BOMAW 7-9

by Mercedes Keyes

  "No chance of that happening."

  "There is that chance, Vivian, I meant it when I said there is black in our family. On my mother's side."

  Vivian leaned her head back and looked up at him. "I can't see it."

  "Maybe not, but it's there. It's there. Now, I wish I remembered all the names, my mom knows, come on. Let's go back to the house, we can ask her about it."

  She nodded, about to pull out of his arms, but he held on tight. "Jake, I think you have to let me go first."

  He didn't speak, only stared down into her eyes, and then lowered his mouth to hers. Vivian closed her eyes and accepted the kiss. It was soft, stirring, and filled with something wonderful. His heart beat like crazy, she could feel it. They stood against the tree, kissing so long, Vivian thought it would never end. She felt him stirring against her, but he didn't move. Just held her, kissed her, savored her, making sure that she knew, he enjoyed it, kissing her, even to that degree.

  Back at the farm house, they sat in the kitchen talking, while Bart worked on his tractor in the barn.

  "He's right, it's true, there is black in my family background. If my father were here, he could really tell you all about him, but I know enough myself from listening to him reflect back on him."

  "Do you know his name?"

  "It was, McNeil. He worked on a plantation somewhere in Mississippi. Fell for the master's bastard daughter, who was half black, her mama was a slave. She died in childbirth, giving him a son."

  "What was his name?"

  "I always struggle with this one, let me see ... Jesus Christ ... "

  "That's God's son's name, momma." Jake fired in, laughing, making Vivian and Gert crack up.

  "Ha, ha, ha! You're so funny, son!"

  Vivian was tickled, seeing this side of Jake. Shaking her head, she turned back to Gert, "Go through the alphabet."

  Gert sat thinking, her eyes got wide, "Got it! His son's name was Leon! Leon McNeil! He was sold off to some bar owner. Then sold again for whatever reason to another plantation. There at that plantation, I can't remember the name, lord knows I'm bad at this, but anyway, whatever it was called, it was from there, that my family's wealth sprouted."

  "Through a slave, this Leon McNeil?" Vivian asked.

  "Sure did, you see, he became a very wealthy merchantmen. I don't know all the details, but I know that much."

  "Wow... I can't believe it." Vivian gasped.

  "It's true honey, like Jake said - with you two - the possibility could be, that your children may end up dark. And that, would be just fine with us. Ain't that right, son?"

  Jake reached across the table and caressed Vivian's cheek, "As long as they look like her, gladly."

  Chapter 165

  When Shawn, Sylvia, and Angela returned from dining out, it was to walk into the basement to see Mundo and two of his friends sitting around the table, munching down on the dinner Sylvia had left.

  All three had greasy mouths and fingers, and were talking loud and laughing.

  "Mundo? What are you doing?" Sylvia asked, stopping in the middle of the basement in front of her husband and Angela.

  "Eh, ma, we was, uh - hungry. Thought ya'll wasn't gone eat. ya'll eat yet?" He asked, with the three of them at the table frozen and looking unsure. Shawn sent Angela up to bed and approached the table, looking down at it. They had the hot sauce out, the ketchup, barbecue sauce, a bag of Doritos open, a Cheetos bag open, they'd eaten the carrots, and the asparagus that Shawn could have sworn Sylvia hadn't had the chance to cook. Pork chop bones were clean and stacking up. They'd eaten the stuffing out of all of them, and were crumbling potato chips and Doritos together to drop in the crevice of the chops, and adding ketchup.

  Shawn turned to Sylvia, "Baby, why don't you go on up to bed?"

  Sylvia was too tired, and not in the mood to deal with her son. She walked by them, shaking her head.

  "What? ya'll ain't eat yet?" Mundo asked.

  They heard the upstairs door to the basement close.

  Shawn leaned with his hands on the table, looking around at the evidence of them consuming from a serious case of the munchies - he wasn't stupid, this kind of munchies, was from getting high. Coming down from a good high, all you wanted to do was eat. Eat anything. Eat everything! In answer to Mundo's question, he smiled saying, "No - we're fine, we went out and ate." All three young men sighed in relief. Shawn turned to one of them, "What's your name, son?"

  "Me?"

  "Yeah, you."

  "Uh - well - m'boys call me 2Times, my girl call me 2quick, and my moms - m'moms call me 2bad!"

  They all burst out laughing, obviously still high, and when high, everything was funny.

  Shawn was trying to keep the look of a father and not laugh as well, he cleared his throat, took a seat and went on with the interview. "I see, how bought you tell me what all the two is about?"

  They were still laughing, when the other friend of Mundo's spoke up saying, "The two stand for his name, Terrace Terrace. He was named after his mama's daddy, whose name was Terrace, and his daddy's name was Daryl Terrace, which makes him-..."

  "Terrace Terrace..." Shawn supplied, grinning, he couldn't help himself.

  "You got it, papa-Shawn! Thus, we found it necessary to eliminate the need for his name, to propagate, not to call out, to duplicate what his mama named him, 'cause she thought it great, to show how much she appreciate ..."

  Shawn watched Mundo, who was clearly high as could be, patiently, his friends were trying to hold back laughter with little success, as they shifted side to side, snickering, spraying a bit of food as they all strove to eat, laugh, and talk at the same time. Eyes pink as could be, squinted close and hazy, as Mundo continued.

  "... for Terrace Terrace, we just wipe the slate, and now - we just call him - 2Times! Hii, hii, hii!" He snickered at the end.

  "That's me! Terrace Terrace, 2Times!" Terrace Terrace, was a long, tall black male, skinny as could be, with an afro far too large, trying to stand up under hair too long. It split down the middle, laying open, with evidence of it having been braided and taken loose because of all the small ridge track waves from braids. He had large lips flat against his face, very similar to Native American, and large straight white teeth. Big eyes, and the longest eye lashes Shawn had ever seen on a young man.

  "I see." Shawn looked from him, as he went back to attacking his pork chop. They found some coleslaw from somewhere, because 2Times scooped up a spoon of it, and stuffed it into the crevice of his chop where the potato chips and Doritos lay waiting to be eaten. From him, Shawn looked at the other friend.

  "And your name?" He asked him.

  "Everybody knows me as Japa-black!" He answered, grinning, his head bobbing up and down, winking at Shawn.

  "I see, and why is that?"

  "Can't you tell, man? What you see before you, is the non-duplicable, sweet sweet treat, all the women wants to eat." He bragged, biting into his food, talking with his mouth full. Shawn shook his head and laughed, "Oh, yeah, and tell me why is that?"

  "Shit, man, 'cause I'm fine! Ain't but one kinda close match to me, that be the Tiger! Tiger Woods! You know the Tiger, right?"

  "Sure I do - who doesn't know Tiger Woods."

  "There you go, closest thang there is to me - 'cept, according to the ladies, I'm finer - and sweeter!"

  "Let me guess, by the looks of you, and what you've come to be called, I take it one of your parents is Japanese?"

  "My moms! M'dad spent some time over there in Japan, said all the best women in the world, found right there. So he brought one back with'em!"

  "Your dad military?"

  "Yep. U.S. Air Force! Stationed at Kadena Air Base. My dad's Squadron Leader Corey Smith."

  Shawn nodded, "He still there?"

  "Nope, he right up from ya'll! Right there at Volk Field, he the deal at the Combat Readiness Training Center, or as it's called, CRTC."

  "Does he live in Camp Daniels, here?"

  "Yep, him and my moms."


  "Tru'dat, tru'dat!" 2Times mumbled, rockin' and bobbin' his head, too full, and ready to stretch out somewhere.

  "That's interesting, I'd like to meet him."

  "Nah, you don't! He trippin' right now over this war, and still talkin' bout 9-11! No matter what the conversation, it always lead back to that! He want me to join! Forget that!"

  "Still - I'd like to meet him. No matter what the talk centers around. And as for you three, party's over. It's late. The both of you are high!" Shawn pointed out, looking directly at Mundo, "And unfortunately, so are you."

  "Eh, Eh, Eh - I'm straight, papa-Shawn!"

  "No, you high, and we gone talk. Get this all cleaned up. How are you two going to get where you need to be? No driving."

  "Hey, we straight, we gone head right over to my pops! Walk three blocks up. Can we leave my ride here?"

  "What is your name, the name your parents gave you?" Shawn asked.

  Japa-black, grinned. "You sure you wanna know? Don't think you can pronounce it."

  "I'll give it a go." Shawn returned.

  "Okay, Tatsuya Jun Smith, it means - to accomplish and to be with swift speed."

  "Say it, man! Say it like yo' mama when she call you! Say it!" 2Times encouraged, rearing up to laugh.

  "Tat-SuYA - Jun - Smith!" Japa-black laughed, as 2Times and Mundo dissolved along with him into laughter, as he put the forceful impact into pronouncing his name.

  Shawn laughed as well, running his hand over his face, looking at the three, keeping his mouth covered. He tried not to, but it was impossible, as he kept trying to get his lips and tongue around saying it, he gave up before he started, and tried something else instead. "Your father black?"

  "Yes, sir." Tatsuya quickly stated, enjoying Shawn's discomfort and blushing face.

  "What does he call you?"

  "TJ - my dad calls me TJ."

  "May I? Please?"

  They all laughed at Shawn, as his expression said he didn't wish to tackle his real name too often.

  "Yes, sir, no probs - that's what everyone calls me."

  "You guys coming to the barbecue?"

  "If it's okay with you?" TJ asked.

  "It's okay with me, however, I don't want you high. I'm gonna put it right on the table. This is my wife's home. Mundo, your mother's. Your family, our house. As stupid as getting high is, I can't really stop either of you from it. But - it's illegal - and I won't tolerate it here. There better not be any trace of it in either of these homes - or your vehicle. Getting high, being high, not here. When you get home, it's to bed. No sitting up in here, tripping from it, you got me?" He directed this to Mundo.

  He nodded, looking down, his friends cleared their throats, feeling uncomfortable. "You guys going to school? Either of you?"

  "Yes, sir, I am." 2Times spoke up.

  "So am I." TJ answered.

  "For what?" He asked 2times to speak up first.

  "I'm a musician - or rather, a pianist. I go to University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, taking music and theatre arts. You know, learning about the boys of old, Elgar, Brahms, Mahler, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin's ass and my boy Mozart. I got a theory on them, man, they ass was high! Can't nobody tell me they wasn't - what was that shit in them lil' boxes they take a pinch and sniff of? Sit they ass down, and write all kinds of crazy shit! You know."

  Shawn was fighting back a grin again. "Do any concerts, yet?"

  "Got one comin' up - October 15th this year - ya'll gone come hear it? Man, we gone lay it out! Costumes and all, dancing, musical arrangements - it's gone be live!"

  Shawn smiled, "We would love to come. To be honest, I've never been into classical music, although I've been to a few concerts in Europe."

  "You been to Europe!? Where!?"

  "Spent some time in Paris, a while in Germany, England, Ireland."

  "Aaah, man! That's sweet! White people - ya'll ass be traveling somewhere - niggers just get to go to the sto'!"

  All three erupted into laughter again.

  Mundo started listing what for, "Bring back some butta' and Lawry's seasoning salt from the sto'! Don't forget the barbecue sauce from the sto'! While you at the sto', make sure you get some toilet paper! An' - an' some cherry, orange, and lemonade Kool-Aid, don't forget, now go'on to the sto'!" They were laughing so hard, TJ was jerking his seat.

  "Hey! Shhh - you guys, you want my wife coming back down those stairs? Mundo, you don't want your mother down here, do you?"

  "Ah, shit, man - ya'll chill - oop'so that shit! Don't want my moms back down here, man, she'll be trippin'!"

  Shawn glanced at TJ, "What about you, what are you going to school for?" He asked, as they were wiping the tears from their eyes.

  "I'm going to be a physician - a doctor. Medical school is a bitch! I'm tryin' to unwind now - cause when breaks over - it's back to the books and chemistry."

  "Wow... a doctor, in what field?" Shawn asked.

  "I ain't too sure yet, I got a while yet before I have to make up my mind."

  "GYNy! GYNy, man! That's where it's at!" Mundo suggested enthusiastically.

  Shawn's eyes rolled to him, so typical! THAT was the reason he questioned any male doctors that chose that field of the medical profession - especially when it came to his wife being one of their patients.

  "Well, whichever you choose, I wish you luck with it. For now, let's call it a night." Shawn stood from his chair, "Mundo - let's get this all cleaned up." Shawn instructed, grabbing the platter with the stacked bones. His friends rose, walking to the sink to wash their hands, snatching off paper towels to dry them.

  "Hey, man, it was nice meeting you." TJ stated, heading for the door.

  "Yeah, man - you straight." 2Times seconded that, following him out of the door.

  Mundo closed it behind them, locking it and turned back, all he wanted to do was go lay down, cleaning up was the last thing on his mind. "Eh, papa-Shawn, can't that wait til' morning, I'ah clean it up then."

  "Mundo - you'll clean it up now. You know how your mother is about this house and messes, let's go... get it done."

  "Man! Why you always got to be on my back and shit! That shit ain't goin' nowhere! Man, you need to know how to chill sometimes! Know what I'm sayin'? Give a brother a break sometimes - damn! What? You done bought my soul or something? Every time I turn around, you on my case and shit! That ain't nothin' but a lil' mess - it can wait." Mundo grumbled, standing not far from the door.

  Shawn stood stunned by his sudden burst of resentment. Yes, he knew that Mundo was high, but he hadn't thought he'd been that heavy on him. Truth be told, he was a bit hurt by it. He had thought they'd bonded in a way that they understood each other. However, what he'd failed to remember, was that Mundo was still at an age. Not quite 19, would soon be. To recover, Shawn looked down at the table, giving a slight nod of his head.

  "No problem. I'll clean it up. Go on across the road to bed." He grabbed the empty chip bags, balling them up and putting them in the garbage.

  Because of the mess Sylvia knew was left downstairs, she could not rest. She heard the others leave and needed to make sure the kitchen had been put to order. Coming down the basement stairs, she walked into a highly charged atmosphere. Mundo was standing and staring at Shawn, with a look on his face that upon seeing her, he tried to guard. Something was wrong. Shawn was quiet as well, the look on his face, as he avoided eye contact made her stomach tighten.

  "Why are you standing over there? Come clean up this mess from you and your friends! Why is Shawn doing it?"

  "Baby, go on back to bed, won't take me long to clean it up." Shawn was at the sink running dish water, scraping plates.

  "Wait, wait, wait... hang on a minute. Why are you cleaning it up?"

  "Mama, don't start trippin'! I said I would clean it up in the morning!"

  "In the morning? No! Tonight! You don't wanna clean a mess - then you don't make a mess! You know me! It's an easy formula to follow!"

  Mundo did an exasperated jerk, and charged
over to the table, mumbling under his breath, "Man, I'on need this shit."

  "What did you say?" Sylvia asked, with one hand on her hip. "You say you don't need this shit? What shit is that? Explain to me, exactly, what shit is it that you don't need?"

  "Ma - ma, just chill - I'm doin' it, okay? I'mo clean it up. Since I owe, I bes' - do the dishes."

  "Oh, here we go. Since you owe? What is that referring to?" Sylvia asked, leaning down into his face to ask.

  "Sylvia! Leave it - just leave it alone." Shawn walked up to her and took her arm, to lead her to the stairs.

  "Don't grab my arm... do not - grab my arm. What did he say to you? What did I walk in on?"

  Shawn took a deep breath, looking down at her. "It's nothing, just leave it alone, okay?"

  "Look, I can tell now, it's gone be a big thang - so I'm just gone skip on up outta here." Mundo tried to turn and make an exit.

  "Hang on - hang on - hang on! First of all - you not going anywhere. So stop your butt, right where you stand!" Sylvia called out, her tone made him skid to a halt. She turned to Shawn, her finger pointing. "This is one of these times, where you gone have to step back, and let me deal - with my child. You - go on upstairs, or in your office, wherever you wanna go, and let me handle this - I'm not asking you, please - leave this with me, please?" Sylvia stared up at her husband, watching him battle with her order. He was not happy, but because it concerned Mundo, her son, he had no choice in backing up. Turning, he entered his office, and closed the door.

  When Sylvia turned to her son, he was facing her. She pointed to the door. "Outside - now." She ordered and made her way to the door, passing him to it, unlocking it and opening it. Turning back, it was obvious she would follow him through it.

  Outside, by the garage, he stood against it, arms crossed over his chest, eyes focused on the stars as she got to the bottom of the problem.

  "All right, now what's going on? Tell me about this shit you don't need, and this owe of yours - which is your obvious motivation for doing the dishes. Cleaning up a mess - you made!"