Sometimes, if you’re lucky, someone comes into your life who’ll take up a place in your heart that no one else can fill, someone who’s tighter than a twin, more with you than your own shadow, who gets deeper under your skin than your own blood and bones.
My younger son, Cordell, aka Lil Snoop, loves me like a fan loves Snoop Dogg. He’s inspired by making me happy. My older son, Corde, aka Spank, does everything I say, with effort and determination – but he does it for himself. He gets his thrill out of seeing his own results on the football field.
In the black culture, certain kids are given nicknames that they roll with forever; the nicknames outweigh their real names. I’m one of those scenarios.
