The End of the Rainbow (8 page)

However, deep down inside Vanessa wants grandchildren and has been in continual prayer about the situation. She knows in her heart of hearts that those things that she has prayed for will come to pass but it is a topic that she doesn’t discuss with Khalil. She is open to converse with him about Tyrin and she loves them both dearly but her full acceptance of it all will never be there. God has promised her some things in regards to her children and she is holding fast to those promises.

As she looks at her son lying on the floor, she knows that the manifestation of her prayer is right around the corner. However, what she doesn’t know is how it will all come to pass.

*****

Venice Beach, the tourist haven, is infamous for it’s off beat entertainment, muscle men, and blacktop basketball. On this particular Sunday, one of L.A’s hottest radio stations in Los Angeles is holding a “Jammin on the Blacktop” basketball tournament which has drawn a nice sized crowd to the courts for free giveaways and a chance to meet the on-air personalities that fill the airwaves.

Tyrin and Craig were amongst the many male competitors that were enjoying the ocean breeze and urban flavor that enveloped the atmosphere. Most of the brothers that were in attendance had the mentality that had it not been for bad grades in school they would have been the next Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson, thus causing them to be the most trash talking men you will ever listen to while watching a game of basketball.

After the games the two of them left the court and began to mingle with a few of the fellas that they knew from around the way, in the process of them joking and clowning with each other a group of fine young ladies made their way into the inner circle that the men occupied. The women tried their best to flirt and feel their way through the men to see which one would bite and after seconds of flaunting the goods that made them true black women all but Tyrin were embraced in conversation with one of them.

These were the times when he felt left out but played it cool. He stood off in the cut and waited for his cousin to finish setting up his booty call for the evening. Craig peeped him standing solo and opted to exchange numbers with the female instead of wasting time with idle chatter. He already knew she was down to let him fuck and saw no need in making her believe he wanted more than that. The two of them bid each other farewell and the two cousins began to walk along the Venice shopping strip to the SUV.

“Man did you see her tits?” he exclaimed as he puffed on his Black and Mild cigar.

“Yep.”

“And that ass, oh my God, that bitch was like a field full of donkeys.”

“What?” Tyrin asked, confused by the analogy.

“Ass for days, motherfucking ass for days. That’s it, I’m fucking her. It may not be tonight, but rest assured she will be getting fucked by me in the very near future.” He said with confidence.

“Do you have to be so crass?”“Please, if your ass wasn’t so fucked up in the head on that dick shit, you would be saying the same things I’m saying, probably worse.”

“I doubt that highly.”

“Don’t you miss pussy?” Craig questioned.

“I don’t really think about it.” Tyrin answered.

“I mean pussy is like money, you can never have enough of it. Peep this; I got a question for you. Halle Berry, Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton, Lela Rochon, and sexy ass Nia Long, all walk into a room butt ass naked and say you can have us any way you want us, from the bottom up. Do you mean to tell me that you would turn all that sexiness down? I mean you can’t really be that gay.” Tyrin let out a chuckle and continued to walk, refusing to give energy to the outlandish question by his cousin. “Fool you hear me talking to you.”

“First of all, the chance of that happening is never, so why waste time on the thought. Second, I’m in a committed relationship, so I would have to tell the ladies to come back when I am single.” He joked.

“You bullshitting, your ass still like pussy, I can tell, I see it in your eyes. All wet, pink, and juicy; just waiting for a brother like you to run up in it. Khalil know you still like pussy? Want me to tell him for you?” He asked trying to sound sincere.

“I love my man and no woman can come between us. I don’t care how fine she is.” He confirmed.

“Yeah, but another man can. I ain’t forgotten that shit.” He chuckled as he took another puff of his cigar.

Tyrin’s face grew tight with anger. He wished that Craig would leave that moment in the past, but as with most things you try to forget there is always someone there to remind you of your mistakes. “I aint never saw nobody fucking like you and ole boy. You were ramming the hell out of his ass on your desk. Matter of fact that was the only time I ever saw two dudes go at it. That shit was crazy as hell.” Craig began to laugh at the thought of it all, “The funny shit was your face when I walked in on your ass.” He continued.

“Shut up Craig.” Tyrin said, trying to keep his temper under control.

“But the part that really tripped me out was how ole boy acted like he didn’t even care that I was in the room. That little motherfucker looked at me like he wanted me to join the fuck in. See that’s that ole freaky deek-deeky type shit, you a freak like that with Khalil?”

“I said shut the fuck up and I mean that shit.” Tyrin felt himself growing tense enough to swing on his cousin but he knew that it would only cause more problems and fuel the fire in an uneasy situation.

“And on top of everything, it was Koya’s cousin. That’s why you let him intern for us isn’t it, because dude had no artistic talent whatsoever. You wanted to see how the booty worked didn’t you?” Tyrin balled his hands into a fist and gritted his teeth as he stared at Craig, who at this time was in full hysterics. People make mistakes and that was a big one that he wished had never happened. Temptation is a bitch and once you fall into it the consequences almost always seem to haunt you for life. However, Tyrin was determined to put this behind him and move forward, even if it meant beating the hell out of his own flesh and blood.

“Come on you can tell me, is Khalil a freak like that? Ya’ll be doing that Adina Howard type shit?” His laughter beginning to calm down to a mild chuckle once he noticed that he had struck a serious nerve with Tyrin.“On the real though, you need to stop acting like you all perfect and shit. So you fuck around, what brother doesn’t? As long as you know where to lay your head at night, I say so the fuck what.”

“I asked you to never repeat that situation again. You are about five seconds from getting left the fuck here. It happened once, it was a mistake, it has never happened again. I love Khalil, I will always love him and only him. I am trying my best to stay calm because your stupid ass doesn’t know when to shut the fuck up, but I swear, if you say one more thing about this I will…”“You will what? You ain’t gone do shit. And if you want to get down and dirty with me over some shit you did in the past, that doesn’t even concern me might I add, then bring it the fuck on.” Craig confrontationally walked up on Tyrin and continued, “Bitch I ain’t gonna tell nobody about your little extracurricular activities. If you can’t joke about the shit with me, who else can you fucking talk to about it? You sure as hell can’t talk to Koya about how you dicked-down her little cousin, she would flip the fuck out. You fucked another brother while you were with Khalil. I get it, you’re sorry and it will never happen again.” Craig backed up and changed his tone because he knew if Tyrin were going to do something it would have already happened.

“Anyway, that shit happened over a year ago. On the real though, I know you all sprung and shit, but what I am saying to you is that the shit was funny. I saw my cousin plunging his dick into another brother, just like you used to catch me with all them hoes I had outside of Denise. I loved her ass too, but the truth of the matter is that my dick got hard and I got weak. I didn’t stop loving her but I had to release some tension. The same way you used to joke and call me a Ho is the same way I am joking with you. Now if you want to still get your scrap on with me then we can do the shit right here, but when it is all said and done I will still be your motherfucking cousin and I will still be at work tomorrow morning.” Craig took one final drag off his cigar and dropped it to the ground. “And as far as all that leaving me shit is concerned, I will flatten the tires on that expensive ass Range Rover and we will both be some cab hailing motherfuckers.”

Tyrin looked around before making eye contact with his cousin that he knew was right. He hated the fact that he did what he did but more than that he didn’t like the feeling of being considered a cheater. He brushed past Craig and continued walking through the crowd of tourists that were enjoying the performance artists that were living in their five minutes of fame moment. Craig ran and caught up with him and asked if they could stop at Fatburgers on the way home to get a bite to eat.

SEVEN

Black gay pride weekend was in full effect and the annual beach party was off to a great start. Tyrin, Khalil, and Spencer arrived at the Malibu location in just enough time to secure a parking spot in the upper lot where the main entrance was; versus having to park at the base of the hill and catch a shuttle bus to the secluded location.

It was a densely overcast morning, but even at 8am, there was a nice crowd of people already claiming the best spots to settle. Location was everything, because everyone wanted to have a good view of the crowd, as well as the activities of the day. Normally, some celebrity fag-hag would grace the stage and give a performance that would build up enough momentum to encourage those that were undecided, to actually attend the after party.

They found their spot near the cliffs; teaming up with a few other friends they hadn’t seen in months. They immediately began to set up tents, chairs, lay out blankets and create the little village they would call theirs until the sun was about to set. Being that it was so cold, almost everyone was sporting a sweat suit of some kind, but rest assured that by the time the sun was directly overhead, there would be a drastic change in attire and the true essence of the festival would be present.

“Did any of you go to the club last night?” Spencer asked the group.

“Naw, I had to finish closing out a case that has a Monday deadline, and if I wanted to be here today I had to work some serious overtime.” Brian replied.

“What is this case about, Matlock?” Dennis inquired.

“This white kid decided to beat up his girlfriend and then trash her car. Her dad has money so they’re able to afford proper legal representation, which means bad news for the white boy. He is facing some serious criminal charges; he actually broke her nose and jaw.”

“Damn! Yeah, she was white, because a sister would have broken his neck in return. Fuck court she would have handled the shit on her own.” Tyrin said with laughter.

“Well, I went last night and the shit was jam packed. I got there close to midnight and brothers were lined down the street and around the corner waiting to get in.” Marcus answered.

“You’re lying. They still do it like that?” Khalil questioned.

“Please, it ain’t changed. I mean, I went because I wanted to get my groove on and just simply get out of the house; but once I got there I was instantly over it. It was ridiculous. I was tempted to start shooting my gun in the air just to get motherfuckers to scatter, so I could get to the front of the line.” He continued.

“You’re better than me because I would have done just that. The party would have been a wrap.” Spencer said, as he broke out into laughter.

“And that is why Marcus is the cop and you’re not! You’re so damn hostile.” Khalil said with a comical smirk.

“Marcus, you got your gun on you, because I’m finna shoot this bitch.”

“Where is Kerrion?” Dennis asked.

“He should be here shortly. If I’m not mistaken I think he went out last night. I know that he has a new friend, so I’m not sure if they made it to the club or not.” Khalil said.

“What the hell? Who the fuck would date his self centered ass?” Marcus asked.

“Uhmm, you at one point in time. Don’t cut Kerrion down because he wouldn’t give you a piece of the pie.” Dennis said in defense of their friend.

“Whatever. I’m just saying that whoever it is had better be ready for some drama.”

“Shut up Marcus. Anyway, continue with the story” Dennis said with a wave of his hand.

“Some brother he met in Frisco.” Spencer answered.

“Frisco! What kind of trade did he bring home from the bay?” Brian asked.

“They met in the mall at a record store. They hung out all night last Saturday and then the dude asked if he could come and stay with him this weekend for the festival.” Spencer answered.

“See that’s how the shit always starts. A brother asks if he can crash at your house for the weekend, then he never takes his ass home. Why didn’t you stop that shit Spencer?” Eric asked.

“Wait a damn minute! Now first of all he is a grown ass man. If he wants to invite somebody home then he has every right to do so. I don’t pay his rent and he for damn sure doesn’t pay my mortgage.” Spencer said in his own defense.

“I hear you Spencer. Little brother Kerry has seen the shit that we have all been through and if he wants to go through it then that’s on him.” Dennis added.

“But if we are supposed to be his friends then we have an obligation to let him know if he is setting himself up for a letdown.” Eric responded, amazed at how his friends were being so nonchalant about the situation.

“Y’all are acting like he has let the guy move in and shit. Slow down before you start playing Dear Abby; because all of you know that when your noses were open you didn’t want to hear the shit your friends had to say.” Brian said as he stared at Eric.

“You’re right. But I know I don’t want none of ya’ll to go through the shit I’ve been through. The piece of me that the last brother didn’t kill, the virus is working on. This medication ain’t no fucking joke and if I would’ve listened to my friends, I would still have my health.” Eric said as he took a drag from his Newport.

“Bitch you’re healthier than me and I ain’t got the virus, so shut the fuck up.” Brian said trying to lighten the conversation.

“And you need to put down that damn cigarette. You may not die from AIDS, but you’re damn sure in the running for lung cancer. Now I can’t do the AIDS Walk
and
the Cancer Walk, so you need to mash out that damn Newport.” Spencer said with no remorse.

“Don’t worry, he and the new guy are coming to our house after the beach to kick it and get dressed for the after party. Rest assured that I will check him out and make sure he is on the up and up.” Khalil said.

“Whatever the case may be, if the shit starts to go the wrong way I’ll put my two cents in. Kerry is my boy and I will beat a fool’s ass if he tries to fuck over him.” Spencer confirmed.

“That’s what I’m talking about.” Eric said, taking another drag of his cigarette.

Tyrin and Khalil lay posted up on the blanket in their own little world. This environment was what they needed to break up the weight of the recent news that came into their lives. Khalil had the opportunity to meet Darion and even though he knew it was an inevitable event, he was still uncomfortable about the situation.

The three of them sat in the doctor’s office as she explained what was needed from Tyrin in order to help Caleb survive. Tyrin gave a blood sample to test his compatibility, and Khalil and Darion actually had a very nice conversation about his visit to Los Angeles. He shared that he wished his entire family were with him to take in the sights. The talk allowed Khalil to discover that he was a sincere man who wasn’t doing this to vindicate his sister’s death; but was merely fighting to keep his only nephew alive.

Khalil had entertained the thought of letting him stay with them at their house but it was short-lived. He saw no need in allowing this complete stranger into their home. For all he knew this whole scenario could still be a set up, so until the results of the blood tests come back he is better off at the hotel.

Tyrin has also been more cheerful than he’s been in a long time. The thought of having a son has really opened a bright spot in him that hasn’t been seen in quite awhile. The worries he had about losing his life partner behind this situation have subsided, and he is highly anticipating the fact of actually having a complete family; something that was taken from him when his parents and brother died. He wasn’t looking forward to the surgery because he didn’t like the idea of being cut on, but the thought of saving his son’s life was quickly making him more accepting of the process.

The two of them giggled under the umbrella and fed each other grapes and cherries out of the basket they packed the night before. They were oblivious to the others in their company and was enjoying their moment of togetherness.

“Uhmm, hello? Do the two of you want to take part in this conversation, or do ya’ll plan on being hugged up all damn day?” Dennis asked.

“Ya’ll two are getting on my damn nerves,” Marcus added. Tyrin and Khalil looked at the rest of their entourage and tried to understand why there was so much hostility towards their affection.

“Who the fuck do y’all think you are, J-Lo and Puffy?” Dennis asked.

“Whitney and Bobby?” Marcus added.

“Rick and Vanessa?” Brian said.

“Janet and… what’s that Mexican motherfucker’s name?” Eric asked.

“Rene you dumb bitch. And he ain’t Mexican he’s Puerto Rican.” Spencer replied.

“Yeah Rene… Shit.” Eric continued throwing his hands in the air

“For your information we are like Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee,” Tyrin said.

“Classy, ageless, and destined to endure the test if time.” Khalil added.

Khalil leaned back into Tyrins chest, and as Tyrin placed his chin on top of Khalils head the two of them made the perfect picture; beautiful, black and filled with love.

“Fuck y’all, I’m about to open this bottle of Remy, who wants some.” Dennis asked as he headed into the tent to get a round of drinks for the crew.It was now twelve thirty and as the sun began to force its way through the clouds, the occupants of the Malibu shore began to come out of their clothes like a banana taking off its peel. Khalil stood up and observes the competition. Coming to the conclusion that there isn’t any, he slowly removes his sweat-top; revealing a six-pack, beautifully sculpted chest, and chiseled arms. He sits back down in front of Tyrin and passes him the bottle of Coppertone. Tyrin knows exactly what his baby is doing and is more than happy to make sure he is protected from the sun’s rays.

As Tyrins’ strong hands rub the lotion into his body, all of those within eyesight try to sneak a peek. Khalil’s gorgeous tone garners a few head nods by admirers trying to see how faithful he is to the man rubbing his body. Once his layer of protection is applied, he stands, takes the band off his ponytail, and allows his hair to flow freely in the breeze. After he removed his pants and revealed the painted on Dolce & Gabbana trunks -that shaped his ass to perfection- he was satisfied at the new standard he had set.

Tyrin cracked a smile at how his baby enticed the men on the beach with his effortless beauty. He was secure and knew Khalil was his. Watching the onlookers try to hide their stares, made him grow cockier by the minute. However, he couldn’t let Khalil have all the fun, so he decided to really give the beach a show.

He up stood next to his man on the warm sand and gracefully removed the articles of clothing that were imprisoning his body. He stopped the sun in his Gucci trunks, and lends an ear to the whispers of the surrounding neighbors telling each other to take a look. As he sits down between the legs of Khalil, who was prepping to grease his body like a muffin pan, he confidently knew that they had just shown everyone watching how it was supposed to be done.

“Look at my brothers. Beautiful bitches ain’t they?” Spencer says with pride, lifting his glass into the air to toast the comment.

“I must agree. Y’all are two bad looking motherfuckers.” Dennis chimed in.Andre sat in the passenger seat admiring the California coastline leading to Zuma Beach. The night before was an eye opening experience for him, and today was part two of what was sure to be even more educational. However, he was pleased to be in Kerrion’s company and felt that they were really hitting it off.

“This is a nice drive.” he said while continuing to look out the window.

”Yeah it’s cool.” Kerrion responded as he tried to focus on the road amidst a mild hangover.

“Last night was cool, too. I was amazed at how many people you knew. You’re a little celebrity aren’t you?” he said with a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t say all that. But, I guess from what you saw last night you could easily draw that conclusion. I do know one thing for sure; I need a fucking B.C. powder because this headache is getting on my nerves. ” He said with as he adjusted his sunglasses.

“You want me to drive?”

“Excuse me. I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted me to drive.” Andre repeated.

“Uhmmm, this is a BMW.”

“Yeah, and in my wallet is a driver’s license, which means I am certified to drive all cars, even a BMW.” Andre was a little insulted by the comment but kept his cool.

As the road to the beach continued to curve and wind, Kerrion couldn’t help but notice the other vehicles headed in the same direction. There were cars with rainbow stickers, occupied by persons who were joyfully passing cups of their favorite alcoholic drink. Young queens driving top of the line rentals and wearing outfits that were both acquired with fraudulent checking accounts or credit cards. Kerrion smiled in remembrance of the days when he used to be in that crowd. He thanked God for Khalil, who watched him climb to the top of the ladder in that phase of his life; when he crashed and burned, Khalil helped him get back on his feet again. He gave a head nod to the crew in the Audi next to them as they pressed passed his leisurely driving BMW.

“I really appreciate you letting me stay with you this weekend. I always heard about and wanted to come to L.A. Black Gay Pride weekend; but the fellas I hang with don’t know about my sexuality, so I just keep a low profile.” Andre said.

“What do you mean they don’t know about your sexuality? Are all of your homies straight?” Kerrion inquired with a raised eyebrow of concern.

“Yep. 100%. I want to be like you and just be free, but I guess I am scared of the rejection.”

“How can you say that you are scared of the rejection when you stepped to me at the record store? Most brothers that are in the closet don’t usually make the first move, especially when it’s in the general public.”

“I guess it was something about you that sparked my interest and removed a lot of my fears. The way you stood there in those jeans looking all sexy and shit just made me finally say ‘fuck it’; and now here I am with you on this beautiful drive along the coast.” He said while gently massaging his hand across Kerrion’s.