deee.ceeee!

l to r: sistah, joan, me and auntie jennie

like a football team playing their first game after a bye, sistah and i were a little rusty.

we had had a about a week off of the road at home in detroit before we traveled to d.c. for my reading that thursday, nov. 11th – veteran's day, we later remembered – and had forgotten to make our cvs snack run for the hour or so drive in from baltimore to d.c. at least, though, we had booked a hotel room at washington suites georgetown before we got to d.c. (in atlanta, we had had to wing it once we landed.)

once we checked in, our first stop was to visit mie n yu on m street for a walk-through. closed after lunch, they weren't open yet for dinner, so we peered through the window, impressed by the restaurant's decor through the glass.

after we grabbed a quick bite, sistah -  the brilliant roadie that she is – instructed me to go back to the hotel to get ready and she would drive over to silverspring, maryland to scoop up tracy truitt, my friend and editor, who had arranged the location and had the books we were going to sell that evening.

around 6:15pm, i headed over to the restaurant, walking what felt like ten long blocks in my high-heeled boots to mie n yu. there, i was greeted by victoria, the general manager of the restaurant, and introduced to kofi, our bartender and server for the evening. she told me kofi would take good care of me and that she had extended the happy hour menu and 50% discount prices for my guests for however long my signing and reading lasted.

excited, i sipped on a complimentary drink that kofi offered me and waited for my audience of fans to stamped the restaurant for my signing.

ninety minutes later, me, my sistah, tracy and kofi were enjoying each others company, just as my auntie jennie and joan arrived downstairs. suddenly, i remembered, auntie jennie, a stroke survivor, was in a wheelchair and we were on the top floor. she wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs.

but just when i was about to run downstairs to give her a hug and thank her from coming anyway, she, braced by the strong arm of the restaurant's security guard, stood and began slowly climbing the stairs.

ten minutes later, hugging her on the top floor with me, i was so full that it no longer mattered how many people were or weren't there. the fact that she cared that much for and believed that much in me meant more to me than a  standing room only of fans.

i was blessed.

note: auntie jennie and cousin joan started a trend with their arrival. soon after, two of tracy's neighbors, who had been circling the restaurant looking for parking, joined the party, and we were surprised when nicole lamb-hale, current assistant secretary of commerce for manufacturing and services, and her husband, john, who was celebrating his birthday, walked through the doors. it turned out to be an invigorating, intimate gathering.

me and tracy

me and nicole

me and sistah