BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (114 page)

Marcus looked over his younger siblings and sighed, sitting there while Luis aided in getting Shawn2 to their father, who gave him a nice crack across the face. It caused him more embarrassment than pain, tromping on his pride, but little else was felt. Yet, to see him whale out, one would have thought Derrick had punched him. Meribel shook her head, "Miho, you want me to deal with you? Shut it up, putting on a show, your dad hardly tapped you."

"I'm gonna have a black eye!" he wailed laying on the blanket in the midst of his family, who thought, he must have mental disturbances.

Derrick looked from his middle child and son, to his wife. "Don't look at me, we could've stopped at three."

"HEY! What about me!?" Sasha was quick to remind her.

"Yeah, mami, you wouldn't have me either!" Joseph was next, whom she gathered in her arms, kissing him. "Mami sorry, of course I'd want my baby."

"Shawn2, sit up!" Derrick ordered, trying to get everyone back in order, "Now listen up, hear me loud and clear. This is not a discussion to ask anyone's opinion or permission. It's to inform you all of the fact, that we are going to Hillsboro for the summer, and that is final!" He looked at Shawn2, "Especially, you! If no one else was going, you would be!"

Shawn2 and Sasha both groaned aloud their disapproval, but there was little they could do.

After a day at the park, everyone returned to the hotel. Derrick was taking Meribel out for a night of dinner and dancing at a local dinner club. They were leaving Marcus in charge of the brood. They had access to three rooms. Derrick's and Meribel's, that was attached to the one Sasha and Joseph shared; Marcus, Luis and Shawn2 shared the one directly across the hall from their parents; who were now gone. Marcus, Luis and Joseph were in their room, Luis playing video games with Joseph, while Marcus sat chatting on the laptop with a girl that he'd met. Across the hall, in their parents room, Sasha sat talking to Ma'Keiba on the phone. This of course, while Ma'Keiba's mother slept in the other room; forcing her to speak softly into the phone not to be heard.

Shawn2 sat on the floor against the bed, waiting for his turn to speak to her, showing his desire to do so, by continuously reaching for the phone while Sasha turned away, finally, she said into the phone, "King of the losers wants to talk to you, wanna talk to him?"

Ma'Keiba went quiet, then finally answered, "I don't care, sure."

Sasha passed him the phone, bounced off of the bed to go in her room to watch a movie. She knew Shawn2, he wouldn't be giving the phone back.

Right away from getting the phone from his little sister, he started out, "Guess what?"

"What?" Ma'Keiba returned.

"We're going away for the whole summer, maybe moving for good." He dramatized passionately.

"That's what Sasha was saying, why? When?" She asked with urgency, as if this was serious business, what would they do? How would they be able to see one another and talk late at night as they were starting to do of late. It took place in between the time her mother left for work, trading the car over to her father, before he came home from work. That gave them an hour and a half to play with. Once Shawn2 sleuthed out this vital info, he wasted not a moment to use it to his advantage. He'd been sneaking out of his room and over to Ma'Keiba's the moment the cost was clear. His ears were keen for listening for her father's return, he had his hiding places staked out to let him pass and enter the house, and then he was off. He, for one, was glad that they hadn't listened to his dad and gotten a dog, a barking dog would not be good.

The first night he snuck into their yard and up to their backdoor, had been quite the surprise for Ma'Keiba. She'd been washing the dishes when she heard him tapping at the door, standing, watching her. She'd turned, went to the locked, secure, glass and metal screen door and there he was, grinning at her in the dark.

"Boy! What you doing here? My mama could'ah seen you - she just left for work!"

"I know, I saw her leave. That's why I'm here. Your father won't be home either for another hour or more." He returned smartly, cheesing, quite proud of himself.

"How you know all that?"

"I made it my business to know." He returned, "So, what you doin'?" He boldly asked, peering past her into the kitchen to see for himself.

"I'm washing the dishes, if you must know!"

"Oh - that sucks - bet you'd rather be talkin' to me, huh?"

"No." She sassed, smirking.

"Ah come on, you'd rather that, than talk to me?" He flirted like a natural.

"Boy - what do you want? I gotta have this kitchen clean 'fore my daddy get home."

"Want me to help you?"

"No! Comin'round here, you gone get me in trouble."

"How? If they don't know I'm here?"

"Where your mama and daddy at? They mus' be gone."

"They're at home. They're having problems at the moment. Some crazy lady is after my dad. My moms pissed off, threatening to leave him. So, they don't have time to keep up with me; besides, they think I'm in my room reading."

"You probably on punishment again." She announced knowingly.

He only grinned, flexing his brows at her, trying to remember when his last punishment ended, and the new one began? He didn't think any of them had ended yet, it was possible they were all overlapping. "So, you gonna let me in?" He asked.

"No, I ain't ready to die! My parents don't do punishments, they'll whoop my butt. You ain't gettin' me beat."

"They shouldn't do that to you, they should put you on punishment."

"Yeah, like you right? I can see now why they don't, obviously, it don't work! Look at you."

He only grinned at her again, leaning against the door, shrugging, gazing into her eyes. "What can I say, when I wanna do something, nothing can stop me - punishment or not."

"Well, according to my mama, what's wrong with white kids is, they haven't had no good'ol'fashion ass whipping, the kind only a black mother can give. You get one of them, that'll make you stop and think."

"Why would you want anyone to stop me? Then I couldn't get to you, you wouldn't want that would you?" He asked softly, smooth, weaving a web about her.

Ma'Keiba froze in a trance staring at him, snapping out of it with the shake of her head, she blurted, "I gotta go!"

"Already? Your dads not due home yet." He informed her.

"I have to go in, Shawn2 - this not right. I don't wanna be in no trouble. You need to go home before you get caught here! Your mama and daddy, gonna tell mine, and that's it for me!"

"Okay, I'll go, but first, can I come back tomorrow night?"

"Shawn2!" She exclaimed impatiently.

He was smiling, eyes mesmerizing, a twinkling hazel/blue full of mischief shinning by the porch light, gazing at her lips. Before she could react, stop him, he leaned over and kissed her right on her very soft, full lips. Quickly, because he couldn't resist, and he was off, laughing into the night, like some wicked young bandit on the run. With her fingers to her lips, tingling now from his touching hers, Ma'Keiba watched him go. He knew this, thus, would not dare use the gate, instead, he jumped the fence like a young buck with too much energy for his own good - trying to impress her. That had been the beginning of their late night ritual, which had entailed 3 after that one so far.

Back to the present and their phone conversation.

"Remember I told you about that stupid lady after my dad?"

"Yeah."

"Well it's because of her that we have to go to my gran's for the summer - the whole - summer!"

"Ohhh." She softly exclaimed, bothered by the idea of not seeing him for the entire summer.

"You gonna miss me, huh?" He asked confidently.

"No." She lied, "You gonna miss me?" She snapped, her tone predictable to him, he was getting used to her sassiness.

"If you were my girlfriend, I might miss you. But, you don't even know how to kiss, look how you freeze; got scared both times I tried to kiss you."

"Maybe, it's because I don't want no
white boy
, kissing me!" She hissed low, careful about being heard.

Shawn2 laughed, "You know you like me, admit it. When I'm gone all summer, it's gonna be hell for you."

"Hell for you maybe! Not for me." She assured him.

"You saying you don't wanna be my girlfriend?"

"Shawn2, my mama said, the only reason a boy act the way you actin' with me, is because you wanna get in my pannies. If bein' your girlfriend mean letting you get in them, then no, I don't wanna be your girlfriend. You not gettin' me in no trouble!"

"That means I'm gonna have to find me another girl then; you don't mind if another girl gets me, do you?"

Ma'Keiba felt her stomach knot up, but her pride quickly took over, "Nope! They can have you!"

"You not gone get jealous?"

"Got no reason to."

"Sure you won't. I know you gonna be crying your eyes out - calling out my name,
Shawn2 - Shawn2 - oh my Shawn2, what have I done!
"

"Nah-em! I ain't gone be crying nothing! You the one gone be crying my name!"

"MA'KEIBA!!! I know you ain't on my phone! Who you talkin' to?!"

"Gotta go! Bye!" The phone went dead.

Shawn2 kicked the bed in frustration, making a face. Hanging the phone up, he left his parents room and went into his sister's room with a face on. She looked up, saw him and stuck her tongue out at him. "Ma'Keiba had to go huh?"

"Yeah." He mumbled sourly.

"I'm glad, that's what you get for not letting me finish talking to her, she's
my
friend after all! Nobody in their right mind would want
you
for a boyfriend!"

He yanked up the covers and rolled her off the bed and onto the floor, then darted from the room as she let out a big yelp for Marcus.

Chicago

Try as he might, he could not get to sleep. He'd left Jackie's home today feeling as if he'd left something vital behind. Then not to go back, made him feel even more disconnected. He was experiencing some strange and new sensations that was literally rearranging his make-up on a cellular level. He couldn't explain it other than to know, that it was keeping him from sleeping. He'd dozed off for a while, but a dream where he'd seen his hand touching her incredible brown skin, had brought him instantly, wide awake. No dregs of drowsiness whatsoever. If that were not enough, he was also, full on aroused, with a temperature that was soaring so, that he was on the verge of bursting into flames. It forced him into a sitting position, turning, he placed his feet on the floor. He sat a moment, hoping the heat would pass. No - this - what he was feeling, was not passing, could not pass.

Yet he sat, listening to the silence of his father's basement flat around him. As if some other foreign being were in charge of him, taking over his body, he rose from the bed, found his clothing in the dark and dressed. Before leaving the room, he went to his gym bag, grabbing from it what he needed.

Standing outside in front of the building, the night was cool, fresh, invigorating to his scorching senses. The street was practically empty. He walked to his father's truck, quietly, getting in, he started it; the dash lit up showing him what time it was, 01:45 in the morning, almost 02:00 hours. With his heart pounding, pushing him onward in anticipation, he slipped it into gear and took off. That 30 minute drive never went so quickly; in fact, no traffic, just blinking caution lights and a bit of speed, had him arriving at his destination within 20 minutes. The entire drive was motivated by a scent hung up in his head; by a need that could only be seen to by one person. Paul had never known the things she was making him feel. He thought about Vivian, having such complete faith and trust in him. He had to make sure to be back before she was up for work, he really didn't wish to shatter her view of him, but ... yeah, he was traveling waters, crossing streams newly discovered, caught up in an adventure he'd not been prepared for. No one told him it would be like this, once he crossed over to the other side. Something surging within, that very thing that had been the driving force of all mankind, since the beginning of time, was alive, vigorous, and well within him. Now that it was awake, and had been unleashed - there was no way of putting it back now. He thought about his father and grinned; in that moment, right there, it would have startled all to see that he was indeed, his father's son in the expression that crossed his features, in the flames that burned in the depth of his soul. Thinking of him, Paul was more concerned about Vivian's thoughts than his dad, after all, with all that he'd been guilty of doing in his younger years, and older for that matter, there was little that he could say to him; Paul knew, he just needed to be careful.

Parked now on her back car port next to her car, Paul killed the engine.

With Tom cat like stealth, he moved from the vehicle across the yard in a graceful trot of silence not to be detected, searching for his willing Queen to answer that need in him. He found her bedroom window, noting that it was slightly open to allow for night breezes. He wondered did it ease within with deliberate slowly to caress her skin as he longed to do? The thought made him more erect, he was throbbing now. Looking to the ground around his feet, he gathered up a hand full of dry dirt rocks and pebbles and tossed them high against the glass of her window pane, calling with urgent, but soft masculine timbre, "Jackie!" He waited a moment, and then again, a handful of pebbles and dirt against the glass, "Jackie!" His heart was going in his chest, any moment, he would be up there and in her window, whether she answered his call or not.