Beauty of Man and Woman - Volume 13: Bomaw Page 2

  Derrick stepped into the room before his wife, showing her the cake. “Stupid huh, and here I thought you might want some cake… I was wrong. You want Shawn - but, have the cake anyway.” He set it down before her and walked out of the room.

  “Oh nooo! No, no, no, nooo!” Meribel groaned low.

  “Oh Meri - go fix it. Go fix it now!” Vivian encouraged.

  She sat hesitating, thinking, shaking her head, “Not sure if anything can… fix this.”

  “You have to try Meri, you have to try - go - go try! I just married into this family and I want it to stay the way it was when I came into it. Now go to him… go…” Vivian pushed.

  Sighing, Meribel came slowly to her feet. As she left them, she faced fears about herself. Something was wrong. She knew she wasn’t the same. There were times when she almost didn’t care… about anything. There were times, when she wondered if she even loved Derrick anymore. Part of her problem was the medication. The hormone medication she should be taking. She wasn’t sticking to it. It was hard to do. There were times that she just didn’t wish to take it. Days would go by, depression would set in, or her mind would go off into weird, strange and sometimes scary fantasies - or she would have a night filled with bad dreams - horrific nightmares that frightened her. She’d finally get up and take her medicine, her hormone replacement. Following taking it, she would suddenly get angry at Derrick for having to go through this, taking medicine for the rest of her life. To all whom looked at her, she seemed perfectly normal. On the outside that is - on the inside, she was far from it. She felt she would never be normal again. Her system was plagued with a tempest of chaos. No one could know or understand what she was going through unless they’d gone through it themselves. The doctor’s had warned her of possible bi-polar syndrome. It was happening, she was beginning to feel the up and downs. She was not the Meribel that the family had fallen in love with. She was not the Meribel that looked at Derrick McPherson as if he were her lord. She couldn’t think of anything or anyone that she’d once loved more than him, and to have his babies - she never seemed to get enough of it. No matter how she’d fuss and complain at times for him to pitch in, she still loved her family, they had been her life. Now - for some reason, that feeling, that ache for him, being drawn to him… was often elusive. Within, more often than not, she felt cold, vacant and angry.

  She went to where the men had been sitting, he wasn’t there.

  “Know where Derrick went?” She asked either Bart, Shawn or Jake.

  “He was taking you cake.” Jake answered her, cutting into his own and shovelling it in.

  Her eyes were on Shawn, half expecting him to answer her. Forcing herself to turn from them, she nodded and went on to find him. She went into the basement and heard her kids whining and protesting. What she was hearing was Derrick telling them to get their things together, they were leaving.

  “Already? Da-a-ad - we wanna stay later, thought we were staying by Tio Jake’s?” Sasha was the spokesperson for her siblings when it came to Derrick. Only she could twist him to get her way. That evening, it was just the younger kids. Luis, Shawn2, Sasha & Joseph.

  “We’re going home!” He was blunt. That meant big trouble for him to use the, ‘That’s it!’ tone with her.

  “We’re going all the way back home to Madison? Why dad?” Luis asked next. He loved being with Mundo, he was learning from him. He had his own ambitious dreams of being a rapper. With Mundo mixing, they might be able to do something together.

  “Can we stay, and you and mom go?” Shawn2 asked. He didn’t want to be home, especially since he couldn’t see Ma’Keba. Her parents had buckled down on her. It wasn’t just her parents either, she was ignoring him. She heard through the grapevine about his sexual escapades and wouldn’t even look him in the face now. At school, through the halls when they passed each other, she gave him the cold shoulder. He often wondered if she spotted him first? If so, by the time he saw her, she was already prepared to cut him.

  “I’m not gonna say it again, get your things together, let’s go!” Derrick groused.

  Meribel stepped down the remaining stairs to the basement. All the kids were standing around looking at Derrick, surprised that he was ending their enjoyable get together even though it had been for Mama Jojo.

  Exhaling, Meribel spoke up asking, “Can I talk to you?”

  “No.”

  “Please?”

  Their kids were on full alert, they could see an argument was on the way and the tension could be cut with a knife. Mundo, Angela and even Issac and Darren could tell something was not right.

  Derrick was fighting an outburst, his face was red, his jaw was tight and tense.

  “Derrick?”

  He turned from her and the kids, stomped up the stairs in top speed. Meribel thought he was going up to go outside so they could talk. Following close on his heels they made it outside for her to see that his intent was different from hers. He went straight to their van, climbed in and started it up. “Come on Derrick - I’m sorry!” She tried.

  Sitting in the driver’s seat of the running van, door open, Derrick blasted, “Bull, you’d have to give a damn to be sorry! You haven’t cared one way or the other in a long time! I’m sorry, but I’m not Shawn, not ever going to be Shawn!”

  She cut in, “I don’t want you to be Shawn!”

  “Are you kidding me? I heard you! I know that I messed up - that it’s all my fault! I can’t deny it! I can’t get away from it! Our child is dead because of me! Dead because I’m not Shawn!”

  Again she defended herself, voices becoming raised, her Puerto Rican accent was coming strong, “Mirar papi - I didn’t mean it the way it sounded! What do you expect from me? I’m supposed to jus’ forget it? PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED?!” She railed, feeling the rush of heat and rage almost instantly.

  “YOU? Never! Pretending is not what you do! So stop - pretending that you’ve forgiven me! I don’t think you ever will! You’re sterile because of me! There’s nothing I can do to reverse it. Basically, it appears that I’m totally and completely screwed as far as we’re concerned.”

  Meribel was breathing hard, trying to calm down, trying to think of what to say when she knew, that everything he said was true. She’d said that she forgave him, but in her heart, she hadn’t and she didn’t know if she could, “Where’ya goin’?”

  “STOP PRETENDING THAT YOU GIVE A DAMN!” He bellowed. Glaring at her through the dark of the night, the van running, he shook his head. He was so angry and humiliated he was sweating, “Know what… she won! Didn’t she? She fu-…” He bit off the word, “She won.” Derrick growled with aggressive passion, angry moisture flooded his eyes. He slammed the door and backed around out of the studio parking space and took off without another word.

  Meribel stood alone in the dark, cool, breeze that gave her the chills. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them for heat. It was early fall, in a couple of months winter would be upon them. As for her life, it was already there, cold, hard, bitter and it would seem, unforgiving. It wasn’t fair that he had the only vehicle they’d come in. Truth of it the way she felt, she didn’t want to go back in, she wanted to take off too. Instead, she turned and made her way back to the house.

  Meanwhile, in Mama Jojo’s room…

  “Here, have a sip of water. Any medicine I can get you? Feelin’ any pain?” Gert asked anxiously. She worried that there might be something serious wrong.

  Sipping the water, Mama Jojo gently shook her head, swallowing she answered with a gasp, “No sugah - jus’ gimme a minute. Sit here wit’ me.” Mama Jojo pat the spot next to her on the bed. Gert gladly occupied the space, concern still etched across her features. A moment later, after Mama Jojo drained the glass, she passed it to Gert, turning, putting her legs up, she leaned back against her headboard. Sitting the empty glass on her side table, Gert searched the older woman’s features, “Mama Jojo - what - just happened in there - when you saw my husband?”

  Mama
Jojo was still spinning in disbelief, who knew that her life would somehow circle back around to be in the life of that man, again. As a young girl, she rarely heard the name, because so much was kept hush-hush from her and her sister. It was obvious how bewildered Mama Jojo was, as she kept murmuring low, “I was never sure of his name. Didn’t really know it ‘till later. Didn’t know who yo’soldier was - that they was the same.” She spoke of Bart, before she knew who he really was. Besides, that was years ago, in South Carolina. Back then, kids were kept out of grownups business. Especially black children, everything pretty much went hush-hush went they came in the room. Besides, they were happy enough just to be allowed in the room with grownups, let alone know what was going on within their private lives. She never thought that she would once more be in a place in life where that secret man would be back. She had no clue that that man, was a McPherson. Today, almost eighty years later she realized that is who he must have been, and that he’d come to their rescue. He had come to her mother’s aid. Now, looking back, it must have been him who had helped her brother move them to California. His father… her brother’s father - was a McPherson. She was blown away by the realization. All because of seeing and finally meeting Bart. All the scattered pieces of her past life, her mother’s life - were now finally coming together to form the big and final picture. Amazing, life was a mystery, and this was indeed a small world. Taking a deep breath to face it straight on, she softly murmured, “Bartholomew, Bart. That name, chile - all this time - I been thinkin’ it a coincidence.” She sat shaking her head in awe, “Somethin’ goin’ on here Gertrude - somethin’ goin’ on. Finally I see.” Mama Jojo fretted, yet felt thankful for the discovery as well. The blessings of that man was still covering her, protecting her, to this day. Gert could see that Mama Jojo was obviously moved by meeting Bart.

  “McPherson… he was a McPherson.”

  Anxious, Gert leaned forward asking, “Mama Jojo, what? What you mean?”

  “I - you ain’t gone believe it, but it’s real you hear? It ain’t my age or my ‘magination.” Mama Jojo warned, sure that Gert would think her senile or worse due to age and what she was about to tell her.

  “I wouldn’t think that about you. I know you just as sharp as the rest of us, tell me. Please, you gotta tell me.”

  Taking a deep breath and gathering her wits, Mama Jojo stared Gert in the eyes, “I seen him. I heard his voice ‘fore now. Thought it jus’ my crazy ‘notions when I meet Jake - hear Jake talk. He seem so familiar to me.” She sat thinking, letting the picture and pieces come together in her mind. “You know, there folks all over the place, tha’s jus’like otha’ folks. But now - um-mmm, this here what’s happenin’,” she paused to add emphasis, “… a whole ‘notha kind’o’familiar. It’s more than, they jus’ alike - it’s cause they is.”

  Gert could only stare with wide eyes, waiting to hear more - trying to understand where she was coming from. And for some reason, dreading as well as anticipating. Regardless of how it might affect her, she needed to know all, asking, “Familiar how? You mean, you know’em from back in California?”

  Mama Jojo shook her head, “No chile, long ‘fore then. I’m talkin’ ‘bout way back in Carolina. B’fore you was born - when I was a lil’girl.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean Mama Jojo.” Gert shook her head, “You saying, you knew Bart?”

  Mama Jojo stared at her a moment, thinking back. Her mind fixing on the first instance of seeing the man that reminded her of Bart and Jake. The man who was the reason for her younger brothers. The one he, Bart was named after who hadn’t survived his childhood, his name too had been Bartholomew. Seeing him, realizing when it was, she shook her head, “No chile - not yo’husband who I saw. The man I seen - hear, come from way back when I was a chile. I’m talkin’ ‘bout, the man I’m thinkin’ was Bart’s daddy. Have to be. If not him, then the other I’m guessin’.”

  “You… you knew, Bart’s father? What other man do you mean? Were there two?”

  Mama Jojo took the moments she needed to really think about it, wanting to be sure. There was no doubt about it, her next words were in reflection of that time. “So much was goin’ on back then. That was hard times, hard fo’most. Even more so, fo’black folk. We was all - jus’ tryin’ t’stay alive.” She paused once more, as if almost reluctant to go back.

  “Please - tell me. Tell me everything, Mama Jojo.” Gert couldn’t help herself. She felt there was something going on as well. The fact that Mama Jojo was Edwin Piercey’s aunt still made her spin in amazement. She’d been so much in love back then, he had been her first true love. Then, years later, her son - the one she had prayed was his, had run off to California. There, he met Mama Jojo’s grandson and they became fast friends. After his death, Shawn had been drawn to Mama Jojo. She & Jesse James Douglas were Edwin Piercey’s family. There were times when Gert would look at Shawn and swear that she saw Edwin in his face or expression or gesture. And then, the next moment she would see something of Bart and call herself crazy for such thoughts - for trying to wish up something of Edwin Piercey.

  “Bart’s father - what about him?…” She asked letting the question hang.

  “You tell me, what’s yo’husband’s daddy’s name - I need to be sure fo’I say another word.”

  Swallowing, Gert murmured for her ears only, as if the others could hear them, “His name was Jacob - Paul - McPherson.” She enunciated each name, nice and slow to make sure she clearly heard them.

  Mama Jojo seemed to sink even further back into the hardboard at hearing that name. “Lord’ah’mighty, my-my-my… so there it is.” She murmured in this great discovery.

  “What Mama Jojo…”

  Josephine Daniels sighed long and deep, there it was. The past opened up to her as if she sat before a giant movie projector about to show her the truth of her mother’s life, which later affected her as well. She leaned over and reached into the drawer of her side stand, pointing, she bid Gert, “Get that bible right there baby, read the front page.”

  Gert grabbed the large bible and opened it, reading the names written there. Strange, it looked like something Bart had written, the hand writing was very similar to his. The bible was a gift to the two names written within.

  “You see them names?” Mama Jojo asked.

  Get nodded running her fingers over them.

  “I’m thinkin’ they ain’t Piercey’s - I’m a Piercey, or was one. But not them…” She murmured low. She sat remembering it all - as if it were yesterday, “Yo’husband Bart, he come after that Bart wrote in that bible. I’m sure now - Paul Bartholomew Piercey - was a McPherson - now I see it.” She exhaled in her wonderful discovery, smiling to herself as she saw things from her past. Smiling about her little brother, the baby… from her past and found herself speaking out loud about him, “He, the first Bartholomew, died when he was 8 years old. That boy was somethin’ else - wasn’t scared o’nothin’. Loved to hunt down snakes, frogs, spiders. Oooh.” Mama Jojo shivered remembering back. Shaking her head, she went on to say, “He be at the creek, mama tell’em, “Bartholomew - don’t you bring back one more snake! Hear me boy - don’t have me whip yo’lil’white behin’.” Mama Jojo laughed out softly, “Ooohwee, he sho didn’t look like m’mama had him. Folks in town, see us walkin’ by, they just shake they head. That fool boy went and caught himself a lil’oh red and black snake.” Mama Jojo grimaced, biting her lips closed as moisture rushed her eyes, “It bit him too. Poison hit’im so fas’. We find him at the creek - jus’ layin’ there - still. Mama screamed out his name, scoopin’ him up and still crying out his name and pleadin’ with the Lord not to take him. “Please don’ take’im.” She kept crying. We was all cryin’, runnin’ behin’ mama. I was fifteen by then, hurtin’ and wantin’ to take him, to help mama. She run him from the creek to the white folks hospital - ‘cause it was closest. They try to block her. Mama lied and said he was somebody white child she found at the creek. They could tell by the way she was carryin�
�� on, it wasn’t so. But they took him. Made us stan’ outside and wait. They tried to save him, but - it was too late. That poison gone all through him.” Mama Jojo went quiet, sad - thinking about it. A tear rolled from her eyes, she could remember it as if it happened just yesterday. She sat thinking and was so quiet, Gert thought she might not tell her anymore, “I’m so sorry Mama Jojo, so sorry. But, please go on.”

  Mama Jojo reached over and pat Gert’s hand, and then refocused on her, continuing. “There was fo’o’us. Two girls, and later - them two boys. Me and my sister, we have one daddy. My brothers, both younger, they have a differen’ daddy… a white daddy. Didn’t matter, we was all call Piercey. Guess you know that by now. How else my Bart, be so white. I loved that baby, he the one who start calling me Jojo. Follow me everywhere when he little. Callin’ up to me, ‘Where you goin’ Jojo?’ and I tell’em, ‘Don’ matter, you can’t go, you stay put, you here’me?’ Then he started going off into the woods, at the creek.”

  Gert sat staring dumb-founded, in disbelief, even though she knew every word was so.

  Mama Jojo took that pause to ask her, “You - got pictures o’Bart daddy? Yo’Bart?”

  Gert swallowed, shook her head and then vocalized it, “No, not here.”

  “Don’t matta…”

  “What are you telling me Mama Jojo?”

  “I ain’t deadly’sho, but as sho’ as I can be - that that Jacob Paul McPherson, he daddy to my little brothers.”

  “But - h-how?”

  “I ‘spect the normal way.” She started and then, gave it some thought, saying, “Guess I should, start from the beginning.”

  “Wait Mama Jojo, I’ll be right back. Let me bring us some food. Tell everyone, you not feeling well - you gonna turn in for the night. I’m gonna tell’em, I’ll be staying in here with you.”

  Mama Jojo nodded her head that that was fine. Gert could see, she wasn’t really there, she had already gone back to that place in her mind. Gert went out of the room, doing as she said. Reassuring everyone that she was fine, but she would be staying the night in her room with her. Bart stood, looking at her with expectation, “We need to talk Gertrude.”