The biggest surprise, Mama Jojo loved it. It seemed to give her a new lease on life to be involved in helping with the meals. She insisted on cooking breakfast and lunch, and the guest were not only in love with her food, but her, she was a natural. So far, most guest enjoyed lingering to speak with her and Sylvia, with each of them promising to spread the word. They made sure to give all guest brochures with booking dates and seasons scheduling.
Subsequently, their investments with both businesses came at a high price but they were finally in business.
Sylvia felt a warm gentle hand cover hers, pulling her from her thoughts, "Wha's botherin' you chil'?"
They were on their way to the mall in the Hummer, the girls were chattering animated in the back seat, excited about school starting up again, expressing how they wished they lived closer so they could go to the same school together; paying Sylvia and Mama Jojo no attention in the seat up front.
Everyone was starting to get used to having a chauffer and bodyguard to escort them everywhere, it was getting so they didn't give it a second thought, just climbed in as if a taxi to give their destination.
"Loads on my mind." Sylvia explained smiling.
"Hmph, man on yo'min'." Mama Jojo wasn't blind.
"Am I that transparent?"
"Chil' you a woman, in love wit'ha man. They been stressin' us since God give Eve to Adam. If it ain' one thing, it's always another."
"Especially with Shawn." Sylvia sighed.
"He can't no'more hep' what he is, than a Rooster can ignore it's mornin'. I know that, whatever it is, it'ah come out, always do."
"Yeah, I suppose - but whatever it is, it's about me. I don't think he feels the same as he did, he acts as if I get on his nerves now... we did jump in pretty quick, rather, he did - maybe now, he's wishing he'd waited."
"I don't believe that, not one little bit. Men crazy chil', just when we think we understand them, we find out we don't understand at all."
"Is it possible to love a man too much?" Sylvia asked.
"Yeah, see women all the time, lovin' the wrong man, too much. That ain't you though, you got the right, so you love'im as much as you want."
"Even if the things he says, or the way he sometimes acts, hurts you?"
"Only time love don't hurt, when it's shared betwin' perfect folk. Me, I'on know no perfect folk, so - love gone hurt now and then. One or the other, gone do somethin' wrong, now and then, that's why God include forgiveness with it all."
Sylvia nodded, but felt like crying, she hated feeling insecure, being afraid of losing his love. She couldn't think about it anymore or she would burst into tears any moment, so instead, she smiled, played it off and changed the subject. They arrived at the mall - the girls found first day of school outfits, and extra odds and ends they felt they needed, as well all their school supplies. Sylvia purchased Mama Jojo an entire new wardrobe, order of Shawn. From any hats or wigs for her head, to shoes for her feet and everything in between. Especially nice comfortable dresses and aprons for working at the B B. Sylvia loved every moment of it as she'd grown close to Mama Jojo since her arrival. She wasn't the only one, Shanna saw to her, Gert was always checking in on her. Jake flirted shamelessly with her, they all explained it was an illness with him, but Mama Jojo fell like all the others, because charming, handsome and dashing just was - and at her age, she could afford to enjoy the attention. Since her arrival, everyone made it a point to see about Mama Jojo; she was the newly installed matriarch placed in position by Shawn - you couldn't enter his home and not speak to Mama Jojo - it just wasn't done.
She had gone from living alone, hardly seeing anyone but Corliss and her kids and stressing over them, to being placed in the center of this family's daily activities. Even so, in the midst of them all, no matter how many of them she was growing to know and love, her baby would continue to be, Shawn - that was her child.
Everyone knew it, including Sylvia.
The only person that hadn't met her in person was Bart. That would be seen to that evening, because he was coming to dinner as well the rest of the family so they could meet. He hadn't met her sooner because Gert felt uncomfortable with them meeting, knowing what she did.
Mama Jojo knew about her and Edwin.
Yes, it was in the past, over and done with, but still Gert felt that she should tell him the truth about her, who she was. Edwin Piercey's Aunt - Edwin's father's older sister. No matter how she tried to think around it, trying to foresee how not telling him would turn out, she felt queasy because something told her to warn him. Until she could find the nerve to bring all of that back up, she'd made excuses for them not to meet - she'd made sure to keep them apart. She couldn't any more, Mama Jojo had been there too long now and the time for them to become acquainted had come.
At the Farm...
Bart was sitting at the kitchen table against the wall, in his usual spot, packing a pipe to light up. His eyes shifting to glance at his wife, who stood at the counter preparing two apple pies out of the freezer to bake and take for dinner to his son's home. After 42 years of marriage, he knew when something was wrong with his Missus, question was... what? He puffed a couple of puffs with the lit stick match hovering over the packed tobacco until the draw of the flame caught and he blew smoke from his lips, shaking the match flame out he tossed it into the ashtray before him.
"All right missus, let's hear it." He finally spoke up.
Gert sighed, walked to the oven pulling the door open to place each pie on a rack to bake. Closing the door, she exhaled, turned and set her eyes straight on her husband. He nodded to the chair adjacent to his. The time had come, she couldn't put it off any longer.
She took the seat to his left, playing with the running dew on the side of her glass of ice tea, lifting it to her lips, she took a few sips, swallowing and setting it down with her eyes on the ice. Taking a deep breath, she finally said straight out, "Mama Jojo is Edwin Piercey's aunt. Been on my mind, trying to decide to tell you or not. Long as she's been here, suppose I should have told you from the start, but-..."
"That... Edwin you - you-..."
"Yes Bart, that Edwin." She sighed loudly sitting back in her seat and finally looked into his eyes again, "That Edwin." She repeated.
Bart stared a moment unable to do anything more, immediately his mind went back to that night, the woods, the dark, the trees, head lights from vehicles and Edwin's out cries amidst cruel laughter and cheers, and finally - as if he watched from a distance, he saw himself quietly back away, leaving the scene - leaving that young man to be tortured and then, killed. His heart skipped a beat disturbing his breathing, he looked away from Gert, unable to look her in the eyes when such thoughts of horror and cowardice flashed in his mind. Another regret he was forced to live with besides that surrounding his sons. He hated anything to do with shedding the blood of innocense, and despite the affair between his wife and that Piercey, he'd done no wrong to be deserving of the end he met - an end he might not have suffered if Bart had just shot off his gun and made them let him go, instead, he left them to it.
"Well..." Gert prompted, waiting for him to say something.
He didn't know what to say. His heart was still pounding so hard it threw his breathing, his mind hearing the words of his father again who was against the Vietnam war. 'Thy shall not kill! The Father, the Creator is the same one God over us all - no matter what skin tone - all of mankind belong to the Lord and those whose hands drips with blood from their own brethren, the Father will judge and punish them for their wicked deeds.'
"Thought... she was, from California..." He asked low.
"Not originally. We not the only ones with means of travel Bart. You see, she and her one brother left South Carolina too, needing a new start."
Bart's eyes moved to gaze into his wife's, wondering if he should ask anymore? Then, his blasted tongue of it's own volition formed the word, "Why?"
It was Gert's turn to feel words trapped in her chest, to lodge in her throat. They had ne
ver had a thorough discussion about Edwin, just bare mention when they'd argued, but never had it come to this. Gert decided there was no sense in holding back now, taking a deep breath she answerd his why, "Because ... Edwin had gone missing. Someone, brought him back home to them, beatup - tor-tortured - dead. Dropped his - his dead, broken, bloody body at their front door. They didn't want to bury him in that god-awful, evil place. The family moved to California, and that is where they buried him. That is where they all came to live. Mama Jojo had children, and one of her daughter's sons was Jesse James Douglas - he befriended our son, took care of him when he first arrived there and took him home to meet his grandmother, Mama Jojo - that's about it really. See, ain't it a small world? Funny how, things in the past, have a way of coming full circle in ways we least expect."
They stared at one another in silence, both trapped with their own thoughts.
Bart sat wondering, was it now his time? It was partly due to his deeds, things he'd done to his son, that made him run off to California. He'd once thought him the son of that young man, he couldn't believe he'd ended up in the company of his family. Was the Lord about to expose him for his wicked deed? Surely a man that stands idly by and let's another man be ganged up on and murdered is just as guilty as those who did the crime? And if that were true, then surely blood stained his hands.
Gert broke into his thoughts, "Suppose we best get showered-..."
"Not going..." Bart suddenly blurted.
"What?"
"You heard, not going."
Gert's mouth fell open and then, "They're expecting us Bart, we got no good reason not to go."
He stood from the table, "I said I'm not going."
"We are too going, you hear?!" Gert stood ready for a battle.
"Gertrude I'm the man in this household and I'm not about to be dictated to by any woman, know your place and stay there!"
"You give me one good reason why you're not going?!" She demanded.
"Ain't got to give you one good reason, not going, that's that!" He flat out refused and headed for the door.
Gert followed not about to leave it at that, "What are you afraid of Bart? She's just an old woman, whom we owe our thanks to for taking care of our boy!"
Bart turned on her, "Who might have been his boy!"
"Not gonna deny that Bart, we've been through this already - my actions have nothing to do with Mama Jojo, nor Shawn - that's all on me. If you can't live with it, just say so, and I'll be gone."
"Don't you keep throwing that in my face!" He blared at her, "You'll be gone - bullshit! If it were true, you'd be gone b'now - but you still here, and here is where you'll be staying, understand?"
Gert shook her head, "One of these days, you gone push me too far Bartholomew, too far!"
"You wanna go?" He yelled at her stopping mid-yard between the house and his barn, "...you go! Do what the hell you wanna do Gertrude, you always have, you always will! Go!" He threw his hand back at her charging off to his barn to close himself in.
"You want me gone, fine... I'm gone." Gert muttered to herself, misunderstanding his last statement, she turned into her home, hot, angry and fed up, charged up her stairs to the room they shared and packed herself two decent size bags. She would go to Jake's, not Shawn's. She didn't want Mama Jojo to know what was happening, or to think it was her fault or that her husband was a prejudice red-neck prick - although there were times when Gert felt he was just that.
At Crystal's...
Mundo stood outside his sister's front door, hesitant to knock, they were inside arguing, again.
"I said... no! It's mine, Shawn bought it for me, and only I'm going to use it." Crystal insisted.
"How selfish is that? It's just a friggin' laptop, if you're not using it, why can't I?"
"Why can't you buy your own? You have the money, it's in the bank - get yourself - a computer - or a laptop, but keep your hands off of mine!"
"It's not like I'm gonna break it or anything, I just wanna check something out on the internet." Victor pressed.
"Victor, you can drop it already, I said what I had to say. You could have long ago gotten yourself a computer or laptop-..."
"Yeah, whatever Crystal, what's obvious is you're hiding something, otherwise you'd let me on."
"It's not about that! For your information, I could easily go on, create an account for you, so you can logon and use it, and nothing that is under my account, would you have access to anyway. But I'm not going to, because YOU could have gotten us both one a long time ago. A big computer, or a laptop, you didn't - because it was your money, so now, take your money and buy yourself a computer or a laptop and drop it already, I'm sick of arguing about it."
"Yeah and your phone is locked too, with a password, why is that?"
"Why are you messing with my phone when you have one of your own? Bet you have yours password locked."
Victor stood quiet, he couldn't argue with that, because he did - he couldn't take a chance on Omyiah texting him for something and Crystal finding it.
'Knock now!' Mundo's mind blurted.
{{ Knock-knock}}
Isaac, who had been laying on the floor watching cartoons, blocking his parents out - looked up seeing his uncle at the door. He was instantly on his feet running to let him in, "Uncle Mundo, you come t'get me?" He asked right away, letting him in.
Crystal was coming out of the dinning room, on her way to let him in.
Mundo scooped him up into his arms, "Sho'nuff!" He answered, looking to see Darren out cold on the sofa and then to his sister, "Hey sis, you still coming to dinner?"
"Yeah, anywhere to get out of here." She mumbled for his ears only.
"Ain't Victor coming?" He asked.
She gave him a dirty look.
"What? Wha's-up? What I say?"
Victor must have heard because he walked into the room, eyebrows pinched looking from her to Mundo, "Hey man, what's up?"
"Nothing much, just checking in."
"What's this about dinner tonight?" Victor asked.
Mundo felt caught in the middle, looking from his sister's blazing eyes to Victor's expectant ones. He had no choice, he had to say, "Family dinner at the house, just seeing if ya'll coming."
Crystal exhaled her irritation.
"I don't think so, we're going by my dad's tonight, right?" He asked Crystal.
She spun on the spot, "I'm not going - I'm going to my mother's, Shawn's."
"You knew about tonight Crystal, about my dad inviting us over."
"So, I never said I was going, you just assumed - you shouldn't do that."
"Hang on here, all that shit you used to talk about not being included, now that you are, you don't wanna go?"
"I wasn't talking shit, that was all fact. Back then, I longed to go, now - I don't care one way or the other, don't ever have to invite me anywhere again - you're talking about a day back when it used to matter to me."
Victor stood exhaling, trying to be patient, "What's with the attitude?" He asked.
She stood stiff, not caring to answer.
Shaking his head, Victor disregarded her refusal to answer him, "Regardless, you're invited now - we're going."
"Don't tell me where I'm going Victor, that's for me to decide."
"You know what, I can't fuckin' please you, can I? Nothing I say, nothing I do, nothing I try - waste of time isn't it?!"
Mundo stood holding Isaac trying not to feel as embarrassed as he was.
Isaac was used to them arguing and blocked them out whispering in Mundo's ear, "Let's go Mundo, let's go."
Crystal stood silent, sighing, glaring at Victor as he stood in the middle of the floor, arms spread with palms up waiting for her reply. Nobody moved, only sound was that of the TV playing, 'Scooby Scooby Doo, where are you...'
Finally Crystal turned to her brother, "Sorry, I guess I better go with him." It was apparent she wasn't hyped to attend, but all things considered, she had to give in somewhere.
"I'm going w
it' Mundo." Isaac announced.
"No you're not, you're coming with us, that's that!" Victor announced, turning from the room and heading for the shower.
Crystal turned back to Mundo with narrowed eyes.
"What sis? I'ain't know."
"I know... don't worry about it. Explain to mom, Shawn please?"
"This dinner for Mama Jojo, he ain't gone like it if you don't show up, you know how he is about her."
"I know! Man, I hate this - screw it, I'm going."
"What? Ah man, I'm out'ah here. Look, I'll explain it, but you need to go with your husband."
"He is not my husband, it's not like we re-married or anything." She corrected immediately.
"Sis, what is you doin' here? What?"
"Drop it Mundo, go ahead and take Isaac, I'll bring Darren with me when I'm ready to come."
"Ah man, ah man Crystal, I'on like bein' in the middle - this ain't good."
"That's my child, take him and go, I'll be along in a bit."
"Sis, you know you be trippin', ah'ight - don't be up in here fightin'!"
"It's not even gonna be that way, go."
Shaking his head, Mundo turned and left taking an excited Isaac with him.
Crystal went to the boys room taking out clothes for Darren to wear, after laying them on the bed, she went to her room to find what she would wear. A moment later, Victor entered their room with a towel around his waist, "Where's Isaac?"
"With Mundo, he wanted to go with him."
"What? He's going with us to my dads!"
"Not tonight. Look..." She turned from her dresser to face him, "This dinner is for Mama Jojo, for her to meet the rest of the family, those she hasn't met, Shawn wants us all there-..."
"Shawn wants, Shawn wants! I don't give a fuck about what Shawn wants! She's not even family - I mean, who is she anyway!?" He snapped nastily, pulling the towel off tossing it to the bed, standing naked before her.
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