BOMAW 7-9

by Mercedes Keyes

Walking up to them, Crystal had a towel each, draped over Darren and Isaac; they were both shivering. Crystal was wrapping hers around herself, Angela was doing the same, when without thought, Mundo reached for Darren; Benjamin reached for Isaac. Both young men were still grinning and murmuring low as they dried each little boy off. Both of them rubbing them down, warming them up and looking for their clothing.

  "I'm hungry Benamin." Isaac informed him as he was being stripped down naked by Ben, who removed his soaked swimming trunks, looking into the same bag Mundo was fishing in for a diaper for an equally naked Darren. Mundo pulled out a diaper, Benjamin pulled out a pair of little boys underwear, nice and dry.

  "Here turn around, step into these, we'll be eating when we get back to the room." He informed Isaac, who stood within the circle of his arms, carefully guiding one foot at a time into the holes of his underwear that Benjamin held open.

  "You guys lotion them down so they not all dry and ashy." Crystal instructed, observing Benjamin. She was accustomed to Mundo taking care of them, but this was rather surprising, seeing Benjamin jump in so naturally to see to Isaac. He handled him and the situation as if it were an everyday thing for him. Mundo grabbed the lotion, used to the routine, squirting plenty into his palm and then passing it to Benjamin.

  "You want me to rub lotion all over him? Why?"

  "So his skin is not dry and ashy." She informed him.

  "Huh?" He questioned.

  "It's a black thing, trust me man, just lotion him down." Mundo informed him.

  "Hey, I'm cool - whatever you say, you're in charge. Leg up young man." He ordered, Isaac followed also accustomed to being rubbed down with lotion.

  "Don't you put lotion on your body so it doesn't feel all dry and scaly?" She asked him, tying her swimming drape around her waist. She'd asked the same of Victor, eventually making him lotion down, even though ash didn't always show up on white skin as it did on black skin.

  "In the summer I may do sun-guard, or sun-tan lotion, but otherwise, not really." He answered, pre-occupied with dressing Isaac.

  "Man, black people and lotion, that's automatic! You can't be our color and be dry and ashy, black folks will talk about you. They love to catch somebody with ashy ankles..." Mundo started laughing, "... ah man I'm tellin' you, you will get put down and shamed so bad you best not sho' yo' face for days."

  "So you lotion down too?" He asked Mundo.

  "Hell yeah man! Tryin' t'step up to a sista' t'talk to'ha and yo'butt ashy!? It is just not done! See yo' white butt can get away with that-..."

  "Not really, I'm not that white if you hadn't noticed. This is not a summer tan by the way, I'm this color all year around." He informed them.

  "You get ashy?" Crystal asked right out.

  Benjamin thought about it a bit and started laughing, "I suppose I do now that I think about it. Its never been a big deal, no one has ever said anything to me about it."

  "Well I'm telling you now, ashy is not cool! Put some lotion on yourself, if no where else but on your elbows, knees and ankles. Let me see your elbows..." She grabbed his arm and turned it around. Benjamin looked at Mundo laughing at her boldness.

  "She's like that and that's the way she is..." He sang to him, laughing as well.

  "Yep, dry and ashy, get some lotion on them elbows!" She ordered as if the mother hen, in charge of all. "Angela you putting lotion on?"

  "Yes Crystal, I'm puttin' lotion on." She answered back, starting to sound just a tad bit black from being around them all day.

  "I haven't seen you rub any lotion on." Benjamin observed.

  "That's because I'm taking a shower when we get back to the room. I have to get this chlorine off of my skin and out of my hair."

  "Will you be fixing your hair back to the way it was earlier? That was really pretty, I like your hair that way."

  Mundo made a face and then looked at Angela; with a toss of his head, he gestured towards Benjamin as if to say, 'What's up wit' dude here?' She covered her mouth and giggled.

  "Thank you. Yes I will, I'll get my mother to curl it for me."

  "Great, because the look is definitely for you."

  "Em hm, and so what were you two up here talking about while we were in the water? All that laughing and carrying on?"

  "Mind yo'bidness - that's what. Man things, man's discussion. Stuff you two ain't got no bidness thinkin' 'bout, let alone hearing. That's why when ya'll was in the water, we was talkin' having a good time, now you here, we ain't got nothing left to say."

  "Whatever, due to your ages, lack of depth in your intellect, there is only so much the capacities of your minds can hold anyway. Sex, music or basketball. Knowing you Mundo, you making plans to hit a club tonight. Now am I right?"

  Benjamin laughed and looked at Mundo, "She's pretty close." He turned back to Crystal, "However, echm echem ... I'm not too sure about that lack of intellect business."

  Crystal was standing, gathering their towels, the bags; Angela was doing the same, when she looked down at Benjamin and said, "Remind me later to pick up a dictionary, I will try my hardest to help you understand, to define, lack of intellect and business ... remind me later, okay?" *tsk tsk* She grinned, winked at the same time making two chipmunk chat sounds sucking in at the back of her teeth and strode off towards the door. "Come along children! Mummie must feed you now, it's time to eat."

  Mundo was cracking up at the look on his face.

  "She is - a trip!" Benjamin announced with a fat grin, he stood, taking Isaac's hand; Mundo was laughing and holding Darren who was showing signs of dropping off to sleep on his shoulder; he too stood following his sisters lead. "Better get used to it dawg, if you gone be chillin' wit' us."

  Later on that evening, Derrick arrived. Along with his five, Marcus, Luis, Shawn2, Sasha and the youngest, Joseph. Everyone had eaten, so Angela, Mundo and Ben were back at the pool with their cousins for a little swimming pool basketball. Sylvia and Crystal were in their room, with Sylvia re-curling her hair while the boys took a late nap that they all would regret later.

  Derrick and Shawn were across the road, at Chili's bar and grill, having a few beers. Shawn drinking Old Style, Derrick was having Millers. They sat at the bar, the restaurant wasn't too busy so it was a good time to be there.

  "How is it that Benjamin's here with you?" Derrick had asked soon as they settled in. He had been surprised to see him there with Shawn.

  "He's taking the trip with us to L.A. Did you know, that he might be my son, not Jakes?" He returned, laying his money on the bar for his beers along with Derricks.

  Derrick took a few swallows of his beer before he answered. Shawn watched him, Derrick drinking meant something was heavy on him. He sat the glass down, "Yeah, I pretty much suspected. So she's told him, Benjamin, or she's told you?"

  "Neither. Benjamin's been pursuing it. He asked me to test with him, DNA. We'll know soon enough for sure. How come you never mentioned it to me, never brought him to my attention?"

  "You were living in California, Jake was already taking care of it. Besides, he shouldn't have been messing with her. If he hadn't been, we'd all have known who his father was, wouldn't we?"

  "Either way, can't argue with DNA, when the test comes back I'll know. He's a good kid, young man I should say. Good head on his shoulders, working freelance, still taking classes, he'll go far."

  "The fact that he may be your son, how does that make you feel?" Derrick asked.

  Shawn took a long swig of his beer, setting it down, "I try not to think about it too much. I have a lot going on right now, the house going up, Sylvia being pregnant, trying to get our businesses in place and established. Keeping up with Pen-tab publishing, my plates full. The door is open for him, and uh ... I'm just gonna deal with things one day at a time as they come at me. If he's my son, well then - that's that. We'll just have to take it from there." He finished, glancing at his brother. "What's going on with you?"

  Derrick drew in a deep breath and expelled it.

  "
Right now, the wrong things."

  "What kind of wrong things?"

  "I have a fellow teacher, pursuing me and not accepting that I'm not interested."

  Shawn harrumphed shaking his head. "Good luck with that one brother."

  "She's calling the house, has had words with Meribel when she was out shopping yesterday. Meribel is ..." He sighed again, "She's not happy. She's making threats, talking about doing things to her, Kathy Ann being there is not helping matters."

  "What do you mean, Kathy Ann being there?"

  "She's staying with me a while, so she says. She's got problems, but then what else is new there. Dwight's left her and taken their son with him out of state to live somewhere, I forget where. I told her, she could care less. She's all messed up man, but then, who of us aren't?"

  Shawn turned his body around to face him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

  "What do you think it means? All of us, we have issues, things that are wrong with us. All except for Shanna maybe, being the baby, she missed getting screwed up. Yet, she went and married that asshole. Hopefully she'll be done with him once the divorce is final."

  "I wouldn't worry about him." Shawn murmured low taking another sip from his beer.

  "Yeah well you haven't met him, I have. I'm just glad that she's left him and for good, now we just have to hope he'll leave her alone."

  Shawn had an instant flash go through his mind, standing behind "him", one hand to his cranial, one to his chin, {{Snap}}

  "As I said, wouldn't worry about him. She's with me now, she'll be safe."

  "You're the last person that he needs to encounter. If he shows up there and starts any trouble with her, she should take out a restraining order right away."

  Shawn chuckled, "Yeah... sure." He returned drinking more of his beer.

  "Anyway, that's not a problem right now, how do I deal with this woman Shawn?"

  "Be firm and let her know, this is not a game. When it comes to your family, you do not play. There should be no doubt in her mind that you mean business. There are some sick women out there that don't, won't - accept no for an answer."

  "My gut feeling is telling me that she's one of them. I'm reporting her to the school board Monday."

  "Good idea, however, take this into consideration, if she loses her job and she's already alone, that may set her up to feeling she has nothing more to lose. If that's the case, it's only going to make matters worse."

  "Dammit to hell! What the hell am I supposed to do then?"

  "Move."

  "Move? That's your answer."

  "I had to do it. Sick fuck wouldn't leave me the hell alone. It was time to come home anyway. Best move I ever made, it got me Sylvia. All I've ever wanted in my life, I now have. So it worked for me. Move. You're an educated man, with ample skills, you can find work anywhere. There's a big lot of land next to me, I'm buying it as soon as we get back. I'm not telling Sylvia, she'll have a fit, but I don't want anyone but family and friends that close to us. If I were you, I'd give it serious thought, running may be your only option."

  "No offense brother but I don't think living that close to you or dad is a good idea for me."

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  Derrick shook his head, both of them were on their second beer, feeling a bit loose with their tongue because they weren't steady drinkers. Neither of them did it daily so it didn't take much before they felt the effects.

  "Answer me, what is that supposed to mean?" Shawn asked again.

  "What do you think it means Shawn? What do you think?"

  "How about you help me out so I'm not drawing the wrong conclusions."

  "Look Shawn, I have my way of handling things with my family, you have your way. I sure hope you've changed that's all, from the way you used to be."

  Shawn stared at him a moment and then looked away.

  "Shawn, you uh ... ever get help? You ever talk to anyone?"

  "About what!?" He snapped in almost a growl, growing slowly defensive.

  "Come on Shawn, you know what I'm getting at. I did, I had to. I never thought that I had a time bomb ticking in me. And if I do, then you sure as hell do."

  "That's you, okay my brother? That's you. There's nothing fuckin' wrong with me. Okay? I'm a simple man. Easiest man in the world to get along with. I have, only one request that I ask of all..." He lifted his hands in a gesture of giving up, as if to be searched, inspected, "... do not, fuck - with my family. See? Simple. Simple - as - that. So what's wrong with that?" He dropped his hands back to the bar looking his brother in the eyes, picked up his beer glass, draining it. He sat it down and looked back at Derrick.

  "You tellin' me you'd let someone fuck with your family? With your wife? You'd let someone hurt her?"

  "Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!"

  "Then what the fuck makes you so much better than me!? Huh? I see, you'd run to the law huh? Beg them to please protect my Puerto Rican wife, like they give a fuck about her? You're a goddamn teacher, granted; physical ed, a coach, but a teacher still the same. You're supposed to know what the hell is going on. You think the law gives a damn about her-..."

  "Quit making it racial Shawn! That beer is going to your head. The law is the same no matter who its dealing with."

  Shawn started laughing, loud and long. He shook his head and signaled that he wanted another beer.

  "Ahhh hell, I guess, if you say so. If that's what you believe, be my guest. So uh, you don't like me huh?"

  "Did I say that?! Did you hear me say any such thing!? You're my brother, I love you. You know that. Nobody knows more about what you've gone through than I?"

  "Shet the fuck up! I don't wanna hear this! Okay? I am my father's son! Bartholomew Jacob McPherson, my father, was right about everything he ever said. About the hidden ugly shit that happens in this world. Vietnam opened his eyes. He did what he had to do, to make us what we are, so we could be the men we are today! I had to run from him, run from it all, to see that he was right-..."

  "He did things to you that were wrong Shawn." Derrick reasoned softly.

  Shawn got right up into his face, angry, tears in his eyes, "No he didn't! No he didn't! I was the oldest and the only way to make me what I needed to be, was to do the things he did. My father taught me well. Don't you dare fuckin' speak against my father, understand!? He taught me right! Don't you dare speak disloyally against him!" He moved away from Derrick, gripping the bar, breathing hard, furious. Angry tears were in his eyes, he reached up and swiped at them quickly with the heals of his hands.

  They were quiet.

  "Shawn, one of these days ... one day ... you're going to have to face ... the truth Shawn. If you haven't gotten help-..."

  "Didn't I tell you, I don't wanna hear this." He growled through clenched teeth.

  Derrick carried on as if he hadn't spoken, "...- you need to get it. If nothing else, you need to talk it out of your system." He could see that his brother was fighting every word that he said. He was in the deepest pit of denial. He simply would not see it. "Shawn let me ask you one more thing, if dad's way was the right way and Sylvia has your little boy, you gonna raise him the same way? As our father raised you?"

  Shawn turned and headed back to the hotel, leaving him there at the bar alone.

  Derrick sighed, finished his beer and left not far behind Shawn.

  Back at the hotel, Derrick returned to the pool area to hear that Marcus wanted to go out with Mundo, Benjamin and Crystal. He agreed to let him but he had to drive them all back home first. Marcus would pick them all up and Crystal would be the designated driver that night. It didn't escape anyone's noticed that the brothers who left together, came back separately. Angela and Sylvia would be taking care of the boys for Crystal to let her go out and have a nice time.

  Her husband, returned to their room, laid in bed on his back, covered his eyes with his forearm, blocked everyone else out and fell asleep there. Or at least looked to be asleep. Before Derrick left, he cautioned Sylvia
, "Don't mess with him tonight okay? I've pissed him off."

  "Why, what happened?" She asked.

  "If I could I would, but I dare not talk to you about it. He's pissed at me enough. Just leave him okay, I don't want him blowing up at you. Not that he would ever hurt you, I know that he wouldn't, still - he's a tad bit raw right now, just leave him be tonight, okay?"

  "I guess I have no choice. I hate when people drink, I don't like drinking, I sure don't like him doing it. Makes people act a fool."

  "I'm sorry, I guess this is my fault." Derrick apologized.

  "That is not what I'm saying. He is a grown man, you have no control over him. No one - has control over him. Don't worry, we'll be fine. You okay?" She asked him.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about this Sylvia."

  "Stop apologizing Derrick, he'll be fine. Tell Meribel I said hello."

  "Will do."

  Earlier Chicago...

  "What time did they say they was gonna get here mama?" Ella asked. She'd made sure to get there early enough to chit-chat with her mother about this man Vivian was bringing for them all to meet.

  "I imagine they on the way. They get here when they get here." She answered.

  "She say they engaged huh? Getting married?" Lacy added, early as well. None of them wanted to miss this. "Wonder what he looks like?"

  "Big'o'tall white man! I seen'im already. Got blonde hair, grey like eyes, or blue, somethin' like that. He ah'ight." Candace contributed.

  "Yeah, what was you doing over there in his face? Tell me again, how is it you know where Vivian live?" Betty, their mother asked, her hand going to her hip.

  "I tol' you once mama, man. Why you keep on askin' me the same o'stuff. I see how you gone be, if this how the day goin' - I'm just gone skip on up out'ah here. I'll check wit'cha'll later." She made her way to the door, the back door, as if she feared going out the front. She didn't wish to encounter Vivian and Jake.

  "Mama, you do know that Candace is on crack right? It's not like its something we can continue to ignore? Let's face it, she's on her way to being a danger to us once it reaches the level it has with her. Please tell me we're not sucking on the bottle of denial here?" Lacy spoke up. Being the oldest, she always could talk to her mother and communicate on a level that no one else in the family could. Betty had nothing but respect for her oldest daughter, even if she was a single mother. It was due to no fault of hers, her son's father was killed on a flight on business.