Feb 17, 2020

Well we were invited to a party at the Hotel New Yorker. I think I was about 18 or 19. My sister made herself this nice outfit that everybody wears now, you know, the short pants and long jacket. She made that thing in two days. She sewed it herself.

We went to the hotel in New York for a party with friends. It got to be very uncomfortable because everybody was smoking weed. Well I was shocked. I was shocked that others who were doing it, they called me a goody two shoes. That’s OK–I don’t get filled up with weed.

It got so bad that me and one of my cousins, we went into another room to get away from it. That stuff was coming through the doors. So, we went out on the terrace–we were up on the 60th floor. We went out on the terrace to get some air because my sister didn’t want to leave yet. We got stuck in a bad situation. So, we thought we’d go downstairs and get some air.

The four of us were always together. We were all about the same age. My two cousins and me and my sister.

When we finally got out, we had to actually hold our noses and almost crawl on the floor to get away from the smoke that was all filled in the road. I said, “You know not to invite me to a party like that. I don’t do the things you all do.”

One of my cousins had a contact high. She said, “Look what they did to me!” She was cursing up a storm: “Look what they did to me!”

I was like, “I’m sorry. I told you to cover your nose.”

Some of them were friends and we were go to different places but I don’t do everything everybody else do I never did. Yeah and they know not to invite me to that kind of thing.

And then it was another party I went to my brother after me. He’s the oldest boy. He said, “You know Carleen, You never come to the family parties. Come.” They had moved somewhere in the Fort Greene Area. I didn’t go to everything my family had.

And I said, “Well I’m going to go. I’ll show up.”

I went to a little late. I was living in the nurse’s residence over here. I get there and my brother meets me at the door. He’s so happy to see me. He said to all his friends, “You’ve never met the square.”

I said, “Square?” It actually hurt. I feel like I know what he was talking about. He introduced me to his friends I had never met. I don’t have time to do this kind of thing. Plus I don’t do those kind of things. He said “the square,” and I actually felt a little bad, and thought I might as well leave. And my sister-in-law saw me and she said, “You know Carleen, you know he loves you a lot. He would never hurt your feelings.

I said, “Is he high?” He was high. He spoke what he felt. She said, “I made sweet potato pie.” I said, “Well, in that case I’ll stay that.” Because she can make a mean sweet potato pie, just like my momma.” In that case I’ll stay.

I guess we all have uncomfortable moments. But somehow they all work out. He really didn’t mean to hurt my feelings but that party at the Hotel New Yorker. I said, “I’ll be doggone.” I said, “What is going on here?”

At that point I couldn’t see no heads, I could only see feet. I had to crawl out. As much as I love pigs’ feet, after that I couldn’t eat them for a while, looking at everyone’s feet on the ground. And they were all up on the ceiling, in their heads.