BOMAW 4-6

by Mercedes Keyes

  "Remember when she kept saying that she'd seen Shawn somewhere before... that she never forgot a face?" This she asked to Vivian, who nodded that she did remember. Sheila looked back at Sylvia.

  "The problem now is this. If you don't know... what I know, this may not be the time or the place for me to disclose it to you. No offence Vivian, but its some serious shit - about her husband, and I'm not gonna put it on the table in front of you, unless its alright for me to."

  Both women stared at Sheila for their own reasons. Sylvia was the first to look away, inhaling deep, she put her elbow on the table, then her face into her palm, using her finger tips to stroke her temples and hairline.

  Sheila and Vivian were quiet. Waiting on her to decide.

  Finally she wiped at at tear that was rolling down her cheek.

  "Is it that bad?" Vivian asked softly.

  "Do you know what she was going on about Sylvia?" Sheila asked softly.

  Sylvia nodded that she did know, wiping at her eyes. She felt her face burning with shame because she knew that Sheila knew. What she was afraid to ask, was how much did she know? She loved Shawn... but she hated his past. Yet, she loved him too much to hold it against him. Yet... look at what was happening already because of it.

  "Come on Sylvia... talk to us about it. You know you can trust us. I mean, I'm not gone lie to you, I tell Sheila everything, but you two... you the only ones I talk to about serious stuff. Come on, just lay it out." Vivian encouraged her.

  Sylvia was nibbling on her pinky nail, looking from Vivian to Sheila as she leaned with her cheek on her knuckles now. She thought and thought and thought, trying to figure out the best way to say it. Finally, she started with,

  "I don't want you two judging Shawn. I don't want either of you putting him down. He's guilty of a very ugly lifestyle from years ago, one that does not represent the man he is now. That's why I'm reluctant to say. I don't even like it - the thought of it pisses me off - because he's done something that I totally disapprove of. But I can't really justify, holding it against him. I don't want you two holding it against him."

  "Ain't nobody perfect Sylvia... we've all done stuff we've regretted at one time or another." Vivian spoke up saying.

  "Not like this... its really bad." Sylvia stated.

  "Well I'm gonna be honest with you girlfriend. I know what it is. Yeah... it is bad... I agree. But... the man back then, and the man now... not the same. As far as I'm concerned, he has only two judges in his life to deal with... his creator when he dies, and his wife, now while he's alive." Sheila stated.

  "Tell me?" Vivian asked in a little girls tone, wanting so badly to be included and trusted with it.

  "My husband use to - to - do porn Vivian. He made porn movies, and did other things connected with that whole ugly world as well. This all happened back when he was in his early twenties living in L.A."

  "Wow... and... oh my god! Edwina knows? How does she know?" This she asked turning to Sheila.

  "'Cause Ms. ho ho watches them all the time! She gets off on shit like that! In her little library of tapes... she has the ones with Shawn in them." Sheila explained.

  "Oh man... I would hate that shit! To know that anyone, at any time could just recognize my husband doing stuff like that! I mean, I guess its worse as a woman to be known for it, but... I don't know. Oh Sylvia... girl... I understand now."

  "Believe me... its not easy. I thought, honestly speaking... that it's in the past, so no big deal right? Well I'm not so sure. He's admitted to me, that women come on to him all the time. I know its true... even his ex-mother in law was after him."

  "White people do some scandalous shit don't they?!" Sheila asked off the cuff.

  "Wait a minute... let's be fair... Edwina ain't white. Yet she was at my house, lying and talking about her car broke down on the highway, so she called Shawn because she didn't know what else to do! So he says he brought her back to the house-..."

  "Wait... he told you what happened?" Vivian stopped her to ask.

  "Yeah... he said he was tired and basically gave her freedom of the house and went to bed, next thing he knows... she's in it... giving him... a blow job." She announced with dramatic disbelief.

  "WHAT!!! JUST LIKE THAT??!" Sheila jumped to her feet amazed.

  "That's what he said... he refused to tell me how far into it she got, said he woke up."

  "After she was done." Vivian blurted, then covered her mouth. "Sorry... just playing! Ah come on Sylvia... I was just playing, don't look at me like that! Can't you take a joke!"

  "I don't find nothing funny about that ho taking it upon herself to feel like she has the right to be sucking on my husband's dick! Whether she saw him doing porn or not!"

  "You know what... actually... it's a shame there are no laws to defend men like that. Because by all rights, he should be able to press charges against her."

  "For what, for rape?!"

  "Well yeah... shit!" Sheila spat. "Did he give her permission to do that? For the time I spent with Shawn... I don't think so! If a man creeps into a woman's bedroom and climbs in bed with her, taking her in a way she hasn't given him the right to - she can press charges against him... hell right is right - he should have her ass arrested."

  "You know what... you got something there. Problem is... Shawn wouldn't go through with it, and as we all know... he did porn. The courts wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole." Sylvia stated sitting back.

  "Yeah but we should kick her ass with a 2 foot pole! What you wanna do? Just say it? Want me to kick her ass for you?"

  "Sheila! We are too beyond that. Come on now - we are too above that kind of ghetto behavior. I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I am gonna tell her about herself."

  "Not alone... you pregnant... bitch might try something... we'll go together. Hang on, let me call and see if she at home."

  "You want some more tea?" Vivian asked her, standing to pour herself some coffee as Sheila used her phone. "No I'm good."

  Sheila was talking to Edwina's boyfriend Lloyd, "Where's Edwina - she at work?" They heard her ask. She listened to his return and looked at Sylvia and Vivian with a, 'Yeah right look' when she replied, "You say she went with friends to Rainbow Casino? How long she suppose to be gone? In Wisconsin right? How she get there, she ain't got no car." Again she listened, looking at Sylvia and Vivian with narrowed eyes, shaking her head. "I see, well let me correct you on something... she a goddamn lie! She ain't gone gambling in no casino... she took her ass off to have an affair with Sylvia's husband - who lives in Wisconsin, but he didn't want her ass... so I bet you any amount of money... she'll be home today - not later in the week. You need to be packing up yo' shit when she get home... em hm, that's right - I ain't got no reason to lie to you. She a bitch... if you stay with that ho... you a fool! Goodbye!"

  "Oh my god! Sheila! I can't believe you did that!" Sylvia squealed out covering her mouth.

  "Why not? You said we couldn't kick her ass. I sure hope you wasn't planning to let her get away with that shit? Deeds done, now let her wriggle her ass out of that one."

  * * *

  "It's about time you woke up, its almost 2!" Jake said to Shawn who stood in the open door looking into the office part, holding a cup of coffee. He watched Jake plaster the edges of the walls, corners and over the seem tape for the sheet rock walls they put up. He'd also put in the window frames and then the windows. They were installed now and the room was shaping up.

  "Heard you had one hell of a night." Jake volunteered working as he spoke.

  "From who?" Shawn asked, wondering if Crystal had told him.

  "From a lady named Edwina."

  "Fuckin' lady my ass - where'd you see her?"

  "At the Subway station when mom and Shanna dropped me off. She said her car broke down on the road, that she needed a lift to it."

  "Man I'm sorry I ever laid eyes on that piece of work! Sylvia and I got into an argument about her last night."

  "What happened?"

  Sh
awn told him, from a to z - leaving nothing out.

  Jake shook his head laughing. "I kind of figured it would be something to that effect. She made it out like you'd misinterpreted her intentions."

  "How do you misinterpret someone sucking on your dick!? Pissed me the hell off! I tried to tell Sylvia and she got mad at me because I let her in the house! What kind of shit is that!? Women! Damned if you do... damned if you don't!"

  "Sylvia will be fine - and Ms Edwina's on her way back to Chicago!"

  "How do you know?"

  "I gave her a ride back to her car." Jake admitted.

  "In what?"

  Jake looked up. "Your truck."

  "Dammit Jake! Why the hell you do that?"

  "To get rid of her! She's gone... be happy."

  Shawn stood glaring at Jake, suddenly his eyes narrowed to thin slits. "So you just took my truck, took her to her car, that's it... nothing else, came right back?!"

  Jake stood and looked everywhere but at Shawn, unable to answer.

  Shawn was floored, saying... "JAKE - must - you - fuck everything?! Is there no female you won't do?!"

  "Of course there is! There are many I haven't done. She wanted it. She was all over my ass, especially when she got it out. That's all she came here for, a long hard fuck and I gave her one, then sent her on her merry way."

  "Jake... she knows Vivian... they were friends... what about that? You ever think about that?"

  Jake stood and stared at him, finally he asked, "You think she'll tell her?"

  "I don't know - its certainly possible! But you're so busy getting a piece of ass, you refuse to think beyond tomorrow. After all this shit with Doris and dad knocking the hell out of you, you'd think you'd be beyond this by now!"

  "Look I don't need you to start in on me now! I haven't made any goddamn promises to anyone! I'm a free man, and I can do what the hell I want! Women like her deserve exactly what I give them - she was a whore and I screwed her like one."

  "Why though Jake? Why didn't you just take her to her car, and let it go? You couldn't be that hard up for a piece. Especially considering the fact that she knows Vivian." Shawn asked him, trying to understand. Then it dawned on him.

  "Are you trying to wreck what you have with Vivian? Is that what you're doing? Are you trying to hurt her?"

  "I'm not trying to hurt her. She's a beautiful person... but... I don't want her hoping in me. I just want us to be friends, that's all. She'll be better off with just thatbetween us. Friendship - so how ever that Edwina takes that to her, it will kill any dregs of hope she has for us to be together."

  "Jake... that's the dumbest shit you've done to date... I swear it is... the dumbest by far!"

  "Maybe so, but it'll work."

  "Let's say it does, how are you going to feel being her friend when another man steps up to the plate?"

  "As long as he's a good person and is good enough for her, I'll accept it just fine."

  Shawn started laughing, walking in circles certain beyond a doubt that his brother was crazy.

  "And if whomever steps up to the plate is not good enough for her, then what?"

  "I'll have to get rid of him." He answered easy enough.

  Shawn laughed again.

  "How exactly will you do that? Got a crypt somewhere to stash the bodies? I get a feeling, none of them to you will ever be good enough for one reason or another, so you'll be needing plenty of space to hide the bodies." Shawn joked, shaking his head.

  "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." He answered, finishing off the last of the wall.

  Shawn turned away to get something to eat. He was done trying to figure Jake out. He had enough to deal with. His plan was to keep busy. Because come Wednesday night, he would be heading to Chicago. If Meribel was not home by then, Derrick would be coming Thursday. They'd had a very long talk about the whole matter. Derrick was starting to get the big picture. His wife had been swallowed up in everyday domestics so to the point, that he didn't even see her any more. She'd become a fixture in his household that he used just like the bathroom toilet or the shower. Something you needed to use everyday of your life, but never gave a thought to, until the toilets stopped up, shower doesn't work... or in his case, his wife is gone. Unable to fight those facts, he had to accept Shawn's interference in telling her to stay gone longer, knowing that Shanna could not stay into the week. Derrick now was forced to learn his lesson. However, Thursday, if she wasn't home... he was bringing her home, period!

  Chapter 113

  Bruce paced in the office of his closed club. He had a dilemma. It had been a long time, a very long time since he'd had a performance like the one that took place in his club on the past Saturday night. He still couldn't get her out of his head. He felt sick to his stomach and ill at ease. Voices like hers came up on his doorstep almost never... in fact, had never. Yet to the world, voices like hers came up in only so many years. She was a soprano, with a range as high as his favorites; she could easily stand beside, Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and just recently, the little girl with the powerful pipes, Christina Aguilera - and bring it low smooth and easy like Anita Baker or Gladys Knight. Yet, they were stars, having never shadowed his door way. Oh how often he had watched them perform, wishing and praying on a star, that a woman with their vocal talent would come his way. He'd been in the business for years, having started off in a band himself - moving through it offering himself as asaxophonist, and a damn good one. In fact, his skills often landed him a soft, willing female, should one be any where near, hearing him play; such a setting guaranteed a warm body in the closing of the night. One thing for certain, while it landed him most any woman he set his sights on, the ones that especially tripped his trigger were black women - it began for him the first time he saw Diana Ross playing in Lady Sings The Blues - every since that day, going to the movies to see that, his course in life had been set. Set for the music of Jazz and the club scene; set... for glamorous black women. Something in the glow of their luminous brown skin was an instant turn on for him, lips moist and full, eyes dark and sultry.

  They were a large reason of why he'd always loved the music and business choices in his life. It had never failed to help him snag one and then another. At 45 years old, he'd had quite a few. Some that he'd felt serious about. One that he'd loved. However, there had been one problem as far as she was concerned, the one he loved, that problem had been that he - was white. She had been unable to envision spending the rest of her life going through the hard times and obstacles such a relationship would conjure if she'd stayed in it. Bruce had held out to the very end with no luck, because in that end, she'd left him to never return; maybe, just maybe, she might have, had it not been for the fact that a year later, she'd died in a car accident. He'd spent some time grappling with that closure forced upon him. Now, years later, after going through many others to get over her, he'd found the solution was to harden his heart and to never give it again, not ever. He was all about music and all about the business of it. Jazz - the life. Determined to fix and focus there, he'd even gone off black women for a spell, problem had been, no matter how he tried, he could not obtain the same level of sexual gratification with a white woman as he did with a black one. He got off on the contrast. Their boldness. The way they talked and told you just how it was. One thing for certain as a lover, if you needed to know if you were a good one of not, head off to bed with a black woman. No faking there. Your methods would either cause her to sing your praises, or curse your ass out. No faking. He liked the thrill of turning them on. Shocking them with how good he was in bed, while he loved how they were in bed. Totally un-inhibited with pelvic rotation abilities to make a man cross eyed with pleasure, moves that sent him over the edge. He needed the whole package of electrical excitement to get off, or else he just couldn't be bothered.

  Now his mind was on her.

  Sylvia McPherson.

  He stopped pacing and clicked the play button on his DVD player to watch her performance ag
ain for the umpteenth time. Singing live was no easy task. It took careful breathing, voice control, nerves of steel and the ability to master each note and place it right. So many performances came off flat or off key, no matter how well someone could sing. Portions of the song were often good, and then somewhere along the way, many were bound to hit a bum note. The reason recording studios; production; auto-tuners and mixers were such a godsend, many successful artists owed their success to just that. And then their record company or label would force upon them many rehearsal hours to get their vocals strong enough to endure a concert.

  Sylvia McPherson had stood on his stage and mastered every note. He knew she had, because he'd watched the performance again and again trying to find fault with it.

  There was none.

  Everything about the performance, especially the show of emotion while singing was tangible and right on the money. Her gentle moves, her arms, the placing of her hands, her rhythm, her pitch and pace, her eyes, her lips, her body... every part of her sang that song, it didn't just flow from her mouth, it slid along the contours of her body when she moved, it fluttered gently from her graceful fingertips. Hitting the high notes, he watched her throat for strain... none - strong and sure she hit those notes like natural breathing.

  Frustration coursed through him, he stopped the disk, stepped to his desk and slamming into the chair behind it.

  She was married.

  "Jesus Christ!" He spat irritably. According to his brother, to Shawn Everett McPherson.

  Someone whom Paul warned him, not to cross. He'd been so on top of the world until Paul burst his bubble. He and his wife had finally come back stage and to his office to speak with him upon the club closing.

  "Man... I'm high I'm high I'm high... were you here earlier tonight to catch that last performance?!" He had asked right away.

  "Yes we were. She was outstanding." Paul had stated, watching him pace anxiously, knowing that his wheels were turning towards Sylvia.

  "I've been waiting for someone like her to come my way for years! Years do you hear me?! And bam! It happens before I know what's hit me! If she wins Thursday's night performance, I'm telling you here and now, I'm talking contract with her. Make a connection with some people I know and have them take a listen to-..."