Steak and Potatoes!

So...

I was sitting in the cubicle the other day doing some paperwork when my cubicle mate, the Cowgirl Cre called my name.

"Hey, look at this. You need to snatch this picture."

I turned around to see what she was talking about. She was pointing at her computer screen.

I looked at the picture. It didn't ring a bell.

"Who is that?"

I scooted my chair closer over to hers and peered at the screen a little more intently.

"Is that Da'Kari? Is that my brother?"

"Yes," Cre said. "It popped up in my facebook timeline. It took me a second to figure out who it was."

I looked a little closer. "That's my brother? That's the Lil' Egg?"

(Our mother used to call him "Lil' Egg" for some odd reason. I have no idea why. I call him that from time to time).

"Yes it is," Cre said again. "That's a good picture."

He looks like he's about to go on stage and sang some Keith Sweat and New Edition songs.

LOL

I texted the picture to my sister Kentucky. She had the same reaction as I did. "It took me a minute to figure out who it was?" she said. "I was like 'Is that Ralph?'"

(My sister calls him Ralph. This was odd for so long. She gave him an alias when he was a teen. "He don't need to use his real name when he out with folk," she'd said. O_o)

And we can't tell him he look good. Back when he was a teen, Kentucky said "Ralph, you look good in bright colors."

And that's all he started wearing. Bright red, neon, yellow... anything bright.

Hurt my eyes every time I saw him. For years.

"He has slimmed down," I told my sister.

"He said he's been working on it," she said.

And that he has. My goodness.

Well shoot. We can't call him "Milk and Cookies" anymore, can we?

He is no longer a simple snack, man.

He has turnt into a full course meal. He's steak and potatoes now. Chicken fried steak with a side of collard greens, black eyed peas, and candied yams...

...and a hefty piece of cornbread.

And a bowl of peach cobbler with a scoop of ice cream on top!

(Don't forget the iced tea. Please and thank you.)

But look closely at the picture. Look at the refrigerator in particular.

I asked him... "How you gonna take a hardcore picture in front of a fridge with the children's baby letters on it?"

Ha Ha!!

Sorry, ya'll... I still think of him as this fresh faced toddler in the picture below with my sister:

He will always be that child in picture.  I still try to pick him up like I picked up that toddler back then whenever I see him. I hurt my back every time.

Well, I guess he a grown man now. Whenever he grows a mustache or beard, I tell him I want the lil Da'Kari back!

Sigh. My how they grow up.

Sorry, dude. You will always be Milk and Cookies.

Forever.

He just moved from Seattle and is stationed in Colorado now. I may go out and see him. (Been saying that for awhile).

And this gives me an excuse to play some Keith Sweat... and some New Edition.

Enjoy!