The Greatest Gift From My Father

Up until the time that I was 4 years old, I lived in Chidester, Arkansas with my parents Johnney Joe and Sheila Gulley in my dad's parents manor. 
It was around that time I told my dad that I wanted to be like Boss Hogg, a character from the hit TV Show "The Dukes of Hazzard."
Weeks later, he bought me a big white cowboy hat, a belt buckle, and some cowboy boots. 
As a child, I would pick out the clothes that I wanted to wear and I would wear those items EVERYDAY!
In 1981, I took a picture in my outfit at the county Faulkner County Fair. 
Years later, I would look at that photo and become furious. I asked my dad why he allowed me to go out in public looking the way that I did.
He replied, " You were my only son and I wanted to make sure that you believed that you could be whatever you wanted to be in life."
I must admit that my father and I have not always seen eye to eye on certain issues. 
However, he has always been there for me when the moments counted the most. I will always be thankful to him for inspiring me to believe in myself. 

The Old Adventures of Young Rickey Gee: Lessons From My Uncle Tyrone

The Old Adventures of Young Rickey Gee: Lessons From My Uncle Tyrone: When I became an adult, I would converse with my Uncle Tyrone, my mother's brother about women. I always thought that he was the one tha...

Lessons From My Uncle Tyrone

When I became an adult, I would converse with my Uncle Tyrone, my mother's brother, about women. I always thought that he was the one that best luck when it came to dealing with women because he always seemed to be with the most attractive of them all. 
Here are some of the lessons that he taught me.
1. When it comes to women, you have to listen, but you do not have to agree with them.
2. Choose your battles with them wisely, because even if you have solid evidence that proves that you were right in an argument they will make you pay for it later.
3. Learn that the true meaning of submission is to be able to sacrifice what you believe is right for what is right. 
4. Whatever you say that you will not do, there is always someone else that will be willing to do it for her. So you might as well do it and get it over with.
5. When you are hearing to much nagging in your household, take your woman out on the town to reset her emotions. 
6. Elevated foot massages are way to give a woman pure satisfaction without being sexual. Do it often! She will appreciate you in more ways than one when you least expect it.
7. If she ever asks you for space, give it to her. You might just be doing yourself a favor in the process. 
Earlier you may have read that I said that I thought that my uncle was very lucky with the ladies. 
Well, his luck eventually ran out with them, because he's now serving a 35 year sentence in prison behind one. 
I still write to him because I miss him and just because I like to pick his brain from time to time. 
Regardless of what he was accused of doing, I still manage to be thankful for the lessons that he has given me to help mold me into the wise man that I am today. 

Family Time

Family was a such a special time on the weekends when we were children. 
I can remember when we would gather around in the front room and watch old Abbott and Costello films. 
We would eat Jiffy Pop Popcorn and have Capri Sun drinks or canned cokes to drink as well.
Sometimes we would even watch old Tarzan and Roy Rogers films as well. 
I believe that we did all of this so that my step- father could relive his childhood through us once more. 
I had no idea that other people did not do what we did until I became much older. 
Even though, I had a step-father, my closest neighbors were being raised by their mothers the best way that they could be raised.
As an adult, I now see how fortunate I was to have grown up in a house, not an apartment, with two parents in the home.
It's amazing what you do not realize you have until things change. 
Special thanks to J.C. Clemons Sr. for being the great provider that he was to me as a child. 
May he rest in peace.

I Couldn't Dance

Years ago during my teenage years, I could not dance to save my life. 
I was not a good dancer because I grew up in a  Pentecostal Christian home and it was frowned upon. 
I once told my Uncle Mickey Wayne about my horrible secret and he gave me a secret that saved my life. 
He told me that when it comes to young women, you have to get out on the dance floor with them if you expect to gain their favor. 
As it turns out, most men can't dance.
However, you've just got to get out there and look cool with the ladies.
He told me to hold my chin, step once to the left, step once to the right, and then point to her.
My Uncle Mickey Wayne was a social genius!
That formula worked for years until I finally learned to dance.

Rite of Passage

 When I finally became a man at the age of 21, my step-dad finally started to spend more time with me. He helped me fix on my first car and he also told me stories of what his life was like when he was my age. He was raised in Mount Vernon, Arkansas, but he moved to Conway in the Mid- 1950's. He said, that even though the city of Conway was segregated at that time, there was a place outside of the city limits where young blacks and whites would go to do things that they didn't want their parents to find out about. This place was called "Tin Can Hill". 
He said, that if you wanted to get high, drag race or even get laid, Tin Can Hill was the place to do it.
As time progressed, I found out later that Tin Can Hill was none other than the city dump ! The moral of this story is this:
You've got to always remember that before your parents became your parents that they were probably some pretty cool people. If you are on speaking terms with them, ask them to be honest with you and tell you what life was like for them before they had children. You might hear some stories that might make you blush!

The Worst Ass- Whipping of My Life

The year was 1992. I was 15 years old at the time that I received the worst ass whipping of my life.
Here are the events that lead up to it. 
In junior high, I ran for class president. My popularity was at its highest level at that time.
I ended up losing to my friend Amber Wren. 
A few weeks later, the junior high dance was about to happen. April, a young woman that I was attracted to at the time, had asked me if I was going to the dance. She said that she would dance with me if I showed up. I told her that I would be there without a doubt.
Keep in mind that my family was Pentecostal and they would have never gone for it. 
I asked my mother if I could go, knowing that the answer would be NO! 
On the night of the dance, I went to my friend Reginald's house after school and I waited there until it was time for us to go to the dance.
He lived down the street from the school so we walked there. 
The dance was held at the school gymnasium. 
When I found April, I danced with her like it was my last night of freedom, which it would be for a very long time.  
In the middle of dancing with her, the school dance's chaperone found me and pulled me to the side to tell me that my mother had called the school in search of me because I did not come home on time. 
He told me to leave and return home immediately because she was so worried about me.
What he did not know was that she had an ass whipping waiting for me because I had actively defied her order for me not to attend that dance. 
I don't remember how I got home that night. 
However, I do remember that when I got home my mom whipped my ass for nearly two hours.
One hour was for making her worry about my safety. The second hour was for disobeying her orders. 
After that ass-whipping, I was grounded until I started my summer job. 
I never disobeyed my mom like that ever again. 
It's amazing how much trouble a young man will get into behind the attention of a young woman, but it was worth it!