There was a commotion in the other room. The women were raising their voices for some reason. He was so, out-of-it, so into another world surrounding Sylvia that he had to blink and squint looking towards the door when it came open. Jake was standing there with his mom and Sheila, trying to get him to leave him alone. He lay there for a moment staring back at his little brother - the man. His brother's eyes were red, they were also looking at him, as if pleading.
"Jake leave him alone! He needs to calm down and rest."
"Shawn please... please... mom I'm not here to fight... will you give us just a minute!" Jake growled.
Shawn desperately needed the distraction, "Leave'im! Come in... close the door." He stated, sitting up in the bed. He felt the room spin around him. It was after seven in the evening and he still hadn't eaten a full meal, just a few scoops of potato salad and a bite out of his sandwich.
"If you gone talk to him, then you can eat, and you gonna this time! I been patient with you so far, but don't have me to start going off on you up in here! Jake... upset him, and its me and you baby!" Sheila threatened, making Shawn smile again.
She looked at him and had to turn away before a tear came to her eye. He looked like shit. Something about seeing a man like that breaking down worked her up like nothing else. She turned from the room closing the door, heading for the kitchen.
"Let's fix him a plate mama Micky... 'cause his ass gone eat if I have to hold'im down and shovel that shit in myself, and I'll do it too goddammit."
Gert started grinning. "Girl... if I only had one more son..."
"Naaaw mama Micky, I got my good man. He at home now taking care of ours. Although I got to get my butt home, I called him though - told him what's going on, that I'd be leaving tomorrow for home."
"Well believe me... we appreciate everything. I feel so bad - sometimes you just never know which way to go with things like this. As we told Shawn when we first got here, we knew all about it. Sylvia told us and now she's out there somewhere - alone. She should have come by the house or - oooh I don't know. I'm gone give her a piece of my mind. Its not fair on us! When you know you have people who love you - will be worried about you - you have a responsibility to them!"
"I'm wit' you mama Micky, she gone hear it from me too! You better believe it. Well I can tell you now..." Sheila began as she fixed Shawn's plate. She made a big pot of delicious beef stroganoff, packed full of mushrooms, green onions, garlic, in an incredible gravy, cooking the large cubes of sirloin steak until moist and tender to go over homemade noodles, and broccoli. She made enough for everyone, Mundo and Crystal had already eaten, Gert had a small plate of it as well Shanna, both of them complimenting her. She piled Shawn's plate high, then put two nice size squares of corn bread on the side for him. "... hang on, let me take this to him." She said to mother and daughter, who both looked at each other smiling.
"Your brother know he can draw some women on his side can't he." Gert commented to Shanna, who nodded smiling. "I just hope Sylvia comes back soon, or at least calls."
"All right Shawn..." Sheila started, walking through the door with the plate. "I want it all gone... and not upside the wall! Black folks don't throw no goddamn food! You bet not throw this, and there better not be a crumb left!" She fussed, and then to Jake, "Jake - you eat yet?" Jake was leaning against the wall when she walked the plate in passed him. His eyes got big.
"Not really." He admitted with his mouth watering.
"I'll make you a plate next then, but you gone come get yours - 'cause I'm here for this man here - right now."
"No problem, I'll come and get it." He returned watching as Shawn took the plate and pulled the dinner tray from the corner by their bed, removing the collected honeymoon brochures they'd been going over from it to set his plate down.
Jake and Sheila could hear his stomach growl.
"Thank you Sheila... this looks fantastic." Shawn complimented in subdued tones.
"You better believe it is. My husband would be jealous of yo'ass right now, hell I ain't cooked him this in I don't know when." She smiled watching him from the door, he dug right in, his hunger forcing him to eat. She closed the door and went back out to the women, "Well he eatin' at least... now what was I saying?"
"We were talking about Sylvia... where she might be." Gert reminded her.
"Oh yeah... I can tell you now. She first gonna go it alone. She gone be by herself, thinking. Then... she gone drop in on somebody - the question is who? I got my theory on that too." She said, grabbing a plate to fix for Jake.
"Who do you think?"
"I got a feeling, she end up with her daddy. Because if it were me... I'd want my father right now."
"Her father? I thought he was dead or something? Why didn't she invite him to her wedding?"
"Naaaw he ain't dead. Just gone. Left her mama when they were all small. I think Sylvia may have been four or five when he left."
Sheila called Jake out to get his plate that was as piled high as his brother's. He smiled, thanked Sheila and went back to the room where his brother was. He sat on the bed next to him, holding his plate in his large hand, and digging in. They were quiet aside from the sound of them enjoying the meal prepared. Halfway through it, Sheila entered quietly with a tall glass of Pepsi on ice for each of them. Because they were eating, she didn't say a word, just sat the drinks on the tray and left again.
Both reached for them at the same time, drinking the beverage down midway. The food was delicious and the drink was right with it.
They sat the drinks down, Shawn went back to eating, Jake paused.
"I'm - so sorry... for everything. Everything I've ever - done to you. I - um - when you left Shawn... ran off to California... I know it was partly my fault. I um, I missed you Shawn... when you left. I missed you. I wanted you to come home, so bad." He stopped, trying to get over letting his own feelings out. "I - I can just imagine... what you're feeling right now. If what I felt when you left is only a small fraction of what you're feeling now, you're hurting. You're hurting bad."
Shawn sat with his fork in suspension on the way to his mouth. He lowered it and looked at his brother's profile. He felt his eyes water up again as Jake tried to cover it over by putting more food into his mouth and chewing. He watched his brother's eyes fill with tears and drop. Stunned. Shocked. Amazed. He hadn't a clue. Right then, sitting there - he realized he didn't really know Jake. Not this Jake. All Shawn could do was stare and wonder what had happened to them? He realized right then, that he'd been shrouded in so much of his own pain, confusion and resentments, that he'd missed entirely what his brother wanted from him - needed from him. Problem was, he just didn't have it to give back when they were young. He had been too young himself to know how to handle his lot in life. As the oldest with all that was expected of him, which included doing everything perfect. Shawn looked away. He couldn't say anything, didn't know what to say. Right then, for the first time, he realized that Jake loved him. Had always loved him. They ate on for a few more minutes, until he almost cleaned his plate.
"I'm stuffed." Jake was the first to admit it.
"Me too." Shawn agreed.
They looked at each other's plate, there was still food on it, a half of cornbread square, noodles and a bit of meat.
"I ate more than you did." Jake noted.
"Eat some of mine." Shawn pleaded.
"Nooo, I didn't finish mine." Jake pointed out.
"Here, quick, put the rest down the toilet." Shawn passed him his plate.
"What if she comes in and catches me!" Jake grabbed it to stand up.
"Hurry up! Standing there talking about it!" Shawn grinned.
"Go stand by the door Shawn... look out for me!"
"Nooo, I hurt bad enough now - you think I wanna be wrestling with her - hell with that! Just hurry... you could be done by now."
Jake rushed into the bathroom, scrapped their plates into the toilet and flushed it. Then rushed back into the room and sat the plates stacked on to
p of each other on the tray. No sooner had he sat down than Sheila and Shanna entered the room to check on them.
"Oh good! Look... they ate all of it." Shanna praised them.
"Em hm... did ya'll know, that I got four sons?" Sheila asked with a suspicious eye, her ample hip cocked to the side with her hand on it.
Shawn and Jake both sat up straight with their one good eye wide, the other one trying to be, black and blue as it was, on opposite sides of their face - they were a mess.
"Em hm, that's right. Four sons, and out of the four... one like you... the other like you. So now, am I gonna walk over to that bathroom and look in the toilet and see something that should not be?" She asked looking from one to the other.
They both gulped, eyes grew wider, and at the same time they pointed at each other, "He told me to pour it down the toilet!" Jake ratted.
"I told him to take it in the kitchen, have you put it away for later... he said he would just dump it in the toilet." Shawn lied.
"I did not! He ask me to eat his! I ate all mine! He told me to dump his in the toilet!" Jake defended
"I ate all mine! His got dumped in the toilet!"
"And how much got dumped in the toilet?!" Sheila demanded.
"Some of his! I ate all mine!" They said the exact words, at the same time pointing at each other.
"Who you gonna believe? Me... or him?" Shawn blustered pointing at Jake.
"Mama Micky... I'm gone kill your boys!" Sheila yelled, grabbing their plates up as they grinned leaning back away from her as if she would strike at any moment. Sheila shook her head laughing. "Ya'll know you crazy! Was it good?" She asked.
"I loved every bit of it Sheila... there wasn't much left on my plate or his... honestly." Shawn praised her and let her know the truth.
"I believe - you should open a restaurant." Jake added.
"I thought it was restaurant worthy." Shanna added picking up their empty glasses and following Sheila out of the room.
Shawn and Jake looked at each and started laughing. Shawn shifted back on the bed to lean against the headboard. Propping one leg up to lay his arm across it as Jake lay back on the bed stuffed. They were quiet again, until Jake spoke his thought out loud.
"Wow - is this bed comfortable."
"Yes... I know... better be the last time I see your ass in it too!" Shawn warned, fighting back a slight grin.
Jake took it serious.
"I never had a chance with her Shawn. Not a snowballs chance in hell. She - was so fiery and ... fierce and ...dead set - no way! You know how I always got them Shawn? They showed this little twinkle of being curious... like they wanted to compare us. It was just enough to let me know, if I pushed just a bit, they'd let me in. You know what... there was not even - a teeny - tiny bit of curiosity in her eyes. None. I was stunned if I'm going to be totally honest. Stunned. And um... it floored me. I went last week on a delivery, did a lot of thinking... one of the things was, how nice my life would have been... had there been someone like her for me. She's a - very desirable woman... your Sylvia... you don't know how lucky you are."
"Oh - yes I do. I know... more now than ever - I know. Trust me my brother, I had no plans to walk away and leave her to you. None at all... just so you know."
"I'm glad to hear it, because you would have been a fool too."
"I haven't lived this long to turn out to be that kind of fool. You - you gonna tell me there have been no women who have loved you? Would have stood by you?" Shawn asked.
"Probably, it didn't matter. If you remember, a couple of them claimed to be in love with you... yet, look what they let me do. Fuck that. I don't want a woman I can take from another man, I would always be worried that someone could take her from me."
They were quiet... both too sore to be angry, or to argue... they were ready to talk, they needed to finally hear each other.
"How do I know I can trust you from now on with Sylvia?" Shawn asked.
Jake sat up and looked at his brother.
"Because I need you - my brother... a whole lot more than I'll ever need your wife. She's in love with you Shawn. That one - is for you, mind, heart and soul - every bit. And - I for one, am glad... it took a knock up side my head to realize it - but - I don't want us to fight... not anymore. My brother - I, more than anyone knows - that you deserve - Sylvia McPherson. She - is - yours."
Shawn sat in disbelief at what he was hearing, again... he was so stunned by it he didn't know what to say. The only thing that came to mind, was that what he was feeling, "Then ... how could she leave me?" Shawn's hand was in his hair.
"Have you tried her cell phone?" Jake asked.
"Yes... of course. I've emailed her at her Yahoo account and this account, because she can check it from anywhere."
"You leave her a message when you phoned?"
"Yes."
"Keep leaving her messages Shawn, one after another... don't stop. Keep sending her emails, one after another, don't stop."
"You don't have to tell me that! I have every intention of doing that and now, I have to leave and check on Deidre... I can't believe this is happening."
"How long are you going to be gone?" Jake asked.
"I don't know, a few days maybe... not sure. Not too long... I have to find my wife. If I only knew that she was alright. If she would just call to say, don't worry I'm fine."
"Would that relieve your mind?"
"Fuck no! I'd keep her ass on the line and have the number traced! Then - drag her ass back home, kicking and screaming if necessary... but she'd be right here!"
Jake shook his head laughing, "My brother - you are a caveman sometimes." He sighed, grinning at the visual imagine of that and said, "I'll look for her while you're gone and continue on after you come back. I'm responsible for this, so I'm with you in finding her. Also, I think you need to keep busy. I think we should build her home and finish this bed and breakfast you guys were going on about... if it was me... that's what I'd do. This way, when she did return, I'd have something to show her."
Shawn stared at him a while, and then smiled.
"Can I depend on that? Are you really volunteering your back for it?"
"You damn right you can, it's the least I can do... if you want... the moment you step back off the plane... we can start. Which one will it be?"
"You think we can do both at the same time?" Shawn asked.
"It might as well be done! Matter of fact, give me the plans for it, and I'll get moving on it. I'll come here straight after work, and work until late. The bed and breakfast is easy. As for the house, I'm willing to bet that even Derrick would come up on the weekends to help with that. Also, there are guys that work with me that need some cash, you'd come off a lot cheaper paying them, but the work will be done right - or I wouldn't even bring them up. Two are starting a business and they need a portfolio of homes they've done. So to make sure they have a strong reference, they'd help you turn that house out."
"My brother... I'm gonna hold you to that. I have the plans for the bed and breakfast already drawn up. Planning and building permission has been granted as well, so it can begin."
"I'm ready... you just tell me what you want me to do."
Shawn smiled, staring at him a moment, then something occurred to him, "By the way, you went home with the red dress last night - right? What's going on there?"
Jake whistled. "Oooh - that red dress! Was that a sight or not? You see her dance?"
"Damn right I did! I'll be photographing her one day... I just have to. So tell me... what happened?" Shawn's curiosity was getting the best of him.
"She's just a baby... only twenty-eight years old."
"If that's the case, you try to change them diapers?"
Jake threw his head back, his laughter deep and loud.
"Baby my ass! Granted, twenty-eight is young... but she's a woman... all grown up... and I do mean... ALL grown up." He added.
Jake blushed, Shawn caught it. "What is that all about... my comment bother you?"
"No... of course."
"Bullshit! You sleep with her?"
"No I did not... too goddamn drunk! She had to pay someone to carry my ass inside her house."
"WHAT?!" Shawn started laughing.
"Yes... two hundred dollars!"
"Hell! I would have left your ass outside first!"
"That's what I said."
"That's beside the point... you like her?"
"What's not to like... she's got it all, including our mother foaming at the mouth for me to march down the aisle with her."
"What's wrong with that?"
"She's not my type."
"Ah - as in beautiful."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Jake asked.
"Come on, let's face it... the women you've dated, almost all were older than you, and um, how do I say this, better to look at following a black out, no moon and drunk as hell!"
BOMAW 4-6 Page 6
