"Who all them for? You got a woman comin' now? I seen that fancy piece o'furniture you take in, that's for a woman. You ask Ms. Lydia can you bring a woman in here?"
Holding the flowers before him, Jake made his way slowly up the stairs with his boys following him, shocking Ms. Earthaleen. "Wait! What you doing? Where you going with them?"
"Ms Earthaleen, these flowers ... for you ma'am... the plants my sons holdin', them yours too."
Her mouth dropped open far enough to stuff a whopper through. "F-f-f-fo'me?" She stammered stunned.
"Yes ma'am ... don't tell me you've never had a man bring you flowers. Surely you have, a woman like you - I bet you use to get'em all the time." Jake flirted smiling.
"Lord have mercy." Ms Earthaleen nervously tapped her chest, stunned as each of his sons came forward with their plant for her.
"Just tell us where you want'em ma'am." Kevin came forward, flashing her his father's smile.
She was too nervous to think, "Lord have mercy! What you bring me them for?" She gasped.
"'Cause you remind me of my mama. Ever watchful. Looking out for me. And I know you looking out for me Ms Earthaleen. For instance, you telling me about not parking out front with my truck during the week. Had you not told me that, I might'ah ended up with a ticket. Now where I come from, when a neighbor makes a kind gesture towards you, you make one back. That's why my boys and I, thought, we'd bring you flowers... well - I thought flowers, they thought you'd better appreciate plants, so we thought, seein' as how you'd be keepin' an eye out on things downstairs while I'm gone, we'd give you a little something, show we appreciate it." He ended winking at her.
"Loooord Chi-i-ile you somethin' else! But right is right, I keep a eye out on it for you. Bring'em on in, I show you where I want'em." Ms. Earthaleen was grinning wide, looking around to see if anyone down the block could see she had four young white men bringing her plants and flowers.
* * *
Crystal was sitting on the side of the bathtub waiting for Darren to get done. This was the first day of his potty training. She'd purchased one of the cushioned toilet rings for him to sit on. He was sitting there staring at her.
"Darren come on pee-pee for mama."
"No! Don' wanna pee - pee ma - ma." He made a face.
"Well you can't be peeing in diapers no more. You a big boy, don't you wanna use the toilet like Isaac? Like your daddy?"
"No!"
Crystal drew in a deep breath waiting and after ten more minutes of waiting, she heard the tinkling noise of him peeing. She sat up and made a dramatic face at him. "Darren! Oh my goodness! My little man - pee - peeing in the toilet! Oh my goodness!"
Ever precocious like his older brother, he fought back a proud grin, his eyes darting to and fro as Crystal went to the bathroom door and called out, "Mundo! Come here! Darren pee peeing in the toilet! Isaac - come here! Your baby brother pee-peed in the toilet!" She made a big production of it as Darren sat fighting back a grin, bashfully covering his face.
Mundo showed up with a little digital camera, "Hey man! Aaaah man - that's m'man! Come on smile for me, uncover your face boy! You a man now, peeing in the toilet, you half way there! All we need now, is get you a date!" Mundo snapped pictures of him with Crystal on the floor leaning in smiling up at the camera with Isaac at the other side, Darren laughing with his hands in the air.
Big to do over until the next successful catch, Crystal rose, listening to Isaac and Mundo in the other part of the house as she wiped up her baby boy, giving him more praises, hugs and kisses, putting on his Huggies pull-ups training pants. Darren walked out of the bathroom in front of her, clapping his hands happily, singing a song only he could understand as Mundo took out the bowls for them to pour cereal. He was in one hell of a good mood after two nights of selling all of his disks and earning both nights of sweet pay, despite having to part with a portion to bail his sister's friends out of jail. He decided not to bring it up. Crystal had always been there for him; had supported him for a period of time when he was making nothing, doing nothing. Far as he was concerned, the slate was clean.
Although the home they lived in was Shawn's, they were comfortable there, kicking into a routine that had been there's when Crystal had been living in her own place with Mundo rooming there. Early in the morning, they had the stereo on and cleaned by the tunes blasting from it. Crystal had just washed up and dressed after cleaning her boys up and dressing them and was in the living-room to dust and clean when she pulled back the curtains at the front window, spying the red mustang parked across the road. "MAMA'S HOME!!! MUNDOOO!!! MAMA'S HOME! ISAAC - DARREN - GRANDMA HOME!!!" She squealed stomping her feet, so happy tears were in her eyes as the boys came running out of the back bedrooms.
"Where mama? Where grandma?" Isaac asked looking up at his excited mother. Crystal snatched Darren up from the floor placing him on her hip and grabbed Isaac's hand and rushed out the front door for across the street. Mundo hadn't heard a word she shouted, he was in the basement with his head phones on, mixing and working on burning more disc's to store for sells from the website while in the midst of creating something new.
Sylvia stood at the bathroom sink brushing her teeth, rinsing her mouth out. She could hear that Angela was up and in the kitchen downstairs no doubt looking for something to eat. She too needed to re-familiarize herself with home and get back into the swing of things. Her husband was still clinging to the bed, fighting the need to get up and face the day. Drinking that beer had nailed him down a bit, the only stirring he'd done was to groan when she rose, shaking his naked backside. He'd shucked his clothes at some point in the night, obviously gotten hot and by the time she rose late Sunday morning, he was naked as the day he was born. Happy to be home and in a good mood, smiling she tossed the sheet over his naked hairy rump and rose to wash up and get dressed. He was on his stomach, one leg and an arm hanging over the side of the bed. One of the pillows covering his head as he tried to block out the daylight. She was walking out of the bathroom, hearing a commotion downstairs and then little feet coming up the basement steps and the next thing she knew, their bedroom door flew open, with Isaac bursting in yelling, "GRANDMA GRANDMA - YOU BACK HOME!"
Shawn pulled his leg back into the bed as Sylvia secured the covers over him at the same time Isaac leapt onto the bed, bouncing with his arms out to her, laughing he fell over Shawn's leg and then got back to his feet, jumping towards his grandma from her side of the bed. Sylvia laughed because the motion made Shawn groan and pull the pillow tighter around his head while Isaac continued his excited call out to her. She held her arms out for him to launch himself to just as Darren and Crystal rushed into the room keeping up a good racket.
"Oh my baby! My lil'man you done grown three feet tall at least!" Sylvia laughed, hugging him to her, his legs wrapped around her waist as she kissed his face. "I missed you grandma, where you go? Why was you gone so long? All kind o'stuff happen while you was gone!" He fussed as if it all happened because of that.
"It did! What happened baby?"
Crystal was standing holding Darren looking at her mother, so happy that she was back as her son in a matter of moments, spilled all the goods on them.
"My mama was fighting! She was in Jail! Uncle Jake keep us and Darren shit on your floor! On your rug grandma!"
Shawn's body shook as he laughed, unable to stop himself, hearing loud and clear Isaac's quick summation of events she'd missed, all the important ones anyway.
"WHAT?! Boy ... don't be saying that word, that's not a nice word for a little boy."
"Isaac! Get down and hush yo'mouth! You tell everything boy!" Crystal blasted him.
Sylvia looked at her daughter, "Em hm, don't you worry about him, outside you three... let's go, Mr. McPherson needs to finish sleeping off his evening of drinking." Sylvia ordered, slapping her husband's rear on the way pass the bed, leaving him in peace as she closed the door behind her.
Shawn lay there still unable to move even though he was wide awake
. Drowsy from the effects of the alcohol while trying to decide whether to get up or not. He was home, they were home, she was home. It felt so good to just lie there and know that. He had no memory past falling asleep with her driving. Had no idea how she got him out of the car and into the house, nor did he recall getting out of his clothes even though he felt good laying there in the nude, hearing the commotions of the house. Their grandchildren keeping up a happy racket, he could swear he also heard Angela's excited voice in the mix. He shifted the pillow to tune in an effort to sort her voice from the other's ... yes, that was his daughter. He finally shifted the pillow tossing it from over his head and decided it was time to get up. He looked at the clock radio by their bed, it was 12:30 in the afternoon. He had work to get done everywhere. This house into a bed and breakfast needed to be completed. He had to get busy on the book covers for the James'. They would be coming with Shanna's mobile home sometime early in the week, if he remembered correctly, Tuesday according to Jake. And he had to figure out where everyone was going to sleep once their home across the way went under construction. His wife didn't know it yet, but he'd moved the goal post back to his original plans, building a new home. Forget adding on to it.
Shawn sat up in bed, scratching his hairy stomach, the covers keeping him decent as he listened to the voices of the women in the house. He looked around on the floor for his pants to pull on, none, no where in sight. Glancing behind, he saw them on the chair there by the bathroom door, obviously his wife had picked them up and placed them there. He stretched and yawned, wrapped the sheet around his hips and rose heading for the bathroom, leaving the sheet to trail behind him, once he was safely inside the bathroom, he tossed it off back into the room on the floor and closed the door. He stood at the toilet emptying his bladder when he realized something with the sound of the kids in the house. He rinsed his hands quick and grabbed a towel wrapping it around his waist. He came out of the bathroom looking around for his bag. Didn't see it in the bedroom and left it looking into the living room. He was about to shout for Sylvia when he saw it sitting by the hall wall. Wasting no time, he went for it, snatching it from the floor and back into their bedroom. With his heart beating a bit erratically, he unzipped it and looked inside, pushing his clothing aside, there was the gun in the holster, wrapped as he left it. Wasting no time, he took it to the closet, took down the metal box for it, placed it inside and then put the small pad lock that would lock it in on it. Making sure it was locked, he tugged on it. Relieved, he put it up on the top shelf and put the key to it in his wedding suit jacket pocket. That done, he was back in the bathroom. Thankful that he'd remembered, had his wife found that out there like that, it would have been one hell of an argument. Now that they were all home, a routine could commence, one that entailed him being careful from now on with where that gun was left.
In the shower the previous events went through his mind. He laughed out loud a few times thinking about the good time at Dennis and Sheila's. Reflecting on the time with Jake's boys; especially the time he spent talking to Benjamin; wondering about his wife's suspicions concerning him. Right there, is where his reflections over the previous day snagged on him. It was like everything else faded to the background as Benjamin's face stayed paramount in his mind. He was dark ... Benjamin. Dark in skin coloring compared to everyone else. Dark hair, bold features ... hazel blue eyes. Just like his. In truth, they could be like Jake's as well. Even with that possibility, it kept coming back to Shawn that they were like his. He forced himself to think about Shawn2 as he stepped out of the shower. They were very much alike as well. However, comparing Benjamin and Shawn2 - Shawn now knew what difference there was. In truth, Shawn2 was really the product of his Spanish heritage from his mother's side. He just happen to have family traits that everyone pegged him as a duplication of him, but now ... having seen Benjamin, Shawn wasn't so sure. In Benjamin, there was no Spanish heritage to give him his looks. Christine, he remembered, was a brunette. A mousy brown at that. Not dark. Her skin fair.
Shawn stood looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, staring; seeing Benjamin reflected there.
There was a tap at the bathroom door.
"Shawn? You hungry? I've made breakfast." Sylvia called, testing the door to see if it were locked, he reached over and unlocked it, letting her in.
She leaned in smiling, eying his naked body up and down appreciatively.
Shawn grabbed her inside and closed the door back, locking her in with him, pinning her against the bathroom vanity sink. "Now what was that about me being hungry?" He asked learning down to nip at her neck.
"Now Shawn, don't ... you know the kids are here, everyone is downstairs eating ... behave yourself." Sylvia gently reprimanded, staring up at him, trying not to look down at the evidence of what he wanted.
"You the one asked if I were hungry."
"Breakfast Shawn... food, you know, the kind you consume, you eat?" She grinned because he had that look on his face, kissing her neck, nipping at her ear, then looking at her to see if she were willing, she only grinned. "No!"
"I could just lift you up on this counter here-..."
"No Shawn, you ain't lifting me up no where."
"Then turn around and bend over and let me get it like that." He beckoned, lecherously.
"No."
"It wouldn't take me long."
"Man, first of all, get that off me. It ain't goin' no where, but in your draws! Put some clothes on and get your butt downstairs to eat. Then, we get to talk about what's done and the next step! Yes!"
"So you like what you see so far?" He asked.
"I love it Shawn!" She answered going out of the bathroom to close their bedroom door and lock it so he could come out and dress. She heard him spraying on deodorant before he walked out with her laying out a fresh clean pair of underwear for him, socks, a blue stripe print polo shirt and blue knee length jeans. It was a beautiful day outside so they could dress comfortably. As he put his clothes on he explained, "Jake's helped get quite a bit of this done. We have the kitchen to finish up, the bathroom down that hall is finished, did you see that?" He asked, slipping on his jeans.
"No I didn't, I haven't even looked over that part of the house."
"Yep, done. Your office has been dismantled as well, I want to get your new office done today so you can move into it and free up that room for a bedroom. We're going to need all the rooms we can get in here for when they start on the house across the road."
"Well... when is that gonna start?" She asked sitting on the bed.
"Week after next."
"Oh... well, I was thinking ... that maybe ... we should hold off on that for a bit. Maybe, get the bed and breakfast going first, bring in some money and then as this starts to generate income, we can start adding rooms across the road."
"Not! I don't think so." He informed her brushing over his short cropped hair.
Chapter 140
"Shawn! We need to wait on that. We need to get back on our budget, I've already spent enough money for this year. Let's wait until next year for the house."
"Oh no you don't! Did I tell you to go out there start spending up money like crazy? You knew what our plans were. You knew I was doing the bed and breakfast. You knew we were doing the house up. I haven't said anything to you up to this point about your spending, so now - I don't wanna hear anything about the amount I'm getting ready to spend. The house is going up... starting this year, completed this year."
"No Shawn!" Sylvia stood, about to panic with all the money amounts she'd spent going through her mind. Now that she was home and the crazy moment of her needing to get out and purge her system of all the things she needed to do was passed, the old money miser was slipping back in, with her needing to tighten down on the spending foremost.
"I don't wanna hear it Sylvia. I'm doing this." He stood his ground before her.
"Shawn - why can't we wait? What's the hurry?"
"Sylvia... you know we can't run a bed and breakfast here and li
ve across the road with everyone that we have living here now. Where are we all gonna sleep? My place is not big enough for everyone." With his hand out, and his index finger counting heads, he reminded her, "We have Crystal, Mundo, Isaac, Darren, Angela and Jake, you and I and a baby on the way. I need my office space to work. You'll have this office over here, but that house has only three bedrooms and an unfinished basement. You tell me where everybody is going to fit."
"Isn't Shanna's mobile home being delivered? Jake can live there with her. You have heat in that basement, we'll put Mundo down there, he'll be fine. Angela and Crystal can share one bedroom, Darren, Isaac and the baby can be in the other. When its first born, it can be in the room with us, then when he's older, he can be in there with them. See - perfect fit."
"And where do I work? Tell me that?"
"I know what - you and Jake can build you a little work shed in the back, how much would one of them cost?"
Shawn busted out laughing. "You are not putting me off, in some goddamn shed in the back yard!"
"You gone have lights and electricity and stuff, put you an air conditioner out there. You just come to the house and use the bathroom, then back out there to work. You'll like it Shawn if you give it a try - like your own little club house. Haven't you always wanted your very own club house when you was a little boy? Now here's your chance!"
"No Sylvia! I'm building the house!"
"What do you mean, building a house?! You mean addin' on to it?!" She asked with her hand on her hip, at first laughing and light hearted, just that quick however, her mood changed.
Shawn shook his head heading for the bedroom door, an argument was about to erupt and he needed something to eat. "What you shaking your head for?" Sylvia asked following him out the door and down the stairs to the basement where everyone was just finishing up eating, he smiled at the group, waving to them, "Afternoon."
BOMAW 4-6 Page 91
