Chapter Thirty-Eight Grandkids

Chapter Thirty-Eight
Grandkids

After our return from our trip to Poland and Great Britain we started settling into growing our family. Like most modern day families the road down which our family traveled took many a twist and turn. In Eric’s senior year of high school due to a stressful situation with some of his schoolmates, he decided he would be better off moving to San Diego with his father Michael. Since all parties were agreeable, Eric finished high school in San Diego. During that time he met Kiesha and as their relationship grew they decided to get married. Not too long after they both graduated from high school our first grandchild came upon the scene. Britney was born in Septemeber of 1990. When Britney was still a toddler, Eric and Kiesha both decided to enlist in the army. Due to medical reasons Eric was not accepted but Kiesha was. I don’t remember if it was Kiesha’s first assignment after basic training or not but she got assigned to Ft. Huachuca just outside Sierra Vista, Arizona. We had already begun to lose contact with our new granddaughter, but issues began to arise between Kiesha and Eric and they divorced. Kiesha was reassigned to the East Coast and later remarried. Her new husband adopted Britney and we have lost all contact with her.

Two months after Britney was born Jennisha gave birth to Jazzlyn. I guess Jennisha felt real good about the birth of her baby because she gave her four names Jazzlyn Breonna Nichole Gatlin. However, when she was still in the crib we gave her another name, Boote. Jazz would go to sleep on her stomach with her booty up in the air. They had an arrangement at Muir High school for young mothers in which they could bring their child to school and put them in a nursery. The mother would spend part of the school day in class and the other part taking their turn working in the nursery. Being a young mother still in high school was difficult. Jennisha had to grow up while being a mother.

Meanwhile back in Sierra Vista after Eric and Kiesha split up, Eric and Angie got together. Marriage and four boys have been the fruitage of that relationship. Jason, the oldest, was born a couple of years after Jazzlyn, and then the other three boys followed at about two year intervals. So after Jason came Michael, after Michael came Andrew and finally Joseph (Joey). Each boy has their own distinct personality. Somewhere about the time of Michael, Jennisha gave birth to Jerron.

Even though Eric’s family lives in the Southeast corner of Arizona, about once a year we make a trip there for a visit. Most of the time Ann and I are joined by Jazzlyn, Jerron, sometimes Jennisha and even Eddie once or twice in making the trip.

On the other side of the Brady Bunch, Brad worked at Disney in Feature Animation for about fifteen years. He met Tina at work and it didn’t take too long for them to see that they were made for each other. Brad outlasted his father who didn’t get married until he (that’s me) was thirty years old. Brad beat me by a few months. In January of 2004 Tina gave birth to Aidan and about a year and a half later along came Tristan. Again they each have their own distinct personalities.

I can fortunately say that all the grandkids are good kids and healthy. Oh, they’re kids so they have their problems but they’re family.

I’ve been writing this for the grandkids and now we’ve gotten to the point that they each have their own translation and view on what goes into the chapters of our lives. Thanks for sticking with me and going down this lane of memories. I hope maybe you enjoyed some of the first hand looks at different eras especially in the earlier chapters.

Grandpa Brooks