BOMAW 7-9

by Mercedes Keyes

  "Okay okay, jeez - what's gotten a hold of you?" She asked popping the tab, immediately drinking down a third of the beer.

  "You gonna sit out here with me, then don't talk." He grouched.

  "Yes sir!" She saluted, watching dusk grow around them.

  Inside the house, they could hear the kids in a bit of a state because Marcus was going out. Luis wanted to go with him and Meribel firmly told him, "No way! You're not old enough." Of course more was being pleaded, yet, there was no sound coming out of Shawn2, he was quiet. No one was quite of aware of that yet, nor why.

  Reason Shawn2 could give a fig leaf about his brother Marcus is because, he was in the backyard, where he shouldn't be. Even worse, out the back fence, where he shouldn't be. Even worse than that, he was leaning over the corner of a neighbors back gate, looking into their yard, partially hidden by their garage, with his eyes on a particular girl.

  Ma'Keiba

  "Pssst pssst pssst." Shawn2 whispered three times to get her attention, she was going in and out of their garage. Taking in boxes, breaking them down.

  She finally heard him, stopped and looked around, seeing part of his head peeping from around her garage. She was so surprised by him being their, her mouth stood open a second and then she walked towards him.

  "What are you doing here? Yo'daddy catch you, he gone be popping you upside the head again." She taunted with a grin, talking low so no one would hear.

  "He ain' gone catch me. He on the front porch suckin' brew with my tia." He spoke low as well. "My names Shawn, or, Shawn2."

  "Shawn2? Why Shawn2?" She asked, looking back and forth to her house and then back to him.

  "I'm named after my tio Shawn."

  "Oh. Well what you want?"

  "Just to talk to you Ma'Keiba."

  "How you know my name?!" She snapped sassily, her hand going to her hip.

  "Heard your daddy calling you. Sounds like you got a slap upside your head too." He grinned, his eyes twinkling devilishly.

  "My daddy didn't slap me upside my head, for - your - information." She corrected him with her head working it.

  "Yeah, I bet. So, where is he? Your daddy?"

  "He at work."

  "Your moma?"

  "She in the house sleep, she work tonight. I'm gonna have to wake her up in another hour."

  "Where your little brothers?"

  "They in the basement, playing video games. Why you asking me all these questions?"

  "Just wanna know." He answered staring into her face, her eyes. "You're pretty."

  "I know." She answered right away, matter of fact.

  Shawn2 smiled.

  "You kind'a cute too for a white boy."

  Shawn2 stood then more into view for her to see him clearly, his intent was to set her straight, "Kind'a cute? Me?! I am fine, all the girls want me. After a while, you gonna want me too."

  "I beg your pardon! What would I want you for?"

  Shawn2 smiled, "Same thing they want me for."

  "I don't think so! I don't even like boys, sho' don't like no white boys."

  "Why don't you like white boys? What's wrong with us?"

  "Everything! Can't even dance!"

  "Ha! I can probably dance better than you. If I had some music on, I'd show you."

  "Yeah right, if it was on, what you gone do, the twist? That jumpin' up and down ya'll do, with your head going crazy!" She laughed at the picture of it.

  "No! I can do anything you can do, only thing, I'll do it better."

  "Please boy, I wouldn't even want you to embarrass yourself that way."

  "Yeah, you'll see. I'll show you one day. So what you doing here?"

  "I gotta bring all these boxes out the basement, tear'em down and stack so my daddy can get rid of'em tomorrow."

  "Why ain't yo' little brother's helping you?"

  "Because they get on my nerves and they get in my way."

  "Want me to help you?"

  "How you gone help me?"

  "I'll wait in your garage, you bring'em out and I'll start breakin'em down for you."

  "Ain't your mama and daddy gone be looking for you?"

  "They busy. My dads with my tia, my mother's busy with my brothers and my sister. If you hurry up, we can get a lot done before they notice that I'm gone." He offered. Then braced his hands on her fence and hefted himself over in one leap up. Of course to impress her. He could have used the gate, but then, she wouldn't have that look on her face she had right then after he did it. He made it look so easy. He also landed right in front of her. So she could see that he was taller than her.

  "How old are you? You're short."

  His bold move almost sucked the wind right out of Ma'Keiba, she recovered quickly. "How old are you, you skinny!" She retorted.

  "I won't be for long. I'm growing a lot. But I won't be skinny for long. Once I get tall, I'll fill out like my dad and my uncles. Like my big brother, DJ, he's got big muscles. He plays football, drafted into the Philadelphia Eagles, that's a national football team. My other brother, Marcus, he's really tall, he'll be playing basketball, he's 17. As for me, I'll be 14 this summer. You be a good girl and I'll invite you to my birthday party. Might even dance with you."

  "I don't wanna get invited to your birthday party, and I sho' don't wanna dance with you!"

  "You will, when the time comes. So how old are you?"

  "I'll be 12, August 1st!"

  "Are you serious? That's my birth-date! August 1st! Wow."

  "Stop lying!"

  "Its true, my birth-date is August 1st, no lie - cross my heart, hope to die."

  "So that means I can't come to your party and you can't come to mine."

  "Maybe we could have a double party. See if my mom will throw mine late, and you get your mom to throw yours early. That way I can come to yours and maybe, you can come to mine."

  "Ain't no way my mama and my daddy gonna let me come to no boys birthday party. No way. And they sho'ain't gone like you being at mine. My parents strict."

  "So are mine. If I'm gonna help you, you better get moving, I'll wait in the garage for you, break down what's in there, okay?"

  She smiled at him. She had pretty straight white teeth with a portion of her upper gums showing. "I'll hurry." She whispered and ran off through her back yard to the back door and stopped in it to turn back and look at him. She waved at him and disappeared into the dark doorway. Smiling with excitement, Shawn2 turned into their garage. There were boxes stacked up needing to be broken down. She was bringing them out and tossing them in and he supposed once she had them all in, she would break them down. With a sigh, he got started on them, wondering if he did this, would she give him a kiss? She was young though when he thought about it. She was only 11. Like his tio Jake, he figured older women were more his style, nothing to teach them, they already knew what to do. He grabbed a box and started breaking them down as fast as he could. Wondering if anyone at the house noticed him gone yet?

  At the house, Marcus was out of the shower, standing in the bathroom doing his hair. Luis stood asking him tons of questions about how he was going out drinking when he wasn't even 18 yet. Smiling, Marcus reached in his back pocket, pulled out his wallet and produced fake identification. He'd explained to his father and mother, he was going out with the other's to be their designated driver. So he wouldn't be drinking.

  "You lied to mom, you lied to dad. I got you big boy, you will be taking care of me to keep this secret!" Luis taunted him. Both of them thinking Shawn2 with their mom.

  "You won't talk, because if you do, you'll ruin all the fun to come that you'll need me in on! Remember, I have a drivers license and a car. You have neither." He winked at his younger brother and turned back to finishing touches. He had beard growth coming in now. "Think I should shave or leave it showing?"

  "Leave it, makes you look older." Luis advised. "Think you'll score tonight?"

  "I plan on it. I'll probably hit it twice before I get home."

  "You got your con
doms? You better start using those! Not like you gotta buy any, as many as tio Jake gave you for your birthday! You got no excuse."

  "Believe me, I've got plenty on me."

  In the basement, Meribel sat on the sofa helping Joseph with words while he was trying to read. She had Sasha sitting between her legs, braiding her hair into corn rows. They thought Shawn2 was upstairs with his brothers or in his room.

  On the front porch, Derrick and Kathy Ann were talking softly to each other, they of course, thought all were in the house, Shawn2 included.

  A half an hour went by, no one missed him. He'd helped Ma'Keiba break down quite a few boxes, getting a lot done. She had them all out of the house now together, they were flattened laying in a neat pile. She brought him out a can of soda, both stood taking a break drinking them.

  "Almost done." Shawn2 pointed out.

  "Yeah, thanks for helping me. It made it more fun."

  Shawn2 stood holding his soda can looking at her, "You ever kiss a boy before?"

  "You ever kiss a girl before?"

  "Lots of times." He bragged.

  "Yeah right, I don't believe you. How are you supposed to kiss then? Do you know?"

  "Sure I do, you're supposed to use your tongue. That's called French kissing."

  "That's nasty."

  "You're young. Too young to understand the functions of a man and woman. One day, when you grow up, you'll understand it."

  "How many girls you kiss?"

  "Like I said, lots."

  "Any of them black girls?"

  "Not yet, just white girls. I wonder if there is any difference? Hmmm?" He put it out there, taking it slow, letting her offer herself as a test.

  Ma'Keiba stood with her heart going crazy in her chest. She was so tempted to let him kiss her. She'd never kissed before and was curious. Especially with this white boy, Shawn2. She gulped, her eyes big, her pulse racing, she was about to open her mouth to say, okay when...

  "MA'KEIBA! Get in this house girl! Its dark out there! Close up that garage and bring your butt in the house!"

  Both jumped at the sound of her mother. She ran to the garage door. "OKAY MAMA! Just finishing these boxes."

  "Leave'em! You know better than to be out there at night, in the dark! Get in here!" He mother called from the back door.

  She looked back at Shawn2, "I gotta go and now. I'll turn the lights-..."

  "Turn it off, I know what to do! Get going! See you later Ma'Keiba!" He urged her out the door, clicking the lights off and letting her close the door. She ran off towards the house with her mind on Shawn2.

  He stood in the door of the garage, waiting, making sure the coast was clear. When it was, he snuck out of their garage, back over the fence, hot tailed it back to his own yard and into the house, straight into the downstairs bathroom grinning at his reflection in the mirror. Crowing over getting away with being at Ma'Keiba's and no one was the wiser.

  With index finger and thumb, he stroked his chin, singing to himself, "Bad boy bad boy, what'ya gonna do, what'ya gonna do when they come for you, bad boy bad boy..." He sang to himself, laughing and dancing in the bathroom, "...what you gonna do, what you gonna do - when they come for yo-o-ou."

  While Shawn2 had been earlier scoring a place at first base; on the front porch, Derrick sat after drinking six beers that had his mind, his heart and his hidden feelings floating to the surface. Kathy Ann was on her third, not saying much, lost in her thoughts when her brother turned to look at her and said,

  "You're all fucked up you know that?" He stated shaking his head and then looking back out at the street.

  "What?" Kathy Ann asked stunned by his abrupt and harsh statement.

  He turned back and looked at her, "That's right, I said it. You are. So is Shawn. So is Jake and so - am - I!"

  "You're drunk, I think you've had enough to drink Derrick."

  "Maybe, maybe so. Tell me something, why in the hell, did you leave your family? Huh? Treatin'em like people living in your house you couldn't get rid of. Why is that, huh?"

  "You wantin' me to leave or something Derrick? That it? If so, just say so, but don't start on me about my family, I don't need you to tell me what's wrong with me."

  "You don't think I know what's wrong with you do you? I know what your goddamn problem is, I grew up with you. Watched you. I know what your problem is." He nodded, feeling agitated by all that was going through his mind. The beers weren't helping matters.

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Derrick turned back to look at her again, shaking his head, "I don't think you want me to answer that. I don't think you do. No biggie, Shawn's just as messed up. He's probably the worst of us all, he just can't see it yet."

  "Who the hell designated you as the family psychiatrists? To judge either of us! Trying to be like dad, Derrick? Don't you start pitching stones, worry about your own problems right here. By the way, they are a'brewin'."

  "Don't you worry about what's going on here, you just stay out of it. Understand? I have it all under control."

  "Yeah, right you do. She called again you know, while you were gone with the kids. I answered the phone this time. That's real nice Derrick, got someone calling your house and you're not doing a damn thing about it."

  "The hell I'm not, I'm reporting her first thing Monday. She say anything when you answered?"

  "Yeah, the sound of my voice threw her, she asked who I was. I asked her who the hell are you, calling my brother's house. She hung up."

  "Meribel know?"

  "Of course! She was standing right there."

  Derrick let out a long exhausted sigh, wiping his hand over his face, shifting one leg up a step and the other down. "Your big brother, says we should move."

  "I have more than one big brother, which one are you talking about?" She asked.

  Derrick leaned towards her and whispered, "The special one, you know ... the one that caused you to screw up your whole, ga'damn family."

  Kathy Ann sucked in, hurt, humiliated, so stunned she couldn't speak.

  "Didn't think I knew? Yeah well I do." He leaned away from her. Six beers were over his limit considering he'd already drank two at the bar with Shawn. "Know all about it. Get you some fuckin' help." He shook his head, looking back at her, she had tears in her eyes. He stared at her, squinting, unsure of what he was seeing, "Aaah shit! I'm sorry Kathy Ann, I'm sorry. C'mere." He reached out for her. She shot up from the porch and stormed into the house, passing her nephews on the way out. Luis was escorting Marcus out to his car. Derrick looked up at him. He was dressed to the 9's and you could smell him coming seconds before he arrived.

  "Hey, I want you home at a decent hour. Mind yourself while you're out and no drinking, you're designated driver, right?"

  "Yep dad, gotcha'! Want me to help you inside, you look a little tilted there."

  "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Don't have me come down on you like a ton of bricks. Keep your phone on, and be back here by 2, no later."

  "Will do, see you later dad." Marcus leaned down and kissed his father's cheek, "Luis, stay out here with dad until he's ready to go in." He instructed, making his way to his car parked out front by the curb.

  "Marcus! I'm not shittin' you man! By 2, have your ass back home!" Derrick called out again, needing to go in the house and pee, wondering if he would wobble when he stood. He didn't need to be told that he was drunk, so considering that he was reluctant to stand.

  "No probs dad! See you later!" Marcus called to him, getting into his car, starting it up and pulling off.

  "Dad, let's get inside. I'll help you." Luis offered.

  * * *

  At the hotel, in Crystal's room that she shared with Angela, as little sisters do, she stood in the bathroom doorway watching Crystal get ready for their evening out. Her hair had been done back into the curls that looked so fetching on her. Not combed, just pulled and tugged apart in a full springy fashion that was stunning. She was doing her make-up, adding a bit of blush a
fter doing her eyes up. Then dusting her face to set her make up and last she did her lipstick.

  "You're so pretty Crystal. I wish we looked alike. I hope I'm so pretty when I grow up." Angela started wistfully, leaning as she was with eyes of adoration.

  "Girl are you kidding me? You're going to be, drop dead gorgeous one day. Look at you already. That hair, those eyes, that smile! In a few years papah-Shawn will be going nuts about boys sneaking around trying to get a glimpse at you." Crystal assured her.

  "Like, my dads gonna ever let me have a boyfriend." Angela pouted.

  Crystal laughed, "Poor baby, you right about that. I wouldn't worry about it though, you can believe me when I say you ain't missing nothing you need. More times than not, men are more trouble than they're worth."

  "That's what women always say, but you still want men." She informed Crystal with a rotation of her head that made Crystal crack up laughing.

  "True, true that! I guess they do make life interesting don't they? I mean, they have their place. Even so sweety-pie, there is no rush, hear me baby girl? You have all the time in the world to worry about boys. Right now, you're in the best possible place ever in your life. No worries, no stress, no pressures. Surrounded by a family who loves you and will love you to the end of time. I know I do. So, all you need is to love your life." Crystal moved to sit on the toilet pulling Angela to her by the hand. "You know what, there are so many times I wish I could go back to being a little girl again. With one difference, that your dad could have been my dad. You don't know how fortunate you are to have a father like Shawn. Enjoy and treasure every single day he gives you to be his little girl. It's something I - never had -..." Tears were coming to her eyes. "Girl you gonna make me mess up my make-up."

  "Here, let me..." Angela took a Kleenex and gently dabbed at Crystal's tears not to smudge her liner. Her own eyes were misty.