BOMAW 1-3 (61 page)

Kathy Ann was a big girl. Not a fat girl...but an Amazon. Sylvia figured if she wasn't six foot, she was close. Thick boned, solid body and tough looking as any motorcycle gang member's bar-brawling girlfriend. Her arms had tattoos, and she wore silver rings on every finger, silver on her wrist, around her neck and several ear piercings. She wasn't unattractive, just rough-looking; she could believe she was a wrestler if someone said it was so. One of those white girls who could pick someone up and toss them like they were a rag doll. She wore blue jeans and a black t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her underarms and shoulders. The girl had biceps to boot. Sylvia figured, rather than fight someone like her, it was best to either shoot her, or run like hell. Like Derrick, they were duplications of their father. She had a broad mandible jaw, very similar to the actress, Geena Davis, with large eyes that she deliberately narrowed to look more menacing, and it worked. A wide nose that really didn't hurt her features, not that she would care if it did, and incredible strawberry blonde hair like her baby sister Shanna. Both of them kept it long, past their shoulder blades, somewhat wavy and wildly blowing in the wind. That one feature made Kathy Ann more feminine. She also smoked; she and Jake were the only two of them all who did. If she cared to be, in truth, she could be very attractive, but she didn't seem to care one way or the other.

Shawn walked up to the wood pile, his arms loaded with split logs, bending, he added to the stack. Taking a deep breath, he was going to speak to Kathy Ann. They'd been edging around each other for the last hour or more.

He stood and smiled at her, about to say something to her, but before he could, she lifted her beer as a toast to him. "Mother's favorite has struck again," she commented, successful in removing the smile from his face, then she gestured toward Sylvia with the tilt of her head. "Nice…the perfect way to ease on back in, now that you've finally returned home."

"Well, obviously not everyone is happy about that, hm? Guess you're going to have to just get used to the idea, lil sister. Because I'm home to stay."

"Good for you…but you'll have to excuse me if I don't build a three storey apartment up your ass like the rest, and welcome you back with sweet kisses."

Shawn stood a moment, using his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. "Why…why does it have to be this way between us? What in the hell have I done to you, to have you resent me so much?"

She looked away from him, feeling awkward, and grabbed her pack of cigarettes from her top pocket, tapping it on her fingers before she opened it to remove a cigarette, which she lit. Inhaling deep, she turned and blew the smoke above her brother's head. "You know what, Shawn…let's not do this today…okay?" She laid down her strainer and walked away from him towards the tables, grabbed a fork, and then went to the grill where Meribel stood and stabbed a sausage. She blew it, took a bite, chewed it and looked up at Sylvia.

"Welcome to the family. I'm Kathy Ann, nice to meet you," she offered Sylvia, and held her hand out to shake Sylvia's. Sylvia nervously held hers out to her. "Kathy Ann." She nodded and greeted in return as they shook hands. Kathy Ann nodded to her and smiled, saying to her mother while looking straight into Sylvia's eyes, "Well, mama, you finally got your lil black Barbie doll! Shawn's done you proud again."

That made Sylvia draw back, stunned. "Excuse me?"

Gert slammed down her spatula and turned to Kathy Ann, pointing at her. "I've already told your brother…and now I'm telling you, you watch your mouth or you go home!"

By then, Shawn was red in the face and by Sylvia's side. "What's your fuckin' problem, Kathy Ann?" he shouted, angry, glaring at his smirking sister.

"I got no problems! Hey…Sylvia! Got nothing against you. Don't take it personal…it's him I don't like."

"Go home, Kathy…go home," Gert demanded. "You've been drinking, and been talking trash all last night! Now you're starting first thing…Sylvia's first time here, and this is what she has to be subjected to...go home and sleep it off," Gert ordered her daughter.

"I don't wanna go home! Why me? I tried to avoid him, he came up to me! I've been here all along! Jake's been here, Derricks been here! An' I had to go get Shanna! But the favorite comes home after leaving, visiting only when he wants to
show off!
Decides he wants to all o'sudden come back, and I can't go nowhere without hearing about Shawn's moving back! Shawn coming home! We bought the house for Shawn! We have to get furniture for Shawn!"

Derrick stepped up to be the peacekeeper.

"Kathy Ann, drop it, okay?" Derrick tried to calm her down, but she was deep into a 12-pack.

"No! Why does the friggin' world…have to revolve around Shawn? Hm, mama?"

"Kathy Ann, you're talking nonsense out of a beer can! We've done no more for Shawn than we have for the rest of you!"

"Yeah, but we deserved it, mama! We earned it! We stayed here and listened and did as you and dad wanted us to do—"

"Excuse me? I don't remember you bringing home a degree in anything, Kathy Ann! You stayed here and did what you did because you
wanted
to! You didn't have to!" Gert interrupted.

"Oh, that's easy to say now, mama! But every time I turned around, you was asking me, Kathy Ann come do this for us, come do that for us! Come help your daddy with the field or the barn! I was always here helping you and dad all the time with the farm! Me and Jake! Derrick went off to school and didn't look back. Shanna took off with some loser, ended up gettin' her ass kicked around for years before I had to go and get her! But where was your favorite when you needed him? Hm, mama? Fair enough, okay…okay, yeah, fine…but why should he get anything? He so high and mighty, he should have bought his own ga'damn house! His own ga'damn furniture! All I ask you for was twelve hundred dollars, mama, I told you what I need it for, was gone pay it back! Noooo, but when Shawn needs—"

"Is
that
what you're having a fit over?
Twelve hundred dollars
? I'll give you twelve hundred, you don't have to pay shit back!" Shawn shouted angrily. By then, the family was crowding around, Angela had run to Sylvia's side, looking afraid to see her father and aunt arguing.

"I don't want your goddamn money! See, I know where it comes from!" she blasted back at him with accusing eyes. Shawn's eyes got wide, then narrowed at her. Derrick grabbed her arm and started hustling her out of the pavilion, growling at her, "You take your ass home and sleep it off! Don't say another word, or I'll be getting in on this one," he threatened, pulling her clear of the pavilion and to the golf cart. "Get in," he ordered. She sat down, and he climbed in next to her, started it and pulled off toward the house so he could take her home.

Shawn turned to Sylvia. "Get your stuff, let's go."

"Oh, daddy…please…nooo!"

"Shawn, don't go!" Shanna pleaded. "Kathy Ann is drunk! Once she sleeps it off, she'll be okay." She turned to Sylvia. "We're sorry; it's not always like this…really it isn't."

"No…just when I show up," Shawn entered.

"Shawn…nobody's going nowhere. You've been gone long enough! This is your family, this is where you belong! Don't you get tired of taking off? One would think you'd be man enough to deal with someone like Kathy Ann without taking off!"

"I don't need the stress, mama, and neither does Sylvia."

Gert turned from her son to Sylvia. "Darlin', let me tell you something. This is one helluva family. We all have strong passions, pains, and problems. Regardless of that, you're a welcome and necessary member. I'm telling you now, we are all in this together! When you say them vows to him, you're marrying into the whole lot! And in this lot, only the strong can survive…so if you doubt you have the backbone to stand toe to toe, make up your mind now. That last one, lord bless her, got nothing against her, she your mama…" Gert said down to Angela, then back to Sylvia, "…didn't have what it takes. I sure hope you do." She turned to Shawn. "Go stir that maple. I ain't ruined my syrup batch in all these years, don't intend to today. Go on."

Shawn turned and looked down at Sylvia. "I'm sorry about all this."

Sylvia smiled, glancing out the side of her eye to his mother; she used psychology on her. She so much as dared her that she could take it. Sighing, Sylvia looked up at Shawn. "Go stir the maple…and try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

He grinned and leaned down and kissed her.

Peace was found for a period while the women took deep breaths, shook off the event, and got breakfast out onto the four picnic tables. As the kids started gathering around, Sylvia noticed more of them. Kathy Ann had two that were there, who returned to the area with their grandfather, a sixteen year old daughter, Jenny Lee Dearborn—looked just like her mother, but she was on the hefty side and her fourteen year old brother, Jason Brian Dearborn. Their father, Kathy Ann's husband, was at work, a habitual overtime worker. They had bills galore, and it seemed all he was was a mention when they gathered.

Shanna was the only one that didn't have children.

Jake had three kids as well, two of them by a woman named Christine; there was Benjamin, twenty-two and Kevin, twenty. And Paul by a woman named Sherry, he was seventeen, skinny as can be, battling a serious case of acne—he seldom looked anyone in the eye, his acne an issue for his self-esteem. Sylvia could just imagine what the boy must endure, surrounded for the most part, by males who were all attractive in their own way. They'd all been out with their grandfather, and then the last one came into the group driving up in another four wheeler that had more stumps stacked on it. Meribel's Derrick Jr.—DJ for short.

Sylvia felt kicked by a mule when he stood from the vehicle and looked their way.

"DJ, leave that stuff until after you eat!" Gert ordered him, he stood smiling at her, turning the key off and stepping away from the four wheeler.

"I'm starving, too, grandma! I like to fainted out there!" he kidded.

"Aaah, mijo…come on, you can eat now," Meribel invited him.

Sylvia couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was his father's son all the way, just much better looking than Armundo had been. Just as Crystal did, he had a honey-brown complexion, smooth and clear. Light brown eyes, and the most perfect afro, cut and lined. He was taller than Armundo as well, standing a bit over 5'10. He smiled, and perfect gleaming-white teeth flashed a light on his face. He was the pride of Derrick, his one son who played football. He ran track and field as well, and was up for a pro ball contract with one of the NFL teams. He stood with wide shoulders, like his father, narrowing down to a trim waist, abs galore, a tight hard butt that his jeans rode low on just right, and bow-legged like his father.

"Mijo, grab a piece of sausage right quick, Shanna's doing the eggs now…go over and meet Sylvia."

He looked up at her then and smiled, knowing already who she was. Walking towards her, Sylvia felt lightheaded, her heart hammered and her eyes filled with tears. He was Armundo alright, and it was unsettling to her. While things between her and Armundo hadn't been ideal, he had turned around before his death…she'd actually felt a rekindling in her heart for him, no, not as strong in love as she had been in the beginning, there would have never been that, but she did mourn his death. And now this son of his, so much like him, it made her short of breath, she had to sit down.

"You okay?" he asked, noticing the look on her face.

She nodded; he was the final assault, the other layer to her stress. She was afraid she would start crying. She was tired, hungry and edgy, and trying to get a grasp of everything that was suddenly happening in her life since Shawn Everett McPherson.

"You look just like your father," she said to him as he sat across from her. Shawn walked up then, looking down at her. "Hey…what's up?" She couldn't look at him right then, and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine, Shawn, just needing something to eat, I think." She felt shaky, and her nausea was forever hovering, usually not willing to subside until early afternoon.

"Hey, Tio, how you doing?" DJ lifted his hand and did a black hand shake, a double shift of the hands, gripping twice which Shawn was comfortable with.

"I'm still kicking, and you about to go pro ball!"

"Yep…I just have to make up my mind which team I'm heading for."

"You can name your ticket with three offers up before you."

"Naaaw, I'm not gonna play games. I'm signing up with the Philadelphia Eagles."

"Well, good for you! We're all proud of you. I'm gonna go over and get you two a plate, bring Angela in to eat," he said, squeezing Sylvia's shoulder. She smiled up at him, glad for the moment to collect herself. She turned back to DJ and spent a few moments getting to know him. She learned right then, while he certainly looked his father's son, he was made up of better stuff. Very eloquent and a gentlemen when speaking. Full of ideas, goals, and accomplishments. So he wasn't just a talker, hopping from one idea or thought to another, like her own son by Armundo. He'd yet to manifest anything he
said
he was going after. Not so with the handsome young man before her; he was making strides and reaching his goals and dreams. Shawn sat before her a platter heaped with four pancakes, two eggs, sausage and bacon, a bowl of fruit and a tall glass of milk.