I Remember...

You know... I, your friendly neighborhood Oldgirl LadyLee, called the Queen the other day.

Well not the Queen of England.

I don't care to talk to that Oldgirl.

I'm talking about the QUEEN.

QUEEN CELIE.

Tayari. Jones. The Great.
The Baddest Writin' Diva in the Solar System!

The most important writer in LadyLee's world!



She posted on Twitter that she'd just turned in her final edits of the MUCH ANTICIPATED third novel The Silver Girl. And she was crying.

I read that tweet, and my lip started to quiver. It was that hard core trying to hold in some tears type of thang. I did a "Have Mercy! Glory!" Esther (0f Sandford and Son fame) run and twirl and ran into the bedroom. I fell across the bed (disturbing the hell out of a sleeping Oscar-Tyrone), and hurriedly dialed her number on my cell phone.

I don't remember what she said when she answered the phone.

I just remember hollering in much exaggerated wails:

CELIEEEEEEE!!! I'm so happy for you!!!!!!!!

There was much more inaudible wailings from the two of us.

Followed by our fits of laughter! LOL!!

Man! Ya'll just don't understand. Miss Celie, the Great Tayari Jones, is my writing idol! I fall prostrate on the ground! I worship the ground she spits on.

If she told me "Nettie, if you go jump off a cliff, your writing will get better!"

Yep, this Oldgirl will be throwing herself off a cliff... expediently and immediately.

(And we call each other Nettie and Celie. Not sure how that took off so hard. It is funny! And confuses the hell out of folks).

Ya'll just don't understand, man.

Let me tell you something. And I keep saying this, and I will keep saying:

I LOVE seeing something develop from seed form to full manisfestation. I'm talking from seed to shoot to flimsy stem to stalk to mature plant full of good fruit.

MY GOODNESS.

I count myself incredibly rich to sit on the sidelines and WATCH this occur. There's something incredibly special about that. Something great about sitting on the sidelines cheering someone on, watching it all play out, play by play.

Something special and very necessary about it all. Jacks my hope and faith up a few notches!

And here it is again. I get to see it and be in on it again.

For I remember much Miss Celie.

My memory runs long. It runs very very strong

Yes, I remember...

I remember sitting in readings for that last great book of yours, The Untelling, and you talking of a new story you were working on...

I do remember, Celie...

Your blog being the first blog I've ever read, and your poignant posts on the new story, even a small excerpt.

I truly remember, Celie...

Begging and pleading for YEARS for the first 100 pages... Just the first 100 pages. I mean, I lobbied and stalked like my life depended on it, and you were ignoring the hell out of me.

I sho nuff remember, Celie...

Being in SWATS at your Mama and 'em house, and you leaving the dining room, and you leaving a marked up chapter on the dining room table. I thought to myself-

I can steal it, I can steal, I can steal it...

Just pick it up and take it... Take it. She won't know. She shouldn't have left the sucker out. JUST TAKE IT!

But I didn't. Just read the first line of that chapter and was GLAD for that little bit.

I do remember, Celie...

Me sitting in my cubicle on a cold winters afternoon, chatting with you over email. I'd ceased my Stalker Stan begging activities (didn't want you to think I was too touched in the head), pretty much givomg up by then.

I got an email from you saying "Here you go", with the FIRST 100 pages sitting there in an attachment.

My heart beat fast as I watched the pages come off the printer one by one... I let out a scream that had been hiding somewhere deep down in the seat of my soul.

*Cubicle peeps giving LadyLee the hard side-eye for causing such a sudden commotion*

I even remember, Celie...

You asking me to be a reader, and my sitting in a work related conference reading and reading and typing up notes, and reading and reading the whole manuscript.

I had NO idea WHAT was going on in that conference. Cuz I was sitting in the back looking like this:







LOL

Oh yes, oh yes, I must say, I can remember, Celie...

The endless talks about the manuscript, especially lately. Heck man, I didn't know what to say sometimes. All I know I'm an excellent listener, a good sounding board. I've read that manuscript with a fine tooth comb, and know it well. I was just happy to listen and discuss, and offer whatever words of help I could.


I do believe if you woulda started crying over it, I woulda bust out crying too...




Because you and me, we Celie and Nettie... you know how we do.
And now, I can say, I remember...

When you turned it in, and you told me of your release date.

I will soon be holding the fruit of the seed. sown so long ago. in my hands.

I will someday have my very own copy of The Silver Girl.

You planted and worked it and cried over it, and tended to it.

And it will soon be here amongst us.

I am sooooooo happy for you...

So happy for ya!

So congrats, Tayari!

I'm your number one FAN!!!

Shoot girl, I'm your number one Stalker STAN!!!

Can't wait for the book to come out, where I can hold it in my HAND!

And now...

And now...

And now, I can start my lobbying activities for Masterpiece #4, your next book...


(Oh, stop. Don't put the Celie curse on me. Just playing with you! Keep writing!)

LOL!!!!