**Giggles!**

Funny thing about me is that at six years old, I learned about my first cup of coffee by stealing some of my Uncle Buck's pot, this old chugging and peculating silver monstrosity that made the most vile and viscous vitality-restoring Black Golden Oil! I learned to drink it with no sugar or anything else in it and usually in a small cup ... two of my Uncle's fingers of his massive left hand while he made some lightly browned toast or English muffin with strawberry jam that his ... third wife? ... made and lots of butter. He and my aunt would send me off to Fredrica Academy in the first and second grade and then third grade, still in the late 1970s. often with a small cup of coffee that I drank one with the breakfast. Probably one of the reasons I was able to stay focused first thing in the morning, even at that young age. Pop told me a few times before he passed about how both the Academy and the public schools were pushing to put me on medication for my hyperactivity, but Mom resisted since she told them that she knew me better and, thanks to Major's connections within the public school system, I was never on any of that stuff. Uncle Buck just grunted and shrugged. "You're a kid. Be a kid," is what he said. Pop and he didn't see eye-to-eye often enough, but Pop said that they agreed on that.

I was impressed.

I always had at least one cup of coffee, always something reasonably sized ... eight or maybe ten ounces with of the stuff through the ages with breakfast. As I went through school and then into college, the coffee mug, I think no more than twelve ounces, but always one a day. Even through exams and then later with art projects. But things would change a bit when I would start working as a night auditor for several motels ... back while I was trying to decide on being a teacher, either in History, Theater, Economics, or even Art or Special Education, or possibly going to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) here in Savannah, GA, perhaps even go to Disney or another animation house ... or perhaps start my own. Funny enough, one evening, over an extra cup of coffee and some grilled cheese sandwiches that Pop made on the grill outside the family house on East Beach, he and Mom and I had a sit down about my final projects from my first year at SCAD, talking about the Character Design and Storyboarding and Introduction to Animations Classes , and how much fun I was having. Both of them listened to the pain of trying to work and balance the work at the hotels, but also the fun I was having. We had just started joking about opening up an animation studio in Savannah if I proved worthy and graduated from SCAD in five years, Pop and I laughing while Mom was sitting there and talking about possibly getting a historical house off of Gaston street so she could walk the beagles through Forsythe Park ... when my Big Sister interrupted the fun by calling to the house and begging Mom and Pop to come and get her and the kids from the Federal building. Seems that she got her house tossed and needed their help. So, using my car since is was not the conspicuous white topped LeBaron or the purple MGB, they went to help my Big Sister ...

I will not lie ... I resented my Big Sister for ruining one of three moments I had with my folks, talking and having fun with them, about me. My parents were often very busy ... Pop with his work at SEARS and the thirteen rental properties and Mom with her books ... and with me away doing my own educational studies, well ... there it is, I suppose. So, after that, I kept my dreams to myself, but kept on working hard.

I have had to retype this a few times, for my memory is failing me a bit. I cannot remember if it was because of the extra work that I got through the hotels, doing often about 50+ hours a week balancing their books or working harder than ever to become successful at SCAD, to do things on my own, to get that daydream that I wanted. It makes a bit more sense, so I will go with that. It was around this time, perhaps not due to my Big Sister's problems ... or it might have been something to do with it, not wishing to be dependent on others for my own happiness. Whatever the reason, I also started really getting addicted to drinking coffee, often at the hotel ... and it was free, three to four pots a night. And, while I accelerated my own studies and work ...

Fast-forward my life about a decade or so ... I managed to straighten my life out, mostly on my own with my hard work and even working on making amends with my family. My Big Sister and I are still amazingly close, though we still have some minor issues. Mom and Pop and I managed to clear a lot of the garbage, much of it inside my head, and I was allowed to get a good sense pf peace before both passed. More with Pop and he really believed that Mom, released from her own pain due to botched cancer treatments, also was proud of me for returning to a happy life.

"Life is a constant thing to be worked on," Pop said. "It's like working in clay or chiseling stone or marble. I might not understand how you can do such marvelous things, but I do understand hard work. You have never been afraid of hard work. Never."

Now, speaking of Taffy, my main personae, if you like, has had a very idyllic and grand life. Both parents superheroes from World War II, adventurers who have explored a good chunk of the world, and have managed to secure riches to make sure that their family would continue to be successful, but also to ensure the fun and magnificence of life as well. Perhaps something that I forgot through my work of trying to find that life, but it would be finally working with engineering firm I work for now. So, thanks to that, I have been slowly working through the details of the copper top's life ... personally, I love happy endings. That's what I have worked on giving her.

Having been exploring the sights and sounds of Crossroads, Taffy has been showing off her grand hometown to Shan, who's been a good friend and listening to all of the stories the copper topped tigress has been telling to the dynamic junk food loving demoness. Promising to listen to all of the stories, Shan is happy to find yet another one of those coffee cafes that Taffy loves too. Hot brew, home baked goodies, and even some candy and flowers being the extras and both of the girls plan to have lots of fun.

This is a marvelous piece of work commissioned by my favorite gal-pal and magnificent artist in her own right,  tragicfame and from the skilled hands of Woorlie7 who's been bringing the Magical Adventures of Shan and Taffy to life ... something that a few people have been suggesting to animate. I love the idea ...