BOMAW 7-9

by Mercedes Keyes

  "Okay okay okay." Kevin returned.

  "Look - I am your father. I should have been a better father to you... I wasn't... because - fuck it - wanna know the truth, I wasn't because I wasn't interested in being anyone's father! I was - young - a goddamn idiot - so fuckin' caught up in ... fuck!"

  "Dad... its okay, I know... you don't have to tell me. We've got you all figured out."

  Jake was holding the phone to his ear, and holding his head, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees sniffing, fingers gripping the hair on-top of his head. "Whose got me all figured out?" He asked.

  "We, your sons ... Benjamin, Me, Paul. We talk about you all the time dad, and not bad stuff either. We're not blind you know. We can see. We know what's going on even though everyone thinks we don't. We know dad, that - well, grandpa didn't treat you all that well-..."

  "Hey! Let me tell you something right now, I don't need your fuckin' pity okay? Let's get that clear right here! Don't pity me! I am what I am, I did what I did. His ignoring me, should have made me determined not to ignore you three."

  "You didn't dad. When we called, you were always there. Remember? The stuff we talked about after the funeral?"

  "Yeah ... I remember."

  "We love you dad. Benjamin loves you! Paul loves you. Paul wants to start coming up there, but he's got no car. I told him I would bring him, so we could spend some time with you, that be okay?"

  "Yeah..." His son was going to make him cry again. "Look, I gotta go okay? Just ah, let me know - you know. Hey ah, let me ask you something, can you pick me up from the train station Sunday?"

  "Train station?"

  "Yeah, the one in Tomah."

  "Why are you on a train?"

  "I'm leaving my truck with Vivian. Someone attacked her before she came there to spend some time, I can't go back there and leave her here taking the fucking bus and L, too goddamn dangerous. I have access to plenty of vehicles once I'm home."

  "Yeah, I'll be there for you. Just call me and let me know what time your train is pulling in."

  "Thanks Kevin, son, I appreciate that." He pulled the phone from his ear, clicking it off.

  Vivian sighed.

  She couldn't believe what she'd heard.

  "Jake?" She called his name in question. He stood from the sofa, wiping his face, trying to calm down. He looked at her with red rimmed eyes, "What? The truck? It's the best I can come up with for now. This way, you can ride back and forth to work, give them, your friends a ride. I can't go back Sunday and leave you here with no transportation. I can't do that."

  She walked up to him, stunned, moved and in love with him, so much in love. "You sure?"

  "Give me credit for something Vivian, no man worth a fuck leaves his woman to walk while he's riding. If I lived here, worked here, I could give you a ride. I don't live here, work here, so I have no choice, I have to leave it with you."

  Two hours later, they were curled up and in bed, T.V. playing softly in the background.

  He'd made advances to make love to her again, she didn't stop him. The whole time they'd been making love, no condom. Vivian was pulled into several directions. She didn't want to be nagging him about it. He was gentle the second time around, very slow, very careful... because he didn't want her to say no to him. After the way he was all evening, she wouldn't have said no anyway. He was quiet, holding her now in the after glow. She had so much on her mind. This was so dangerous, she knew that. Not taking her pill and him not using a condom. She didn't think it could happen that fast, getting pregnant. After all, she'd taken them faithfully for years now. However, next time, she would have a condom ready for him.

  "What you thinking about?" He asked quietly, softly.

  "Oh, nothing."

  "Liar."

  "Okay, you still going with me by my parents?"

  He chuckled, "Ah god, I just had to ask."

  "You said you would Jake."

  "I know, you haven't even called them... have you?" He asked looking down at her.

  "I can call them now."

  "Its 10:30." He pointed out.

  "They're still up, its a Friday night, they won't be in bed until midnight maybe. I'll call them now." She alerted him, reaching over his naked body, covered only by the sheet to get the phone. Jake lay there, his hand stroking her long, lithe, dark back, stroking over and cupping her delicious rear. She wiggled a bit to shake his hand off, "You've had your fill today mister."

  "And you've definitely had yours." He teased back, grinning.

  Vivian shook her head, chuckled, a bit embarrassed for walking right into that one. She sat up, back on her side of the bed, pulling the sheet to her breasts. Jake reached for his cigarettes.

  "Baby, put your shorts on and smoke outside please? The back porch?"

  He turned, growled at her, set up and did as she told him.

  "'Ello?" Betty answered.

  "Mama, it's me, Vivian."

  "Hey girl, where have you been? I've been by your new place twice now, nobody home."

  "How did you know where I live?"

  "Candace told me. She said you had her helping get some things set up there. I came by, nobody there. Where've you been?"

  "I was in Wisconsin mama. Mama, I didn't tell Candace where I live. In fact, I've been avoiding telling her where I live, well - because..." Vivian sighed, "Mama, Candace is - well, she's strung out on something, I think crack. She kept calling my job asking where I lived, and I wouldn't tell her. Because to be honest, I don't trust her. I don't want her pestering me for money."

  "I see, well, she is your sister."

  "Mama, just because she's my sister doesn't mean that I want her here, bringing her friends along with her. I have very expensive stuff-..."

  "Oh here we go! Yo'stuff! Well she is your sister!"

  "Mama I do the best that I can for my sisters when they need me for something, but I'm not about to support a crack addiction, no way. And I'm not gonna be made to feel guilty about it either. She's the older sister, not I."

  "Well I'm not gonna get into no long discussion on the phone about Candace. What you doing in Wisconsin?"

  Again, Vivian sighed long and deep. "I went there because I needed to get away. When I left work the other week, came home, someone attacked me, well - snatched my purse."

  "What?! And you just now telling us this?"

  "I wouldn't have told you now, but - I don't know. Mama, after my purse was taken, suddenly Candace knows where I live, is that just a coincidence?"

  "Hang on here! You blamin' that on Candace? Your own sister?"

  "Mama, Candace is on drugs, crack cocaine! That habit requires money! Money that she asked me to lend her the day I was there and we all had dinner together. Then she called my job the next morning still trying to get me to give her money. Talkin' about needin' to catch up on her bills. Yeah right!"

  "That don't mean she took your purse."

  "No mama, it wasn't her, it was a man. With him bookin' it down the alley away from me, I could plainly see that it wasn't her."

  "So you think she had somebody snatch your purse for money? For crack?"

  "Yes, I do. And when Jake and I returned the-..."

  "Jake?" She cut her off asking. "Jake as in the man you were telling me about?"

  "Yes mama, that Jake."

  "Emmm hm, so you done started that up now huh?"

  "Yes, mama, we have. We're uh, engaged."

  "Engaged? That fast? Emmm hm, I see."

  "What's that supposed to mean mama?"

  "Nothin'. Go on, as you were saying?"

  Vivian was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to take him to meet her parents after all. "She came here the day we'd returned, asking me for money, you know how embarrassing that is? Jake gave her money and we had an argument about it."

  "Emmm hm, I just bet he did. What he give her money for? He don't know her."

  Vivian could hear it in her mother's tone already, she was set not to like him from the very start
. "We'd just gotten home-..."

  "Oh so he living there with you now huh? That's the real reason you didn't want us to have your address, so we couldn't just walk up and catch you there with that man. Hidin' something?"

  "Mama you know what, I did not call for all of this. I called because I wanted to know if I could bring him by for everyone to meet, tomorrow, if that is, you all have nothing planned. However, maybe its not a good idea."

  "Listen here girl, don't be coping no attitude with me. If you two engaged, you need to be bringing him by - the proper thing to do would have been to bring him so we could meet him first, then get engaged."

  "Yeah well, let's face it mama, we're not that kind of traditional family. We're already engaged, I just wanted him to meet my family and vice versa. I don't know now, because I don't wanna be bringing him there if you're set not to like him."

  "Did I say I didn't like him? I don't even know him. Other than he white, this is the white man we talking about right?"

  "Yes, he's white."

  "And you couldn't find yourself no black man before you jumped all in a hurry to get this white man?"

  "Mama, it's late. Is it a good idea for us to come by or not?"

  Jake had just come back into the house, she could hear him locking the back door, heard him at the sink running water, no doubt taking a drink. He clicked the lights out, went through checking the front door.

  "We gonna have to meet him sooner or later. We'll be here, I'll call your sisters in the morning, so they can come over."

  "Can you skip Candace?"

  "No I will not; besides, she staying here now. Lost her apartment, that's probably what she needed money for."

  "Maybe..." Vivian muttered as Jake entered the room, shucking his shorts back to the nude. Climbing in bed, back under the covers he grabbed the remote. "Your mom?" He asked low. Vivian nodded yes. Her mother heard.

  "Is that him I just heard?"

  "Yes."

  "Emph. So you living together now huh?"

  "No, not really. He has to be back at work next week, so he'll be going back to Wisconsin Sunday, the reason why I thought tomorrow would be good for us to come by."

  "Well, I'll let your sisters know, your dad. See you tomorrow."

  "Okay mama, tomorrow." She clicked the phone off and passed it to Jake. He took it and put it on the bedside table, on its charger.

  "What did she say?" He asked.

  "That they'll see us tomorrow. I'm not so sure I want to take you there, my mother has a bit of an attitude Jake."

  "I'm a big boy."

  "I know, but... my dad, he's - ohhh I don't know if we should."

  "We should, I can handle it."

  "Candace may be there as well, oh that girl!"

  "Em, she was uh, here today." He informed her.

  "Candace? My sister Candace?"

  "Yeah, before I drove to pick you up from work."

  "Asking for money again?"

  "Uhhh, yeah."

  "And you told her no, right?"

  "I most certainly did."

  Vivian shook her head, "You know what, I think the person that stole my purse was someone she knew."

  Jake looked up at her, the thought did not shock him, after what her sister offered today for a few dollars, he could see that she was capable of having someone snatch Vivian's purse if she thought they wouldn't hurt her. Which made him feel even more uncomfortable leaving her own her on. Perhaps, having her purse stolen was a small thing to Candace, but people had a tendency to go too far. To get out of control.

  "You know what - you need to start doing whatever it takes to get your ass relocated to Wisconsin, where our home will be." He stated in that tone she was beginning to get familiar with, his serious no bull tone, which usually led to them fighting. Vivian sunk into the bed a bit, staring at him.

  "Are you saying you've completely dropped the idea of school?"

  Jake glanced away from her to the TV, his eyes on it and not her for the moment. Silence grew between them until finally he patiently stated, "I don't have time for it sweetheart. I know that you want me to be the best that I can be and all of what that entails; but uh, I don't feel myself where you want me to go. That route is not for me, I have other plans."

  "Such as?" She asked, slightly wedged up against her headboard and pillow.

  Jake lay on his back, one hand beneath his head, the other flicking through channels. He knew she was waiting on an answer and chanced a glance up at her, grinning devilishly at the look in her eyes, the expression on her face.

  "Why are you grinning at me?"

  He chuckled shaking his head.

  "You are such a bossy goody two shoes. Everything has to be just so, exact, according to plan. I bet its hell having you for a boss or supervisor, poor Dean."

  "Ach! Excuse me!"

  Jake's chest rumbled with more laughter, he reached up and pulled her down the rest of the way, "It's okay, I don't mind you being the big boss at work, long as you know who it is when you get home." He had her pulled down to him, looking into her narrowed eyes.

  "And exactly, what, did all of that have to do with my question?"

  "You mean your question, "Such as?" Asked as if in charge? I get this feeling we should be at your job and me meekly entering your office to sit at your desk, this so I can explain why I chose to take route 67, instead of the route you chose for me to go, 63." He finished, their faces only a few inches apart.

  Vivian stared into his grinning, hazel/blue eyes to see that he obviously was determined not to take her seriously. In fact, his actions were clearly condescending. There she lay completely aware of the fact that she'd fallen for the ultimate male chauvinistic pig. The longer she stared at him, the broader his grin, the deeper his laughter, until the laughter came right from the gut, ticking her right off, she shoved at him and flipped over in the bed.

  "Whooo-eee! If looks could kill!" He went on, pulling up behind her to gather her back against him, saying to her profile, "You ain't so tough, you don't scare me. I'm not Dean - Stephanie and whoever else the hell jumps at your command, that dirty look. They may snap at your beck and call, but that power drops at our door baby, don't you forget it. Now, I said I have something else planned, and when I have a sure foot on it - I'll tell you what it is." He stated while they were in a bit of a arm wrestle; she was trying to throw his off of her, from holding her, which he found funny as well. "Face it, you're just a weak little woman, I'll move my arm when I'm damn ready, got it?"

  She settled down, turned her face to him, ignoring his reference to her gender weakness against his masculine powers and asked, "Why can't you tell me now?"

  He was smiling, "Because you want me to so bad you're eaten up with the need to know. When the time comes and I need to tell you, I will. Now - back to our previous discussion, I want you to get started on pulling out of Chicago."

  "Hmph! When we're married, I'll start to consider that." The, if looks could kill glare was back, pressed lips and a glint of, two can play that game in her eyes.

  Jake figured he better stop toying with her; he relaxed his arm around her, saying, "Sweety, under the circumstances with your sister the way she is and the things you have here, I'm worried about your safety, once I'm gone, you're here alone."

  "If you changed your mind about school, I wouldn't-..."

  "Ai ai ai ai ai - let's not go back over that again. In fact, I think you should consider sleeping at my place at night. You'll be safer there. I'll have keys made for you. You come home, check on things here, whatever that requires, lock it back up and head there for the night. You'll have the truck - so you've got no excuses. Ms Earthaleen is right up from you and Mrs Martin is upstairs, I believe her husband is even back to staying there now and then. That's where I want you."

  "So I'm supposed to just leave my home - all of my things - I don't think so! The minute people find out I'm not sleeping here, they'll be breaking in for sure."

  "Vivian, if someone wants to come
in here - based on the knowledge that you have something they want, can get money for, you think they give a shit about you being in here? What the hell are you gonna do if someone comes in while you're here?!"

  "You think its possible for you to respect me enough not to curse at me all the time?"

  "Ugggh! Don't try to change the subject! I'm sorry for cursing while talking to you, now answer my question."

  "I always lock up at night." Her point for argument was so weak, it came out just as weak.

  "Come again? With the height of your intelligence, I'd expect a more logical comeback than that."

  "Well what do you want me to say Jake?"

  "What the hell do you think?"

  "There you go again." She warned about his language.

  "Uggggh!" He growled in frustration, raking his hand through his hair, "Look, I'm leaving that truck with you. Get some things together - take them to my place, our place - where you'll be safer to stay the night -and-..." He bit his tongue on the verge of using another curse word, "...stop, always - arguing with me." He forced through clenched teeth. "That, is what I wanna hear from you, that you'll be doing that. Keep this up and I'm telling you now, you're wearing my patience; if you ask me, its all bull-... emph..." He grunted fighting back another curse word, "...you should be packing up all of this ...sh-stuff, and I should be taking your ass -sorry- behind back to Wisconsin with me!"

  "And stay where?" She asked tartly.

  "Vivian, all of this stuff can go into storage and you can stay with my folks, where you'd be safe until I get a home for us."

  "Sorry, I don't live with people. Its going to be adjustment enough, living with you."

  "I should slap you right on your ass, right on your naked ass!" He threatened.

  Vivian clenched her butt cheeks and took on an expression of humbleness. His hand could hurt like hell on her butt; she knew if he wanted to, he could. She didn't want a wrestling match where she would lose and her rump be raw because she couldn't control this urge to be difficult with him.