Hewitt heard the nursery rhymes coming down the street. He had an irresistible sweet tooth. He didn't care about being a GROWN man. He was DETERMINED to get that ice cream today! He even used his grandchildren as a cover. Besides, it was too doggone cold outside.
Hewitt's granddaughter Kemoni thought he was crazy for wanting ice cream in January, but once Uncle D got closer, she started getting excited, as well. Hewitt didn't feel like sacrificing going out in that cold weather to get the ice cream.
The ice cream truck arrived, & all the grandchildren got their coats on & ran outside. Uncle D said, "Oh, lawd! Here come these bad ass churn!" (New Orleans pronunciation for children)
Then, he started yelling @ them, telling them to go back inside. He asked where their parents were. He said, "It's all good. I get to make a lil' extra change from you lil' rascals anyway." Then he smirked & asked, "What'chall want"? Kemoni's little sister Skye Lynn had her hands in her mouth & mumbled, "Uh, grampa say he want chocolate ice cream". Uncle D said, "Girl, what? Get'cha hand out'cha mouth"! Then she repeated what she said, but louder & clearer, with her fingers still in her mouth.
He thought the kids were lying about their grandfather sending them out for ice cream in such cold weather. He threatened to whip those kids with a belt, himself. It's true that Hewitt sent the kids outside in the cold weather for ice cream for himself & for them. He gave them the money. Uncle D sells the ice cream for 1/2 price in the winter, of what he sells during the summer, as a side hustle. & they buy it, too.
Skye Lynn asked Uncle D, "Why do they call you Uncle D"?
He responded, "Because I bust every child's behind in the neighborhood, who's bad!"
She said, "Am I bad?"
He said, "Do you WANNA be bad, so you can get yo' behind whipped?"
Then, Hewitt overheard him & came outside & said, in the calmest voice he's ever used (since he's a loud mouth), "Nobody disciplines my grandchildren except for me. You got that? Or else I'll discipline you & take all your ice cream."
Then Uncle D put his head down & humbled himself to give Mr. Hewitt & his grandchildren any ice cream or popsicle that they wanted.
Everyone wanted nutty buddies, but he sold his last nutty buddy to 14-year old teen, Gregory Taylor Sterling AKA "Greedy Greg", down the street. So, Kemoni had to chase crying, screaming Skye Lynn down the street, because Skye Lynn was DETERMINED to get the ice cream from Greg, not realizing that he ate it all. So they all settled for ice cream sandwiches. Had Hewitt not caught him in the act, Uncle D probably would've whipped Skye Lynn.
*This is a short fiction story about a communal narcissist in the 'hood (in New Orleans 7th Ward), who has no children of his own, yet takes it upon himself to think he's doing the community a favor by disciplining everyone else's children. Most parents in the neighborhood (unmentioned in the short story) allowed Uncle D to discipline (spank) their "bad" children, & he was well-known around that area. He would spank the kids playing outside & then go tell their parents what they did wrong. & the parents were OK with it. But not Hewitt, who so happened to be new in the 7th Ward because he moved from the West Bank in Marrero.
So, Mr. Hewitt wasn't familiar with Uncle D going around, thinking he can get brownie points, chastising other people's children. He put an end to Uncle D spanking strangers' children.
THE END