Page 22 of I'm So Mega
What was more amazing than the weekend was the night before we left. Mega went to get Maggie’s favorite food, seafood. Not just any seafood though. It was a boil that Pop Samuel made with his special seasoning. After dinner, we all took a shower because seafood stank. Mega had me bent over for half of the shower.
After the showers, we all met in the den with our pajamas on and watched movies. I wanted to cry when the kids sat on the couch with Mega and me. The kids found a way to snuggle up with us. Our couch was custom made and humongous. We all fell asleep on the couch together. These were the core memories that I wanted my babies to have.
The following weekend, Maggie, Kellie, and I had lunch with my mother. She’d been away with my father on one of their trips that they loved to take. They took a week trip every quarter. When I told her that Maggie started her period, she cried because she missed it.
After all the greatness of the weeks, Mega and I were at the boys’ school again. This was the first time they called us to the school since the last time. “Man, I swear, I’m gonna tap their asses, Ruth, if they tried that change places thing again.”
“Mega, let’s just find out what it is. Don’t jump to conclusions,” I told him when he opened the car door to let me out. I grabbed his hand so we could walk into the school.
When we got into the office, our sons sat together with stoned faces. The principal did her usual and escorted us to the conference room. This time, she told the secretary to watch the boys.
Our butts weren’t in the seat five seconds before the principal started. “Mr. and Mrs. Manfield, we are going to have to suspend your boys for three days. They were in a fight.”
“A fight with who? Are they the only ones being suspended?” I asked. Our boys didn’t get violent unless they had to. That was a part of the discipline training that they were in with their father and uncles.
Mega just sat there. I saw the wheels in his head turning. I prayed they didn’t turn him into a maniac.
These past fewweeks had been the most trying time but, in the same breath, the most rewarding. When Ruth came home and told me that my little girl started her period, my mind couldn’t comprehend it for a moment. Once I got it, panic sank in. If I didn’t realize that my little girl was growing up, I realized then.
I knew that Ruth and the ladies would do their women’s weekend like they did with Sadie and Shanae. I loved that they did it, and it was always at the nicest places. The way my wife nurtured our children, took care of our household, and loved me ensured that she would never want for anything, including me. I gave this woman all of me, except my soul. God had that.
The one thing that we did learn was that Maggie had cramps. Ruth didn’t have periods anymore, but she had the foresight tokeep all her things that helped her with her cramps. She had this thing that sent these little electroshocks to the midsection which helped with the cramps. She had all different kinds of heating pads and blankets. Ruth let me know that during their weekend, they covered the whole sex and pregnancy thing. That took a load off my heart and a few bullets out my guns.
All was going well, then boom, my boys’ school called. I hated that they felt like they couldn’t tell us what happened over the phone. I wanted to prep my mind before I walked into the building. No, they acted like they were medical professionals who couldn’t tell us over the phone because it was confidential. My thought was that they took bets on whether I would crash out as the kids said. I’d only crashed out once, and it was at another school that our sons were enrolled in for kindergarten. After my crash out, court case, and not guilty verdict, I’d been cool.
Some Time Earlier. . .
“Baby, I don’t know. Every time I pick them up from school, Joseph tells me that he doesn’t want to go back. It doesn’t seem like the whiny ‘I just don’t want to go back for no reason’ either. When we get home, he’s withdrawn. I asked him all of the did someone touch you questions, and he says no.” Ruth looked like she wanted to cry. That was a problem for me.
Our boys were in kindergarten. When they started, we made sure we were clear that we didn’t want them in the same classes. They behaved better when they were separated. That didn’t mean that they were great little boys separated. It justmeant they wouldn’t team up to take you down. My five-year-olds were masterminds.
I just got home from a men’s group for my church. We had a great lesson tonight that talked about being created in God’s image. We focused on Genesis 1:26-28. I loved the church that we found. Echo Church felt like the perfect fit for myself and my family. Pastor Gilmore just got me, and I knew that was nothing but Big G.
After all the fasting that Ruth and I did, the Big G better had found us a church home. A nigga went without steak for thirty days. I loved steak. My kids loved the children’s ministry, Ruth loved the women’s, and I got an awesome word. I also loved the diversity of the congregation. It was where your neighborhood dope dealer could go to get closer to God and eventually change his ways.
I turned from my place in front of my dresser where I’d just moisturized my body after my shower. I still had a towel wrapped around my waist. “What do you think it is, baby? You want me to talk to him?”
“Please, Mega. I just know something is wrong, but he won’t talk to me,” she said. A tear fell from her eye.
I walked over to where she sat in the middle of our bed. I climbed on the bed, then pulled her into my arms. “Ruth, you don’t have to beg me to talk to my kids. We’ll figure it out.”
It was still early, but I knew my baby was exhausted. I told her to take a nap, and I would take care of the kids for the rest of the evening. She was all too ready to take me up on that offer. I put Ruth to bed with some dick melatonin, then ordered pizza for the kids and me. Maggie and Matthew went to sleep first, like Big G knew I needed to talk to Joseph alone.
I bumped Joseph’s body with mine. “So, what’s up, lil man? How’s school?” I asked him.
His shoulders lifted to his ears without taking his eyes off the television. “I don’t like it.” He finally turned his head to face me. “Daddy, can I go to a different teacher’s class?”
Now we’re cooking.His teacher was a dude named Mr. Cook.I pulled the dude’s file, and he was clean. “You don’t like Mr. Cook, Son?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t. Not really.” When I asked him why, he looked at his brother who slept on the other couch.
They both had so much pride. They always wanted to prove that they were big boys and not punks. I leaned down to whisper to him. “Hey, man, whatever you say is between me and you. I won’t tell Matthew.” He asked me if I promised, and I told him that I did.
“Mr. Cook is mean to me. He makes me go to the bathroom last sometimes when I tell him I really have to go, and I almost pee on myself. He tells me that I can’t eat lunch sometimes because I am bad.” When he looked up at me, tears drenched his face. “Daddy, I promise I don’t be bad. After he jacked me up that one time, I stopped being bad.”
Fire consumed every fiber of my being.I’m going to kill this muthafucka.Right now, I needed to be concerned with making sure my son felt protected. I grabbed him into my arms and hugged him tightly.“I got you, Joseph. You know daddy is going to protect you. Okay. Daddy is going to take care of it.”
I held my boy in my arms until he fell asleep.My boys were my rainbow babies. At a time when I’d lost my faith in Big G, life, and, to some point, love, He restored it when He gave me my boys. He showed me that he is Big G, and he would always have the last say in this thing called life. No one and I meant no one would mess with what Big G blessed me with.BigG, I might have to send one to You. I promise I’ll make it quick.
