BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (48 page)

They were teaching the boys to swim. Her daughter was smiling, so joyful, filled with such a glow of peace that she couldn't bear to disrupt it. Sylvia turned away and rushed for the front door, "I gotta get out of here. Clear my head. Just - go for a little walk. Get a little exercise, some fresh air. She's right, its in the past." She spoke to herself, closing the door behind her and started walking.

*

Earlier...

Out by the pool, with the radio playing from a deck table, Angela and Benjamin enjoyed a little time together with the boys. She loved helping him, whom she saw as her big brother, he was incredible as far as Angela was concerned, so much like her father in so many different ways. Their voices were very similar, their laughter was exactly the same, their features so remarkably alike, with the differences being, age, height, Ben standing taller than Shawn and darker in complexion. Yet, the mischievous grin she knew so well that belonged to her father, was Ben's as well and Angela couldn't get enough of being around him. For that matter, neither could Crystal's boys, especially so with Darren. While they were playing, every time Ben passed Darren to her to give Isaac a bit of his time, Darren would pitch a fit. So it seemed, he'd taken possession of Ben and didn't seem to want to share him with his older brother. The whole reason for the play that day, was to get the boys back to feeling confident in the water. Isaac wasn't so bad, but Darren, did not want to be let go in the water. Furthermore, he only wanted Ben holding him in it. Both figured once Crystal came out, he would be able to give some attention to Isaac, but for the time being, he kept Darren with him. Every now and again, Darren would whimper, about to cry fearing Ben would turn him loose in the water.

"It's okay Darren, I got'cha, I'm not gonna let you go, you hold onto me all you want - we're just gonna float around a bit in the water, okay? Put your arms around my neck..." He coaxed him, pretending that his hold was so tight he was choking, Darren thought it hilarious and cracked up laughing, but didn't loosen his grip. Ben loved it, and it showed as he teased Darren, "... laughing that I can't breath huh? You little devil, gonna have to watch you with that little wicked streak."

"He's a bad boy, ain't he Ben?" Isaac said, holding onto Angela.

"Nooo, he's not a bad boy, no more so than you are, he's just mischievous. You're both, good little men."

"You a good man too Ben." Isaac returned, making Ben and Angela laugh, "You gotta teach my daddy how to swim, so he can show us too."

"He probably already knows how, Isaac." Ben answered.

Angela stayed quiet just watching them with Ben, and knew that he was definitely the perfect fit for Crystal.

"He never showed us how to swim." Isaac pointed out.

"He was just waiting until you guys were older I bet." He returned, nodding at Isaac and winking. Always observant, Isaac tried winking back, his antics kept them tickled, with him distorting his features, as he tried. Hugging him, Angela kissed his cheek, "You're so cute Isaac!" With the moment so upbeat, she thought this was the perfect time to approach Ben about the Ball.

"Ben, can I ask you something?"

"You, can ask me anything you please." He smiled at her, tapping her nose.

"Okay, well first, let me tell you this - my mom has tickets to a big ball - a bankers ball. She usually goes, but not this year. She wants to give the tickets to Crystal - problem is - she can't go there by herself, right?"

Ben smiled, "A ball huh? Is it a really big to-do?"

"Real big! I went twice, but its really not my kind of music." She made a face, scrunching up her nose.

Ben flashed a white smile, "Not your kind of music huh?"

"Nah, I mean, it's like, okay for grownups - but it's a bit slow, boring for me, I like real dancing."

"Ball room dancing is real dancing."

"For old people maybe - or like - well - you guys age."

Ben laughed, "You saying Crystal and I are old people?"

"No, not real old, not yet. But you'd probably like it, especially if - well - you were to take Crystal. I mean, she won't go alone, so - someone has to take her."

Ben started grinning, "Yes, I suppose you're right, someone should. Tell me about this ball." He encouraged.

Angela's smile made her face glow, Ben shook his head, stunned by how much she looked like her father, stunned as well by how much the two of them looked a like.

Excited, eyes animated, she began, "Okay, it's really cool - first they have like - this really awesome spread, like - every kind of food you could ever imagine in your wildest dreams - I mean - like serious food - laid out really fantastic!"

Ben started laughing, her excitement made her Valley girl speech pronounced, making him tease, "You're like - sounding so really like - like purely valley dude, it's like gnarly you know!"

Her mouth dropped open, then closed with a her bottom lip rolling out, making him laugh even harder, "Sorry lil'sis - go on, I couldn't resist, you're cute as a button and so like, way cool, while in L.A. do the valley aye?"

"I'm not that bad!"

"When you get excited you are, any moment I expect you to come out with a, it's like totally tubular!"

"I'm not saying anymore!" She pouted.

"Okay, okay, okay - no more teasing, I promise - come on, you want me take Crystal to the ball don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then you'll have to forgive me, hey - it's what big brother's do, right?" He winked and tweaked her nose again.

Giving in she grinned finally, "You think that was bad, wait until you meet my friends, they're really bad."

"Oh I can't wait - I can just imagine. But for now, back to the ball."

"Okay, after the food, they do a few boring speeches about boring business stuff, if you can stay awake through that, then comes the dancing; ball room dancing. They have a live quartet for that, they serve lots of champagne, caviar, all that kind of stuff and then in the last hour, they play really cool music, the kind I like to dance to."

"Em, sounds like fun."

"It will be fun! I want Crystal to go and you to take her!" She almost ordered, making Ben chuckle more.

Making inquisitive faces, Isaac asked, "Why you want my mama to go to a ball? We gots lots of balls." Didn't make sense to him.

"Not a ball you play with, a ball where you dance." Angela explained.

"Ohhh, you gonna take my mama Ben?"

"I don't know, we'll see. Is it okay with you, if I do?" He asked.

"Yeah, you can take my mama if she wanna go." Isaac nodded his head.

Including Darren, Ben asked him, "Is it okay with you little man?"

"No! Take me!" Darren ordered.

"Darren, let Ben take your mommie; don't you want her to have some fun? So she can laugh and be happy?"

"Yeah." He answered wide eyed and serious.

"Good, then all we have to do, is get Ben to ask her."

"I ask my mama for you Ben." Isaac volunteered.

"Let Ben ask her Isaac." Angela gently ordered.

"No, I wanna ask her for'im!" Isaac pouted.

"I tell you what, you let me ask her, and I'll take us all to the movies. Would you like to go to the movies?"

"YEAH! I like goin' to the movies." Isaac cheered, "Don't we Darren?"

"YEAH! Go t'see Mon'ters inc!"

"Darren we got that movie on DVD - don't gotta go to the movie to see it!"

"Yeah uh-huh!" Darren yelled at him and swung out to hit him.

"Hey hey hey, none of that now." Ben corrected Darren backing away so he couldn't hit his brother. Just then Crystal slid the glass door back, coming out of the house with her swimming suit on, she wore a very sexy, high hip, white tiger print, one piece that showed off her curves, hearing the doors open and then close, everyone turned to her, "Mama! Ben gonna-..."

Angela quickly put her hand over his mouth, "Shhh, nooo, don't tell her. Let Ben ask, remember, the movie?"

"Oh, okay."

Thanks to the radio playing, she didn't quite catch what he was about to say, walking to the deck chair, she shed her body scarf tied at her hips and laid it on the chair. Ben was immobilized by the site of her; she was stunning, coming towards the pool. While he knew he shouldn't stare, he couldn't help himself, didn't want to help himself. As if he were starved for the sight of her, he let his eyes freely cruise over her body, from her pretty face, down over her size C cup breasts, to her slender waist and hips.

Angela saw him looking and joy burst within her to see him that way.

Crystal couldn't miss it either, after all, he wasn't trying to hide it. She stepped into the pool and of course, needed to diffuse the effects his bold stare was having on her body, forthright as ever she asked, "Does everything check out okay?"

Angela snickered.

Ben grinned, winked, and knowing her by now, met her wit for wit, "In order to be certain of that, I'd have to do a closer inspection, but ah, so far, just like Campbell soup, its all mmm mmm mmm - good."

Blushing, Angela eyes grew wide.

Trying to play off the gasp and giggle, knowing better than to bait him anymore, Crystal steered clear of being so bold as to say something back, especially with his eyes urging her, as if to say, 'I dare you.' Smiling to herself, she turned from him to Isaac asking, "You learn how to swim yet baby?"

"Not yet mama, we was waitin' on you." Isaac announced.

"Yes we were, and to begin, I need to start teaching Isaac some things, but ah, I'm afraid Darren wouldn't give me up." Ben began, wading towards her with Darren.

"What?" She asked surprised and then to Darren, "Come here baby, let's watch Ben teach Isaac to swim." She held her arms out to him. He went with no problem, however, the moment Ben turned to grab Isaac, he had a fit. "NO! My Ben!"

"You got mama now Darren, my turn to have Ben."

"NO! Ben mi-i-ine!" He started screaming and reaching out to Ben from Crystal's arms.

"Darren! What's wrong with you?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing. He went into a full blown screaming fit reaching for Ben, who had little choice but to go back to him. Ben was stunned by it, and yet, touched, that he found himself choked up. He walked to him, took him back into his arms, Darren wrapped his arms around his neck and held him tight. He looked at Crystal, and for a moment, they were both trapped in disbelief and wonder. Realizing that Darren was in his arms to stay, he figured they'd play a bit more. They did so, with Crystal splashing everyone and then taking off. Isaac went from Angela to his mother and then back again, but the entire time out, Darren stayed with Ben. In the play, Crystal in her laughter happen to look up and see her mother standing in the door staring at them, then at her. She stopped, smiled at her and waved; wondering about the look on her face. But Ben came up behind her, with Darren hanging onto his back like a little monkey; he lifted her into the air from behind to dunk her into the water. Coming up laughing, spitting and threatening him, she took off after them with a playful vengeance, forgetting her mother for the time being. After about 20 more minutes of play, Darren started whining even with Ben holding him. Realizing the problem, Ben walked towards the steps leading out of the pool, holding onto him with strong arms, with a feeling that he might have to potty, be sleepy, or hungry.

"Tell me my little man, you hungry, or sleepy, hm, which?"

Softly Darren answered, "Hun'ry."

"Let's go get something to eat, shall we?" He asked, walking to the bench by the pool, grabbing up a towel to wrap around him, drying his hair and as if it were the most natural thing to do, his kissed his brow and called out, "Crystal, Angela, bring Isaac in so they can eat, we'll go back out in a bit." With that order given, he walked into the house sliding the door closed expecting them to soon follow.

Crystal looked at Angela, her mouth almost hanging open.

"Well, you heard him, time to get them fed." Angela loved it and was the next in step heading out of the pool; having little choice, Crystal followed.

In the house, Ben had gone into the bathroom with Darren when Crystal walked in looking for them to see him standing in the door of it. "Where's Darren?" She asked.

"On the toilet, he said he had to go pee."

Crystal walked to the door and looked in to see her son sitting on the toilet actually using it, "Darren, you going potty baby?"

"Pee pee mama, g'out - I pee peeing!" He waved her off.

Laughing Crystal backed away looking up at Ben, "What have you done to my son to make him stick to you like glue?"

"Oh, what I'd like to do to you, lil'TLC - goes a long way." He murmured gently for her ears only. "Wish it worked on everyone."

Crystal gasped, "Will you behave yourself?"

He was leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over his wet, hairy chest, wearing only his swimming trucks, a bulge too apparent to miss, outlined as it was with his wet trucks; with big, long, hairy legs crossed at the ankles showing bare feet. Crystal didn't realize that her eyes were coursing over his body until they came back up to meet his, he was grinning at her.

"Does everything check out okay?" He used her exact words from earlier outside. Right after her eyes flared wide, a mischievous sparkle came into them, he instinctively knew what she was dying to say back to him, "Careful, be very careful with your next words young lady, because you doing a closer inspection of me, will not bother me, in the least."

Heat swept over Crystal in a way that she'd never known before. As her talk with her mother came back to her, she thought her best bet, was to bite her tongue, back up, spin and head for the stairs to get the boys fresh dry clothes. Because her mother wasn't in the kitchen, she stuck her head into her room looking for her, "Mama, you still in here? The boys are hungry, should I..." She stopped talking realizing her mother wasn't in the room. Thinking she must have missed her downstairs, she gathered the boys clothing and went back down to the kitchen/family room where Ben stood at the sink seasoning the meat that was on the counter. Angela was making sandwiches when she re-entered the room looking for her mother.