Authors: Dwayne S. Joseph
Growing Pains (5 page)
6
A high school dance.
It had been a long time since he'd attended one. Since his own high school days, actually.
Jawan looked around the gym, which was packedâsomething that surprised him. When he was in high school, there hadn't been much for him and his friends to do besides roam around King's Plaza, hang out at a friend's house, or just run the streets. They didn't have all of the under-twenty-one hangout spots like they had now, so when they were on, the dances were the place to be. Dances were where you came with your boyfriend or girlfriend to get the tight squeeze when the slow jams were playedâsomething the current DJs no longer did.
As the kids these days were all too grown and too cool, Jawan found the turnout to be really surprising. He surmised that kids must have either really missed the gatherings, as the school had cancelled them for a few years due to excessive violence in the past, or they just had as little to do as he had when he was their age.
Jawan looked around at the kids dancing in the middle of the gymnasium's floor, as the kids twitched as though their bodies were on fire and infested with fleas, snapped and leaned as if they had rhythmic Tourette's syndrome, or just did things that belonged in bedrooms behind closed doors. Their dances made no sense to him, and some just looked painful and clumsy. They weren't graceful or smooth like the cabbage patch, the run-joe, the running man, or the Kid 'n Play.
Now those were moves.
And so were the ones done when break dancing. Something to Jawan's surprise and pleasure that many of the guys in the middle of the floor were doing now. He smiled as some of the quietest students he'd seen roaming the halls, pop-locked and windmilled while their peers cheered them on.
For a moment, he was tempted to venture out and show off the moves he used to do on flattened cardboard and wide pieces of linoleum. They'd be blown away by his skills, he knew. They'd probably come clamoring to him for lessons, but his schedule just wouldn't allow it. Nor would his body, which he knew would fight him tooth and nail to keep from doing things and getting into positions it knew it had no business even attempting.
For a fleeting moment, he wished, for one night, he could invert the numbers of his age. But as it was, he was thirty-two, and although the decline down the hill was slow going, it was downhill regardless.
So much for getting old,
he kidded to himself.
he kidded to himself.
He walked around the gym slowly. The DJ was actually playing some half-decent tracks that had his head moving to the beat. The music wasn't as moving as what he'd grown up with, but it was cool.
He tapped and observed the students who weren't on the dance floor. Some congregated in small, tight circles against the walls. Others were couples holding hands. Like Brian and Carla.
Jawan paused when he saw his student. He smiled. It was nice to see that he'd come and hadn't gotten into any li'l somethin's for the night. In some ways, Brian reminded Jawan of himself. Smart, good-looking, quiet on the outside, yet troubled on the inside. Brian had a lot of potential, and although he'd never spoken about his dreams or goals, Jawan knew he had them.
Jawan hadn't grown up with a male presence at home, but he'd grown up in a time when li'l somethin's were things that the majority of the time could be walked away from. Times were different now, and unfortunately far too many kids were getting caught up in li'l somethin's that they weren't walking away from ever again.
Jawan knew that his role and influence were limited, but he was determined to have some sort of an effect on Brian.
He watched as Brian led Carla to the dance floor as Jamie Foxx's instant classic, “Blame It,” began to play. Off to his right, someone said, “They didn't play songs like that at my school dances.”
Jawan turned his head.
A woman stood a few inches away from him, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Her lips were pressed firmly together as she shook her head. He'd only met her once, but he'd never forgotten her soft eyes, capturing smile, or her curvaceous, toned figure.
Brian's mother.
He'd first laid eyes on her two years ago in the office of the school, when she came to meet with the principal after Brian had gotten into trouble for fighting. Jawan had been getting papers from his mail slot. He didn't know who she was, but she had captivated him instantly, and he had actually hoped to have Brian for a student one day just so that he'd have a chance to meet her. But, of course, the meeting wouldn't have really mattered because she would have been his student's mother, and, because of that, it would have been brief and very professional.
And now here she was, standing beside him, inches away, looking stunning, dressed simply in a beige sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans with black boots on her feet, and her hair lying around her shoulders.
Jawan took a breath and said, “It's a good song.”
Deahnna Moore turned toward him. “He's singing about alcohol making him feel loose,” she said.
Jawan laughed. “It's a harmless song.”
“Mm-hmm. You say that now. But just wait until your daughter or son is singing about blaming their actions on alcohol.”
Jawan laughed again, as did Deahnna. After a few seconds, he stuck out his hand. “Jawan White.”
Deahnna took it, smiled, and said, “Deahnna Moore.”
Jawan nodded in Brian's direction. “I'm Brian's English teacher.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling again. “I hope Brian doesn't give you a hard time in class. He's going through a phase right now. The kind where he thinks he knows it all.”
Jawan shook his head. “He's no trouble at all. He's got a good head on his shoulders. You've done a great job with him.”
Deahnna smiled. “Thank you. It's just me at home. I do the best I can.”
“I wish you could do the best you could for a lot of my other students,” Jawan said sincerely.
“Thank you,” Deahnna said again.
“My pleasure.”
“So, Mr. Whiteâ”
“Jawan, please.”
“OK. Jawan. So are you chaperoning?”
Jawan nodded. “I am. My arm kind of got twisted into it by my boss. Kind of had no choice.”
“I'd say so.”
“But I'm actually having a good time. I didn't expect to see so many of the kids here. What about yourself? I assume you're chaperoning also.”
Deahnna gave a nod. “I overheard him on the phone talking about this dance to his girlfriend, and how big of a deal it was since Lane hadn't had one in a while. I figured coming here would be a way to see who his girlfriend was, so I called the school and volunteered.”
Jawan looked toward the floor. The DJ was playing a Ne-Yo track now, and while everyone was still dancing, their bodies were just a little closer. “You don't have to worry. Her name's Carla and she's a good girl. Just like Brian, she focuses on her schoolwork and gets good grades.”
“That's good to know.” Deahnna sighed. “I wish all of his friends were that way.”
“Believe me,” Jawan said, his eyes back on her, “I talk to him all the time about the company he keeps.”
“Well, I'm glad someone else does besides me. I know I sound like a broken record when I speak to him about his”âshe put up her fingers and made air quotation marksâ“boys.”
“I'm sure I sound just as broken,” Jawan said, “But you have to keep talking, you know.”
“I definitely know.”
“Brian's a smart kid. He just needs a reminder sometimes to help keep his head on straight. All kids do. I don't know about you, but I know I did.”
“So you were a troublemaker, huh?” Deahnna said with a smile.
Jawan shook his head. “Not really a troublemaker. I just went through a period trying to find myself. You know, the old hanging with the wrong crowd trying to be part of the in-crowd thing. Did some things I'm not proud of.”
“And look at you now,” Deahnna said, staring at him with a smile.
“Luckily I had an uncle who stepped into my life at the right time to rein me in when I'd become too much for my mother to handle.”
Deahnna nodded. “The power of a male presence,” she said with a touch of sadness in her voice.
Jawan looked at her. “I take it Brian's father isn't around?”
Deahnna raised her eyebrows and frowned. “Never was,” she said bluntly.
Jawan looked back to Brian, who was laughing playfully as he twirled Carla around. “Wherever he is, he's missing out on a special kid,” he said genuinely.
“He's locked up,” Deahnna said bluntly. “He's missing out on a hell of a lot. And he will for a very long time.”
Jawan turned and looked at her closely. She didn't need to give any more information than she had for him to see that she'd been hurt somehow by Brian's father. He could hear it beneath the strength in her voice. There was hurt there. He turned and looked back to Brian.
Maybe a seventeen-year hurt,
he surmised.
Maybe a seventeen-year hurt,
he surmised.
He turned and gave Deahnna a smile. She was truly captivating. Although he didn't know her well, he felt a desire to reach out and hold her close. A need to protect her.
Deahnna watched him as he studied her. And then her eyes grew wide. “I love this song!” she exclaimed.
The DJ had just started playing “Single Ladies” by Beyoncé. It was a hit from the previous year, but just like Jamie Foxx's song, it was a classic.
Jawan laughed. “That's the ladies' anthem.”
Deahnna began to move her hips and shoulders to the groove. Jawan watched her, and felt a stirring in his jeans. Her moves were subtle, but almost sensual. “I'm a big Beyoncé fan,” she said.
Jawan nodded. “Yeah. I'm a fan too,” he said with a sneaky glint in his eye.
Deahnna looked at him. “Mm-hmm. I bet you are.”
Jawan shrugged one shoulder. “Hey, Beyoncé's got, um . . . skills.”
Deahnna gave him another “Mm-hmm.”
Jawan laughed and watched as she lost herself in the song and did a turn. As she did, someone came behind him and whispered, “Watch those eyes, Mr. White.”
Jawan turned around to see Brian walking off backward, giving him the “I'm watching you” motion that Robert DeNiro made famous in the movie
Meet the Parents
. Jawan gave him a nod and did his own “I'm watching you” motion, and then turned back to Deahnna.
Meet the Parents
. Jawan gave him a nod and did his own “I'm watching you” motion, and then turned back to Deahnna.
She was fanning herself. “I get caught up when I hear that song.”
“Believe me,” Jawan said, adding a touch of machismo to his voice, “it was all good. You really don't have to stop on my account.”
Deahnna looked at him with a slight rise in the corner of her mouth. “Is that right?”
Jawan nodded. “Most definitely.”
Deahnna looked at him for a lingering second, and then gave another “Mm-hmm.”
Jawan laughed. “So, Deahnna, would you like something to drink?”
“Do they serve mojitos here?”
Jawan chuckled. “I don't know what I can do about the mojitos, but I know I can get you a slamming bottle of water.”
Deahnna laughed. “Water will be fine,” she said.
“Be right back.”
Jawan walked away, and as he did, he couldn't help but smile. There was definitely a very strong and very mutual attraction going on. He had his policy about students' mothers, but still, he couldn't keep his mind from wondering what it would be like to see her again, outside of school.
He got the water with that thought on his mind. When he came back, Deahnna was watching her son on the floor. “Trust me,” Jawan said, handing her a bottle, “your son has good taste.”
Deahnna thanked him for the water. “I work so much. I'm looking at him now just thinking about how much of his life I'm missing out on. Yesterday we had a disagreement and he said to me that he was practically a man. I told him he was far from being a man, but looking at him now . . .” She paused and gave a half shake with her head. “He's growing so damned fast. I want so much for him.”
“So do I,” Jawan said. “He's a really great kid. I think he's going to be just fine,” he said reassuringly.
Deahnna smiled, took a sip of her water, and continued to watch her son.
A few minutes of silence passed between them. As they did, Jawan watched her with keen eyes.
Off-limits,
he told himself. It didn't matter how sexy she was. It didn't matter how intriguing, or how much she stirred his senses. Senses that had been dulled since Kim.
Off-limits,
he told himself. It didn't matter how sexy she was. It didn't matter how intriguing, or how much she stirred his senses. Senses that had been dulled since Kim.
She's Brian's mother.
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