Page 5 of Inside Out

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

~Albert Einstein

“Knowing and understanding are not the same thing.”

~Julius Shepherd

“Are you excited for Wednesday?” Mom asked when I answered my phone.

I looked around my barren classroom and puffed out a breath. “Excited? Yes. Ready? No.”

“Have you been putting off until tomorrow what you should’ve been doing all week?” she replied in the tone I knew so well. Sherise Shepherd was a no-nonsense, own-your-shit kind of woman, and I adored every molecule in her body.

“It’s only Monday,” I said with a warm chuckle. “Today was the first day we were permitted to set up our classrooms. I guess it took longer than they anticipated to give the walls a fresh coat of paint and polish the floors.”

“Well, it’s already one o’clock in the afternoon. What have you been doing all day?” Before I could answer, her warm laughter floated through the phone like a beautiful melody. “For once, I’m just messing with you, Jules.”

“I know, Mom. I do need to kick it into high gear before open house tomorrow night.”

“You seem to have adjusted to your new town remarkably well for a guy who was so used to big city life. Still no Door Dash?”

“Still no Door Dash,” I confirmed, though I was probably better off without it. It was much too easy to order unhealthy food when I was pressed for time and have it delivered to my front door. “I rented some cookbooks from the library and—”

“Oh my God!” she exclaimed. “I never thought I would see the day.”

“‘If you can read, you can cook.’ Sound familiar to you?”

“It’s true,” Mom said, owning her words. “Are there no decent places to eat anywhere?”

Okay, she had me there. I was disciplined, inquisitive, and adventurous in many aspects of my life, but not when it came to cooking or love. Why spend all that extra time cooking from scratch when you could buy a frozen version for half the cost and cook it in a quarter of the time it took to shred this or dice that. And love? Don’t get me started on that train wreck.

“Edson and Emma’s diner serves up the most delicious food.”

“Better than mine?”

“Of course not,” I replied too swiftly.

“Liar,” she said with a laugh.

“Okay, they make some things better than you do,” I amended. “I can’t wait to take you there and show you around the tiny town when you come for a visit. You’ll love the little shops and quaint feel of the town.”

“I can’t wait to see your apartment, your classroom, and meet the landlords you can’t stop talking about.”

“Are you excited to see me too or just my surroundings?” asked the proud mama’s boy who would always want his mom’s approval.

Mom tsked. “Son, what would be the fun in seeing those places and meeting those people without you being there too?”

“Just making sure I’m still your favorite.”

“You’re my favorite oldest child, and your brother is my favorite youngest child. I’d love to know when my adult children will stop fighting over who I love the best.” The answer was never. It was a game we’d played since we were old enough to know it got under her skin. “In all seriousness, Jules, I’m over the moon whenever I hear you sounding so happy. I admit I had my concerns.”

“I did too, but so far, everyone has welcomed me and treated me well.” Our biracial family had seen plenty of ignorance lobbed our way, and there were times Marcus and I didn’t feel like we fit in anywhere. People made snide remarks about our parents for marrying outside their race. I didn’t want my good mood to turn sour, so I steered the conversation back to a safer subject. “So, when can I expect this visit?”

“I am going to let both my boys get settled with their classes first.” Marcus, a standout football player, was in his senior year at the University of Cincinnati. My brother had been encouraged to enter the NFL draft as soon as he became eligible, but he wanted to complete his degree more than he wanted to enter the early draft.

“You’re welcome here anytime, and I know Marcus feels the same way. No two bigger mama’s boys walk this earth, and you know it.”

“I do know it,” she agreed, humming her approval. “I also know you’ve avoided mentioning that sexy, silver fox again since the first time you brought up his name in a conversation. I know that’s not an accident.”