BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (41 page)

Walking in the door, Shawn announced, "We're home!" To all within and Isaac could not wait to run and tell, "Grandma! Grandpapah-Shawn! Darren almost drownded in the swimming pool! He couldn't breath o'nothing, a amulan' comed really fast and Ben had to save him!"

"WHAT!?"

"Isaac! Come here! What did I tell you? Didn't I tell you-..." Crystal just knew he'd do that, however her mother cut her off before she could say another word.

"Oh no you don't, just leave him alone! Where's my baby? Where's Darren?" Sylvia asked hotly.

"Mama - he's my baby!" Crystal reminded her, of course she was ignored. Darren for whatever reasons that they get it, got it and ran to his grandma looking as if they all tried to drown him on purpose. "Gran'ma I downded." He whimpered with his bottom lip curled out, holding his arms up to be picked up. Of course without hesitation, Sylvia picked him up.

"Darren quit puttin'on, mama he was just running around this house gettin' into stuff - just fine moments before you all walked in the door!"

Before Sylvia could respond to that, Shawn was glaring at everyone gathered and asked very hotly, "I would like to know, where the hell everyone was when he was getting into that swimming pool out there? I cannot believe it! I told you, all of you, keep those doors locked! I went out and bought all of that safety stuff, and put a barricade around the pool - only to come home to find he damn near drowns anyway! What the hell were you all doing?!" He was on the verge of shouting.

"I thought he was in the living-room with everyone else, I was cleaning up the kitchen, it was an accident! Someone forgot to lock the doors leading outside." Crystal squealed, feeling a bit frustrated, they were both treating her like she was a child.

"You know what - I'm draining the pool! That will take care of that!" Shawn shot.

Darren was leaning pitifully on Sylvia's shoulder as if his savior had arrived, "Yes Shawn, drain the pool, please drain it!" Sylvia backed him.

"Mama! No! That's not going to help matters. We've already discussed it and we have a solution."

"Draining the pool, that's the solution! So who found him, who discovered him?!" Shawn demanded next.

"I did, as she explained, we thought the doors were locked, I'd gone to the bathroom and when I came out, I realized they were open, that's when I saw him out there." Ben supplied.

"Oh my god! My baby!" Sylvia cried, holding tightly onto him. "I want that pool drained now Shawn, right now!"

"Mama, will you two listen to us? I need you both to calm down and pay attention to what I'm saying! I don't want the pool drained!"

"Have you lost your mind, this child could have died!" Sylvia shouted.

"Mama, I know that! I was here, I was out there as it was happening, he's my baby! I had him - remember? No one
is
- or
will be
more upset by it than I was! I know you two think that I can't handle certain things, but I'm not a little girl! I am a grown woman and it was a mistake! It happened, and nothing can change that it happened and the solution to the problem - is not - draining the pool." She argued, trying to remain calm, knowing that they both loved her, loved Darren and it was upsetting to them, but she was in charge of her child's future welfare and wanted them to know it.

"Now would you two, please, calm down and stop treating this and me, like I'm not an adult with a say in the matter."

Shawn and Sylvia took a deep breath simultaneously, Shawn being the first to respond, "Okay ... you're right."

"Hmph." Sylvia muttered, still holding onto Darren who was clinging just as much.

"She is..." Shawn went on, looking from his reluctant to agree wife, back to their adult daughter. "Okay, we're listening, besides draining the pool, what's the solution?"

Crystal looked up at Ben who stood beside her, the whole time everything was going on, Angela and Mundo remained quiet.

Ben gazed at Sylvia and then to Shawn, "I'm going to teach both of them how to swim. Isaac and Darren." He announced.

"They're too young for that!" Sylvia exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Actually, they're not - the younger they are when learning, the better." Ben informed them.

"What do you know about teaching someone as young as they are to swim?" Shawn asked.

"I've been a lifeguard for 6 years. I've had extra emergency training surrounding every aspect of resuscitation measures. Also trained in giving swimming lessons for adults, children and infants - which I've been doing for the last three years in Wisconsin Dells. There is nothing safer for a child, than to learn to swim and know what to do in an emergency situation should they fall into water without an adult or safeguard around to immediately respond to their distress call. Case and scenario - look what you did to protect them. Yet, he snuck out, climbed over the barrier by using a patio chair and ended up in the water. Had he known how to swim, he would have been able to get himself back to the edge and maybe climb out."

Shawn and Sylvia both took a deep breath and calmed down because they knew he was right. Sylvia turned to Darren, whispering in his ear, "Gran'mama love you, but a hard head, makes a sore bottom."

He leaned up from her shoulder then, looking contrite, knowing he'd done wrong. Even so, he hadn't been corrected for it. "Now, since you almost drowned, which I know scared your lil'butt - you don't need your lil'butt spanked - that was spanking enough. You'll listen and remember next time." Sylvia kissed his little lips and set him down. "Go to your mama baby." She sent him on his way. He was mad then, crossed his arms over his chest, his lip poked out.

Shawn looked from Crystal to Ben and back again, "You sure about this?"

"Very sure, I trust him. The boys trust him, don't you guys?" She asked them.

Darren dropped his pout long enough to shout, "Yeah," with his brother and went to Ben to demonstrate this, holding his arms up to him to be lifted. Laughing with a big smile, Ben scooped him up - "Yeah, that's right! You gonna let me teach you to swim?"

"Yes." Darren nodded, "Airplane Ben." He ordered with a beaming smile.

"Oh you wanna take a flight do you?"

"Yes yes yes!" He cheered.

Jumping up and down at the idea, Isaac called out, "Me too Ben, me too!"

Angela ran to the patio doors opening them as Ben lifted Darren into the air, with Isaac trailing behind yelling for his turn.

Crystal was laughing watching them, turning to her mom and Shawn, to see them staring with wide eyes of surprise. Their mouths just about hanging open at what they were seeing. Shawn looked from Crystal to Mundo, who had a look on his face that spoke volumes, almost confirming that, yes ... something was developing.

Angela was outside with Benjamin and the boys, which left Crystal standing freely there for her mother to pull. "Follow me upstairs please." Turning from her, expecting her to follow Sylvia made her way up the stairs. Exhaling in dread, Crystal turned and followed her up.

Shawn looked at Mundo, "What's going on here?"

"Hm, well - pretty much what you see. Before we get into it, and I know we will be by the look on your face, mind if we go on a little ride? I've been checking the papers for deals on music and equipment, is it okay if we go check it out."

"Yes, let's do. Let me inform your mom and we'll head out."

"Okay, let's hear it - what's going on there?" Shawn asked as he and Mundo set out for the day. He'd planned on making this day for Mundo anyway, so it was right on time.

"What's going on? Hmmm, I could be wrong - but I don't think I am, they fallin' for each other. You should see the difference in Crystal with him. Thing is, just in this short space of time, he plays more with them boys, than their own daddy did. I know, I was there. I'm not saying that Victor don't love'em - he do, you know what I'm saying, but'tah - he wasn't like that with'em. Maybe he was too tired from working, maybe it was because he and Crystal were arguing so much - I don't know."

"Did he ever play with them?"

"No, he'd hold'em - you know, change'em, stuff like that. Feed'em when Crystal was out, but maybe - it was because I was there. I was always playin' with'em the way you see Ben today, - that was mostly me. Maybe he got so used to me doing it - he didn't figure he needed to. I don't know man. But either way - them boys, they all over Ben now. This morning when they woke up, they didn't call out my name when they woke, they called for Ben."

Shawn whistled because he knew how close the boys were to Mundo. "Does that bother you?"

"A bit, I admit it, you know - can't help it, I love them boys man and I must say, they was always, uncle Mundo this, uncle Mundo that. Truth is though, they shouldn't be depending on me so much as they should they own daddy, but they were. They'd call me before him every time. When Crystal leave home, leaving them behind, they'd cry; when I'd leave the house, leaving them behind, they'd cry; when Victor leave the house, leaving them behind, it was, "Bye daddy - see you later."

"I see." Shawn registered that bit of information.

"So basically, as much as I hate to say this - what's happening with them boys, is uh - my man Victor's fault."

Shawn sat thinking that over a bit, he could care less about Victor and what he was losing, he was done with him as far as he was concerned, he'd cheated on Crystal and then broke her heart by moving forward with the divorce, unwilling to object. Hiding behind his mother and dragging his feet while dragging her behind him, waiting for him to come back to his family. Far as Shawn was concerned, good riddance. He saw a man being one way with his family, and that was putting them first, putting his wife first, her needs first and by doing so, the rest would be worked out. But leaving them was a no-no in his eyes, turning his back on them. As far as he was concerned, Deidre and his circumstances were different - he'd tried to get her to move away from her family - to relocate to Wisconsin. He'd warned her not to go through with the divorce - because she had done so - that had been it for him. Because she refused to disconnect from her so call family, with him trying to tell her how low and depraved they were - she trusted them over him - she chose them. By the time she came around to seeing them for what they really were, it had been too late to save their marriage and in fact, her late discovery had come at a great cost, whether directly or indirectly, she'd almost lost her life because of them.

No, his conscience was clear with his actions concerning his first marriage.

"Tell me something, straight up from the heart ... what do you think about Benjamin?"

"Straight up?"

"Yeah, straight up, no bullshit."

"No bullshit?"

"Between you and I - there should never be any bullshit - we don't need it."

Mundo nodded looking from his step-father to the streets they passed, "I know you for real, but I still have to think about that, because hey - he may be your son."

"What the fuck does that mean? He may be my son as in, because you're not? I know you didn't just sit there and pass me that bullshit?"

Mundo started laughing, "Man you a goddamn enigma for real dude, that ain't no lie. I hate to tell you this, but you ain't normal - you like - way outside the goddamn box."

"Thank you, I'll take that as a compliment. Now answer my question about Ben."

"Man, from so far as I can see - if he real - he straight. That's what it's all about. Only time can tell you if somebody real or fakin', know what I'm sayin'?"

"Yeah, I know what you're saying. Next question, should I be worried about Crystal?"

"Dad you know what - she a grown woman. Crystal gone do, whatever Crystal gone do. Ain't nothing you, nor I - nor mama can do to stop that. All I know is this, she not a dummy, but she is human and as we both know, she can be hurt and has been. So - whose to say what we should do to block it from happening again - if its gonna happen again, all we can do is talk to her, maybe warn her. If I know my mama, that's going on right now."

"Well - I'll be talking to Ben - again - I've done so once, I'll be doing so again."

"Okay hang on here, what if he is real? What if what we see, is what he's really about concerning Crystal, would they - as a couple be okay for you?"

"I want what's best for Crystal. If Ben is best for Crystal, then I'm all for it. If he's not what's best for her, and he hurts her, he'll be the next name added to my
fuck the hell off
list."

"Even if he's your son?"

"He's a grown man, he's already been raised by another man. If he's coming into this unit, he needs to bring something beneficial to it, otherwise, we don't need it."

"Damn man - blood supposed to be thicker than water."

"That's bullshit! That's the biggest line of bullshit on the planet. Blood didn't save Abel from Cain. Didn't stand for all the other shit scenarios where family has hurt or killed family. Didn't do shit for my first wife-..."

"Didn't mean shit to my father either - so I know what you sayin'." Mundo interrupted adding his thought to tip the scale.

"Thank you. So while I would never do him wrong, him being my son, does not give him card blanc to come into my family and start wreaking havoc. I will not have him hurting Crystal, period."