Jamal shook his head as he drove away from the church ….. He kept looking at the program and just didn’t understand …….. He found himself at the beach …. Still in his suit …… he walked along the boardwalk …….. close to where he and Kevin use to hang …. Before …… well before things changed …….. “He shoulda staid wit u kiddo …..” Jamal jumped as he heard those words ……. He turned around and Marcus was standing there ……..
“Marcus ….. I uh …thought u was still in the hospital …….. How is Akeem?” Jamal hugged him …… “Nah …I only had a few bruises …. Akeem …. Well …. He gonna have to wear a brace …. Prolly foreva ……” Marcus teared up a lil ……. “But what really hurts …. Is mah boi wont be here to enjoy life ……… We aint even live yet ….” Marcus sat down in the sand ……. “I … I dunno wat to say …… I mean … I’m shocked too … but I do kno that God does everythin for a reason … maybe it was to spare us of the pain …..” “You may be right PK ….. all I kno is that …. Aside from wat he said or did … Kevin loved u ……. I remember wen he first met u …. He was crazy talking bout he was gonna have a love like Akeem and I ……… I’m glad he did …..”
Jamal once again was speechless …. “I just keep thinking that if I woulda said something to him at school after that first weekend …..” Marcus continued ….. “But I was scarred of losing him as my boi ….. and I still ended up losing him ….” Jamal put his arm around Marcus ….. “Well I’m not Kevin ….. but I’m your boi for life …. You and Akeem always have a friend in me …. Always ….”
“How was the service?” Marcus asked after they hugged …… “well … I dunno wat was worse … seeing Kevin’s family going through this, hearing the sermon about “DL”, or seeing yall revlons act up …. Including James ……” Jamal relayed the events as Marcus listened ….. he couldn’t go through with the service .. it was too much … he hadn’t even talked with Kevin’s parents or anything …..
It was time to go …… to the cemetery ….. Marcus wanted to avoid the crowds … everyone was asking questions …. And he still hadn’t answered to his parents …….. Jamal followed him there ….. “You ok?” he asked as they walked toward the freshly covered spot in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens ….. Marcus thought about it …. “No …but I’ll be ok …. I just need to say goodbye to my boi one last time …..”
Jamal watched as Marcus walked over to the grave …. The vault had gold writing over it …. Jamal decided it was good to let Marcus do his thing …… he’d come visit Kevin later …..
Soon he had returned home ……. “You were out later than usual son …. are you okay??” Rev. Brown spoke from the table ….. She of course was reading her word …… “Just a little shaken up Ma ……” “Well baby … I know death can be a scarry thing … but you must know that its only temporary …. For those of us who believe … Life is everlasting ….” Jamal smiled … now that things were back to normal …… He and she could talk …… “yea I do …….”
“Well … I hate to bring this up right now …. But today ……” she adjusted her glasses … she really didn’t know how to address this ……. It had been on her spirit since earlier at the church “Bishop Edmonds mentioned something about your friend … and I …. I kno we haven’t talked much about …… Well … That scene at the church earlier …….. That guy clammering in the coffin …… Was that ….” “Yea Ma …. His male friend …….” Jamal lowered his head ……. He hoped his mother wouldn’t have this talk with him ……… “Oh Jamal ……. Please tell me you weren’t involved in all of this ….. please ….” Rev. Brown stood up from the table at her son’s admission ……… hoping he wasn’t like the folk that showed up at the church ……
“No ma … no no no ….. I mean … they were on some … excuse my French … ill-shit ….. and I’m not about that …. I’m trying to get myself together ……After the past few months …. I just don’t get down like that …….” “I’ll excuse that word ….. but Jamal … you must know … things are gonna get rough and if you or any of your friends wanna remain in the church …. Bishop Edmonds is coming down hard on this …….. I love you … but I told you I can’t bend the rules just because of that love ……..” Rev. Brown was torn …. Here was her baby ….her flesh …… and she couldn’t protect him from this ……. “I understand ma …. I promise .. I’ll be ok …..” He hugged her as tears flowed from her eyes ….. she remembered back to the church earlier and seeing Kevin and wondering what would she do …….. she couldn’t bear to think of losing Jamal … not now …. Not ever ……..
Jamal held the hug for a while and then let go …… “Well go head up to your room ……” Jamal kissed her and went up the stairs …… as he lay back on his bed with the music playing … his phone started to ring ……. He looked down at the number and of course it was blocked ……. He paused and started not to answer …. But he decided to see …….
“hello??” Nothing …. “Hello???” Dudley stood on the other end hearing Jamal’s voice …. Why in the world was he callin a 17 year old …. He was damn near 26 himself ……. Jamal was about to hang up when he heard ….. “Mal?” he instantly recognized the voice …… “Dudley???” “I thought I told u it was Will Du?” Jamal smiled ….. “Stop smiling and stuff …. Wats going on??” Dudley asked ……. “Um not much … just the same ole …. Wats new with you … Why u disappear like that? Dudley paused …… “I uh … I just had a lot of things going on … I had to go back home and take care of some things ……. But you know I’m always thinking bout you lil man …… Always …….” “Sometimes I think u was just a dream ……” Jamal laid back on his bed .. he couldn’t stop smiling …. “Well I’m not ….. I’ll be seeing you soon …… Promise ….” “If you say so ……..Will Du …..” “Good night Mal …… I’ll c you soon ….” *click*
Jamal spent the rest of the weekend visiting with Akeem and Marcus ……. Akeem seemed out of it mostly …… Marcus tried to cheer him up …… but not being able to play sports really got him down ……. “Maybe you can try something …… You always made Kevin smile when he was down …….” Marcus said as he left Jamal in the room with Akeem ……. Jamal looked at Akeem … he was laying on his back hoisted up by chains so his back could set in the brace …….. “So … uh … how bout them Giants ….”
Jamal asked nervously ……..
“Jamal .. if this is the part where u posed to cheer me up wit your smart and funny comments …. You doing a bomb job ……. Just leave … for real …..” Akeem spit at him …. Everyone tried and failed … not only did he lose Kevin … he lost his life … without sports … what could he do???? Everyone just didn’t understand … and now Jamal was getting involved ……..
Jamal turned and started to walk away …… “no …”… he thought about it …….. that’s wat he did with Kevin …… “I’m not leavin u til u get that chip off ur shoulder …… Damn ….. I mean … I kno things look rough … but you here right??? U can at least admit that part …….” “Jamal .. U don’t know wat u talking bout … I’m here … and mah boi aint …. What kinda mess is that??? And on top of that .. I’m useless ….. can’t even feed myself … Shyt .. I might not be able to have sex again …. Now tell me .. .What kinda life is that?” … emotions started to flood Akeem’s voice .. he’d held them in for days ….
“It’s a life …. A life that you still have …. I kno I just met you but I know that Kevin wouldn’t want u doing this … and wat bout Marcus???? He need u as well … so u owe it to urself to get over this ……. My ma always says that when life bears down on you that’s when you know you still alive …….” Akeem listened to him …… “Damn PK…. You gotta point there …..”
“Yea he does …” Marcus walked in the room ….. “look Keem … we can get through this .. we bois … u and me against all odds ……” Jamal watched them …. He laughed as he watched Marcus try to give him a kiss through the chains ……. “I think that’s my cue to exit ……..” Jamal smiled …
YOU ARE READING
The Preachas Son
RomanceJamal is your typical pk. always doing church work following all of the rules until one weekend his entire world is shifted and he goes from being the golden child to public enemy number one. will he be able to balance life as he once knew???? or...
