Been a long time since I've done a post about my brother, Milk and Cookies, hasn't it? Well, here's an old story I've had in cue for awhile...

Enjoy...

We always pick on Milk and Cookies, but he always stands his ground.

The last time we (meaning my sister Kentucky and me) messed with him pretty bad was over his tattoo.

"It's a tribal tattoo, ya'll."
"No way, boy, it's a African bug with it's head smashed off. "

He never gets mad, but always stands his ground. Always, lol.

But there is something else I always kid him about...

So...

Milk and Cookies called me up one day, out of the blue, on a Saturday afternoon.

"Hey Shawty, what's up?" he said.
"Nothing much, just getting ready to spend a few hours writing."
"Look," he said, "I got this girl I want you to meet."
"What did I just tell you?"
There was a moment of silence. "You said, uh, you 'bout to do some writing or something."
"So what does that mean, boy?"
**More silence**
"Look, girl, I just want to bring this girl over so you can tell me what you think of her."
**LadyLee kicks the hard eyeroll**
"Dang girl, we won't stay long!"
*LadyLee hangs up in Milk and Cookies face*


I got REAL mad then. If I would've known he was coming over, then I would' ve done my writing earlier in the day AND cooked. This was back when I was working on my beloved Sweet Heat manuscript, and I was on a good writing clip!

Yes... an Oldgirl was quite perturbed. So he comes over with this woman. She is nice enough. She sits on the sofa, and I sit in my favorite chair. Milk and Cookies was running around in the kitchen, keeping himself busy by digging around in the fridge. Me and the chick have a decent conversation.

I don't think she can tell that I am thoroughly irritated.

Milk and Cookies sits on the sofa.

"Lee, where's Tiny?"
"What?"
"Where's Tiny?"
"Why am I suppose to know where Tiny is?"

For some reason, he seems to think me and Tiny are joined at the hip. There was an explanation some time earlier that Tiny is my friend and not my man. But for some strange reason, he always wants to know where Tiny is and how he is doing. .)

"I don't know where he is? Why am I suppose to know where he is?"
"I need a haircut before I leave. "

I am NOT digging the spur of the moment ish.

I grab my cellphone and dial Tiny's cell phone. I hand the phone to Milk and Cookies.

"He said he will cut my hair, Lee."
"When?"
"He's looking at a game right now. He said he's on his way."

About 30 minutes passes. Milk and Cookies gets antsy.

"Where is he at, Lee?"
"Call him back!" I say.

Milk and Cookies calls him again. Another 30 minutes pass. I got really mad then. I needed EVERYBODY up out of my house. They were cutting into my writing time.

I dialed Tiny's number, and let's just say, I uh, opened my Book of Cuss on him.

"Tiny, this boy sitting up here calling you and you trippin'!!! Blankety-blank-blank, BLAH BLAH BLAH blankety-BLANK!! What the hell is your problem? Get your butt up here right NOW! "

2 minutes later, Tiny was walking through my front door.

He looked as if he wanted to say something to me but thought better of it. I think he had visions of my laptop (which I'd decided to pull out despite my having guests) flying upside his head.

"Man, you just had to make your sister call me, didn't you?"
"We have to get back to the military base, Tiny!" he wailed.

Tiny plugged in his clippers in the kitchen island outlet, and got started.

Now, my livingroom, dining room and kitchen are all one big "great" room so we (me and Milk and Cookie's lady friend) are sitting there watching this. I decided to go get my camera so I could take a few pictures. Milk and Cookies put up a HEAVY protest, but there was nothing he could do about it.



Anyway, I proceed to harrass Tiny.

"Shorty, do you know what you're doing?"
*Tiny gives LadyLee the hard eyeroll.

"Tiny, uh, you gripping the boy's head to tight."
*Tiny ignores LadyLee. Tiny sighs REAL hard.*

"Tiny... the clippers are too close to the boy's head. Aren't you suppose to be using a clipper guard on that?"




*Tiny looks up at LadyLee*
"Dude, don't look at me, look at the boy's head, so you won't mess his head up."
*Milk and Cookie's woman falls out laughing*

He continues cutting away... and ignoring me, lol.


I get a little miffed when I see that Milk and Cookies has one of my good towels draped around his neck. But I have talked much trash as it as, and I don't want to catch Tiny's clippers in my grill.




Milk and Cookies even smiles for the camera...

(I swear, that boy has more teeth in his head than normal people.)

Some 10 minutes later, Tiny finished cutting Milk and Cookies' hair.

I peered at Milk and Cookies curiously.


"Something is wrong," I said. "You're not finished, are you?"

"Yeah, I'm done."

I watch Tiny as he cleans his clippers and swabs Milk and Cookie's hairline with alcohol.

"Uh, you need to do something about those doggone eyebrows, Tiny. The boy looks a bit funny."

"Leave my eyebrows alone," Milk and Cookies yelled.

"Tiny, do something about the eyebrows!"

"No," Tiny said.

"I like my eyebrows," Milk and Cookies said.

I grab his chin and squint hard at him. "You know who you look like, with those eyebrows and the big ol' eyes?"


"Who?"

"Maybe it's just me, but uh, you look like Prince!!!"

*Milk and Cookie's woman laughs a bit too hard.*

"No I don't look like no Prince."

Maybe I'm just sleepy, but sing... Sing something, Prince!!"

Poor Milk and Cookies. I harassed him, until he let out one of Prince's yelps. His woman and I laughed REAL hard. Tiny looked at us like we're half crazy.

"Naw, my bad. You're not Prince. You'll never be Prince. But I do need you to do something about the eyebrows. You need to cut those."

"Shut up, LEE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

We argue about this for a few minutes. I don't understand the point of trimming the hair and the mustache... and not trimming the eyebrows. He stands up for himself, and I leave it be. I took a picture of him and Tiny together, and we all ate a few cookies. (I woulda cooked if folks would've given me some heads up!)

He gathered his things together, gathered his woman, and left. Tiny marched back down the street to his house. Hopefully he was able to finish watching whatever game was holding his interest.

That was back in late 2006. It's always good seeing Milk and Cookies, if only for a couple of hours. I usually get all choked up and cry when he has to go back to the army base but I am getting better. I don't see him at all these days since he was transferred from here to somewhere up in Virginia. But I know and pray that he is alright.

I still think the boy has twice the amount of teeth in his head than a normal person. And here, he doesn't have that strange Prince look about him...


I like the pictures above. They remind me of when Milk and Cookies was 2 or 3 years old, and my grandfather would bring out the clippers and cut his hair.

And, some 18 years ago, I was yelling the same thing.

"Granddaddy, his eyebrows are too bushy. Trim his eyebrows."

"No, Granddaddy, don't cut my eyebrows!!" he'd screamed in his squeaky toddler voice.

Oh, the more things change, the more they stay the same.