Author's Notes:
This time of the year I always think of "Kevin" and the last time I saw him at the club ....... U're not forgotten man, and I know you're in a better place
Jamal sat outside the building for sometime now ….. He was still numb from the news he had received ………. He sat with his face in his hands and thought back to new years eve ……….
He didn’t feel right at the table as everyone laughed and talked about how the new year was gonna be their year ….. “Jamal …. U look like sumthin is on ur mind ….” One of the choir members asked …….. “I ……. U ever had that feeling that sumthin real bad just happened???” He asked ….. and everyone looked at him …… “Mal … u just boastin cause u blew that solo out the park tonight ….. just calm ur a … tail down and stop overreactin” Alex said as he ate his food ……… Maybe they were right ……. Jamal just couldn’t shake the feelin that sumthin wasn’t right about tonight …….
So of course, after church they all piled in Jamal’s truck and cruised downtown to Granby ……. The clubs had let out so of course folk was hanging outside …… Jamal and his crew walked up on the street and all eyes were on them ……. And then he heard it ……..
“Yea … they hit the wall …. And BAM! ….. Only one that aint make it was the driver …. Sum trade boi … I think he walked for the Revlons …….”
It was confirmed later that morning on the news ……
“Local teen loses control of his car on New Years and loses his life …. Kevin Miller was driving his Honda accord on 1-64 apparently back from a night of partying and enjoying the new year, but he didn’t make it home. Police say Kevin was driving at an unusually high rate of speed and lost control of the car sending him and the passengers into a cement median. All were wearing their seatbelts, but the impact killed Kevin instantly …… police don’t believe drugs or alcohol was a factor …..”
Akeem and Marcus were banged up a little ….. but they were okay … James as well ….. well for the most part ….. Jamal watched as one by one people went in the funeral home … and left …… He finally opened the door and walked up the stairs ……. “Hi honey … are you here for the Miller boy?” The greeter asked as he walked in the door …. “Uh …yes .. we went to High school together ….” Jamal spoke …. “Well … He’s in room 3a … sign the registry ….. and if you need anything …..just let me know …..” she handed him a napkin with a mint in it and gave him a hug … He held his breath as the overpowering cheap perfume she wore engulfed his nose ………
He slowly walked down the hall …. He’d never had a friend die before ….let alone ….someone he ….. sorta … loved …….. He stopped at the door …… “Its okay to say goodbye” the lady whispered in his ear ….. Jamal was shaking …. Kevin was laid in the blue coffin in a matching blue suit …. “Blue was your favorite color ….” Jamal said as he sat in the chair across from the coffin ….. He looked like his self …. Jamal noticed the lines near his forehead that denoted stitching …… Otherwise … still a fine sexy man ……..
“I …uh …. This is stupid ….” Jamal said as he started to walk out ……. He stopped ….. “I kno you already kno this …. But I’m sorry …. I’m sorry I didn’t say hi to you that night at church … I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to you at the club that night ……… And …. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you ….. I don’t kno why God had this planned for you … but I kno it’s for a reason …. Ma says that he sometimes sees the pain that will happen in folk life and he brings them home early …… I love you Kevin …….”
Jamal turned and looked at him one last time ….. and then walked out ……. The funeral was the next day and Jamal stopped by and saw Kevin’s parents ……… “Jamal ….. where have you been son?” Mrs. Miller asked ….. Jamal hadn’t seen the family since before thanksgiving …… “I …uh … just been real busy with school ……. How are things?” Jamal asked as he sat down in the living room ….. “You kno Jamal …… I … won’t say that it’s fine …. But we’re making it …… Can I ask you something ……..”
Jamal braced for the question he didn’t want to answer …… “Of course Mrs. Miller …..” “Was the reason ….. you and Kevin stopped hanging out … this guy James? Cause I noticed that Kevin started spending a lot of time with him and less time with you …….” Jamal looked at the wall … he knew he shouldn’t say anything … but it was Kevin’s mom …… “Mrs. Miller … I uh …… I was just going through some things … and James didn’t get along with me that much …..” “It was because he was that way wasn’t it?? He turned Kevin out didn’t he??? Oh, I wish he woulda stayed with you .. at least he was going to church and getting himself right ……” Mrs. Miller started rambling and Jamal felt uncomfortable …… but then she started to cry ……. “Why???? KEVIN!!!!! “ Jamal watched as she cried into the sofa cushion ……. “Jamal … I’m sorry … I just … I didn’t want to think that was his lifestyle ….. I don’t have a problem with it … I just wish he woulda talked to me about it …….. You coming tomorrow aren’t you?”
“Of course I’ll be there …… Kevin was a good friend to me …..” “Jamal … I kno he was more than that to you …..” She hugged him …. “Take care of yourself Jamal … Kevin cared about you …. I found his journal …. And I kno he wasn’t happy until he found you ……” Jamal became numb again …… “Thanks Mrs. Miller …and if you need anything … ever … just give me a call ……” Jamal left her on the couch holding a picture of Kevin ……
The funeral was extremely sad …… Jamal had arrived and sat in the pews … the church was packed …… so packed that folk had to sit in the choir stand …… When Kevin’s family walked in ….. The choir started to sing …… but the strange part was when The Revlons … his “house family” walked in behind them …. They all stood up in black shades against the wall …. James was with them …. And he could barely stand up …… Jamal looked at them as they cried and moaned throughout the service …..
Rev. Brown conducted the service, but Rev. Edmonds gave the eulogy …… The typical one about life being precious and you shouldn’t take it for granted …. That now a days ….. The young folk are going faster than the old …… but the part that hit home ….. Was leading double lives …… “Yes church …… We have to stop leading these double lives ….. cause no matter what .. Whats done in the dark … will be brought to the light …..” He then prayed …. Prayed for those sinners to be brought to salvation …. That those who are leading double lives understand that there is no place for them in the kingdom of heaven ………
Rev. Brown never once looked up from her seat while the sermon was being preached ….. she was torn …. She knew part of the story … Church folk talk ….. In the study the ministers had basically ran down there version of events ….. and as much as she tried to keep it focused on the family, the discussion kept returning to the sexuality …. Her heart went out for her son ….. She remembered one day walking in the house and seeing them together …..
“Jamal!! … I wanted to show you the choir …” Rev. Brown stopped her sentence … she had returned home from a meeting at church about the choir robes and wanted to get Jamal’s opinion on it ….. but she saw he and Kevin upstairs doing homework in Jamal’s room … She liked this Kevin guy … he seemed to be just what Jamal needed to get back on track … She turned and started to walk away … but then she heard Kevin say …. “I love you Jamal …..”
She snapped out of her daze as the altar call was being conducted ……. Everyone looked around as the ministers went on and on about living right, and being holy …….. Eventually, the funersal directors came forward and pulled the casket up the aisle ……..Jamal was glad the service was over …. He felt eyes on him at all times and wanted to get out of there … HE could only imagine the things going through his mother’s head … The look on her face worried him that things may go back to how they used to be …. And he wasn’t sure if he culd handle that again ….
Everyone lined up to leave and walk by Kevin one last time …… It took forever because folk were stopping and sobbing over the casket …… Jamal followed behind the family …. Trying to stay away from the “children” …. The moment of truth came for James ….. His friends had been holding him back, but now it was time to walk out ……..
This is when James really lost it … HE was on the wall sobbing and crying …… no one could comfort him ….. as they walked by the casket ….. He broke down ….. “NOOOOOO ….KEVIN!!!!” and tried to jump in …… His friends held him back …. But he broke free and ran back …… “Get away from My son you FREAK!” Kevin’s dad yelled ….
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...
