Wheels of Steel, Book 2

by Pepper Pace

  “Me? Okay…” Robin wanted to meet him, too. She wanted to see this man that had so negatively affected her boyfriend’s life.

  “So…should we get the pregnancy test tomorrow after dinner with your Mom?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t want to talk about ‘what ifs?’ so she changed the subject. “Are you ready for this dinner?”

  He smiled. “The way I feel right now, I’m ready for anything.” Even Robin’s mother couldn’t kill his joy. He just wished that Miss Lucille’s death wasn’t hanging over Robin’s head, not to mention a possible pregnancy. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow to arrive and be over with.

  Chapter 25

  Again, they met at Mrs. Mathena’s house so that they could all ride to church together. Robin had been sure to wear a knit turtleneck dress, and she applied foundation which is something that she rarely did. Jason indicated that he couldn’t see the bruise and that by next week it would be gone.

  When they walked up the stoop she smiled in pleasure. Mama had decorated for Christmas! The Wreath was on the door. Mama hadn’t decorated since Daddy had taken a turn for the worst. Jason grinned at the pretty wreath.

  “We should get one of those.” She turned to him and gave him a quick kiss.

  “We should.” Robin knocked once and then opened the door. Jason had again used his crutches even though she was against it. But Mama didn’t have a ramp and it was the only way to get into the house.

  “Mama? You ready?”

  “I’m in the kitchen, finishing up. I’ll be right out!” Jason sniffed. It smelled awesome; home cooking wafting through the air. Robin headed for the Christmas tree. Mama had put it up all by herself. She remembered as a kid how it had always been her and Daddy’s job while mama finished up some piece of work and watched them, giving direction from her seat at the dining room table. Robin smiled as she touched an ornament that she had made in grade school.

  Mama came out of the kitchen untying an apron and draping it over the back of a chair. “I was putting finishing touches on dinner. It’s all set and in the warming oven.” She smiled at Jason giving him and up and down look.

  “Jason, hello. Do you want anything to drink before we leave?”

  “Hi Mrs. Mathena. No thank you. Your tree is beautiful, by the way.”

  “Thank you.”

  Robin came over and gave her a big hug and kiss. “It is beautiful.”

  Robin drove since the wheelchair was already loaded in her trunk. And Jason had a seizure on the way to church. Betty was sitting in the back since Jason couldn’t and as they drove and talked he suddenly began to stutter. Robin began talking softly to him, asking him if he was going to have a seizure. He barked out his response in a rush of air and Robin had told him not to fight it.

  She pulled the car to the side of the road and placed her hands on his cheeks. From her position in the back seat Betty could see the boy’s eyes roll up to the top of his head. He made repetitive grunting noises while his body stretched and strained.

  “He’s turning blue, Robin!” She exclaimed. He strained so hard that it appeared he would pop a vein!

  “Yes, Mommy. It’s okay.” She said gently. She rubbed his face lovingly while Betty swallowed back her alarm. Robin knew what she was doing. She was touching his face and speaking softly to him and soon his body relaxed and the color re-appeared to his skin.

  Betty didn’t realize that she had been holding her breath along with him until she sucked in a relieved breath.

  “How often…does this happen?” She asked

  “A couple times a day. Some days it doesn’t happen at all, some days it’s more.” Her eyes were still on Jason, stroking his long hair. Betty reached up and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. It had been so horrible.

  “Does it…hurt him?”

  Jason yawned into his fist and then his eyes slowly opened. “No, ma’ame. It doesn’t hurt me at all…unless I hit my head or bite my tongue, something like that.”

  Betty sat back in her seat watching as Robin got settled back in her seat and resumed driving. They held hands and Betty watched silently trying to find a place in her mind for all of this.

  “Everyday?” She said, seemingly from nowhere.”

  “Pretty much,” he responded. She noted that he didn’t even look or sound much different than a ‘normal’ person now that he’d had the seizure. For the remainder of the ride Jason talked to Betty about seizures and how his cerebral palsy affected him and he confirmed that there was no cure only treatment.

  “Isn’t there medicine to stop your seizures?”

  “Yes, Ma’ame. There are a lot of options to stop them. But the medication gives me side effects that I’d rather not have.” He turned in his seat to see her. “And…I think that I’m supposed to have the seizures.” He didn’t know if she would understand that and if she didn’t he would never try to explain it to her again. It was all a feeling he had; like not having the seizure left him feeling as if he was only half alive, half-awake, only half smart.

  But with the seizure they seemed to be correcting something. And though there was no medical explanation or proof that this was so, it was how he felt.

  Betty nodded. “You move better after. It seems like what you say is right.”

  Jason gave her a surprised look.

  At church, Betty offered to help Robin with Jason but she had it done very quickly and efficiently. And as they moved towards the entrance several people greeted him and let him know that they were happy that he had returned. Jason could clearly see the sincerity in their words and had to wonder why he had never joined a church before. This place made him feel as if they were his family.

  Pastor Sims gave a sermon on the Holiday season and finding the true meaning of god. Jason thought that his words were very true. He never thought of god but just that Christmas meant going out and buying presents for his friends and of course, receiving them. If he thought about god maybe he only thought of it in that giving was a god-like thing to do. He didn’t know.

  When it came time to testify, the older lady from last week got up and again proclaimed that times were hard and that her son wasn’t doing financially well but that she felt just fine because she had god. Jason smiled and Robin squeezed his hand. They all sat together in Robin and Betty’s usual pew, though Jason had to be on the aisle because of his wheelchair.

  At the end of the service Pastor announced that if anyone would like to join the church then to come down and meet with him. Jason glanced at Robin and Betty who both encouraged him with smiles. He moved down the aisle to the front of the church where he was joined by two other people.

  While Jason did that, and the rest of the congregation fellowshipped, Robin stopped her mother. “Mama, thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For…I don’t know.”

  Betty smiled. “You’re quite welcomed.”

  Robin sat there for a moment while Betty visited, and she said a small prayer for Miss Lucille’s safe journey. Then she felt a lot better and she met Jason outside of the Pastor’s office. He was holding a folder and a starter bible.

  “Are you going to attend bible classes?”

  “Nah. But Pastor Sims gave me some stuff to look at.” They’d had a good conversation and Jason told him about his seizures and how it might happen during the sermon but he didn’t seem to care at all.

  After church, it seemed that every member of the congregation congratulated him on joining and introduced themselves by name. And when they headed for the car and people said bye Jason, nice seeing you again Jason, see you next week Jason he felt that everyone knew him but he didn’t know them. Of course he was easily recognizable.

  On the ride back to Betty’s house Robin announced that she had said a prayer for Miss Lucille. Betty had expressed genuine sadness and didn’t say the predictable—‘she’s in god’s hands’ or ‘at least there is no more pain.’ She just said that she was sorry to hear that. Robin wondered what had caused her mother’
s change in attitude.

  Betty had experienced an epiphany.

  When she had sat in the hospital waiting to hear the results of Robin’s biopsy, she felt sure that god had meant to take away her baby as he had taken away her husband. She decided that she could no longer put off until tomorrow what needed to be done today. She needed to be the mother that she had never been; supportive.

  ‘Keep my child safe and I will be a better person.’ She had made that promise to god and now she was upholding her end of the bargain. And it wasn’t very hard to do. Now that her mind wasn’t clouded with hate she could see things in a way that she had not allowed herself to see them previously. Robin was more than capable at the job that she had chosen for herself. And Jason was not the monster that she had made him out to be in her mind. She still didn’t know if she liked him, but she liked things about him; like the fact that he seemed to adore her daughter.

  As soon as they entered the house, Robin put on the Motown soul Christmas album while Betty brought dinner out to the dining room. The table was already set up in a festive way that was picture perfect and Robin felt that Daddy was right there with them.

  As they got seated and Jason wheeled to his position he paused and cocked his head to the side, listening to the music from the stereo. “This is my favorite version of The Little Drummerboy, by the Temptations.”

  Betty gave him a surprised look. “The Temptations? You know about the Temptations?”

  “Yes Ma’ame. I love the Temptations. I think they are the one group that made Soul music into something that could rival pop and rock.”

  “Mama, ask Jason a question about music. He is amazing when it comes to music trivia!”

  Betty had just passed a bowl of fried corn to Robin and she paused. “Okay, since we’re talking about the Temptations, name the five members of the group.”

  Jason grinned. “They had more than five members, but it’s true that they never had more than five at one time. But they always had Otis Williams and they still do. Eddie Kendricks, Dennis Edwards, David Ruffin are the names people know the most. But there was also a guy named Al Bryant that helped start the group along with Melvin Franklin. There was also-”

  “Oh you’re good!” Betty said in amazement. Robin had placed a good helping of food onto his plate; meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn muffins, fried cabbage and onions and candied sweet potatoes. He was anxious to eat but no one had moved to pick up their utensils.

  “How do you know so much about soul music?” She asked as Robin tucked his napkin under his chin.

  “I make music. I use a lot of soul, R&B and hiphop to make my beats. And when I find something I like I research it so that I can understand it and maybe find more of it.”

  Betty nodded her head and then she brought her hands up and clasped them in silent prayer. Robin did the same thing (though he had never seen her do it before—maybe Sunday was a special day for them to pray over their food). Jason mimicked them and thanked god for Robin.

  Betty began talking as if she hadn’t just paused in prayer but this time she began to eat. So Jason picked up his spoon and though he was anxious to feed his empty stomach he put a small amount of meatloaf into his mouth and every bit stayed right there. He chewed happily.

  “Robin mentioned that you made music-”

  “Mom, Jason and his partner are going to sign a contract to create a song with this popular musician in Japan!”

  Betty looked at him in surprise. “You sound very talented. I’d love to hear some of your music.”

  “Yes Ma’ame. It’s on YouTube. If you have a computer I can play it for you after dinner.”

  The food was so good that Jason had two helpings of everything except the corn (which he choked on). He’d never had cabbage that tasted as good, or meatloaf that didn’t fall apart and was still tender and juicy.

  After dinner Jason navigated to Youtube on Betty’s desktop computer. She had nice stereo speakers so Jason knew that she would get the optimum musical experience. He played Love’s End, taking a moment to read the positive feedback before hitting play.

  “This is a song that I did with your daughter. She’s on vocals.”

  As soon as the music began to play, Betty’s face seemed to pale, her eyes got big and then she was looking at Robin and Jason in total amazement.

  “Oh my…GOD! Are you saying that you made that song?” Robin covered her smile.

  Jason nodded at her enthusiastic response. “Yes Ma’ame…well with the help of Robin.” She made Jason promise to create a playlist for her to listen to and he promised to make her a cd. Robin noted that Betty looked at him now, as if she actually admired him. She watched the two of them proudly as Jason went through Mama’s old album collection, oohing and ahhing and asking if she’d play some old song.

  Betty watched him carefully to see if he was pulling her leg when he asked to listen to an old Bill Withers tune that no one ever bothered to listen to. But his head tilted to the side and his eyes closed and then they popped open.

  “I want to bring my recorder next time and use that beat.” He exclaimed.

  “You can just borrow it, Jason.” She responded.

  He gasped. “Really?” His voice was a squeak. “I promise not to let anything happen to it!”

  Betty smiled. He was really sweet. “Jason if you see any albums that you’d like to borrow then feel free. You know I have several boxes of 45’s in the attic if you’d like to look through them sometime.”

  Jason’s eyes were practically bulging from his head. He could not even find his voice. He just nodded quickly. Betty sat cross legged on her hardwood floor with albums before her. She and Jason talked animatedly about a particular song and then Robin would be instructed to play a particular track. Sometimes they didn’t get through that track before one of them would discover another song that they wanted played. Robin went back and forth playing song after song for over an hour. And then she disappeared in the bathroom and Betty took over.

  They listened to lots of Stevie Wonder, some LTD, Earth Wind & Fire, but when they got to Bootsy Collins Jason hugged the album to his chest and they listened to track after track.

  “This is the album I tried to mimic when I was a kid.” He explained. Betty had removed her shoes and had poured herself a glass of wine. She was bobbing her head to the beat of Munchies For Your Love.

  “I am not surprised that you know about funk music.” Bootsy Collins was from Cincinnati and most Cincinnatians knew his music. “My…my husband and I attended the opening of his restaurant.” She looked down and then finished her wine. Jason felt bad that she was suddenly sad. She knew and loved music and was fun to talk to.

  Robin came out of the bathroom while Bootsy continued to play on the turntable. “We better get going. It’s almost six.” Betty stood up and collected the albums that Jason wanted to borrow and handed them to him.

  He was all smiles. “Thank you Mrs. Mathena.”

  She followed them to the car, pulling on a shawl against the cool weather.

  “Mrs. Mathena, I know that you and Robin have…your special time together after church. I’d like to go to church with you each week but I don’t want to intrude on your special time-”

  “It’s just so that we can get caught up.” Betty said. “And nothing much changes from week to week. So basically we eat and talk and that’s it. You are more than welcome to join us, Jason.”

  He nodded gratefully. He thought that he might even enjoy it. He had certainly enjoyed this dinner. Robin gave her mother a goodbye kiss and Jason was surprised when she kissed him lightly on the cheek. After that, Jason did not even remember that he had ever disliked Robin’s mother.