BOMAW 1-3 (75 page)

"Woody's at the-..."

"I don't think so...you know I don't venture into that part of town. Hit Phillips and I'll pay you back."

"Psh! Man... I got it! Where we meetin'?"

"Venice beach - meet you at Point Dume pavilions."

"Ah'ight - lemme' hook up with my boys, see you there in about an hour?"

"Yes... good enough."

Hour and a half later, the brothers sat next to each other, the cool breeze of the beach, full with beach scents and sounds caressing them as they enjoyed this rare time together. One sucking sauce off his finger tips, the other struggling to enjoy because sauce was getting on his finger tips. "Man just pick it up and eat it! 'Nother black man ruined by the corporate ladder, money and the white worl'!"

Jeremiah cut his brother a sideways glance, watching him as he crunched the rib tip white cartilage, sucking at every bit of juice there, then grabbing three fingers full of greens and corn bread, tossing his head back to drop it into his mouth.

Maxwell could feel his eyes on him, "What? Man don't look at me while I'm eatin'!"

"No... I shouldn't, puts me off my own, fact is... you can take this with you. I'll pick something up later."

"Hey... you know I'ah eat it... leave it, roll up that bag."

Jeremiah did so, using the napkin provided to clean the sticky sauce from his fingers, distaste clear in his expression as he wiped it away. Checking his manicured nails and signet ring for any trace of it.

"So... what's up?" Max asked still munching, his mouth full.

"Nothing much... I needed a bit of a break, thought we could get together. You stayin' out of trouble?"

"'Till tomorrow, or the day it come up on me. Ain't like I'm lookin' for it, shit just be happenin'."

"Still not ready to take my advice hm?"

"Naaaw, can't make up my mind what I want... not yet."

"You're 32 years old, with nothing keeping you from a better life but yourself."

"Em hm, and what's up wit' you? All this shit you talkin' old. What's on yo'mind." Max cut to the quick.

Jeremiah pulled his eyes away to gaze out at the surf.

"I'm trying to think of how to approach Deidre Wherrington. I need to get my foot into that business, something's going on with them - I just know it. For her to move out - I don't know... something's not right."

"Shit, she pro'bly tired of living with mom and pops."

"Maybe... following her divorce, I figured she'd be there forever."

"So what you thankin'? You gone strike somethin' up wit'ah?"

"It's a thought...if she was anything but white, I might... but I don't like white women."

"Yeah right nigga! I know you done had a few... you liked it that much!"

Jeremiah cut him a glance, Max knew what he felt about him using the term,
'nigga'
.

"Yeah I said, nigga... all yo'goddamn education, money and prestige don't change a thang."

Jeremiah sighed deciding not to get distracted by that, "Look... I need you to tell me what the feeling was when you were moving her into that flat. Did it seem there was a man in her life by anything she said or did?"

"Man how I'm suppose t'know that? I wasn't there long, she was there with another woman, a friend I guess helping her unpack her shit."

"How did she look?"

"Phat! Too fine and preoccupied."

"You hear anything about anything on the business?"

"Naw man, she was movin' in! All I heard was sit that here, put that there!"

Jeremiah's mind was ticking and calculating. "I guess I'm just going to have to bump into her."

Max chuckled shaking his head. "Man you got too much of yo'life wrapped around them people. You need to move on."

"I'll move on... when everything they have... belongs to me, then I'll move on."

"Mama dead Jeremiah... mama dead. Why don't you let her rest in peace. You talk all that shit 'bout what I do in the street, but you know what... you doing the same shit. No different, we settle shit with guns, you settle with money... either way, its still about ruinin' peoples lives - its all bullshit. 'Till you realize that, you can't tell me shit!"

Jeremiah didn't like mirrors held up before him, especially when Max was holding it. He loved his brother... half brother or not. But there were times, when he resented him. His whole lack of passion on things that should mean something to him, meant nothing. They both stood, they'd never really had a close relationship, although the ties between them kept them in close contact, one watching the others back.

"Look... I'mo get. Meet up wit' my boys, you need me - you know how to reach me." Max leaned to his brother and they hugged.

"Yeah... I know how to reach you."

They parted ways, one stepping with a stride that spoke of his street life, the other strode off with an erect stride that was equally as proud. Neither realizing that over the horizon - a change for them both was about to come.

Sylvia sat grinning, driving along on the highway towards La Crosse as Angela's head bobbed back and forth to the beat of 'Billi Jean', she was surprised to see that her head bobbing was in perfect rhythm to the song. They had more shopping to do, this time it was coming out of her pocket and not Shawn's. Not that he would have minded, but she wouldn't even consider asking him for his card again. She shook her head realizing they had so much to discuss, having already talked that afternoon about Angela. They were spending and not watching their dollars. Before him, she had lived on a strict budget, carefully counting every dime, nickel and penny. It was necessary if she intended to never have to work for anyone else again. Especially considering that neither she nor Shawn were rich. They're good fortune was that everything they had, was mostly paid for. All of her things were paid for, as well as all of his things and vehicles. But they had taxes, utilities, and maintenance to pay for. She was living off of interest, but she had to be careful because it was easy to slip off too deep into it. She had to live low and careful for the next 6 months and then her interest would have built up enough to generate a weekly amount that she could live off of a bit more comfortably and not worry about working.

Shawn had money in the bank, close to a half a mil. Two hundred thousand in cash from what Merriam Styles left him, which had been growing interest over the years that he would not touch and hadn't needed to. Then there was close to three hundred and fifty thousand from the home he'd sold that he and Deidre had bought and moved into. In their parting, she took all of the houses content, which was valued in total to half a million, because of her extravagant taste, feeling it only fair that he should get the money from the house since Merriam had paid for half of it as a gift to them before she'd been found dead. As his mother and father had done, they would as well, leave two hundred and fifty thousand for their children's future. That's what he wanted, she admired and respected that in him. So the rest would be used to toward the bed and breakfast, and the home they were having built, setting a budget of two hundred thousand and no more for their home. Sylvia felt uneasy about that, because by the time taxes were paid and when she thought about what it would take to keep their home running, and invest and supply the bed and breakfast, she felt shaky. They had a baby on the way, Angela was with them now, and she wasn't working. She knew how much money just a years worth of living could eat up it they weren't careful. Shawn assured her that what he made on contract for the James' publishing company would easily cover their expenses - because of her, he'd signed up with them, so income would be steady.

She just wanted to get beyond their marriage ceremony. Shawn wanted them to go on a honeymoon, she'd said no way. They would worry about a vacation after the bed and breakfast was done and the house was built, and then all was taken care of, after that... if there was money left for a vacation or honeymoon later... then they could take one. Shawn could already see, she was a bit tight about money. She didn't care what he thought, he had two credit cards to pay on, and she had two herself, one of them already maxed. His credit cards scared her because of the credit limit on them, one of them was a platinum with up to sixty-five thousand dollars in credit. The numbers terrified her. She had good credit and she was not about to let anything destroy it. She'd seen too many friends go nuts because they thought they had excess... and then the next thing they knew, they were over their heads in debt. She and Armundo had been in debt like that as well at one time, because he handled the money and refused to relinquish the handling of it to her. Then he'd some how gotten a loan and they paid off everything. Not long after that... he had his accident. His life insurance had set her up the rest of the way to be financially stable. Even so, she was careful. After all of this was done, they were going on a strict budget...period. The last thing that she wanted was to have to work for someone else again. Her dream was to be a published author and although it was on the back burner again... temporarily, she had every intention of fulfilling that by completing a novel and getting it published. To have Shawn come into her life as well, who was a book cover artist, working for Pen-tab publishing, the James' was just perfect, now she only needed to write that best seller.

"So you like Michael Jackson hm?"

"My dad... LOVES Michael Jackson! There's this one song, if my dad hears it, he'll start dancing to it."

"Really? What song is that?" Sylvia asked, unable to envision Shawn dancing to fast songs. He moved really well to slow songs, leading with soft music, but she hadn't imagined him dancing to fast music.

"Oh - oh - oh..." Angela was tapping her head trying to remember the name of it. "I can't remember it...but its from when he was with the Jackson Five, because they all sing in it I think."

"So its a fast song?"

"Yeah...and he'll dance if he hears it."

"Oh my goodness, we have to find that song, I gotta see him dance, especially at our reception."

"He has it Sylvia... you just have to look through all of his albums, its on them, he keeps saying he's going to put them to CD but he hasn't yet. I don't think so."

"Hmmm, well, when we get back home, we'll go over and find it. So tell me, what kind of music do you like?"

"Hip hop, rap - I think I wanna sing it one day." She informed Sylvia smiling.

"Oh do you? So, can you sing?" She asked enjoying the time they shared together. Angela was easy company, bright and loving, always eager to help her out. Enjoying a hug here and there through the day.

"Yeah... a little I think." She confessed cautiously.

"Let me hear something?" Sylvia encouraged as they drove.

"Nooo I can't." She was too embarrassed and unsure.

"Well if you can't sing in front of me, how will you sing for other people?"

Angela smiled and shrugged. "Can you sing Sylvia?"

"A little bit."

"You sing something then."

"You may not enjoy what I like to sing." Sylvia returned.

"I don't care...sing something anyway." Angela coaxed.

"Okay... I'll sing you my daughters favorite song. Mundo liked me to sing it to him as well, he just won't admit it."

"Okay...sing." Angela eagerly pushed.

Sylvia looked ahead and started smooth and sweet her favorite song, "Summertime." Angela was taken so by surprise that her mouth opened to a silent wow. As she sat listening, she realized that Sylvia couldn't sing just a little...Sylvia could sing beautifully. Her voice filled the car and made her catch her breath as each note was reached and executed to perfection, when she finished a few moments later and looked at Angela, she was sitting wide eyed and amazed.

"Please teach me to sing that good too Sylvia...please!?"

Sylvia laughed, "You want to sing hip hop... that's a bit different."

"I like that song Sylvia, sing it again... please."

Just as Sylvia was about to treat her again, her cell phone rang. "Answer that sweety, I'm driving."

Angela went into Sylvia's purse, grabbed the phone and pressed the talk button, "Hello? This is Sylvia's phone." She answered like a little secretary, and then turned and looked at Sylvia with wide smiling eyes, as someone talked to her through the phone.

"Hi! Is this Angela?" Crystal asked.

"Yes... hi."

"Are you and my mom on your way to La Crosse?" Crystal asked her.

"Yes, we're going shopping for me a dress to wear to the wedding." She told her.

Sylvia smiled watching her, she was glowing from talking to Crystal.

"Cool! That means I get to meet you today! I need my mom to do me a favor...can you pass her the phone?"

"Oh good, I would love to meet you today...okay... here she is." Angela announced, passing Sylvia the phone. Sylvia could see her eyes light up with excitement.

"What'ah'yah need now?" Sylvia asked as soon as she put the phone to her ear.

Crystal started laughing, "Now mama what kind of way is that to answer a phone?! How you know I need something, maybe I just wanna say hello and I love you." Crystal laughed.