My grandmother is the original badass. I can’t even imagine holding a candle to her or the unapologetic, full throttle life she’s led. I don’t remember the first meeting with my grandmother, Miss Adele, when I was still in swaddling clothes. She told me some years later, that she knew that I needed to be taken care of . She said, “chile’, I knew you were comin’ before your mamma knew you were comin.” She drove to Boston to get me and brought me back to DC for an extended visit. My young and very inexperienced mother needed some time to gather herself. But our next meeting is indelible. I was...