BOMAW 12-14

by Mercedes Keyes

  "Close the door and move to the back of the vehicle." he instructed next.

  "Why?! Just give me my ticket." Mundo pressed.

  "Move to the rear of the vehicle, now!"

  "Man, you trippin' dawg, this is nonsense, ain't no time for this." Mundo, walked to the back of the blazer shaking his head.

  "Who are the little boys in your vehicle?" The officer questioned next.

  "My nephews - in fact, we need to wrap this up, I'm taking them home."

  "Where's that? Their home?"

  "With my parents, Camp Daniels." he answered again, the fact that he didn't appreciate being cross examined came out in his tone.

  "Your parents, huh? How is it you're their uncle?"

  "By the usual process, mother-nature and all that, you know the birds and the bees don't you? My sister's kids."

  "Don't get smart, just answer my questions. Your sister, huh? Step-sister?!"

  "No! My real sister, their real mother! What that got to do with anything?"

  "And you have them, why?"

  "I'm their uncle, why not?"

  "Yeah, you're their uncle, and I'm P'diddy's twin brother." The white officer replied with his own sarcasm.

  "Hey, whatever you say - may be. You gon' give me my ticket or what?"

  "Against the blazer, spread'em." He ordered.

  "Why? For what reason? I accept that I was speeding a little bit; I'm thinking the standard procedure is to then issue me a ticket; can you give me my ticket please, so I can go."

  "I said - turn around, put your hands on the blazer, spread'em."

  "Man, you can't just roll-up and search me without probable cause, what you searchin' me for?"

  The officer went for his handcuffs, "Okay, that's it - you're under arrest, you have a right to remain silent-..."

  "WHAT? Man, you best get the heck out'ah here! You gone arrest me because I wanna know why you wanna search me?"

  "TURN AROUND, PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK - NOW!!!" The officer shouted in his face, grabbing him to spin him, his cuffs were out to use them.

  "Man! I got my nephews with me! Forget that! Hell no! What the hell? What you trippin' off'ah man, what you trippin' off'ah?!" Mundo snatched his hands away, growing angry by the minute.

  "DOWN ON THE GROUND! PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOU HEAD, GET DOWN ON THE GROUND - NOOOOW - RIGHT NOOOOW!!!"

  "WHY? I ain't do nothin' man! What the hell-..."

  The officer removed his taser clicking it on for it to start ticking, at the same time he called for backup.

  "Man! This harassment! This harassment, I'ain'even done shit! I got babies in the car man, chill out - just give me my ticket!"

  "You have to the count of three, to get down on the ground, 1 - ..."

  "I can't believe this shit! For speeding a little over the limit?!"

  He hit him with the taser, never mentioned the numbers 2 or 3.

  The boys heard Mundo shout out, yelling and crying in agony, falling to the ground, his body jerking as the painful voltage wreaked havoc with his nervous system. Hearing him in distress frightened Isaac and Darren; within the blazer, they started screaming, desperately trying to turn around and see what was happening to him; having been strapped securely in their car seats, there was no way - and their screaming and crying for him increased.

  "PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEAD, NOW - RIGHT NOW, OR I'LL TASE YOU AGAIN! DO - IT - NOOOW!" The officer stood over him, wielding the taser with the threat of hitting him with it again, while Mundo struggled with jerky coordination, tears coursing down his cheeks, his muscles practically paralyzed as they spasmed from the voltages needled into him from the sharp barbs. He could barely speak, his jaw clenched tightly as he struggled to force his arms, his hands to his head, fearing getting hit once more with the taser. He spied from the side of his eyes, two more cruisers joining the first. The original officer roughly grabbing his wrist, hand-cuffing him. Other officers joined the first, asking him what was going on. He pointed to the back of Mundo's blazer, the equipment inside, expensive dj equipment, and the two little boys in the back seat screaming at the top of their lungs.

  "He was behaving suspiciously, in a hurry for me to write him a ticket - afraid for me to search the vehicle, I haven't done it yet, was too busy wrestling with him." He stood back, breathing deep as if he'd been in a big fight.

  Mundo was hauled to his feet, and practically dragged to one of the cruisers, shoving him inside while they took the keys to the blazer, opening the back of it, looking over the equipment, inside of everything; "Any bets it's all stolen." One joked, "No doubt about it," from another one. While his things were gone through, another officer, a woman, opened the back seat door, looking in on the boys, trying to calm them down. "Looks like I'll be taking them, he say where they came from?"

  "Tried to tell me, they were his nephews - yeah right!"

  "It's possible you know, the younger one, has a mixed look about him."

  "Regardless, we're taking him in, for speeding, resisting arrest, suspicion of illegal substances, possession of stolen goods."

  Mundo sat in the back seat of the cruiser, scared for his nephews, scared for himself. He could hear them screaming, which made him even more upset, tears rolling down his face, helpless as he was, hand-cuffed, because he was going 70 instead of 65. And that, unintentionally. It was easy for his speed to creep up in the blazer, because of it being so well tuned, riding so well, going from 65 to 70 was nothing. He turned around in his seat, watching the officer struggle with both boys, the female was trying to hold onto Darren, who was bucking, afraid of her, they were all strangers; one of the male's had Isaac, who was kicking, screaming, his eyes desperately searching for Mundo - and seeing that, broke Mundo down to sobbing, and soon that, turned to anger and resentment. A hundred, bitter, angry epithets rolled through his mind, while they, all white officers, laughed and joked around him ignoring the stress they brought to the kids. While doing their part to break him down, make him feel like shit, worthless, some trifling nigger they could do to whatever they pleased.

  Soon one of the officers got in the cruiser, starting it up. "So tell me, we gonna have an easy time, or a hard time, getting you to tell us where you stole that equipment from? If that's not enough, you got two kids in there with you, speeding up and down the highway - who do they belong to?"

  "You know what man - fuck you - okay? Fuck you! Just get me where we going, so I can make my one phone call! That's all I got to say."

  The officer gave him a dirty look, checked his mirror and pulled off into traffic on their way to the station.

  * * *

  Everyone was at Jake's and Vivian's, helping on the house. Sylvia had arrived telling Vivian what was going on, the moment Crystal's name was mentioned, Ben had been all ears. He'd gotten part of the story from Jake, that Victor had been hurt at work; was in the hospital. And now, from Sylvia, that Crystal had been there all night and morning; badly needing some rest, she was back at the house, sleeping - before she returned to the hospital. Ben had eased away from the family, was outside, then around the back of the house, and suddenly took off across the field that was part of Jake's property, sprinting and running, clearing barbed wire border fencing, spooking a few cows on someone else's property - moving fast through it until he reached a small dirt road, turned onto it, ran a distance more and cleared another fence that would land him onto Sylvia's property. He kept going, flying by the workers, finally into the garage, out the back, down the stairs into the basement, he paused to take a breath while in the house. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he mounted the stairs, came into the main part of the house and walking quietly, made his way to the boys room. Ever so gently, he turned the knob to peer inside, and sure enough, there she was. Sleeping on her side, facing the door. Even his body, responded to her presence, as if wilting a bit. He quietly dropped to the floor and crawled to the bed, settling in there next to her - watching her, touching her soft fingers, her hand which hung over the side.

>   His heart hurt from wanting her. He closed his eyes, hated what he was about to do, but rose and crawled into the bed behind her, drawing close, he put his arm around her, just wanting to be next to her for a moment - he'd needed to satisfy the longing sensation.

  Something in her, while sleeping must have felt his presence, she snuggled back against him and to his shock, she murmured softly, "I love you, Ben." So softly, he kept playing it over in his head to be sure of what he'd heard. He gave a wan smile, wishing so much that things could be different, and next his brow furrowed, worried by the fact that she was obviously fast asleep, yet - she'd said his name. What if she'd been home, with him, Victor - and done that? Sighing, resigned, he gently caressed her brow, her baby fine hairline, and carefully kissed her ear, her neck, inhaling the scent of her. Lying there, he realized how ridiculous his actions, but he hadn't been able to help himself.

  "I love you, too - more than you'll ever know." He whispered softly, "But - I have to stop this nonsense - you're never going to come to me, not as long as you're fighting your father, his constant condemnation playing in your head. Now that he's hurt, how could you walk away? I know you, I know you won't." He kissed her once more, and rose from the bed, easing to his feet not to shake it and wake her. He stood clear of it, exhaling deeply, "Oh God, help me with this one, help me walk away." Backing from the room, he left it, closing the door gently behind him. Walking back outside, he encountered Shawn pulling up in Crystal's car, parking it, he cut the engine getting out, grabbing two CD's.

  "Hey." Shawn called to him.

  "Hey," Ben called back.

  "How long you been here?" He asked.

  "Not long, just - came to check on Crystal, see if she's okay. She's sleeping."

  "I see," Shawn's eyes, ever observant, noticed his down mood, "You okay?"

  Not in the mood to fake it, he was honest, "No - I'm not. I have to grapple with the fact, that she's never going to leave him and come to me - hell, or come home for that matter, especially now, he'll guilt trip her to death to keep her, and it'll work. Crystal - well - she's obsessed with - doing the right thing - and I'm - well - I'm not the right thing, am I? I'm the schmuck who arrived too late to try and take her away; the story always ends the same for guys like me."

  Shawn didn't know what to say to him, after all, he had his own demon to battle - chances were - that Sylvia was not his wife; in fact, still, Armundo's - which - made him, the other man. Difference between him and Ben, he wasn't about to walk away, step aside, no way - this was his family - period. No lowlife dick, out to screw everyone, hiding-out among the dead, was going to come back and wreck all that he'd established.

  "Sylvia or Jake, tell you what's going on?" Shawn asked.

  "Both, well I overheard her."

  "Well, if it's any consolation to you, I don't like it anymore than you do." He confided, not that it was a big secret; changing the subject Shawn asked, "Sylvia still by Jake's?"

  "Yeah."

  "Don't see your car, how'd you get here?"

  "I walked, ran - whatever..." He was feeling too morose for being exact.

  "How about we walk back together?" Shawn asked.

  "Fine by me, since I'm heading that way."

  "Just have to put these in the studio for safe keeping," He informed Ben, heading across the road to enter the studio, a moment later, he came back out, locking it up and they fell in step beside one another, glancing towards the construction work that was still going on despite it being a Saturday - Deidre wanted everything done asap, which meant Saturdays and Sundays.

  "A lot is getting done here." Ben commented.

  "Yes it is, can't wait for them to get started on the house, the main structure up anyway, right now, it's all underground work and the panic room."

  "We've got a lot done on dad's house." Ben murmured.

  Shawn glanced at him, had to correct his own thinking, of course, his son, would be calling Jake dad, since all this time, he'd been that, but now that all had been brought to the light, and sunk deep, Shawn had to stop himself from correcting him, reminding him, that Jake - was not his father - his dad... he was. He would keep it to himself, but it grated on his nerves, put him back to resenting Christine for cutting him out of his son's life, who should be addressing him, and only him as, "Dad"; and to think, she had the audacity to think he could just forgive that; to keep his mood intact, he commented, "Glad to hear it, I just returned from a club where he played, lucky for him, the owner records everything going on in there for insurance reasons. Getting copies of last nights performances, cost me a hundred fifty dollars."

  "Whoa, for those two discs?"

  "You got it, little Korean woman, owns the place, shrewd as hell, does not miss a beat." He grinned, it was the way of the world, he couldn't blame her.

  "I ah, have a favor to ask of you."

  "Shoot."

  "Not sure when, no definite date in mind, but ah - I'm thinking about heading out to California, do some work there, just - get away from here, you know?"

  "Why? Or need I ask?"

  "Guess; I'm sure one, will do it."

  "It's getting to you that bad?"

  "How would you feel, if - let's say, Sylvia's husband suddenly turned up, granted I know he's dead, but say he did, and she felt guilty and took him back, could you stick around, watching them, knowing that at night, - he - he has her? Could you live with it, could you stand it?"

  Shawn stared at him wondering if he knew something? Had he heard him discussing Armundo with Dennis; Paul? His hypothetical hit waaay too close to the target.

  "Well? Could you?"

  Searching his memory, he decided that it was a simple coincidence, under the circumstances, he could see how he'd come to use that predicament, he finally answered him, "No, I couldn't stand by, watching him with her..." - 'I'd kill the sonofabitch first.' He thought, and meant it.

  "There you go, I can't either. That's why I'm asking if you'll let me stay at your condo?"

  "Hmmm, will you be leaving it like you had that apartment in Chicago?"

  "Nooo, I was being stupid then, my mind off somewhere else, and I let the place go - I don't live like that, Shawn."

  Shawn gnashed his teeth, Jake was dad, he was 'Shawn'

  "Let me think about it. It's a shame, I don't think the family is going to care about you taking off."

  "You took off - what about the family then?"

  "We're not talking about me, we're talking about you." Shawn returned it as they rounded the corner of the road that would take them by Jake's.

  "I may not even stay away long, depends on how things go out there, with PenTab, life-guarding, that sort of thing. I just need to break away for a while, be on my own, away from family."

  "You gonna be able to take care of yourself in California?"

  "You did it!"

  "At first, not very well."

  "Don't worry, I have no intentions of getting into porn, it's not my thing."

  A reminder that he knew about his past, gave Shawn an uncomfortable feeling; thinking away from that he went on, "When the time comes, if it's still what you want and I don't have Mama JoJo here by then, all I ask, is while you're there, go see about her."

  "That won't be a problem - at all, I like her."

  Just then Shawn's mobile started vibrating, he pulled it from his pocket looking at the screen to see who was calling and didn't recognize the number, and thought he better answer it, "Shawn McPherson here?"

  "Dad... (gasp) ... I'm - in jail - they - took the boys..."

  "Mundo?! What? Where? Why? What the hell? You okay?"

  "Naw, come please - I'm, in Hallowey - Wisconsin... they fuckin' me over man, stopped me for going 70 in - a 65 and-..."

  "Stop! Where're the boys?"

  "Somewhere here, they took'em - tazed me man, for - for nothin'..."

  "FUCK! We're on the way, you hear me, I'm coming as fast as I can!"

  "K..." He heard him sniff before he hung up.

&
nbsp; "MOTHA-FUCKIN' BASTARDS! FU-U-UCK!!!"

  "What?!" Ben shouted, receiving no answer because Shawn took off in a sprint towards Jake's.

  He had no choice but to take off after him.

  When they rushed into the yard, Sylvia, Vivian and Shanna were sitting on the front porch talking and laughing until Sylvia saw him; she came to her feet, her heart taking off, "What?! What's wrong?"

  "Mundo's in jail! We gotta go! Now! They took the fuckin' boys off of him-..."

  "WHAT?! Why?"

  "We'll talk on the way, let's go! Gotta get Crystal, and proof that they belong with us, make it quick!" Shawn rushed her, worried - he didn't like the sound of Mundo's voice. He'd lived in L.A. knew and had seen too much to take this lightly.

  "I'm going too!" Ben called out, jumping into his car to follow them.

  Having heard, Vivian turned and rushed into the house where all the work was going on, calling out for Jake through the house; he was in the basement. "YEAH? Down here!" He called up to her, she ran down halfway, looking under the floor, over the stair rail, "Mundo's been arrested, he's in jail! Shawn is trippin' already!"

  Jake stood a moment staring at her, thinking, "Where?"

  "I don't know, they took off so fast, I didn't have time to ask anything, but he looked really worried, and to be honest, I'm worried - police and black young males, don't mix!"

  Jake stood a moment more, he'd been putting up wall dividers for the basement, mapping out the rooms. He tossed his hammer, "Fuck it - we better go. Get Sylvia on her mobile - let me tell mom and dad where we're going." He instructed, dusting himself off, wiping sweat from his brow. He quickly followed her up, looking for his parents, who were up stairs. Rushing up them, he called out to them, "MOM! DAD! There's some trouble with Mundo and the police - Shawn's worked up about it, I think I'm gonna head off with him - just in case!" He explained as they came from the bathroom in their bedroom.

  "Go ahead - we'll keep working here." Bart nodded.

  Jake turned to meet Shanna and Angela at the bottom of the stairs. "What's happened to Mundo?" Angela started crying.