BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (207 page)

Lucas thought that was interesting, his words in the studio, concerning seeing about his daughter, he thought directed at this one. His brow gathered wondering what was up with this guy? Crystal wasn't his daughter.

"It's not gonna do any good Shawn." Sylvia tried to reason with him.

"I don't care, I need to know what's going on here. She promised me she would stay here, give herself some time. I wanna know what happened to make her change her mind." He stated looking around the room for Ben, for Mundo. "Where's Mundo, Ben?"

"In his room. Ah, Ben is not - handling this too good." Sylvia started, and then lowering her voice said, "He came down here, walked to the sofa, sat down and next thing we know, he slid to the floor and just laid there, on his back. I couldn't believe it. Finally I had to ask was he all right. He said, he was really tired, that you all didn't have much sleep. I don't believe that, he acted like he was too weak to sit up."

Shawn contemplated that, but knew he couldn't worry about Ben right now, his main concern was Crystal.

"Anyway..." Sylvia continued when he made no comment, "... Mundo told him to go stretch out on his water bed, to get some sleep. Took him a while to get up off of that floor and make it in there. Mundo's in there with him now."

Shawn had heard enough, he bent, kissed his daughter on the forehead, "I love you Pum'kin, it'll be okay."

Angela sat, calming again, nodding her head. Shawn looked at his niece and nephew, "You guys okay? Anything you need?"

Joseph spoke up, "If you go by the store, can you bring back some Twizzlers?"

Even Lucas was not immune from that ill timed request and chuckled, joining Sylvia, Shawn and Angela, it was too funny - she was wiping the last of her tears and giggling along with his sister, who shook her head at him.

"Twizzlers, gotcha - see you in a bit." Shawn grinned heading for his wife where he leaned down, one arm across the back of her chair, hand on her shoulder, squeezing, caressing to her neck, the other gently turning her face to him by the chin, asking softly, "You okay?"

She nodded, smiling.

"Need anything from the store while I'm out?"

"No, but, Shawn, she's not going to turn around and come back."

"Maybe not, but I'm going there to talk to her anyway. I love you, I'll be back in a bit." He gave her a solid kiss on the mouth, her nose and forehead. Standing he nodded at Lucas and made his way out, getting to Crystal, on his mind.

Sylvia turned to look up at her brother, "Have a seat Lucas, can I get you some coffee, tea, soda? A beer?"

Lucas stood a moment, looking around at the basement accommodations; one thing he could not deny, his sister was settled into a beautiful home; clean, cozy, warm and real. Considering the scene he arrived to see, this home, whatever was to come across the road, he knew there was no way his sister would consider leaving all of this, to travel with him. Especially considering the fact that she was pregnant, which meant nothing in terms of recording, but touring was hard on you. Outside of seeing his little sister again, he'd wasted his time. Giving in to the fact, he was there, so made the best of the visit, stepping over to the table, taking a seat.

"It's a little early for a beer," He answered after sitting, "I'll take a soda if you don't mind, a Pepsi, whatever you have."

Finished eating, Sylvia stood with her plate, taking it to the sink, going into the fridge to get her brother a soda. The girls were up from the table, Joseph following them to the sink to put their plates and bowls away. "With the boys gone, what'll I do now, tia?" He asked, calling her by the Spanish endearment for aunt.

Delivering the Pepsi to her brother, she answered, "How about you hang with the girls for a bit, and maybe Mundo will play videos with you later, that okay?"

He sighed, "I suppose, but they're gonna bore me, I just know it. Tell Mundo hurry, I'll be fading fast."

For the second time, Lucas tried not to laugh, but the kid was clever, talk about precocious.

Laughing herself, Sylvia assured him she'd do the best she could. They all headed upstairs to Angela's room where they would talk, discuss girl stuff, listen to music and let him watch TV or go on the internet on her new heavily, child guarded, Apple computer. That would keep him entertained a while.

With the coast clear, Lucas turned his attention to his sister.

"Where'd you meet him?"

Wiping the table clean, her answers came to him just as simple, "Across the road."

"Across the road?"

"Yeah, he owned the house across the road from mine, this one."

Lucas turned in his chair following her as she cleaned the kitchen, going from the table to the sink, the sink to the fridge, back and forth, "Wait, this place is all yours? Not even his?"

"This place, is our home. Ours - his and mine. I bought it first, he bought that across the road first. We met, hit it off, married, I'm his wife, pregnant, we're in love. Good man that he is, he knocked down his home across the road, to build a larger one for all of our family, or anyone who needed to be there with us. My children, his children, my family, his family, and others that he's made family. When that home is done, this place will be my business, a bed and breakfast." She explained in light tones between them.

Once more Lucas sat letting all of that sink in. "He rich?" He asked.

"That any of your business?" She retorted, glancing over her shoulder at him from the sink.

"Obviously he is, with all that's going on out there. Big money out there, and I know big money when I see it working."

Sylvia chose not to answer or elaborate.

"That ring on your finger ain't cheap either - that's up in the thousands, easy. So, is that it - you ditched any future with a brother for the money? I mean, hey, I can't say as I blame you, but in the long run, that kind of relationship never works, no matter how much money there is."

If looks could kill, he'd been smoking cinder at that point, dead and burned to a crisp. Done with the dishes, Sylvia plopped the wet towel into the sink, turned leaning back against the counter, hand on her hip, the other on the counter, "Can we please get to the reason for this visit? So far as I see, we could have waited a better day far far into the future for this, seeing as how what you've brought with you so far, ain't nothin' but some bool-shit." Sylvia stunned him, her comment dry and bored.

Lucas smiled, "My my my have you changed. You used to be so quiet, sweet, butter wouldn't melt in your mouth, what happened sis?"

"Being married to an arrogant ass, self centered, prick - like you."

Lucas threw his head back and laughed, shaking his head, "Listen to you, you something else now, ain'cha? And here you got everyone thinking you had it so bad, hmmm, I ain't so sure now - especially considering how you done hooked into this white man, making sure you get a tight hold, gettin' pregnant straight off the bat - true Diana Ross style, you go girl - but you should've become a diva first, then hooked Mr. Money Bucks."

"That's what you think?" Sylvia asked stunned that her own brother, who hadn't been around since she couldn't remember when, would stroll in, plop down and work to pull her down to nothing. "In other words, you calling me a sell out?"

"Hey, you said it, not me. I don't know what to think, I came here hoping to offer you the chance to perform with a jazz band, tour, maybe churn out a few hits. Our mother would've done anything for such a chance, including walk away from us, had she been given the chance. I thought you were her daughter, and you are, only, she craved fame, you - wealth - so much so, you'd marry a white man to get it."

"You done now Lucas?"

"Yeah, because you ain't goin' no where, got it too good. It's a shame, because with your voice, we could have gone to the top - what a waste."

"Having come to that conclusion, you can go now."

Lucas leaned forward, shaking his head, "You just like her - like mama." He stated standing.

"No my brother, you are! You - are just like mama used to be, all or nothing, no matter who you hurt on the way. Thank goodness she got over it, but you - all that arrogance, I doubt if you ever will - in which case, this can be our last visit - because I don't need it. Can't believe you took whatever time it did, for you to find me and bring this to my home. No biggie, you can go."

"Yeah, I guess I better. I just want you to know, you're a waste - your life, what you doing, all this - don't mean nothing. How you can take a gift like your voice and just toss it, just-..."

"I said - you can go! My life, is just that - mine! And I will do with my life, what I choose to do - whether you approve or not! Having said that, let me show you another way out from the way you came in." She walked to the basement door, opening it for him, "Before you depart, hopefully, never to return, at least not like you were today, have you heard from David? It's been a while since mama or I've heard from him, he doesn't usually go this long without contacting me."

Lucas stopped in the door, looking back at her, taking a moment to answer, then, "I would think he'd be the last person you'd want showing up here at your door, all this going on." He gestured with the outward lift of both hands. "Wino's, druggies, bums - they don't blend in too well in the world you trying to build."

"That's so nice of you to categorize our brother, that way. I'd rather David here, any day, over you - he's never disrespected me, or my home. It hurts my heart to have to accept the same can't be said about you. Well?"

Lucas sighed, shaking his head, he turned to climb the three stairs leading up and then out, "No, I haven't heard from him. Guess I'll leave you to finish, building this fools paradise around you, good luck with it."

Unwilling to say anything more, Sylvia closed the door, turning away, fighting with all of her might, a need to scream. 'So much for brotherly love.' and then, her mind went to David. She'd been so occupied with relocating, getting her new life in order, that she'd let too much time get by without checking on him. She had always left him alone to do whatever he wished, but her door had always been open to him. All the times they'd been forced to move in the past, he'd always found her, come looking for her. There had been no reason for her not to believe he would do the same even with her there in Wisconsin. Yet, he'd never called, or gone by their mother's to get her new location, which is the way he always found her. She couldn't imagine what could be going on with him to be absent for this length of time - she hadn't seen him since Armundo died. Because of the way Armundo had treated him at times, she hadn't expected him to show up at his funeral, but for her sake, she'd thought he might show.

No such appearance, or maybe, he just hadn't known.

Considering his past track record however, that hadn't been a surprise. David had always come home to recover for a bit, eat, be clean a while, check on her, their mother, staying with her the longest, that was until Armundo started in on him and they began to fight about him. Yet, close to the time of his accident, Armundo had even made an effort to be nicer to David, in front of her anyway - it had been a while since they'd had a fight over David.

Sylvia was sensitive about David, and what was happening to him - his drinking, his drugs. He was lost, inside and out. With their father leaving them when he had, and their mother being the way she was, they'd only had each other to rely on. Lucas had always been a loner - even from them. When Sylvia realized that David's drug use was beyond the occasional need to get high, and that he was truly addicted, she embraced him more. She'd cried a many tears over him, fearing for his life and the scenario's he could get into on the streets, trying to feed his habit. However, in all that time, never had he asked her for a dime, not one. When he came to her home, it was to sleep, shower, eat. See her kids, see her.

By the time Sylvia made it to the kitchen to sort out dinner, tears were rolling down her face. Of the two to show up at her door, it had been Lucas, the one who had cared little for her and still to this day, cared not at all it seemed. And David, the one, though broken inside, with nothing to give, he'd given her all he had, and she'd given in return. Refusing to let her husband then, Armundo, ridicule him, ride him, make snide remarks about him - because he was lost in the drug world.

Sylvia shook her head, trying to snap out of it, but Lucas, had managed to both hurt and insult her, while making her longing for David overpowering. Of all people in her family to have there, in her home, she wanted David. Coming to that conclusion, she decided she would talk to Shawn later, talk to him about maybe - that friend of his, finding him. If he could, she wanted to go where he was, bring him back there, and if he wanted to live with them, he would be more than welcome. David of all of them, was the one who'd never had a prejudice bone in his body, she knew he would like Shawn - and Shawn, would like him. Imagining finding him, bringing him there to be with her and her family, made Sylvia smile. Now, thinking of David, she wanted the house across the road finished more than ever. She would make room for him there. The more she thought of him, a plan formed in her mind, she would get him to help her with the bed and breakfast, he could work for her sort of speak. Keeping everything straight, so Shawn would be free to do his job in the studio. The more her mind fixated on the idea, the happier she became.

"Yep - not gonna wait on you David to come here, I'm gonna have Shawn, look for you."

In Mundo's room, Ben lay across his bed on is back, while Mundo worked around him, putting all of his stuff into place, on the walls, in the cabinets, pictures, music, books, school books, his computer and desk, his music table, he worked to get arranged while speaking softly to Ben. Since L.A. - they'd gotten close, having shared a room with the boys for two weeks, it was easy for Ben to lie in Mundo's bed as he worked around him, carrying on a softly toned down discussion on Lucas first.

"Man he got some nerve coming up in here gettin' all super silly! I couldn't believe he gone try and dismiss my dad like he the goddamn door man, ain't that some shit? I knew it was time for me to leave the room, know what I'm saying? He my uncle, so I had to chill, but hell, I'on know him, I'on know his ass from the man in the moon."