BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (107 page)

"Got nothing to say?" She edged him on.

With his lips zipped, he shook his head.

"Oh now you shaking your head, fine, sit there like that shaking your head! So while I got the floor, I'm gone say this, then I'm gone shut up about it."

"T'huh!" He spat with a harrump and a smirk as if to say,
yeah right - sure you will.

"You can T'huh all you want to, but I see you very clearly now. You are so obsessed with collecting as many people as you can within your clan, of the,
McPherson's
, it doesn't matter about anyone else! You think people are yours to just claim as you will! You just gone decide that Crystal is better off with Ben, why? Because he's a McPherson,
my son!
" She lowered her voice and puffed herself up to sound and look like him, crossing her arms over her chest. Almost making him laugh, but he held it in.

"It's not funny Shawn! You cannot just go through life collecting people at will, just because you want them! Crystal belongs with Victor-..."

"Bullshit! I don't want her back with him! And if it means my son getting her, to keep her away from him, sobeit!"

"I do not want my daughter, going from one man to another! If things don't work out with her and Victor, then she needs to chill out and focus on herself for awhile, be alone to grow, heal and get her shit-..."

"You're cursing and I can't?!" He pointed out to throw her thought off track.

Sylvia sucked in, lost for words, exasperated with him. She took a deep breath, re-collected her thoughts and went on to say, "Excuse me, I apologize - I will reword - as I was saying, she needs time to grow, heal and get herself together."

"I totally agree, which is why I want her to stay, at home - with us! And don't you - be encouraging her, to work out that marriage with him - he took the papers in, he wants the divorce, he's got it! End of discussion."

"Oh no it is not the end of no discussion! He still has those two boys! And if he comes to the house for his two boys, I don't want you, treating him wrong and talking to him the way I know you can get! Whatever their problem was, he took care of his sons and worked to-..."

"They don't even miss him! They don't even ask about him! They don't give a damn about him! Why? If he were such a good father, why aren't they crying for him? Huh? Tell me that? Tell me why also, they're clinging to my son - to Ben, huh? I'll tell you why, because in this short period, he's been more to them than their own father has been their entire lives! That's why! Children know, instinctively, who loves them, who doesn't!"

"Shawn, Victor loves those boys." She defended him.

"Based on what? Because he's bought diapers? Because he's given them his name? Any man can shoot sperm into a woman and get her pregnant! The question is, how happy is he with the results of doing so? Okay, I'll say, that in his own way, maybe he does care about them, but he's not a good father to them, I don't care what you say. My son, Jesse James, will know who his father is! I guarantee you this, no where will you take him away from me, and he not want me - look for me - cry for me - no where! Not for a day, hell - not for an hour! My son belongs to me, and belongs with me! Just as the rest of them out there on that beach! Everyone of them, mine! Mine dammit! And if it means getting Ben to marry Crystal, to keep her here, safe, with me - well then, I'll see to that as well. What's mine, stays mine! End of discussion - dammit!" He turned away from Sylvia, leaving her standing there staring at the back of his head as he resumed watching TV. She didn't know what to say to him. Because she stood there, unmoving, he turned to look at her, "What now?" He asked.

She sighed, gentling towards him, shaking her head she tried once more, "You cannot, come between Crystal and Victor, Shawn, should they some how, come to work this out. This time away from him, might have him rethinking things. Shawn, in the end, it's not up to me, nor you - if - that is, she goes back to him."

"I've already said what I have to say on the matter, don't you encourage her back to him. If she does go back to him, it needs to be because she's decided to, not because she's trying to do what you would want her to do. Now that I've gotten to know her, and know a bit about him, I don't like him - he's no good for her. That's my position on the matter and I'm holding fast to it."

Sylvia knew him well enough to know when he reached a conclusion, that was it - there was nothing else she could say to him, she turned going back to the window to look out at them - a bit nervous about the days to come. He, her husband, Shawn Everett McPherson, was taking his position over her children firm and fast - she could see it, that he saw them as his - period. She didn't know what to do about this new revelation with him, Crystal, Ben - Victor. She hadn't a clue.

Shawn sat on the stool, looking from the TV to his wife's back. Now that they'd quieted, he needed to smooth things over, he couldn't forward function until things were right between them. He stood walking to the window where she stood, coming up behind her. Wrapping his arms around her he leaned down and kissed her ear. Sylvia accepted his gesture of making up, what choice did she have? He was her husband, the head of this family, and like it or not, he'd spoken, there was no sense in holding a grudge. She leaned back against him, her arms crossing over his that were wrapped beneath her breasts. "When I make a stand, doesn't mean to say, I don't love you, I do. I always love you, even when we disagree." He spoke softly in her ear.

"I know." She returned softly.

"You love me ... right?"

With her head leaning back against him, she turned it towards him, offering up her lips, which he promptly kissed. Softly, gently, lovingly - which she returned. Speaking into her mouth, "This mean you love me?" He asked. "Even when we disagree, yes ... I love you."

*

Chicago... morning

When Jackie pulled into her yard in the back, it was to see that Paul was there, pushing the lawn mower over her backyard, cutting the grass. He stopped long enough to make eye contact with her and wave. Smiling, she waved back, getting out of her car. She was wearing a very short, skimpy dress that flattered all of her best traits, her figure, her shapely legs, her brown skin. It was summer after all.

Paul tried not to stare, tried not to look at her legs as she strolled by him into the house. She wasn't speaking to him because the lawn mower was running. He'd stood forgetting himself, not realizing that he was no longer pushing it, but was following her into the house with his eyes, his heart going in his chest like mad. When the door closed behind her, he realized then, what he'd been doing. Shaking it off, he returned to cutting the grass, but what had been since yesterday, still was - a semi-erect state of arousal. Last night, he'd had a wet dream, and changed the sheets quietly while Vivian slept, hoping she didn't wake up and catch him at what he was doing. Suddenly, his sexual needs were full blown within him, he could not get his mind off of her, or the fantasy of her letting him make love to her. It was on his mind, every second of every moment, which was hell, because he couldn't always hide his aroused state. He deliberately wore long shirts to cover himself, and adjusted his length upward instead of hanging down his pants leg, where he knew it would show up. Now, the sight of her in that dress, was sending his mind and body into madness. She had thick, muscular thighs, and he kept imagining himself between them.

He pushed that lawn mower faster and faster. He chanced to look up, she put a tumbler of lemonade on the porch banister for him, pointing at it. He smiled and nodded a thank you. She was still wearing that short dress. He was sweating, not so much from the warm weather or pushing the lawn mower either. He stayed out as long as he could, pushing it around, getting everywhere with it, because he was trying to get himself under control.

From within the house, Jackie stood at the back porch window looking out at him. She'd spent a restless night last night, tossing and turning, her body alarming her that she still had needs and having him around, had tripped that alarm. He wasn't going to be around for long, after this week, he would be gone. Last night, she thought long and hard about it, she was going to tease him a bit, see his reaction to it. See if he was willing, something told her, that he was - he was flirting with her yesterday. And just now, her skin burned from his staring at her. Yes, if he were willing, she decided to take advantage of the good thing. While he was fixing things, he might as well include her.

She would wait for him to come in, and in the meantime, she did what she usually did, laundry, vacuuming, dusting. With a basket of clothes, she walked out side to hang them on the line. Bending ever so slightly, being careful not to go over board, she began taking clothes from the basket to hang on the line. Once more, Paul didn't realize he'd stopped to stare at her. The lawn was cut, he needed to turn the mower off and go into the house to continue where he left off last night. Struggling to swallow, he turned from her, switched the lawnmower off and pushed it under the porch where she normally stored it.

Stopping at the stairs, he stared at her a moment more before he remembered that he'd stopped to let her know, "I'll ah, go in now - start back on the floor."

She smiled, "Okay, see you inside." And continued to hang out the clothes, stretching up so that the skirt road up a bit to show the curve of her firm rear. Blowing out, Paul quickly made his way into her house, trying to collect his thinking, trying to get himself in order of what he needed to do. He'd finished the floor in Stephanie's room and now needed to work in the bathroom. Strapping on his utility belt, his heart took off once more as he heard Jackie coming into the house with the empty laundry basket and his tumbler of lemonade. He'd forgotten about it.

"What, you don't like lemonade?" She asked.

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, I do, forgot it was out there." He tried to explain. She walked to the table, setting it in his reach.

"So tell me Paul, what's your girlfriends name?"

"Girlfriend?" he asked, picking up the lemonade and drinking it down.

"Yeah, you know - someone you go out with, to the movies, to a dance, someone you park with, smooch a bit, girlfriend."

He set the tumbler down, his eyes wide, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, "I ah, don't have a girlfriend - never have."

"You're kidding me! A cutie like you, no girl? What are they, blind?"

He blushed, "Nooo, I just - well, I was shy in school."

"Ohhh, and why was that?" She asked leaning back against her sink.

He shrugged, smiled, glanced bashfully up at her, "I ah, had acne for a while - it just cleared up, and well - just never, met anyone, I really liked. Well, I did, but, she liked someone else, never knew I existed."

"What a shame. So, does that mean, you've never kissed a girl?"

He shook his head, gulping.

"You're kidding me, not once?"

Again he shook his head.

"I find it so hard to believe, with those eyes, that smile, no girl has ever tried to kiss you."

"No ma'am, none."

"Was there ever a girl, you were dying to kiss?"

"No, not dying to kiss - curious maybe." He was dying to kiss her, that's who he was dying to kiss.

"What about now, you're 18 years old, surely there is someone that's made you feel things, made you want to kiss her?"

Paul stared with wide eyes into hers, didn't look away, couldn't look away, and barely able to breathe, turning red in the face, ears burning and popping, said, before he lost his nerve. "I sure would like to kiss you, ma'am. You - well - I'm dying to kiss you." He gulped.

Jackie smiled, "Are you aware that I'm quite a bit older than you?"

"Yes, I know - that don't matter though, does it? How old you are; how old I am, right?"

"Hmmm, what would you do, if I walked over there right now, took your face in hand and kissed you?"

He stared a moment and then, next thing she knew, he was there, taking her face in hand, shaking to kiss her. It took her so by surprise, she gasped. He caught himself, what he was doing, stepped back, snatching his hands away from her, his eyes big, face red. "Sorry - was that a hypothetical?"

She took a deep breath, feeling herself grow wet from their close proximity. Shaking her head, she reached up cupping the back of his head with one hand, with the other going to his waist, his belt buckle to pull him back to her. Tilting her mouth up to him, she moved in real close, touching her lips to his. Suddenly, his hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tightly against him, "Slow down," She murmured softly at his lips.

He couldn't slow down, he was instantly hard and wanting her bad. "Take your time Paul, and kiss me," She whispered, noting how nervous, shaky and anxious he was. He was trying to slow down, trying to calm himself, trying to get himself under control; but she smelled incredible, felt incredible and then she moved against him. Feeling his erection, "My goodness boy, you are wound tight as a bow string, aren't you." She pecked at his lips, the corner of his mouth. "You wanna, try and ... kiss me now?" She asked. His first try at it was with his mouth closed, but then, thought about it and opened his mouth over hers, and hesitantly, inserted his tongue, slowly - meeting with hers. She began moving her mouth against his, her tongue caressing his, "Follow my lead." She coaxed. He did, growing dizzy by the moment. She could feel him grinding shyly against her, could feel his erection, a bit curious about the way it felt. She pulled away to invite, "How about we take this, to my room?"