The Jackson, MS Chronicles: The Aftermath

My dad picked us up from Midway. We then stopped by Osco to get our pictures developed. Dad and I dropped Auntee off at grandmother's and then went home. I related what happened to Mom and Samone (who came home for the weekend to get her Driver's License...Congratuations!). Later on that day, Auntee stopped by with some of the developed pictures and the video of our trip. She took video during much of Saturday. The same tape that features Phillip vehemently denying that the wedding would happen also features the wedding which did happen. We laughed and felt kind of sad at the same time. We also looked at the digital pictures we took. There is one picture that truly shows the complexity of feelings about the wedding. It features me, Chenelle, and my uncle sitting on a concrete bench outside the church. We don't look all that happy, but Chenelle looks the most comfortable. It made all of us laugh. It's just like what the book I brought with me on the trip, The Comic Toolbox, says...comedy is truth and pain.

Ultimately, I'm glad that I went to Jackson. I got to see my cousins and my uncle, which is always great. I went on a plane trip for the first time in nearly 10 years. I was able to witness my cousin's Phillip's wedding as much of our family couldn't attend. I got to see more of Jackson, MS than I did when I visited in 2001. It also was a reality check for my family. No matter what people say, if a person really wants to do something, they are just going to do it. We expressed our concerns about the wedding to Phillip when he visited and again when we went down there. Despite everything we said, he did what he wanted to do and we will just have to accept that. In that respect, he's just like my late Aunt Peggy, his mother. She also married someone that the family didn't initially like...Phillip's father, Calvin. However, as of now, we have no problems with Calvin. He's a nice guy who is in a better position than he used to be.

I think this experience wouldn't have been so bad if we hadn't been pulled through that emotional rollercoaster. It would've been better if the wedding happened as planned and with no talk of it being called off. It created a false sense of security, a false sense of hope that Phillip had "wised up." Simple things such as playing pool at Chenelle's house and hanging out at the hotel will remain indelible memories for me.

Maybe our family will eventually get to like Phillip's wife...whose name is Jackie. As I mentioned before, her kids are incredibly likable. Auntee is already thinking about ways to help them just as she helped me, Samone, Chenelle, and Phillip. My heart goes out to Phillip. I hope and pray that this is what he really wants and that he'll be happy. In the brief time we were in Jackson, Jackie left a horrible impression. But as Auntee told all of us as we watched the video and looked at the digital pictures, it may be that Jackie and Phillip are both insecure people. Jackie has had a rough life, and Phillip had to be grown up at an early age with his mother's sickness. I really want to give people the benefit of the doubt as opposed to mindlessly hating on them. Now that Jackie is part of our family, I think we should...at least for a while. Still, this whole thing certainly makes me think about the day I get married. While Phillip was claiming that the wedding was off, he told me that I could learn from his mistakes. I really hope I do.