BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (123 page)

Trying not to laugh so she wouldn't loose her food she called out for help, "Shawn tell'em leave me alone, I'm hungry."

"Aye boy! Leave your mama alone, can't you see she hungry?! When she done, there be some left."

Mundo's eyes got big, "Not much!"

Sylvia turned up her nose, at him, content with what was in her hands.

Watching her, he forgot what he came in for until Darren nudged him, "Oh yeah, ya'll all come outside, we got something to show you, especially you mama, come away from the food!"

Gloating a bit, pride clear from the grin on his face, Shawn held his hand behind his wife's back, winking at her as she walked out behind Mundo, Darren and Crystal to see what was going on.

Everyone stood to see Ben in the middle of the pool, towards the deep end. Isaac was standing and waiting for Mundo to return with the rest of the family. With everyone present, Ben looked from Shawn, to Sylvia and last to Crystal.

"I am happy and proud to present to you all, our very own future, gold medallist champion for the swimming events in the 2022 Olympics!"

Isaac started clapping and cheering right away, so excited he could barely hold himself back, waiting for Ben to give him the signal, Ben put his fingers in his mouth and whistled loud and shrill - Isaac ran forward and dived into the pool feet first, brought himself to the surface and began dog peddling his way towards Ben, laughing as he did, the closer he got to Ben, the further back he moved towards the deep end.

Nervous, Crystal walked along the side of the pool, following her son's progress, barely breathing as she watched him. Ben had him go all the way across the deep water to him until he reached the edge.

"YES!" He cried out and lifted him from the water into the air, so proud one would think he held his own son.

They all cheered Isaac, proud of him. Ben sat him on the side so he could run to his mother. His smile so wide, there was no doubt that he felt good about his accomplishment.

Crystal grabbed him up and hugged him, "I can't believe you crossed the entire length of the pool! You are - the man!"

"I crossed'ed easy mama!"

Crystal hugged him, "Mama so proud of you!"

Ben moved back to the center of the pool, "Not over yet." he warned everyone to get their attention once more. Looking at Mundo, "Put'em down."

Mundo set Darren on his feet. "It's your turn now little man, I want you to come to me."

"No!" Darren yelled because he had wanted to go first.

"Please? Come to me - you can do it - show them you can do it, come on."

"Ben maybe he's-..." Crystal started out, scared about Darren when Ben cut her off.

"Shhht! Be quiet!" Ben silenced her with his hand up, not even looking her way.

She made a face, but closed her mouth and watched.

"Come on Darren, come to me."

"C'm ge'me."

"No, I'll get you in here, let's go!" He instructed.

Darren walked to one edge, then further along, trying to get as close to where Ben was as he could, "No Darren, go back there, come to me from there."

Ben stood in the middle, closer to the shallow end now, staring at Darren, his hand up he wagged his fingers to him. Darren looked into the water, looked at his mother, holding his hands up to her. "Ben, he's not ready!" She cried out about to go to him.

"He is ready, stay there Crystal! He wants you, he can come through the water and me to get to you. Come on Darren."

He put his hands down, looked at Ben, then without warning ran and jumped in. Crystal's hands went to her mouth scared to death, trying to hold back from crying out. Sylvia stood just as frightened, her eyes wide trying not to move or yell out that he should get him.

Darren struggled long enough to scare Crystal and Sylvia, making Shawn really nervous. Then he remembered what to do, he turned over to his back, gasping a bit to breath, and relaxed back, spitting out water, it took him a moment to maintain staying up but he did it, he started floating on top of the water. He then began kicking and moving his arms to move towards Ben, first slowly, a bit sloppy, but then with every inch he moved, he got better, started moving faster.

Ben watched him, 'that's it baby, that's my boy... come on,' his mind coached watching him. When he drew closer to him, Ben moved away towards the deep end as he did with Isaac. Crystal was dying to tell him that was enough, but she held her fist to her mouth not to say a word.

Because Ben was moving away, making him come further across the deep water, Darren got mad, started crying and calling out, "No!"

Crystal covered her face, feeling that it was unbearable to watch.

Ben remained quiet and let him fuss, but made him come all the way to the end of the deep water. It took him longer than it did Isaac and everyone was swimming with him, holding their breath, suffering as they watched him, listening to him cry out now and then, because he would take in water, then spit it out.

Crystal started crying.

Sylvia turned to Shawn, "Tell him that's enough... he's just a baby."

"No, let him finish."

Sylvia bit her lip.

Finally Ben lifted himself onto the edge of the pool so that Darren could feel that he made it all the way to the edge. When his hand felt the concrete hold in the water, he grabbed it and turned taking hold of it with both hands, lifting up to look at Ben and started laughing.

"YES! YOU SEE! You did it! You can do anything! Doesn't matter how small you are, you can do anything!" He lifted him out of the water and hugged him, carrying him to his mother. Crystal wiped her eyes, and when they met Ben's, his were welled up as well. Darren reached for her, she took him. "There's your son, he'll be okay now. Mission accomplished, keep him in the water Crystal, everyday if you can. When we get back, take them to the pool no less than three times a week, okay?"

She was so choked up all she could do was nod.

He walked by her, grabbing a towel off the chair to dry himself off - walking towards his father and Sylvia. Looking Sylvia in the eyes, "That's my promise fulfilled now. I better go get dressed."

She nodded.

Shawn stopped him, "You - make me proud. You are - one damn good son."

Ben smiled, "Glad you think so, even though, I didn't do it alone, had some help," he nodded towards Mundo.

"Ah man, I was just your humble assistant - it was all you. No doubt about it." Mundo stepped up, he had Isaac by the hand.

They passed through the doors behind Sylvia, she could just feel Shawn's eyes looking down at her. Bracing herself, she looked up at him. "I don't need to say anything, do I?" he murmured softly.

Sighing, she looked away towards her daughter, walking to her with Darren.

Shawn turned to go into the house when his mobile rang. Stepping inside, he slid the door and answered it, "Shawn."

"Hi it's me, Deidre. Can you come to the house please for Angela, and uh - will you come alone?"

Shawn's brows pinched from that request, "Why?"

"Can you please? We'll be waiting." She clicked off before his answer.

Shawn stood a moment looking at the phone. Turning, he glanced out the door to Sylvia and Crystal on their way into the house with Darren wrapped into a towel. Sliding the door open for them, "Babe, I'm going out again, picking up Angela, I'll be back in a few, okay?"

"Yep." She smiled.

Wisconsin...

Shanna pulled onto her brother's property looking for her father after calling her parents to find out that he would be hauling the trailer that was filled with Vivian's things there to store in the barn for them. It had been cleaned out of all the rubbish, leaving plenty of storage room for the trailer until the house was done and some of the furniture could be moved in. She sat on the porch watching as he backed the trailer in, then cut the truck to un-hitch it. Once done, he pulled out. He would be there for a while, getting more things done on the house for his son; running the new heavy gauge cables to all the rooms from the basement. Jake had called the night before to let them know he'd be out of town until Friday night, returning with Vivian; he'd also told his father on Shanna - feeling that would cook her goose, kicking him out and slamming the door on him.

Since Shanna was there, she volunteered to help him as they spoke about what she'd been told that same morning.

Following her father around, explaining things as he listened - she finished and then waited to see what he advised.

"That Royce fella staying there with you now?" He asked as if she hadn't just gone into a lengthy worry about an investigation surrounding her brother.

"Royce?" She asked, stunned.

"That his name?"

Shanna paused, then had no choice but to say, "Yes, Royce is his name."

"He staying at your place with you now?"

Shanna could only stare, chew her lips, wince, "Yeah, on and off."

"On and off huh? Why is that?"

"Huh? Jake say somethin' to you daddy?"

"He did - as he should. So is he stayin' there with you or not?"

"Not all the time daddy."

"Just some of the time then."

"Well, yeah."

"Shanna, lil'gal, I don't get that. I don't get that at all. Seems to me, if he got what it take to stay sometimes, you need to be fixin' it for him to stay all the time. Lessin' he ain't no good for you, like that last one, if that's the case, what you doin'?"

"Daddy, ugggh - I can't believe Jake ran and told you my business! He had no right!"

"He's your older brother, got every right-..."

"Daddy please don't go on about this!"

"What, he ain't willin' to marry you?"

"It's not that daddy!"

"What is it then?"

"I'm not ready to marry him yet! There's plenty of time for that later."

"Meantime, he gets to enjoy certain privileges for free. I cannot believe my daughter, my little girl would even consider such a notion! I didn't raise my girls to be an easy lay for any man come along grinning just so, tickling your fancy for a quick stop. It's a depressing thing to see the standards of so many women just low to the gutter - with no care for how a man sees or treats them!" He grumbled just getting started. "...it baffles the mind how your so call, more intelligent, free thinking generation figured they'd be better off giving it up willy nilly - tryin' to be like a man - when you're not! You're not a man, you're a precious young woman who should not only demand respect, but deserve it. Dammit all! Then after umpteen men have trampled over your heart and treated you like whores, you get the notion from somewhere that you've been treated badly and all men are - well - dogs! I'm tellin' you now Shanna Eden, you don't want no husband, then you aught not be wantin' a man either! If you get to shackin' up over there in that mobile home, I am gonna be mighty disappointed in you young woman, 'cause it's not how you was raised up. It ain't right, and I'm not caring how old you are - right is right, wrong is wrong! You need to be settin' the same standards for yourself, that I insisted upon for you; the same that your brother's demanded of anyone even looking your way!" Bart huffed shaking his head, with just the thought of it. "That's it, I've had my say - go'on home now - I'll get this done by myself."

"Daddy don't be like that - I just need a little time."

"Then tell him come back later after you've had your time, you that heated in your britches,-..."

"DADDY!" Shanna gasped, shocked by his words.

"... I mean it too, just what I say, you can't do without no man for a space o'time to make up your mind? Then you're a mighty weak woman, and it breaks my heart to say it, but a mighty cheap one to boot!"

Shanna started crying, "You don't understand..."

"I sure as hell don't - ain't lookin' to either - gone home - I'm done with it, got things to do - no doubt wastin' my time anyway! You gonna do what the hell you want anyhow, like you did with that last one, look how that turned out - your brother just get home, and he gotta save your Hyde. No matter to you-..."

Shanna was bawling her eyes out by then, "Daddy you can be so hurtful sometimes! You think I want what happened, to happen?!" She stood, crying, shrill.

"Go home lil'girl, go home - I'm a tired ol'man, with little time left on my hands. Can't be wastin' it, even on my own little girl she choose to be silly and easy."

Shanna, crying her eyes out, stomped through Jake's house and out of it to her Jeep. She was about to start it up and go, but couldn't bring herself to. No matter what wrongs her father had done in the past, he was still her father and she loved him unconditionally. As a daughter to Bartholomew, she'd been treated good, babied by him in fact, as well her brothers. The one time she'd defied all good advice, landed her in a world of hurt. She'd come home to her family and now she was free - to live her life again, happily. Sitting, sniffing, she thought about Royce, the things he said to her that morning. She sat realizing she needed to make up her mind about what she wanted. After all, what was the difference between being with him unmarried - and being with him married? There was only two differences, and that was - if she wanted to be with him forever or not, and did he want to be with her forever? That was the primary core of it all. They could get closer being married, just as well as living together. They could get to know each other married, just as well as unmarried. He didn't hit - of that - she was certain - he just wasn't the type - besides, he was willing to stay right close to her family, which was a good sign, considering what he knew about them. He was fine and upstanding - a follower of the law, making good money and attentive to her.

Back to the one question ... forever?

That's the one that needed to be figured out, and then - she'd know what she had to do.

She sat in the Jeep, sniffing, blowing her nose, looking towards the house where her father was. After fifteen minutes of thinking and getting control of herself, she went back into the house. She found her father in what would be their master bedroom. "Daddy?"

Bart sat on one of the wood horses, wiring an outlet box, he looked over at her, "Thought you was gone home." he commented.