Beauty of Man and Woman - Volume 13: Bomaw

  The Beauty Of Man and Woman

  Bomaw Volume 13

  Written by Mercedes Keyes

  ©Copyright, 2014, Mercedes Keyes

  All Rights Reserved

  The Origins ®design is a registered ™trademark of ASPI.

  ®All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, audio recorded, or otherwise without the prior signed contract permission of the author, (Mercedes Keyes).

  Published by Amber Swann Publishing Inc.

  Country of Origin, America – United States

  Amber Swann Publishing Inc.

  Email: info@amberswann.com

  Alt email: Mercedes.keyes@gmail.com

  http://amberswann.com

  Thanks to…

  I must give thanks to you – my readers. Because of life and private domestic matters, there has been quite a wait in between the later series, volumes – book releases. So many of you have been patient with your waiting – and some very supportive and understanding with why it has been taken me so long to release the next volume ie; this one – Volume 13 – to you all – I give my deep and appreciative thanks – I will certainly try to do better with the next.

  But know this, what’s coming next, is not Volume 14 – but the long awaited, historical drama –“Saoirse”…

  Dear Amber Swann Publishing Inc. ie; Mercedes Keyes - novel readers....

  This has been a big year for me for many reasons, some negative, some positive. This letter to you is all about the positive because I've decided to no longer entertain negativity of any sort.

  NONE.

  Positive: On a spiritual level, I'm cleaning house. I ALMOST decided to PULL all of Bomaw and discontinue it. Couldn't do that to the readers. Soooo, instead from this MOMENT, DAY - POINT forward, all of my writing will be PG. No more R rated writing. It will be reading that is SAFE for Christians to read! Mainly so that [ I ] can draw closer to our Creator, Heavenly Father, the Almighty!

  In order to completely do that - I MUST in all aspects of my life, my work, my dealings, my actions, my motivations, reflect the decision to let HIM be my direction, my guide, my GOD. Therefore, all things that will be written by me, will be written in such a manner that I can stand with a clear conscience before HIM.

  *** The END of Erotica ***

  ***The END of extreme curse words and abusive speech ***

  Yet, I still must write true to my characters, keeping the tapestry I weave rich and entertaining - but - HONORABLE! So for lessons to be learned, there will always be bad guys, mistakes, imperfections and drama. To do this will be a challenge, but I am up for the challenge.

  That's it for now... I thank you all for the support thus far, and I hope it will continue!

  Mercedes Keyes

  Previously, from… Volume Twelve

  Swallowing his pride, Bart put on a smile to greet her. Considerate of her age, he knelt to one knee so she wouldn’t have to look up so far. Speaking in his rich southern drawl so much like the one his youngest son inherited, more so than his brothers - he spoke to and met Mama Jojo for the first time. He gently cupped her palm with one hand and covered it with the other. Immediately she saw another memory of that gesture, from long ago.

  “I’m having to beg your pardon ma’am - not been a good day and well - thought I’d bes’ show myself anyway. It’s ah, nice to meet you, I’m… Bartholomew - father of this crowd here.” He nodded giving her a gentleman’s smile.

  Seeing, hearing this man for the first time, along with the name brought back a past Mama Jojo thought long forgotten…

  Series 13 - Episode 103 - Chapter 309

  The family room and basement was filled with noise. Music, children, loud laughter, everyone was hovering around the buffet table and waiting to fix a plate. The kids that weren’t in that line, were dancing. Off the kitchen/family room, and down the short hall, outside of Mama Jojo’s door, three women turned to each other, one set of eyes hitting the other two. Vivian’s and Shanna’s at Sylvia’s. “What just happened?” Shanna whispered.

  Sylvia leaned with an ear to the door, trying in vain to hear what they might be discussing within, when…

  “Hey?”

  All three heads turned toward the end of the short hallway where Shawn stood with his palms facing the ceiling, gesturing with his chin. “She okay?”

  Sighing, they knew to give up on ease-dropping for the moment. Shanna was the first to come away, followed by Sylvia with her husband’s eyes still on her as if he expected some kind of explanation. “Well, what?” He mumbled low.

  “Well yeah, if she weren’t okay I’m sure your mom would say so, as for the rest, I don’t know,” Sylvia answered with a shrug, “She wanted Mama Gert to stay with her.”

  Vivian was right behind her. Shawn’s eyes went to her as if she might add something. Lying, she threw her hands up, “I know nothing.” This she intended for Jake’s ears as well - which was obvious by her making eye contact with him as she said it. He was leaning against the counter in the large family room - keeping any questions to himself. Jake had been around women a long time, during his mother’s and sister’s social moments. There had been times when they forgot he was not one of them. In those times of quiet observation, he’d learned quite a bit. He knew what to look for and the signs of, ‘Can you keep a secret?’ Right then and there, he knew that these women had a secret. His wife, his sister, his sister-in-law were in on something together. It was only a matter of time before he got it out of one, or all three.

  “Want me to fix you a plate?” His wife asked.

  Quiet, observing all - he gave her a look of suspicion along with a silent nod - he was ready to eat. She played it off as if she didn’t get that he was not buying this, ‘Know nothing’ act. With all that Vivian was learning about this family, Gert and secrets, she paid closer attention to Shawn. Her thoughts went back to a fleeting thought she once had after meeting his siblings. That thought was, that he was a bit different from the rest. The four were different from the oldest, from Shawn. He was of dark coloring. The features matched - of course they would because Gert had them all. But… why was Shawn the only dark one in the group? Then she thought about how dark Jake tanned. In fact, unlike most whites, he didn’t have to burn first before tanning, he just started darkening. Vivian hated these things going through her mind. All of this was Gert’s business. Shawn’s and Sylvia’s business. None of it hers - so she needed to get it out of her head. She’d been around Sheila too long, it was starting to feel like she was rubbing off on her. Vivian had been around long enough now to know, that if Shawn found out what they knew, he would be hurt, disillusioned and maybe, possibly angry at his mother? She couldn’t be sure, but for certain Vivian wished that it would all just go away. This was her shiny new family - she loved all of them. Especially Gert. Vivian felt a certain deep loyalty to her mother-in-law and wanted nothing to do with anything that might hurt her or bring her down. It didn’t matter if it was her own doing that caused it to be. As someone who’d been young and dumb, guilty of stupid mistakes, there was no way she would judge Gert, she loved her too much.

  Jake’s eyes went from his wife to his big brother, Shawn. He was standing with both hands at his waist, arms and biceps full of muscle and strength, feet spread with his eyes narrowed and reading the women. Feeling Jake’s eyes on him, he turned for their eyes to meet. Shawn was not stupid, he was very perceptive. Jake only shrugged. Lifting out of the lean on the counter, he turned to get his plate. His wife was avoiding his eyes, trying to get past this big th
ing in the room accusing them - the women, of holding out on the men.

  Shawn sighed, walking to his father - he could only shrug, “No idea what’s going on.” This was an answer to him after he’d asked what everyone else had when Mama Jojo disappeared into her room.

  “Dad, I fixed your plate - might as well eat.” Shanna called to him.

  He agreed and joined his sons around the table, enjoying the food. Each noticed that the women were off in another room, ‘eating’. All four could feel that something in the air. The kids were off together gathered around Mundo in the basement.

  Crystal was off alone, checking out her apartment above the garage for the first time. It brought tears to her eyes to see it. What it said to her, like nothing else did - was that Shawn loved her. He really did. This cost money. Not small money either. Her flat was stunning to behold. He didn’t skimp anywhere. It was laid out open plan except for the 3 bedrooms. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever told him her favorite colors or not. But her retreat or sanctuary was filled with them. Earth tones of russet, sand, burgundy, chocolate and sage. She stood in the living-room/kitchen with her hand to her throat because she was choked with emotion from viewing what lay before her. It had everything. She needed nothing. Fully furnished and decorated, there was not one thing she would change. The kitchen had all high-end pots, pans, silverware, dishes and storage sets needed. Her bedroom, complete. The boys room, complete. The 3rd bedroom was neutral. It could be decorated or left as is. She already knew that if this was a girl, it would be the only room needing decorating. It stunned her to think that. She’d chosen to be with Victor - so, as a rhetorical - why was she even up there? She shook off that thought for the moment and enjoyed dreaming in the flat. It was much bigger on the inside than it looked from outside. She wondered what Ben would think of it? Having spoken to him just moments earlier brought on a strange sensation. For one fleeting second, with him on her mind, her hand caressed the slight bump and she had an unexpected feeling that this child might be his. Just as quickly, she tried to shake the thought as utter nonsense. However, in doing so, flashes she had no control over came of them making love, it was something that was haunting her on a regular basis. If she made the mistake of dwelling on it, thinking too long about it, her body responded. Her feminine parts would swell with passion and begin throbbing for him. Again, she tried to block thoughts that were coming to her more and more as time went by - attacking her was the unbidden thought, ‘You carry his baby - this child is his, it’s Ben’s. Not Victor’s, this baby is Ben’s.’

  That thought, chose that moment to make itself heard in her head, she shook it rejecting the idea, in full denial, “No… I know it’s Victor’s, I know it is - I was already pregnant.” She argued with herself, insisting it was so. Only to have come back at her, ‘Sure about that? What if you weren’t? What if?’ Her body and heart reacted to her spoken declaration. The reaction was fear which set off an anxiety attack where she struggled to breathe. Sitting on the edge of the bed in what could be her little girl’s room, she took long deep breaths to calm herself. Her body went all hot as perspiration popped upon her skin. Playing in her mind, was that evening, and Ben working deep within her. His body had trembled with the force of his need. He shook from finally being where he’d longed for so long to be. Holding her hips in place, pinning her beneath him so there was no way to get away until he made sure that he filled her with his seed. He’d been veracious. She’d been just as hungry to have him, to take him in. Again she shook her head. Pregnancy made you crazy. Made you think wild and outlandish thoughts. She was being silly, she was sure of it - sure that her child was Victor’s. The rest of it, was all wishful thinking. Upon the delivery, all would see that once more, she will have given birth to another Prescott, and that would be that.

  In the house, the men sat in the family room eating, kept content while other matters took place. Because of all that had been going on in his life, Derrick was in the dark. Since he was there, he brought up his situation and the men welcomed the distraction. “Meribel’s pushing for an African adoption. She won’t consider any other.” He informed them.

  “Still wanting the baby she saw?” Shawn asked.

  Derrick exhaled and nodded looking from one to the other, including his father.

  “What’s this about adoption?” Bart asked.

  Derrick went on to fill them in on what was the current drama in his home.

  Bart sat considering it and shrugged. In his slow southern way, he spoke his mind, “Bringing in a child not of your blood, means opening the door to the unknown - you don’t know what they’re made of.”

  His sons looked at him surprised by his words, and then… considering what they knew of their father, they weren’t that surprised.

  The women were gathered together in the living-room.

  Vivian, Shanna and Sylvia collectively decided to maintain the ‘secrets’ and didn’t include Meribel in on them. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust her with it, it was that her plate, emotionally speaking - was full. Like the men in the other room, they too sat listening to what they, she and Derrick were going through. Meribel telling them about the hell of having your uterus removed and the emotional trauma it puts one through, family included. They listened with half an ear, showing themselves to be completely at her attention when in truth, they wanted to know what was going on in that room where Gert and Mama Jojo moved to.

  All three knew that there was a mystery surrounding Gert, Edwin Piercey and Mama Jojo. They all knew that she at one time thought Shawn was Edwin’s. Sylvia knew because of Shanna, that Edwin Piercey was Mama Jojo’s nephew. She also knew because of Mama Jojo, that her brother, whose name was Jacob Edward Piercey, was the son of a white Baptist preacher named of all things, Jacob Paul and was the grandfather to Edwin. She was trying with all her might not to let her imagination get the best of her, but it was - it was taking over her being. What would Shawn do? What would he think and feel? The biggest question of all going through her mind was, did Bart know? Did he know that Gert had cheated? Did he know that he might not have been Shawn’s father? If he knew - and she prayed that he didn’t know - but - if he knew… was that why he treated Shawn the way he did? Was that why he abused him? No matter what Shawn said to her, she felt that his father was indeed abusive to him. Part of her fought it off because of the times he was rough on Derrick. Yet, it had always started on Shawn. Derrick had dived in because he couldn’t stand to see his brother going through it alone. All of that resting and growing in her mind was a nag - a nag that kept bringing to her the night in California after Shawn fetched the boys back from trouble at the pool hall. He’d stood almost in military fashion stating that before any of his family were hurt, they would have to kill him first. That was something that his father required of him. If Bart knew that Shawn might not be his - that meant he had abused a child simply because it was not his, and resented it. Not only that, but also Shawn belonged to a black man. Was, or had Bart been a racist? Sylvia was trying to think right, think clear, think fair. But if all these things added up and meant what she felt they meant, to find it out would break her husband’s heart - if not destroy him. His father, Bart… meant everything to him.

  “Sylvia?” Meribel called to her after asking what she thought about adoption - and of all places, from Africa.

  Sylvia shifted in her chair, rubbing her ever expanding belly, blaming Jesse James for the distraction. “I’m sorry girl, this boy all over the place. He is kicking my butt, honestly. I can’t believe he gettin’ so big already. I still have seven weeks to go and I can barely get comfortable now.” In her haste to play off her distraction, she realized she used the wrong excuse to explain herself.

  Meribel’s eyes grew moist, “I’d give anything to feel so uncomfortable again.” She murmured, looking away from them.

  Sylvia wilted, well, tried to - as much as her girth would allow. Her mind ever distracted by fears of how much more this baby would be growing. Arching
and leaning to one side, she rubbed to try and get him to move down a bit off of her ribs. “Oh Meri, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean-…”

  “Don’t apologize. You didn’t do this to me, that bit-…”

  “She’s dead now Meribel, she’s dead and gone.” Shanna reminded her.

  “Not soon enough. She took my child from me. I try so hard not to blame him, not to-…”

  “Ohhh nooo, he’s gone through hell over it Meribel.” Sylvia murmured sympathetically, feeling awful for Derrick.

  “And I haven’t?” Meribel snapped, and then, feeling awful for having done so, “I know… I know-I know” Meri moaned, dropping her face into her hand, “I know … I try so hard to let it go. But I told him, I told him - he wouldn’t listen to me. If he’d only listened to what I was telling him. I almost left you know,” Her eyes went to each of theirs, “She was calling my house so much, I almost packed and left. Now… I wish I had. Oh if only I had.”

  “Meribel, you have to get over that. Don’t let it tear you apart. You cannot go back, you have to go forward.” Sylvia tried again.

  “That’s easy for you to say!” Meribel growled once more, her jaw tight, tears welling up - she felt hot and bothered and hostile. “Your husband is Shawn! There is no way he would have let that happen to you! But Derrick-…”

  “Sh!” Vivian warned sharply, a bit too late.

  He, Derrick was standing in the archway and had heard. He’d come to bring her a slice of cake. He’d been doing that lately. Trying to show her he loved her. Little things to try and repair them. The women went quiet. Meribel turned to see him standing there, and felt her face burn even deeper with shame that he’d heard her words. Derrick’s face went blank, a bit cold. Vivian looked down, embarrassed. Shanna was trying to think of what to say to smooth it over. Sylvia sat with her hand covering her mouth, hurt for them both.