The Fraternity of Mudbone

[JQD]

Dear Richard,

I'm a 28-year-old black man who grew up in the small town of Holly Springs, Miss. It's about the same distance from Tupelo as One Below is. Seriously. I'm not joking.

I don't live in Miss. anymore but I was home visiting Big Mama a couple years ago. Anyway, one of my dad's five brothers, my Uncle Ronald, was suffering from athlete's foot. He had it bad, Richard. Real bad. So bad in fact that his feet had started bleeding and he was limping around in sandals.

As we sat in Big Mama's front room, one of the men (I think it is my Uncle Andre, who is a preacher and now the mayor) said, almost under his breath, "Think you need to go see Ms. Rudolph." Somebody snickered. Then somebody else. Then another and another. Till every man in the room was smiling to himself and laughing. Even my Uncle Ronald, with his sore foots, had to laugh.

So my Aunt Lee Etta pipes up and says, "Who is Ms. Rudolph?"

There's some throat clearing and and the room falls silent. All us men are looking at one another like "You gon' tell her?" "Hell, naw, I ain't gon' tell her." We don't say that out loud, of course, it's just a look, you know.

"I know somebody gon' tell me who Ms. Rudolph is," my aunt repeats.

So now we're starting to laugh all over again. Finally, my cousin Roderick, one of the two preachers present, says, "Naw, can't tell you that, Mama."

And then we erupt into laughter all over again.

What made the moment special, was that I had NEVER talked to any of my older male relatives about you. But when one suggested that my uncle see Ms. Rudolph no one had to explain anything to the other. We all KNEW. In fact, you are the only black comic, naw, the only black artist, whose work is so well known that your work can be enjoyed without explanation. Richard, we in this great fraternity of Mudbone, don't even need the set ups to your stories. We just tell one another the punchlines -- and laugh ourselves silly.

I love you, man. Love you, love you, love you.

- Jarvis DeBerry

[Jennifer]

JQD,
We are rolling!!LOL! And so touched at the same time-this a one of the most authentic and heart-felt notes about Mudbone RIchard has ever received-because your words made it come alive!
Oh-lord-we can imagine what that laughter was like and those looks to one-another-what a great moment-what a great memory ! Thank you so for sharing that with us!! We love you back!!! Did your Uncle ever get his feet to a dr. or Ms. Rudolph?? LOL_love Richard and Jennifer!!!