It has often been said that one can never go home again. Fortunately, that's not always true. When U.S. Army Captain Brandon Jones learned that he would be stationed at a government bureau in Washington D.C. he felt odd about it. Decades ago, Brandon left this city and vowed never to return. To the stalwart black soldier, D.C. represented nothing but pain. This was the city that killed Brandon's parents. The U.S. Government is paying Captain Brandon Jones salary of eighty five thousand dollars a year plus a stipend for room and board, so he had to get with the program. Resigned to his fate, the black soldier went to visit an old friend.
"Welcome home," Lissette Lemay-Friese said as she hugged U.S. Army Captain Brandon Jones. The six-foot-tall, chubby, kinky-haired black woman and the six-foot-four, athletic young black man exchanged a heartfelt hug. Twenty years ago, Lissette was a counselor at a school Brandon attended. The lady retired recently. Back in the day, Brandon was a troubled young man and Lissette was the kind-hearted lady who refused to give up on him. Precisely twenty years later, circumstances brought them back in each other's lives.
"Thank you," Brandon replied, and he kissed Lissette on the forehead. At the age of fifty-six, she still looked good. Brandon was in shape because the lifestyle of a career soldier demands it. Brandon joined the U.S. Army at the age of eighteen and has been with them since. Along the way, Brandon earned a business degree from Howard University. Brandon married a woman named Milena Ochoa, a native of Guerrero, Mexico. The couple split but share custody of their son, Junior. Yeah, a lot has happened since Brandon last saw Lissette.
"You've grown into a fine man, tell me about your life and adventures," Lissette said with a smile. Brandon leaned back in his chair and smiled. It felt good to be in Lissette's presence again. Back at school, everyone wrote off the minority students from rough parts of Washington D.C. as lost causes but Lissette never gave up on them. Brandon's parents Lionel Jones and Sholonda Jasper-Jones died during the crack epidemic which gripped the American capital in the 1990s and early 2000s. Somehow, Brandon got out of the mess, escaped the cycle and made something of himself.
"I am a successful military officer, and a father, and my ex, Milena and I have joint custody of our son Junior, so life is okay," Brandon said proudly. Lissette beamed at Brandon. The former counselor couldn't be prouder of her former student. The two of them sat inside Lissette's apartment, located in the Westbrook neighborhood of Washington D.C. and did some much needed catching up. When it came Lissette's turn to talk about herself, the big kinky lady was a bit sad. Brandon gently touched Lissette's hand and smiled at her.
