When Prince Got Me Kicked Out of my Great Grandmother's House.

I grew up in Texas as an only child to a single mother. Once school was out for summer, my mom couldn't afford to pay for childcare, so I typically spent my summers in Mississippi staying with family, namely floating between my grandmother's place and my great grandparents' house. One particular summer while staying with my great grandparents, my young-crazy-cool aunt rented a house down the street from them and I made every attempt to spend time with her. The problem was, her and my great grandmother didn't always get along.

One day my aunt and I had plans to see a new movie called Ghostbusters and I remember being so excited. However, when we arrived at the movie theater we discovered that she got the starting showtime wrong, or so I thought. Coincidentally, the next showing of Purple Rain was starting soon and since we were already there, it only seemed appropriate that she purchase a ticket for herself and her 7-year-old niece to this R-rated feature. This was the 80’s. Don't judge.

I was familiar with Prince and some of his music, but after Purple Rain, I fell head over heels in love! His music, his androgynous style, his essence and sex appeal was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. Of course I was only seven years old. I did decide however, that my imaginary relationship with Michael Jackson needed to be reevaluated since he now had competition. After the movie, before dropping me back at my great grandparents’ house, my aunt casually mentioned that it may not be a good idea to say anything about the plan B movie decision. I agreed and was totally prepared to take it to the grave . . . just as soon as I could tell my older cousin who was also staying in the house and then my lips would be forever sealed.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan until sometime later when me, my cousin, and our great grandparents were watching television in the living room and the trailer for Purple Rain came on TV. The next few moments seemed like a blur, but I remember hearing something along the lines of, “Grandma, Erica went to see that movie and it’s rated R!” Now, my cousin and I didn't have the closest relationship at that time, but I never would have pegged her for a snitch.

It's amazing how the mind can block out traumatic events from your childhood. I'm still not clear on the exact details, but arrangements were made, at the request of my great grandmother, for me to spend the rest of that summer with my grandma because apparently I was too much to handle. I mean, a 7-year-old taking it upon herself to see Purple Rain at the movie theater was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. I don’t think I fully understood at that time that my great grandmother had essentially kicked me out of her home. I did learn later on in life that many a family member before me was kicked out of that house at one time or another, including my aunt, so basically it was a rite of passage type of thing. Now that I think about it, my mother didn't seem all that surprised upon hearing the news.

As time passed, I did eventually return to my great grandparents’ home, spending a few more summers there, but they were all uneventful compared to the Summer of ‘84. I’ll always remember it as the time I fell in love with Prince, secretly wished I was Apollonia, and wore out my Purple Rain soundtrack on cassette tape. Rest in peace to my great grandmother, my grandmother, my young-crazy-cool aunt, and to the Purple One known as Prince.