I was living with my Auntie Gina, and me trying to be slick, I challenged lil Edward to a bet:

Whoever learned the lyrics to Ludacris' song "Roll Out", First, would wash the other person's dishes for a week.  

That boy learned that song so fast you wouldv'e thought he made it up! lol

Needless to say, I was busting suds for 7 days on his behalf.

Its 2001, or maybe 02... 

Tacor 

He was like an angel. I don't know why he was sent to me, but I could never forget how handsome he was and those eyes, lips, how when he's hair wasn't braided he'd just walk around with it untangled . I met Edward in 2002 I was 14 and he was 15. I was walking to my then home(Parkway Gardens) and he was talking to someone & stopped me. I never saw him before till this day. It was so awkward he was so polite and I was attracted by how handsome he was. The next day he came to my house to see if I could come outside and we would just sit on my back porch and talk and talk. school begun the next week I was a freshman and he a sophomore . We both were born in the same year, but Edward was before September 1st deadline I was salty I was a freshman and him a sophomore lol we'd debate about how we were a couple months apart. My mom liked him he was like my first boyfriend if you'd want to call it. Back then kids weren't as horrible as they are today and he always complimented me on my outfits and  my looks.  He and I would talk on the phone while his little brothers would bother him, but I could never recall him being mean. He was always respectful to everyone. I told him I couldn't get my biology  class & he said since he had taken it last year bring the book home so he could see if it's the same one he had because they change the text so many years ( he was so smart ) next day I got off the king drive bus and he was waiting for me. Did all my work turned it in and got an A. We were good friends then my mom got a better job opportunity in MIchigan and I moved. We spoke on the phone a lot after , but eventually we lost touch. I think I spoke with him last in 2004 he said he cut his hair, but he could have been playing a trick on me.  I moved back to Chicago in 2012 and I've search Facebook, YouTube, everything looking for him. He didn't live in Parkway it was hard to find him considering the fact that, I never go to parkway any more so I figured I'd see him on Facebook eventually. Never in a million years would I have thought he was dead!  Last night I found a page of one of his friends and saw his picture and it said RIP ... I couldn't believe it. He had died back in 06 and I'm just now finding out in 2014. I can't stop crying because he was a sweetheart, he never bothered anyone and he had "Both" parents and you could tell they loved him dearly. His siblings too! I was so excited to touch base with him to see if he had kids, graduated etc. Just catch up! My heart hurt because he really made an impact in my life & he was my handsome angel who was smart... I regret I had to move now. I was looking forward to catching up on old times and him having good news for me on his life and where he's been cause I had some stories for him, but now all I can do is cry and write on this wall. I wish someone would have told me so I could have came and payed my last respects.  I love you Edward and I'll never forget how you treated me and helped me. 

 The last time Edward and I spoke on the phone he called me a week before he left us and he asked if I had a pair of sun glasses that he could wear.  My response was "Edward what are you going to do with a pair of ladies sun glasses" he resonded and said "me and my friends are going to the mall to meet some girls and we wanted to walk around and look cool with our sun glasses on" I told Edward "you are going to look like a fool not cool if you walk around the mall with sun glasses on.  I said no, Edward I don't have a pair that you could borrow.  He said ok and the was the last time we spoke. 

When Ed was about 2yrs old he loved coca cola pop and anytime his dad or I had pop he would say "pop,pop",lol. We use to try to hide the pop from him but somehow he would always find it. So this one particular day his dad and I had a pop and Edward was in his bed room which was kind of far from the front room that his dad and I were in. We tried to sneak and open it (the pop) before Edward came into the front rm.,So I told his dad to give me a blanket so we could cover up the sound that the acid would make to prevent Edward from knowing we had a pop.Well I proceeded to open the pop under that cover and it made the acid sound,and next thing we heard was Edward running around the corner saying "pop,pop,pop" And all his dad and I could do was laugh..lol

Hi Edward,

I am a childhood friend of your mothers.  We go way back.  I have to tell you how great a dancer she was.  We used to party kinda hard to be teenagers.  I can only blame it on the house music.   Your mom was a special person then and even more so now.  I know that we would have been friends (well maybe play aunt), had I remained in Chicago.  Until we meet in the house of the Lord, I will take comfort knowing that you are one of the beautiful angels looking over your family and me if you don't mind. May your star continue to shine bright...

With Love,

Shawntelle

When Edward was around 17yrs old i asked Edward to mop the stairs in our house for me before he put his "new" clothes on to go outside, well he said I will do it before i walk out the house. So instead of Edward doing it the way i asked him (to mop floor b/f puttin on his "new clothes) he put his "new" clothes on and was prepared to mop the floor. I remind you, Our steps are white, so Ed decided to put his "new" name brand black jeans on and pour "bleach" in his mop water then pour this mop water all over the stairs,not realizing that this water was gonna splatter....Well, it splattered all over his "new" black jeans they really looked a mess,(lol) He came and showed me and said "ma I should've listened to you smiling and shaking his head)....

 I remember the first time I asked Lil Edward his full name. I told him mine was Samika Monique and he said his was : Edward Jordan III, Mitchell Howser, Doogie Howser, MD. LOL!!!! The funny part is that I believed that was his name for 5 yrs. I thought to myself "dang he's so smart he remembered all of those names and he's only 4(?), Until one day I told Voy his "name" and he looked at me like "are you serious?" Voy said Mika that's a TV show..LMBO. He tricked me! I guess I should've watched more TV back then... The mere mention of his name makes me cry. I've had many family members pass away but none have impacted my life in such a way. I thank him for the memories. Sometimes people take the small things for granted but I remember and appreciate each and every teeny tiny thing that happened when we were  kids. Whether it's us "baking" chocolate chip cookies in the microwave when I watched the kids for Gina to the day he cut himself on a razor we found while playing in the trash in the Rosenwald's. I love and miss him soooo much.

Edward was around 13yrs old when this story happened. I had went grocery shopping and i specifically told Edward not to use my stove while I was gone.So I must have been taking to long at the grocery store and Edward must have been hungry b/c all I kno' is when I arrived back home on of Ed's siblings came to me and said "I think Edward burned his hand up" and I immediately dropped what I was doing and went to see what was wrong. I said Ed come here and let me see your hand well, reluctantly let me see it, and it was full of blisters and I said "boy how did you do that, what happened to your hand" and Edward responed and said you told me not to use the stove while you were gone ,and i wanted to boil me two eggs so I put them in some water in the microwave and when I tried to peel them they burst and the yoke splattered all over my hand. So I ended up taking him to emergency room, where we spent nearly 6hrs waiting to see doctor just for them to give him ointment..But scar went away and life for him became n

One day when Ed was around 15 or 16 yrs old, he was going to a church function called "boys to men" and he asked me to french braid his hair.Well, I asked him how did he want me to braid it and he said " it doesnt matter im pretty i'll look good anyways" so i always have to remind Ed that pretty is for girls and he would say thats " cool too" (lol), well I started thinking about how i was gonna braid his hair and I said "o.k. Edward" this is how im gonna braid your hair, I'm gone braid it all around into a circle and he said "alright". So as I'm braiding it's looking good going into this circle, all the way until I got to the very end where this one braid was sticking up in the top of his head.(lmbo) now I don't kno' what to do.So i said Edward I'm finish and he was like thanks ma, he went to the mirror and saw this braid sticking up in the top of his head and said "ma what is this" you got me lookin like "Alphalpha".We started busting up%uFFFDand i said I know i just dont kno what to do with it.So i told Ed that i have an idea,so I took a bobby pin and stuck the braid into another braid.Ed said "ma, I cant go out like this.But he respected me so much until he went to church with his hair the way i braided it in a "do rag" and i really knew then that he loved his Ma, I knew he didnt want to hurt my feelings by taking the braids down so when he returned home from church i took them down for him.

I remember me and Edward made up a dance to M. C. Hammer's 2-legit-2-quit.  "2 legit, 2 legit, 2 quit... hay hay. lol'  We also use to sit in his room in the rosenwalls (me, him, bunny, and branden) and listen to the whole Bone Thugs -n- Harmony tape. yes tape. lol. "Wish is in the house, Craaaazy, and Tasha oooo - eeww- oooh" .lol I miss those days. And my favorite cousin will always be missed!

Edward use to love to go to parties prior to him getting murdered, he was also a college student at kennedy king college. And Edward would travel to "mexico" on his u-pass to get to a party.So one night he wanted to go to a party but didn't have enough money to get in,So he called home and asked me for the rest and i said i would give it to him.Well when he got home i played a joke on him and told him i didnt have any money,him and his friends looked as to say "why did she lie" but Edward knew better b/c he could see in my face i was lying.( I just wanted to hear him say) come on ma,come on ma (with this big kool aid smile on his face)..He would say that everytime he knew i was joking with him about something he wanted..So of course i couldn't resist and i gave him the money and he said thanks ma,the dance floor and the girls are calling me.Gave me a kiss on the cheek and him and his friends ran to catch the bus...