BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (122 page)

Back with Shawn, he sat before her, with his head down, the barber cape draped over him as she sprayed his hair wet to cut it.

"Can I ask you something? And will you be completely honest with me?" He started off.

"Sure, you can ask me anything." She replied combing through his hair, inserting before he got started, "How short?"

"Short, but not buzzed like before, your mom won't let me. She says leave some length, just trim it."

Crystal smiled, "I gotcha papah-Shawn, gone lay a schweet fade on you, she'll like that."

"Whatever you do is alright by me, long as it's short."

"Okay, now - what were you gonna ask me?"

He paused, obviously thinking about what he would ask, then went for it, "In the face of all that's happened over the last few weeks between you and Victor - do you think, or rather, are you still in love with him? Have you been, thinking about things?"

She was a bit surprised by the question, "Yeah, I've been thinking, doing nothing but; what makes you ask that?"

"I'm hoping - that your thinking about it and time away from him and home will help you to see things differently. I'm hoping that you're working on moving beyond this chapter in your life, placing him in a closed chapter."

"Well, I can't close him out entirely, I have his two sons."

"I understand that, but where you're concerned, he doesn't have to have a hold on you, right?"

"Right, that's true."

"Crystal, I just - god - I love you as any father would or should - love his daughter. That means, setting high standards and expectations for the man in your life! Sweety, I know you may not like what I'm saying, or for that matter want to hear it, but I have to say it anyway - he is not the man for you. You have needs, that he simply is not capable, perhaps due to his own choices, of seeing to."

"I don't understand where this is coming from? It's over, remember? He signed the divorce papers and took them in, when I get back, that Monday morning is our court date. It might as well be considered, over and done with."

Shawn squirmed on that one because of the calls from Victor.

"Hold still, you gone make me ruin your fade, no wiggling."

He sat still, and gave his reasons, "Okay, maybe - but - let's do a what if scenario here. Let's say, we went home, and he shows up on the scene, or calls you. Maybe he's had a change of mind, that is possible you know? I can't imagine any man with half a sense, willingly letting you go - giving you up."

She chuckled, "You're getting all worked up about nothing papah-Shawn, it's over. He has someone else remember?"

"Yeah! You just remember that, that he obviously couldn't wait to move on, which is my point! Fuck him, okay?"

"Papah-Shawn!?" She grinned, shaking her head.

"No no, I mean it - who the hell does he think he is..."

"Hold your head still!" She had to repeat.

"Sonofabitch!" he grumbled, "I get this feeling, he's gonna wake up and think, 'What the hell am I doin'?'"

He used the voice or Pee Wee Herman for Victor and had Crystal weak with laughter, "That's wrong, papah how you gone be!" But she was laughing when she said it.

Shawn turned in the seat looking at her, serious as could be, because she moved away from him to laugh, his hand and finger gesturing and pointing at her, "Look, he had his one chance with you - he blew it as far as I'm concerned."

"Turn around, let me get done with your head papah, don't worry about it - I've accepted that it's over."

Grumbling once more, Shawn turned putting his head down, "I don't trust it, him - just when we get back, I think - well, you should let me deal with him, work out visits with the boys, I can take them to him if it means you don't have to deal with him. You don't have to ever look into his face again - fact, I rather you wouldn't."

"Papah-Shawn I'm okay, I can handle it. Coming here with you, was a good thing for me."

"Promise me Crystal, you won't go back to him."

"What? Why are you so worried about that when you know we're divorcing? There's no way for me to go back to him."

Shawn exhaled long and deep, "You're not saying what I want to hear little girl."

"What papah-Shawn, do you want me to say? Why are you so worked up over it?"

"I want you to say and mean, that no matter what - you'll put you first this time in your life. You were just a little girl and off to college, if I'd been in the scene, in place as your father then, you wouldn't be heading off to college, no way in hell! You'd be at home - with me -..."

"Papah-Shawn, had it been you, as my father, I wouldn't have wanted to go away to college, I went, well - wanted to go - because-..."

He reached up taking her hand in his, "I know why. You don't have to say anymore. My point is, you weren't ready then, and truthfully, you're not ready now. Give yourself now, the time you should have been using then - stay at home. Stay with me, with your mother. Don't ever think, you're forced to make any decision on anything, only man you need in your life is me, your Papah-Shawn - hell with the rest."

Crystal smiled shaking her head, "If it wasn't for all the cut hair on this cape, I'd hug you right now. Does that go for Ben as well, by the way."

Shawn looked up at her, "Hell yeah - that goes for him as well. I want what makes you happy. Right now, more than anything, you should be at home, with me - you need a father right now more than anything, someone looking out for you, watching over you, and well - that's more important for you than the rest. The boys will be just fine. They can still have him, for whatever purpose that will serve, and they'll have me, Mundo and Ben as well."

She gave a slight nod, "Lemme finish your cut papap-Shawn."

He turned so that she could get through, both silent, thinking about things. When she was done and brushing his neck clean before she took off the cape, he asked again, "Please Crystal, promise me - no matter what - you'll stay at home, put you first."

She removed the cape, careful not to let the hair spill out or on him. Moving it aside and dropping it on the floor for the time being she turned as he stood. Giving into the need, she hugged him, her arms around his waist, "I'm promise - no matter what - I'll stay at home with you, put me first."

Shawn hugged her back, a tight and squeezing father's hug they savored as they stood in the kitchen. Letting her go, he palmed her cheeks and kissed her brow, "I'm gonna hold you to that." He gave one more kiss to her brow and released her.

"No need, because I know you're right."

"Good girl, now let's go get you a laptop."

"I told you-..."

"Hush, let's go!"

"Okay okay, let me clean this up."

Following the clean up, she went to the sliding glass doors to speak with Mundo and Ben, who were out still working with the boys and swimming. "You guys mind if I go somewhere with Papah-Shawn, we won't be gone too long."

"Oooh! Where ya'll goin'?" Mundo asked from the water.

"Non'yah! You gone watch the boys?"

"Tell papah-Shawn bring back some Popeye's chicken!"

Shawn was standing behind her in the door, grinning, "Watch the boys, we'll be back - and I'll bring back some Popeye's!"

"Straight-up dawg, that's what I'm sayin'! Head out, we got it covered."

Crystal was watching Ben work with Darren, she couldn't help but notice, that now - he said as little as possible to her. His eyes still met hers from time to time, he was still gentle, kind and attentive, but - different, guarded, careful. At the very last minute, he turned and waved her and Shawn off, Darren doing the same, happy and content in his arms.

That was something else that could not be ignored by her. When Darren knew that she was leaving, he didn't cry for her to take him with her. Even with Mundo, every now and then, he'd put up a little fuss that quickly went away once she was gone. But with Ben, no fuss, he waved her goodbye.

On their way to shop for her a laptop, Shawn talked to her about the various laptops, memory, graphics cards, power, processors and speed. She decided to let him be the judge of which one was best to get for her. At the computer store, they played with various gadgets - looking over the new upgrades. Shawn bought two more video games, one for Mundo, one for Angela. They checked out the digital cameras and he ended up buying Crystal one to use along with her computer. Graphics software, the current student version of Microsoft Office, and loaded up, they headed for the checkout. They stood behind an older white couple with the woman casting furtive looks their way. Shawn picked up on it right away, especially when she attempted to subtly nudge her husband, who then also looked back at them. The man was so bold as to look at him and then at Crystal, and compounding it by shaking his head.

"Got a problem?" Shawn asked.

The man looked at Crystal again and then at Shawn, shaking his head, "Little young isn't she?"

"Daughters usually are! That's how they come, young! You should see them when we first get'em, babies, actual babies! Imagine that, but they eventually grow, still and yet though, compared to their father's, they still have a tendency to look - young! Even so, she's still daddies little girl, got another one, I'll bring her along next time - she's closer to my shade than my oldest. Now that one, whoa - she's really young, get this, only ten - years - old! Man, it's scary stuff - for real - beautiful as they are, can't leave'em at home all the time, every now and then, I'll bring one out, this time, it's my big girl's turn." The sarcasm oozed until the man and woman turned beet red.

Crystal on the other hand tried with all her might not to laugh out, but the looks on their face, was her undoing.

Mumbling, embarrassed, the man tried to repair it, "Oh - I didn't know - I thought-..."

"I know what you thought - mind your fuckin' business!" Shawn blasted him, sarcasm gone now.

Humiliated, the man grabbed up his things and gave his wife a shove for making him put his foot in his mouth, considering the fact that she'd said nothing the whole time.

Leaving the store, pushing their cart with their purchases, Crystal was still laughing, "You are too much!"

"I hate nosy prying ass bigots like that, trying to pretend concern for you, because you're so young. When the fact is, they didn't like me being with you because you're black! Trying to cover it up with that bullshit! I guarantee you this, had his wife not been with him, he would have been dying to ask, where could he go to find one like you! That my sweety, is your modern day honky! Fake fucker!"

Crystal couldn't remember a time she'd spent with him, where he didn't stun her, shock her or just crack her up. They went off to pick up some Popeye's on the way home. When they arrived, entering with the big box and other goodies, it was to find Sylvia up about to fix herself something to eat.

"Got chicken from Popeye's mama!" Crystal alerted her immediately.

Seeing all the stuff, Sylvia groaned shaking her head, "Lord, what is all this?"

"Had to get my daughter a computer, a laptop - she needed one." Shawn defended from the look on his wife's face.

"When we get home, we are definitely tightening up the purse strings and getting on a budget and staying on it."

"I told him mama, I could work to buy it later."

"Baby, I'm not fussin' - you deserve it. You have always worked hard, this is fine, I'm just saying - we're all going to have to pitch in and keep things under control, especially with that house being built." Sylvia finished going for the chicken, taking out a drumstick, biting right into it, she was starving, grabbed a spoon and took the whole container of Cole slaw and started digging in, eating right out of it, instead of grabbing her a paper plate. Shawn chuckled, "You hungry?"

With her mouth full, she ignored him biting out of the chicken again, looking for a pepper. "Where the jalapeños at?"

Crystal rustled around until she found them. Sylvia grabbed one of them, as her daughter held the container for them, she took one out and bit off half of it, hadn't chewed up all the chicken and Cole slow yet.

"Hey hey hey, you wanna slow there for you choke?" Shawn laughed.

"Move, I'm hungry!"

"Dang mama! Don't get your hand in the way papah-Shawn!" Crystal joked.

Playing with her, Shawn moved up behind her, putting his arms around her, hand on her belly, "Oooh, ain't them greasy lips sexy - lil'pepper juice, lemme kiss them lips."

Sylvia cracked up, "Gone fool leave me alone, I'm tryin' t'eat."

"Baby you ain't tryin', you gettin' it done, get all that meat off the bone."

Sylvia had to cover her mouth from almost spitting it out with his joking, wiggling to be free of his arms around her, "Gone now Shawn, where the fried Okra?"

Shawn stayed behind her, having fun, passing her one thing after another, trying to keep from laughing out as she swatted and pushed at him from teasing with her.

"You wanna plate mama?" Crystal asked, grinning from ear to ear, she loved seeing them like this. Her mother being pampered and adored, with Shawn all over her, obviously he couldn't get enough of touching her, even though he was being a bit annoying as far as her mother was concerned.

"A plate? When she can just eat off the table? Go on baby, the whole table be your plate, catch that crumb right there." He laughed and bounced out of her reach with Sylvia swatting at him, she had a pepper stuck in the cole slaw, along with her spoon, a package of the fried okra, between two fingers, she was almost done with the drumstick and a chicken wing for back-up just as soon as she polished off the first piece - with her mouth full.

Mundo came in just then, sliding the glass door aside, Darren in his arms, about to ask everyone to come outside, when he caught sight of his mother doing the Tasmanian devil on his chicken. "Hey hey hey hey hey, mama - dang, chill on the chicken, chill on the chicken! Ah man, come on now! Ease up on the Cole slaw - ah man, she all up in the okra and thangs, come on mama naw - I'm the one want some Popeye's!"

Shawn had tears in his eyes, rolling from the look on Mundo's face as he stood by, helpless, "Dad, you bring enough? Look at ha'? Packman ain't got nothin' on you mama - mowin' on that chicken like she from Ethiopia o'some where! Crumbs on'ya - chicken fat on your lips - you do have hungry children you know."