Friday, September 4, 2009

A Christmas Story

On 145th Street, someone started a rumor about Mother Fletcher being over 90 years old. If someone wanted to know about the 20's they'd turn to Mother Fletcher with questions, she seemed to know everything. William Michael O'Brien, a patrolman, heard about her before meeting her three months later. O'Brien was patrolling by foot, and went to stop by the shopkeepers to share a few words when he was told by a little girl that Mother Fletcher was sick, she needed an ambulance. 

In 145th Street, its practically impossible to get a doctor who does house calls. He went with the girl who told him about Mother Fletcher to her apartment. It was small, but cleaner then clean. Mother Fletcher was sitting up-right in her bed, O'Brien has never seen a black person before. He asked her what the problem was, but she didn't know. Then he asked her age, she said, "Full grown", rather then her exact age. Mother Fletcher was mysterious. He called an ambulance and they carried her out of her apartment. 

After the incident, O'Brien received a package from Mother Fletcher. The package was a sweater, for him. The Lieutenant told him about Mother Fletcher, that she made sweaters for those who are kind to her. O'Brien took the sweater, and when he made his round on 145th Street he stopped by Mother Fletcher's apartment to thank her for the sweater she made for him. As he thanked her, he mentioned he had a wife and daughter, he was trying to get her to make them sweaters as well. 

Months passed and O'Brien started learning more about Mother Fletcher. He would run into her every now and then. He would write everything she said, trying to put together her exact age. Christmas was around the corner, and Mother Fletcher was throwing a little dinner and invited O'Brien and his family. When he went home that night he told his wife she invited them, but he didn't want to go. He thought Harlem was a bad city and didn't want anything bad to happen to them. But Kathy, his wife, and his daughter, Meaghan, convinced him to take them. They went to dinner at Mother Fletchers house, and had their Christmas dinner. 

A Story in Three Parts

Block Party -145 Street Style

Every block or neighborhood have their own style of a block party, they might have a carnival block party, or a regular block party. On 145Th street the block party was everyone getting out of their house and eating the food people provide. But during the party, Peaches isn't being herself and calls a neighbor out. While everyone is having fun and eating food, Peaches and J.T. get into a big fight, it results into violence.


It started when Sadie Jones told her daughter Peaches that Big Joe asked her to pick the date of the wedding, and Sadie tells her daughter. Peaches doesn't take it too well, and she stays angry during the party. Squeezie and Peaches have been best friends since they were born, thats about 15 years. She knew when something bugged Peaches without a word coming out of her mouth. But Peaches is in denial about there being a problem.


During the block party, a neighbor, J.T. comes to the party to get some free food. J.T. hung out with the wrong people, and he would always get into trouble. He was put in a Juvenile Detention Facility last christmas because he stole a lady's bag. Peaches started bad mouthing him when she saw him, her mood was getting out of hand. Peaches was getting louder, and really offended J.T. he walked away after she dissed him. Squeezie felt bad for J.T. but not for Peaches, she had no right to do what she did. 


Peaches lightens up, and takes some food up to where J.T. lived, or where she thought he lived. When she came up the stairs to give him the food, he knocked it right out of her hand. J.T. started getting violent, he grabbed Peaches as if they were going to start a fight. Squeezie gets Big Joe because J.T.'s mother was sick, once he got there he helped J.T.'s mother. J.T. started to feel like a failure, because he couldn't even help his own mother. Big Joe found a place on 141Th street for J.T. and his mother, and Peaches gave them the 200 dollars she was going to use for her mother's wedding gift.  

Resources

http://www.wikipedia.com - for descriptions

http://www.google.com - for photos

http://www.photobucket.com - for photos

the book - for stories

http://www.blogger.com - for blog entries