BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (57 page)

*

L. A... later that evening

"Chile o'mine, what done got you down now?" Mama JoJo asked with Shawn sitting next to her on the front porch. He was slumped, quiet, sipping a lemonade she'd gotten him.

"Tell me something Mama JoJo, why does life - have to be so hard? Why can't things just - be as they should be? Sometimes I think, I have control of everything, and then I find, I have no control at all."

"Chile, I been tryin't'figga that out for yeahs now. Still ain't come up wit' no answer that help none. Just gotta take thangs, one day at a time."

"Benjamin, you met him the other day?"

"Yeah, what 'bout'em."

"He's my son, the test came back and it's so."

"Chile I could see that the minute I see the boy, he yo'un. That what got you so upset?"

"Yes, in a way. I'm angry, because - I was cheated of him, I should have known about my son. I should have been given a chance to be his father."

"May be - but then, if that was so, there won't be yo'otha baby, Angela. You'dah never met Jesse, nor me, right?"

"No ma'am, I wouldn't have."

"Well then, you gots'ta take what today give you, an' don't be worr'n 'bout yesta'day, 'cause yesta'day gone, ain't nothin' in them days, you can do a thang wit', can you?"

"No ma'am, I can't."

"Leave it 'lone then chile, leave it alone. You got yo'self a pretty wife, fine young chillin's here, and more fine ones to come. Yo'plate full, quit tryin' t'put mo' on it."

Shawn was slouched, legs stretched out in front of him, with his head on the edge of the sofa back. He rolled it to look at Mama Jojo and smiled, reaching for her hand, he took it in his and held it. "You packin' yet?" He grinned asking.

"You betta'gon'on way from here talkin' that, I don' tol'ya, I ain't goin' no where."

"Em hm, I'm gone have you with me Mama JoJo. Why when you know I need you, you won't come with me?"

"Boy what'cha need Mama JoJo for?"

"This ... this right here."

"Lawd look at'chu. What I'mo do wit' you."

"Take care'o'me, like you always did."

"That's what you got a wife fo'."

"And I love her with all my heart, but I want you too."

"Well you can't have' e'ra'thang you want."

"How come Mama JoJo? All I want, is my family, all around me. You my family too. Now before, when you said no, I accepted it, because I wasn't settled, I was all over the place. But now - I'm settled Mama JoJo - now, I need you to come with me. Give up this place, give it to Corliss, because it's time now you come on be with me. I take care of you, you take care of me, that's the way Jesse would want it."

Mama JoJo sighed, "She ain' gone do nothin' but wreck this house, or lose it 'cause she don' pay no bills."

"That's her problem Mama JoJo, you gone be with me, where my family belongs, with me. Okay? Please Mama JoJo, please?"

"You really mean it don'cha?"

"Mama JoJo, all this time I've been asking you and you didn't think I meant it?"

"I'on like to be no burd'n on nobody."

"Mama JoJo, you belong with me. That's what Jesse would want, that's what I want, even my mother wants you there."

"How I'm supposed to get there?"

Shawn smiled, "You leave that to me Mama JoJo! The house is being built as we speak so you have a little time to decide what you're bringing, what you're leaving behind."

"Ohhh all right, I guess I do, kin'na get lonely round here sometime. I guess I can be there, help yo'Sylvia with the baby when he come."

"Yes ma'am, we would love that. Help us with lil'Jesse James." Shawn's face was aglow with pleasure. "You have made my day Mama JoJo, now get yourself dressed and pack you a little bag, I wanna take you home with me. We're gonna have a little barbecue over the weekend, I want you to be there."

"Lawd here we goes, yo'ain' gone be draggin' me all ova' the place na' - I ain' even got nothing to wear."

"That's okay, wear whatever you can find. I'll get Sylvia to take you shopping."

"I'on need no shoppin'!" She fussed coming to her feet to shuffle into her house to get ready.

"Now Mama JoJo, you know how stubborn I can be - get ready! I'm calling home now to let her know."

While he waited, he phoned Sylvia.

"Shawn?"

"I love you!" He said before anything else.

"You feeling better now?"

"Yes I am, I'm bringing Mama JoJo home with me, that okay?"

"Now you know better than to ask me that. The boys were wondering when you were coming home, because you've been gone so long - they headed out to where they were going, calling a taxi, they left over an hour ago." She informed him.

"Where?"

"Some dj concert, competition show thing Mundo wanted to see, he said he asked you about it and that it was okay with you."

"I wanted to take them and then pick them up."

"Well, they're gone now, the two of them together, they should be fine."

"Yeah, I guess, I just don't feel comfortable with them out there alone, they don't really know California."

"Shawn, Mundo is eighteen years old, Benjamin is twenty-two - what was I supposed to say to them?"

"I know, I know - look, don't worry - I'll be home soon, I love you honey."

"I love you too baby, see you when you get home."

*

"Man, what the fuck, what a let down! I can't believe this shit! I was looking forward to this too! How the hell they gone cancel it at the last damn minute!" Mundo complained.

"As you and I know, shit happens!"

"I know, but why the shit always got to happen to us? That's what I wanna know."

"You ever find out, impart some understanding my way." Ben replied walking along side Mundo, hands in his pockets, had they known the event was cancelled they could have made other plans.

"Now what?" Mundo grumbled.

"I don't know, to be honest with you, I don't care for going right back to the condo." Ben admitted.

"For real, me either. I know why I don't wanna go back, but why don't you?" Mundo asked concerned about him.

Ben shook his head, he didn't know what to say, wasn't quite sure what he was feeling.

"Man, don't let that get to you okay? I'm sure he dealing with some issues too."

"The man found out that I was his son, that I am, without a doubt, his flesh and blood son - how could he leave and say nothing to me at all?"

"You know what Ben, that's some heavy shit to learn after all these years man. Shawn and I have spent a lot of time together, talking about everything. One thing I do know, is that he has always wanted a family to call his own. So much so, that taking on my sister and me, for him, was just a walk in the park. But you, that's a whole different situation. Part of him I think wanted it, but there's another part of him that didn't because Shawn don't take being your father lightly, like, 'Oh yeah? No biggie, cool - welcome to the family!' know what I'm saying? To him, its serious business. To be honest with you, I don't think he really believed that you were, because we've talked about it, and what threw him, was Shawn2. He kept thinking, you were just another, Shawn2 - so when the buzz kicked up, saying you might be his - the gravity of it didn't bring it down, bring it home until - bam - this morning, is was a sho'nuff fact! That opened up this whole other door to him of all the what ifs, and what should have been and shit!"

"I suppose, I don't know, I just thought - it would be different when he found out."

"You feel any different from before, now that you know, he's your father for sure?"

Ben thought about it and then shook his head, "No, I don't... because you know what, I always had this feeling that he was. Then he came home with his wife, with Angela and all I wanted him to do, was look at me, see me and know right away, that I was his son. But he never did, he just seemed to - look through me."

"Can't look through you now can he?"

"No, I suppose he can't."

"So ah, that makes us like - brother's and shit huh?" Mundo smiled and nudged him.

Ben chuckled, nudging him back, "Yeah, me big brother, you - little brother."

"Okay, okay, okay - and uh, so what does that make Crystal to you?"

Ben glanced at him, then away, "I've gotten to know her pretty well you know, and I care about her, I care about her a lot. And those boys, they are incredible!"

"Yeah, you definitely right about that."

"Right now, she needs me to be her friend, and if I can't be anything else, being that is the next best thing. But uh, I can tell you now, I'll never see her as my sister, not ever."

"Well, be careful - we got a good thing going on as a family, let's keep that good thing."

"Hey, I'm all for it - sounds like a plan." They slapped a high five, "Now, what do we do with the rest of our evening?"

"You know what, we could go shoot some pool."

"Shoot some pool? Where?"

"King Louie? Where dad took us?"

"It's kind'ah late Mundo, I don't know if we wanna be there at this time of the evening."

"Man chill, we just gone go, shoot some pool, have a little fun away from the crib - couple of hours, then head home. We was gone be at that dj slam a couple of hours anyway, what's the difference?"

"I just don't think Shawn wants us there, especially without him."

"Oh, what, we babies now? Man come on, we just gone shoot a few games, then go home."

"Just a couple of hours right? Then home?"

"Yep, straight up."

"All right, now, lets see if we can get a cab there."

*

"Look at him Mama JoJo, he been pacing like that for the last hour, worrying about them boys."

"I see'im, lawd, that chile was somethin' else when he was that Benjamin's age, he worr'n 'cause he know what they can get into." She returned sitting out on the patio with Sylvia and Crystal. Darren sitting on his mother's lap, asking her every few minutes, "Where Ben'amin at mama?" For her to answer, "He went out for a while baby." for him to ask next, "Where Mun'no at mama?" for her to patiently answer, "He went out with Benjamin baby, they'll be back later." For Isaac to join in asking, "But when they gonna get back, they been gone forever mama." for her to answer him, saying, "They've only been gone for a few hours."

Isaac sighed exasperated, "They been gone fo'ever and ever mama."

Because they were asking so much, over and over, Crystal decided she better take them in, give them their baths ready for bed. "Come on you two, time for your baths, tell Mama JoJo and your grandmama goodnight."

Both boys did so, kissing Mama JoJo and Sylvia for Crystal to take them in readying them for bed.

"Them babies sweet as they can be."

"I know, but they can get into some stuff too, believe me."

"Chile, when it come t'boys, that don' never change, big as eva' they stil be gettin' into stuff."

Shawn walked outside, nervous, edgy, tense, "Sylvia - what time did they say they would be home?"

"They did say they would be late, that they would catch a cab back."

"You would think the least that they could do is ring us and let us know they're all right." He blazed irritated.

"Shawn call them if you're that worried, I'm sure they're all right."

"I'll give'em thirty more minutes, if-..." The phone rang cutting him off.

"See, that's probably them now." Sylvia answered the phone that sat on the table next to her.

"Hello?"

"Hey um, this here King Louie, a friend of Shawn's, you his wife?"

"Hi, yes, yes I am."

"Well, it's nice to hear your voice, look ah, Shawn there?"

"Yes he is, it's nice to finally hear your voice as well, here he is."

Shawn took the phone, walking away from Sylvia and Mama JoJo, "This is Shawn."

"Hey man, it's King Louie - look, you might wanna get down here."

"Why? What's going on?"

"I been gone most of the day, at the hospital seein' 'bout my sister. I come back here tonight and find your boys here, shootin' pool. And uh, I'm telling you now, the dudes they shootin' wit', they ain't regulars here, I'on know'em, I'on trust'em."

"You know how long they've been there?"

"Eddie say they been here for a couple hours playin' - they okay now, but ah, I just wanted you to know they here."

"Thank you so much for letting me know, I'm on my way there."

"See you in a bit."

Shawn hung up looking at Sylvia. "I'm gonna kill'em! I'm gonna kill'em both!"

"What? What's wrong Shawn?"

"You know where they are? At the pool hall! King Louie's at this time of night! Been there for a couple of hours! He told me he was going to a dj set! I'm gonna kill'em!" He announced passing her the phone back, he bent and kissed her forehead and then Mama JoJo's, "I'll be back with them in a bit ladies." Wasting no time, he left.

Meanwhile at the pool hall...

Benjamin stood trying to figure out how he was going to get himself and Mundo out of there safely. He knew they were being hustled, and Mundo had to know as well. Benjamin wanted to kick himself for letting Mundo lead him into this. But he was on a high, having a good time, joking around, being funny, getting some laughs and at first it had all been in good fun. A lot of the men they first played with, were nice, they had seen him and asked did he know of a man they all called Moby-Dick, they laughed, and Ben admitted, "Yeah, he's my father." Those in the group laughed, slapped a high five saying things like, "Didn't I tell you, I knew it, boy look just like'em!" and went on to tell them stories about Shawn in his younger days and the crazy things he did along with Jesse by his side. Yes, they were enjoying themselves, however, enter the beer. Mundo got to drinking and he had a few beers as well - and next thing he knew, two new faces emerged in the crowd to play a few sets of pool. Mundo was good, as for Ben, he was just okay. It appeared, that the two guys, weren't quite as good. But Mundo was having a good time and the next thing he knew, a wager was offered. There was a sign on the wall in the pool hall, [ No Betting, No Wagering, No Gambling ] - yet Mundo went on and put up twenty-five dollars to play the other two guys.