BOMAW 12-14

by Mercedes Keyes

  "Luie? It's me mami, Shawn2." He corrected her mildly, he'd been on his way out the door.

  She looked up, as if blinking in disbelief and realized it was Shawn2 - she couldn't help but wonder, where had she been to miss what had happened to him. He was an even stronger combination of his uncles, Shawn and Jake, more like Shawn ... extremely good looking, tall and to her, sneaky looking. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Where are you going?"

  "Out." He answered.

  "Out where?"

  "Outside - shoot some hoops, chill." He answered.

  She stared even more, "Clean the kitchen." she ordered him, using a different tone with him, than she had when she thought he was Luis.

  "Tell Sasha mami, she's not doing anything."

  "Neither are you, clean the kitchen! Now!"

  "Why do I have to clean the kitchen?!" He asked back.

  "Why don't you have to clean the kitchen!?" She fired back.

  "Why are you picking on me?!" he asked in a whining tone, on the verge of raising his voice to her.

  "What else do you do around here, miho? Nothing! Look at this house! You could do something, it's not gonna kill you! You don't do nothing! Haven't done nothing! Not gonna do anything that doesn't mean you getting something for you! Try doing something for someone else now and then - stop being so selfish! Sometimes I can't stand the look of you! I can see it now, you'll be good for shit! That's why your father leaves you at home with me, good for shit else!"

  His expression changed, his lips drew tight, eyes narrowed, "You don't like me much mami, do you?"

  Meribel glared up at him, "No - miho, I don't - not right now I don't."

  "Why? What have I ever done to you?"

  Meribel stood, staring up at him, and said off the top of her head, "Be born - how's that?" She knew she was being nasty, mean, but she couldn't help it - she was in the state of hate and it appeared, even her own child would be a victim to it.

  Striking back, looking her straight in the eyes, Shawn2 mumbled, "So, God knew what he was doing after all, huh ma?"

  She slapped him, hard - and burst into tears.

  He backed away, turned and left out of the kitchen, running off somewhere, she hadn't a clue of where. Hobbling to the sink, which was piled high with dishes, she wiped at her tears, started trying to stack them to wash them. She didn't know where Sasha was, and for that matter, Joseph and didn't have the energy to seek them out. The more dishes she stacked, the more disoriented she felt; she hurt, inside her body, inside her heart, inside her mind. She hated herself, hated her home, hated her life and couldn't grasp how to crawl out of it. So stood crying, leaning against the sink, she let her cane go, it fell hitting the floor. The sound of the sharp whack it made hitting the floor set off something in her system, and soon, one plate after another hit the floor. Glasses, cups, silverware, pots, pans - everything hit the floor. Soon she was surrounded by a wet mess of old dishwater, broken glass and pottery from the dishes, silverware, old food debris - everywhere.

  Looking at it, turned leaning back against the sink and felt like she was going crazy. She realized someone was looking at her, lifting her eyes to across the room, she spotted Sasha and Joseph, they'd come up from the basement, and now stood silent watching her, unsure of what to do - she was not the same mother they remembered from before.

  "What?!" She asked sharply.

  Sasha spoke up, "You - you broke all the dishes mami."

  "I know - I can see you know!"

  "Why?"

  Like a child lost, crying from deep in her soul, she answered, "Because I wanted to. I'm going nuts miha - I don't know what to do with myself - I feel like - I'm dying and - nobody knows it but me." She started sobbing, sinking down to the floor, unable to move out of the circle she created for herself.

  Joseph walked to the broom closet, opened it, taking out the broom, the mop, the bucket. "Come on Sasha, we gotta get mami out. Don't worry mami, we'll save you, we'll get you out."

  Sighing, Sasha grabbed the broom from her little brother, and started pushing everything to one side, "It's okay mami, we're here to take care of you, don't move, you could cut yourself."

  Meribel nodded her head, scratching it, wrapping her arms around her head and face as if that would hide her away, hide her shame as her two children cleaned up her mess. She thought about Shawn2, wondering where he ran off to - she wondered why she loved her son, but didn't like him? Before, when he made her mad, she still loved him, had always loved them, all of them, and now - he irked her for some reason, one that she couldn't figure out why. But she had to find him, make it right after the horrible thing she said to him.

  "Careful miho, here, pass me that cane, careful - I'll help - I have to move, I have to do something, I can't keep on this way."

  Meribel struggled to her feet, and knew she had to get going, but wasn't sure how - everything about her, felt different, foreign, alien. Something else occurred to her as well, she hadn't been taking her medicine like she should - because she wasn't used to taking medication daily.

  Hormone replacement

  At the hospital, in the counseling sessions, they'd told her it was a must, and that her levels would have to be monitored; now, she was beginning to see why. She would call, make an appointment with her doctor, get tested again, so they could check her levels to make sure the medicine she had was still right. In the meantime, she helped them clean up her mess. Found her medicine, took it and then phoned and made an appointment with her doctor.

  By the time Derrick got home, to his surprise, the house was clean. It had been a long time since he'd seen that. Furthermore, Meribel had cooked; another surprise.

  Before he cleaned up to sit down and eat, she confessed her sin that day, "I'm was really mean, nasty, evil - to Shawn2 earlier. He's gone somewhere, haven't seen him since he left. If you or I, don't change soon, and get a hold of him, we'll be sorry. I hope you realize we're setting our son up for failure, or worse - we'll have no one to blame, but ourselves. I know you're trying, but - he's slipping away from us, and today, I made it worse."

  Derrick sighed, the funny thing was, he'd been thinking that same thing just that day when he'd taken Marcus and Luis with him. Shawn2 - irritated him because he kept slipping away, doing something other than what he put him to task. Marcus and Luis would at least get on with what they'd been told, like it or not. But Shawn2 - lollygagged - messed around - half did the job - and was too much of a distraction to him, where he spent too much time, getting on him instead of getting the job done - thus, he started leaving him at home.

  Derrick gazed at his wife, sitting at the table as he was, trying to think of a solution; he noticed pretty new dishes, new glasses, shining waxed floor. Commenting on the easy stuff first, "The house looks really great, see you went shopping too, these are nice - giving the old ones away?" He asked, lifting the plate next to him.

  She smiled, "No ... I broke them all, all the glasses, cups - these were on sale."

  He looked up from them to her, and laughed. She couldn't help it, she laughed as well, they got started and couldn't stop, until she finally collapsed onto his lap. "It's been a long time, since we've laughed that way with each other." He finally broke off to mention.

  "I know. I'm gonna try and do better, make my appointments with my doctor, take my medicine, instead of - sitting around, losing my mind."

  "I think that's a pretty good idea." Derrick commented.

  "Yeah, me too, gonna give it a try, see if I can get back into life."

  "Nothing would make me happier." Derrick murmured, gazing into her eyes.

  "What about Shawn2?" She asked.

  Derrick sat a moment, quiet and thinking, exhaling deep, he finally admitted, "I don't know what to do about him, I'm at a loss." He sighed, watching the kids, the ones that were at home, scramble about the kitchen fixing their plates to eat. "I guess I better go looking for him." No sooner had the words left his mouth that the kitchen door opened and he came strolling in. />
  Everyone stopped what they were doing, to turn and look at him.

  Meribel stood from Derrick's lap.

  To see them like that, surprised Shawn2, "Hey dad."

  "Hey - where you been?"

  "No where." He answered, his eyes back and forth between his mother and father, and then back to his mother.

  "You weren't here, so you had to be somewhere."

  Placing his hands on top of his head, Shawn2 stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, his parents before him, his siblings around him, walking past, they nudged, poked, and prodded him - because it's what they did; he didn't react to them, he was used to it.

  His mouth twisted and turned, biting the inside skin, not offering anything more, waiting for them to say what they would.

  Neither said a word, waiting, finally, "Am I on punishment?" He asked.

  "Would it benefit us either way if you were?" Derrick asked.

  Still holding down the top of his head, Shawn2 shrugged.

  Again, all was quiet, the table was filled with the others, Marcus, Luis, Sasha and Joseph - Derrick at the head of the table, Meribel still standing next to him, as she gazed at her son in the middle of the floor, waiting for them to tell him what they would.

  "Shawn2.." Meribel called his attention specifically to her.

  Their eyes met.

  "I didn't mean - a word of what I said to you - earlier. I have weird stuff happening to me, none of it, is your fault. I'm sorry for what I said, I was wrong - I know I had to have hurt you. And because I was wrong, I'm sorry that I slapped you too."

  Everyone looked up, eyes got big, they didn't know that. Neither did Derrick.

  Shawn2 shrugged again.

  "Go on - fix your plate, eat." Meribel released him.

  Derrick stood from the table, walked to the bathroom, used it, washed his hands and stared at himself in the mirror, "I don't know what to do. I'm wrecking my middle son, and I don't know how to stop it." He didn't know who he was saying that to, despite looking at himself in the mirror, he wasn't even sure if that was a prayer to the Almighty, all he knew is that it was true. As for where the solution lie - he hadn't a clue.

  Returning to the kitchen, Shawn2 was eating with the rest. Meribel was quiet and picking at her food; Derrick sat to a filled plate, trying to think of where they were to go from there.

  In L.A. - to Chaka's aka Shorty's surprise, her father took her for a drive with him to a destination in a middle class area. They got out of the car - he lead the way into an okay apartment building, it wasn't the best of places, nor was it the worst. It was filled with hard working people trying to make their way. On the third floor, apartment 3A - her father stopped and opened the door using a key that he had and once more, lead her inside.

  Once in, he closed the door, instructing her, "Look around."

  She looked at him oddly, "Why? What's this?"

  "Your new home. Look around, I hope you like it - this is where you'll be staying. To give you a chance, your rent is paid for 6 months; after that it's up to you. Your electric, water, gas - paid up to a credit balance, once you've reached the end of it, it's up to you. Your phone is on, you have cable TV, you have the internet. Flat rates have been paid for up to 6 months. Because you resent who and what we are, because it brings you such despair that you choose to leave it, hide it away and rush to this side of town, I decided, then - this is where you should be. In the bedroom, there's a bed for you to sleep on. In the living-room here, there's a sofa for you, and a TV. In the kitchen, there's a refrigerator, it's filled. Cabinets in there, filled with food. Basically, you have all the necessities. Any of the extra's; you'll need to get those things for yourself. Of course, all of the clothing at the house in your room, is yours to take; that includes your computer; transport them all as best you can."

  She stood with her mouth partially opened, in disbelief, watching as he turned the keys in his hands to another key which had been dangling next to her apartment key, "This is for your car. I purchased you a pretty decent one, it's used. I've heard that Chevy's are pretty reasonable, I can't be certain, as I've never driven one - but it was recommended by those who've owned one, it's called a uh, hmmm, Monte Carlo I believe. Not bad, body is in excellent shape, it's been well cared for, and I did have full maintenance done on it, so it's dependable for now, only - something like, 45,000 miles on it - that's not too bad. Tank is full, insurance for a year, city sticker, plates, etc. etc. etc. - you're set. And my daughter, you're on your own. I'm washing my hands. Your mother and I argued about it, however, in the end - I won, this is only right. Since I don't know what you want to be, and you can't seem to decide what you want to be; I figure, life - the real world, can help you best find - yourself."

  They stood a moment staring.

  "Is this a joke?" She finally found her voice to ask.

  "No - it's not. I do love you - but - it's time for you to work your life out. Coming and going as you please, with no direction, hanging with those people, all of that, I figure can get you killed - just as if, you were on your own. Difference being, on your own, you'll be forced to be more responsible, think more seriously, and leave you with no one to take advantage of, mainly speaking - your mother and I. That's it. Give me a kiss - I'll call you once a week, check on you." He walked to her, placed the keys in her hand, kissed her brow, lovingly pat her cheek and walked out of her apartment.

  Shorty stood spinning, and finally, "Ain't this some shit!"

  Georgiana filed for divorce from Oscar T. moved into one of their other homes - happy to leave him with that one, for the time being anyway. And focused on how she could totally and completely destroy him.

  Oscar T. settled in now that the bat-bitch from hell was gone and decided how he might destroy her, and while doing so - get his hands on her billions.

  Jeremiah's focus was so constant with his investigations on Oscar T. that he was contemplating dropping his client and moving into another branch of law, perhaps open his own quid pro quo firm and do work that gave him a greater sense of satisfaction, such as what took place in Wisconsin, with Armundo Payne Jr. - Mundo. He, after all, was not poor, in fact, his bank account was more than amply fat - having invested in the stock exchange and other money growing revenues, he had room to think about it, and after some thought, did just that, to Deidre's joy.

  As for Maxwell, he was glad to be free of Moniqua, and yet, there was her grandfather calling him, as if he knew where to find her now. He hadn't talked to her in months, and hadn't seen her for at least, 2 weeks - he hadn't a clue of what was going on with her, or where she was; yet it did make him wonder, how or why, she would take off and leave lil'Kenny behind, she wasn't the best of mother's, but he didn't see her as the kind to abandon either.

  Two weeks later, the answer to her whereabouts was found - her body, tangled in garbage, had caught itself along the La River Bike Path, in the river, damming up debris that flowed beneath the Hyperion Ave. bridge and Glendale blvd. When they pulled her out, the coroners report that was submitted, stated she was shot twice in the chest, motive - unknown.

  One week before Jake and Vivian's wedding, the immense home Shawn had planned - that Deidre had taken over the financing of, due to security measures - was done! Thanks to getting all the inner walls and rooms pre-fabricated, as well the exterior, windows and doors, everything had been delivered intact, with a team that basically had to put it together on the site. In fact, the entire structure of the home went up in two days, with the final placing of the roof, that needed fitting together. Like busy ants, plumbing was mapped, ran and connected. Insulation, sheet-rock walls over the frames put into place, electrical wiring ran, boxes in place, lighting - the works. As workers took care of the inside, stone masonry teams arrived to score the outside of the home and start laying the heavy gold stones, cutting, shaping, molding - building the heavy shell around it. Sylvia had never seen anything like it in her life. She'd had no idea that a home, could come in so many pieces, ordered ahead o
f time and then assembled where it would stand. On a Monday a lift crane arrived, Tuesday, one semi after another pulled up with her inner walls, exterior walls and roofing timber A-frames - that were taken off and laid on their side in massive packs to be put together the next day. Wednesday morning at the break of dawn, they were lifting one after another, placing them, bolting them down into the cement base of the basement. Before their first break, the basement was in, first floor to build on, in place and ready. Before lunch, interior wall frames were up, bolting them to the exterior walls, and then the next floor up.

  What had taken so long up to this point, was the core - the panic room. Concrete and steel that would be accessible from the top floor, with a pathway leading down into the basement and from there, to an underground tunnel that would exit in the woods at the edge of town, like a cellar trap door, buried beneath nature grounds at the very edge of Shawn's land - a full block away from the home itself. Now, the home went up around it, encasing it, hiding it from view. The construction work was the cause of much curiosity, people driving by, to stop and stare, wondering what was going on? What was the big concrete thing that was going up? Some even thought, it was a mini prison.

  They concluded that guess to be wrong since the home began going up rapidly around it. Soon as the stone work was done, windows and doors in, their central air conditioning and heating units arrived, were mounted, and piped in using the ducting. Thursday, details - interior finishes, building around the two fire places, toilets for all six bathrooms, which included the one for Crystal's place above the garage; 3 baths, 5 showers, the double sinks and cabinet in the master bedroom - bathroom, and the other five sinks in all the others, including tiles, paper or painting of all those room. Also, in the rest of the house and Crystal's flat, the closing seams, painting, coving and cornices, slate flooring for the main kitchen, wood floors and floor boards, linoleum, and carpeting; plug plates, switch plates, ceiling fans and lights. Cabinets and appliances in the kitchen, washer and dryer connections in both laundry rooms, upstairs and down. Details outside, tiling the roof, securing the chimney's, running the gutters and drains, flattening and leveling the lawn, putting in the curbs, driveway, the beautiful stone, 3ft wall and wrought iron topping and caps, that circled their home along with the planting of the trees, one of them a weeping willow. Followed by, rolling out the new turf, pouring the gravel around the base of the house up to 12 ft away from it for security reasons; it was loud to walk on it - no one could sneak up on the house unless it was to the front door, otherwise, they had to come across gravel, which would give them away every time.