I just returned home from spending my summer with Uncle Thomas, known to everyone as, UT. My name is Abraham, known to everyone as Little-A. Let me tell you up front, I did NOT run away from home! I just didn't want to go to any more summer camps with only bug juice and graham crackers to eat and drink all day. Also, I didn't want to take orders from a teenager who was only one year older than me, and thought she was my master and I was her slave. No! I just didn't want to go there. So, I made other plans. I didn't run away, I just made other plans.

Just like every summer, when school was over for the year, Mom had ten-thousand summer camps lined up for me to attend. She handed me a piece of paper with my list of summer camps clearly outlined. IT WAS HORRIBLE!

• The Baptist Salvation for Youth Camp.

• The Methodist Work for Jesus camp.

• The YMCA swimming camp.

• The Salvation Army feed the needy camp.

• The Boys and Girls Club summer play camp.

• The Service-to-Save Work Camp ...

(And the list went on and on and on). That was when I decided to call for help. That was when I called UT.

Now, I didn't even know exactly where UT lived. I knew he lived some place in the state of Virginia, but I had no idea where Virginia was. I knew UT lived alone in a very small one room cabin on the top of a mountain, a very tall mountain. I had heard a lot of funny stories about my crazy white uncle. So, I figured, at the age of twelve, UT sounded like a better option for my summer adventures than more of the same-old-same-old children's summer camps. I wasn't a child anymore, I was twelve!

It was easy. I sent an e-mail to UT. And this is where my story begins. You might not believe what you're about to read. And I warn you, it is not for the wimpy reader. Plus, everyone knows I have a vivid imagination. But I promise you that every story is true: The bear story; the mountain people story (people who tried to kill me); the story about the gun, the very big gun; the story of driving UT's old car and hitting a tree; and the story of surviving with a crazy old man who took baths in his living room; and much much more. Some things I probably shouldn't have written about, but I did. After all, I was twelve and old enough to know what to do and what not to do.

It all started when I overheard my mom talking with one of her friends about my crazy uncle, Uncle Thomas. Everyone called him UT. I had never met UT, but Mom had lots of crazy stories about him, and he sounded like a lot of fun to hang with over the summer. I knew where Mom kept UT's e-mail address. In fact, I knew where Mom kept everything. She just didn't know that I knew. I typed UT's address in on her computer and asked him if I could spend the summer with him. Almost immediately I received a reply; SURE. I will pick you up on Wednesday. Our adventure will start immediately.

WOW, I really wasn't expecting him to say, "SURE!" But he did! Now I had to somehow tell my mom what I did. And the timing of this conversation had to be perfect for me to get the right answer. Before Mom got home from work that evening, I had written my request to spend the summer with UT on a piece of paper and placed it inside an envelope. I addressed the envelope as, "My dear Mom, we need to talk. Please open and read this AFTER supper."

I knew that would get her attention. It also gave me time to write down exactly why it would be a good idea for her to let me spend the summer with UT, a man she did not trust or like. She never told me why she disliked him, and she refused to talk about it. It had something to do with why my dad went to prison and he didn't. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Everything I wrote in my note to Mom had to be something positive. So, I wrote the note and then rewrote it, and rewrote it again, and kept rewriting it until it was letter perfect. I had to have a list of positive reasons for me to spend the summer with Uncle Thomas, positive reasons that Mom could not argue with. I did not lie, but I had to be creative with my words. I had to write the perfect letter.

I placed my letter inside the envelope, and that evening when I went to supper I placed the envelope on the table where everyone could see it. Mom looked at it and froze. She looked again and then looked over at me. She had this look on her face, as if I were in BIG trouble or something. It was all I could do to keep a straight face, but I did. I felt like a trial lawyer going to court to win my case. And, in a way, that was exactly what I was doing. I was trying to make a case for me to spend the summer with UT, a man described only as crazy. A man my Mom did not like.

My case had to be air tight. There was no room for error. Once Mom and Jasmine were seated, I said the blessing and started eating my dinner. I didn't say a word about the envelope, not one word. I just sat there and quietly ate my supper. I didn't look up. I just stared at my plate and slowly ate my supper. I could feel the tension in the room.

It was an extremely quiet dinner. Even my older sister, Jasmine, was quiet, and she was never quiet. If she wasn't talking, she wasn't breathing. Mom kept looking at me, then at the envelope, and then back at me. Jasmine ate her supper in about three bites, then she pushed back from the table, folded her arms, and sat there waiting to hear about what was in the envelop. She didn't jump up from the table and run to her room as usual. No. Tonight she just sat there and looked over the top of her glasses at me. Her expression seemed both angry and concerned. She sat and waited to hear about what was in the envelope. She probably thought I was going to rat on her about things she did while Mom was at work. This was becoming more fun than I had imagined, but I knew the game would not be over until Mom gave me permission to spend the summer with UT.

Once Mom finished eating, she stood up and started clearing the table. No one said a word. The envelope just sat there looking at us. Everyone was thinking, what was in the envelope? Mom stacked the dishes in the sink, carefully dried her hands on the dish towel, and walked back over to the table. She pulled out her chair and sat down. She slowly reached over and picked up the envelope. She held it in her hand and looked over at me. Then she slowly opened it. She started reading it to herself, then stopped. She looked over at me once again, and then began to read my letter out loud.

Dear Mom,

You work very hard for us, and we never say thank you. So, this summer I want to thank you and save you a lot of money. Plus, I want to spend my summer reading and learning, not just swimming and eating junk food. I want to learn about life outside of Memphis and meet different types of people. I have asked Uncle Thomas if I could spend the summer with him, and he agreed. This will be a learning experience for me. It will help me learn more about our family and other parts of the United States. Education is a lot more than a classroom. I hope you will trust me enough to allow me to spend my summer with Uncle Thomas.

Love, Abraham

Mom just sat there, motionless, for about two minutes. Then she carefully stood up from her chair, looked over at me, grinned, started to laugh, then stopped. Then she slowly walked over to where I was sitting. She paused, then leaned over and gently whispered into my ear, "ABRAHAM, NO WAY IN HELL!"

Then she started laughing out loud and continued clearing off the table. And, that was that! Mom looked over at me, still laughing, and said, "Abraham, you know that UT is just a crazy old white man, don't you? He must be a hundred years old by now! What would you do all summer long on the top of a mountain with a crazy old man? I did tell you he was crazy, didn't I?"

Then she continued, "And how do you even plan on getting all the way from Memphis to Virginia? We don't have that kind of money. And, do you even know where Virginia is? Abraham, I trust you and love you, but sometimes parents are forced to make decisions that their children don't understand, and this, I am afraid, is one of those times. I'm sorry son, but I just can't let you do this. I'm sorry. You are too young, and UT is too old and way too crazy!"

I immediately stood up and shouted, "BUT MOM, IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Mom held up her hand, like a policeman stopping traffic, and replied, "Sorry Abraham, there are no buts. My decision is final. FINAL, do you understand!"

"BUT MOM, Uncle Thomas will be here Wednesday to pick me up."

Mom suddenly stopped doing the dishes. Her expression changed. Now she looked angry. She tossed the drying rag onto the floor and plopped herself back down at the table. She took out her cell phone and dialed UT's number. In a few minutes UT answered. Mom was telling Uncle Thomas, in a very firm voice, why I was too young to make such a long trip. Plus, the responsibility of looking after a boy my age was too hard for someone UT's age, and. ... then suddenly she stopped. Then Mom got quiet. She looked at her phone and said, "You are where?"

Then there was a long pause. Mom looked over at me, as if I were in big trouble, and said, "Abraham, go open the front door."

I went to the front door and slowly opened it. There, bigger than life itself, stood this wild and crazy looking old white man. It was Uncle Thomas. I just stood there staring at him. Suddenly I wasn't sure I wanted to spend the summer with this strange looking old man. He was huge. His hair was white and long and wild. It ran half way down his back, like an Indian Chief. He wore a bright red scarf around his neck, and he had a gun. He had a BIG gun. It was in a holster that hung from around his waist and was tied to his leg as if he were some kind of western cowboy.

Then I heard Mom call out, "Don't just stand there UT, come on in."

UT laughed out loud and looked down at me. "Boy, you're not as big as I pictured you. But don't worry, by the end of the summer you'll be a lot bigger or, maybe, a lot smaller." Then he walked past me and sat down at the table with Mom. I glanced out the front door and couldn't believe what I saw. There, in front of our apartment, sat a motorcycle! A REAL MOTORCYCLE. A motorcycle with a side car.

I was so excited I couldn't wait. I ran outside and climbed onto the bike. I pretended that I was driving the bike. I pretended until I heard, "ABRAHAM, GET OFF THAT BIKE, AND COME INSIDE."

I went inside and sat at the table with Mom and Uncle Thomas. Uncle Thomas told Mom that he knew she would say, "NO!" So, he immediately got on the road, accompanied by his dog, BB, in the side car. I was so excited to see Uncle Thomas, I hadn't even noticed BB in the side car. BB was a great old dog. He had short black hair, long floppy ears, blue eyes, and seemed to understand what was happening. BB decided to stay in the side car. I think he knew what was about to happen and wanted to avoid the upcoming conflict between UT and my mom. Yes, BB was a very smart dog! And it didn't take long for the conflict to start. BB crawled down low in the seat and put both paws over his ears.

I went back inside the house and tried to help UT. I had to convince Mom that it was safe for me to spend the summer with Uncle Thomas. However, Mom's mind was made up. Plus, UT kept saying things that didn't help my cause. For example, he mentioned teaching me how to shoot a rifle. Mom hated any type of gun. So, that just killed everything. Mom didn't trust Uncle Thomas. She knew he was not bad, just different and crazy. She put on her parental face, used her VERY strong voice, and did what she thought was the adult thing to do. But I could see something in her expression, and heard something in her voice, that told me I just might have a chance, not a big one, but still a chance.

It took a long time to discuss the pros and cons of my living with Uncle Thomas. UT looked like a crazy man with his wild uncombed long white hair, but he really was a very kind old man. While he sat at the table talking to Mom, I saw a side of him I had never been told about. I actually began to feel sorry for him. He lived by himself on the top of a mountain, all alone. I don't think he was simply asking permission for me to spend the summer with him. No, I think he was asking permission for a young friend to spend some time with him, like a sleep over, only all summer. I think he was lonely. Yes, he was a bit crazy, but I saw an old man who needed me, and that was when I decided to make it happen! Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do.

However, Mom still had not changed her mind. Her decision was final! But she did ask Uncle Thomas to stay for the night. However, he declined. He told Mom that there was too much work to do back home, and he couldn't live with so many people around him. He stood up, looked over at me and said, "Sorry boy, I tried. Maybe next year." Then he gave Mom and Jasmine a big hug and headed toward the front door. Everyone was sad, but being a parent isn't always easy. I didn't like Mom's decision, but I understood. One day I'll be a parent. One day I'll have a child to raise. One day I'll have to make adult decisions, BUT NOT TODAY. NO! TODAY I WAS ONLY TWELVE! TODAY I WAS GOING TO HAVE FUN BEING TWELVE!

So, while everyone was saying good-bye, I quietly went to my bedroom, shut the door, and crawled out my bedroom window.

I quickly crawled into the sidecar. I pushed BB over to one side and curled up in a small space next to him. Then I placed UT's backpack on top of me. I thought I was hidden and no one could see me. BB and I were side-by-side and nose to nose in the bottom of the sidecar. BB knew what I was doing. He took one paw and placed it over my face, as to say, "Be quiet, boy! you're just about free!"

In a few minutes Mom and UT came outside. UT climbed onto his bike. He secured his helmet, then hit the start button. The sound of the motor made me jump with excitement. Then Mom suddenly noticed I wasn't there. She asked Uncle Thomas to wait, but UT looked down at BB, his backpack, and a pair of small feet, and replied, "No. Leave him be." He told Mom that I was probably somewhere crying, and it was probably best to leave me alone.

Then he waved good-by, turned his bike around, and gave it full throttle. With the sound of a jet airplane, we flew down the road that would, over time, take us to a small cabin on the top of a mountain somewhere in Virginia. As he pulled out onto the main road, UT said, "Little A, I know you're down there, I can see your feet. And you do know that you're about to get me in a heap of trouble." Then he laughed, and it was full speed ahead. My adventure had just begun. BB and I were both excited. This was too good to be true. This was going to be the best summer ever!

I left a note on my bedroom door that read, DO NOT DISTURB. Mom didn't know I was gone until hours later when I didn't show up for supper. Jasmine was sent to get me. She returned with a huge grin on her face and announced, "THANK YOU JESUS, HE'S GONE! Little A is gone, he has run away!"

Then she laughed out loud. She told Mom that I probably just ran away to my best friend's house down the street. Mom picked up the phone and called Enoch's house. To her surprise, I wasn't there. Then she found the note I left on my bed. It read, Dear Mom, I am with Uncle Thomas. I am fine. Please understand that I have to grow up. I love you. Have a great summer.

Mom just sat on the edge of my bed, speechless. Then she said, "That little rascal. How did he do it?" Jasmine continued laughing and thought the entire thing was very funny. Plus, she knew I would be grounded for the entire summer when I did come home. But I didn't come home. I was on the road with Uncle Thomas. This was the big escape, the big adventure, and very soon it became the big POLICE CAR!

We were about one hour out of Memphis, on I-40 heading east. I came out from under UT's backpack and sat up straight next to BB. My long cornrows were blowing in the wind, along with BB's ears. We must have made quite an impression on everyone that passed us, because everyone waved at us. Uncle Thomas told me to wave back. He told me it was what you did when you rode on (or in) a motorcycle, so I started waving. It was like being in a parade and more fun than any ride at the fair. People waved at us, honked their horns, and even yelled at us.

That was when I saw it, overhead. The electric sign over the interstate announced, AMBER ALERT. (This means a child has been kidnapped). I yelled at UT and pointed to the sign. UT couldn't hear what I was saying because of all the wind and motor noise, but he looked up. We both saw it at the same time. BOY, ABRAHAM, AGE 12, AFRICAN-AMERICAN, WITH WHITE MAN ON 3-WHEEL MOTORCYCLE.