Tyka dealt with her pain internally.

I remember the first time I decided to run away from home, she wouldn't let me leave her and oh boy did I pay harshly for that.  So the next time I ran away, I decided not to bring her along.  Little did I know, how that would affect her later in life. Drugs, prostitution and just being reckless with her life all came from her dealing with an unknown pain I was trying to understand.

After she sold a story about me to the tabloids, I forced her to go into rehab.  While there, I was asked by her counselor to do a therapy session with her and that's when I learned that her pain stemmed from her feeling abandoned by me.  My leaving wasn't me abandoning her; rather I left to save both her and myself.  That's the thing about siblings; they are the first friends you actually have.  You've seen them at their best, and at times, their worst.  And even though my sister had her demons, she still possessed the sweetest spirit.

Knowing that she would be arriving any minute, I decided to go downstairs and wait for her.  When she buzzed, I couldn't help myself....

"How may I help you?"

"Prince don't play with me!..."

"Do I know you?"

"Prince?"

"State your name for the record please."

"Stop acting childish...You know what? I'm just going to take these fresh Oatmeal w/Chocolate Chip Cookies back home with me then..."

"Ma'am, there's no need for that."

"The gates of Paisley are now open."

I was still laughing when Tyka came strolling in with fresh cookies and a...gift?

'Um, I'll take the cookies but the gift you can keep.' I said as I took the cookies out of her hand.

"Just see what it is first."

Cutting her off harshly I stated, "I don't accept gifts anymore.  It's bad enough that you got me acknowledging my birthday, but now you want to turn it into a full on celebration?"

"Are you serious right now?"  Tyka said looking bewildered. You are a mess, one minute you're being playful like a child and the next minute you're an angry adult!"

Sighing, Tyka began to unwrap the box herself; "I'll open it for you."

To my surprise, it was a photo album.  Being that I love pictures, I snatched it from Tyka and begin to turn the pages. Each page was a walk down memory lane chronicling the past 49 years of my life...such a sweet and heartfelt gift.  As we looked through the pictures of our childhood, my many girlfriends, marriages and numerous achievements, I began to wonder where exactly did I go wrong.  Here I am on my 49th birthday single, and even though I hate to admit it, a bit lonely too.