Status: on hold
Mitchum and Me
Six
CALLUX
“Hell no.”
“Callux, you didn't let me finish.”
I notice Harriet setting a timer for the dish she prepared as I stomp my way towards the kitchen. As Harriet tells mom that dinner will be ready in thirty-five minutes, I quickly grab a drink from the refrigerator and exit the room. Mom nods at Harriet then looks back at me, but I am already out of the cooking area and walking towards the main hall.
Near the patio, I see that dad is wearing his glasses near the bridge of his nose while reading yesterday's newspaper. He does not leave his eyes from his newspaper when he says, “Callux E. Berumen, your mother is speaking to you. Be a man and listen to the woman speak.”
His croaky voice causes me to stop because dad is now focusing his attention on me rather than his paper.
He places the newspaper on his lap while looking at mom. He asks, “What is the boy running from now?”
I roll my eyes before mom could answer him because I already know she'll bullshit the entire thing.
“He’s running away from a suggestion,” Mom says carefully as she places a hand on her hips. “I asked him if he was willing to hang out with Janiya.” She looks at me now. “Is that what you call it? Hang out? Hook up?”
My eyes widen.
I hear Mitchum laughing from upstairs.
I bite down on my lower lip, ready to tell my brother off.
“Don’t even think about it,” mom threatens.
JANIYA
“You don't remember him?”
Mom stands near the frame of my door while she's burning the Berumen name into another conversation of ours. She's talking about the possibility of getting me and Callux to mix it up, or whatever mom is referring it to.
“No,” I lie.
She places a hand on her hips. “Callux, he's the boy that came home that day when we had that lunch at his house. The one with the really good tomato soup?”
“Oh,” I whisper. I still act like I didn't recall him. “Right, but I still don't think it'll work.”
“C’mon, Janyia.”
“Let me think about it, please.”
A smile creeps on my mother’s lips. “Great!”
“Hell no.”
“Callux, you didn't let me finish.”
I notice Harriet setting a timer for the dish she prepared as I stomp my way towards the kitchen. As Harriet tells mom that dinner will be ready in thirty-five minutes, I quickly grab a drink from the refrigerator and exit the room. Mom nods at Harriet then looks back at me, but I am already out of the cooking area and walking towards the main hall.
Near the patio, I see that dad is wearing his glasses near the bridge of his nose while reading yesterday's newspaper. He does not leave his eyes from his newspaper when he says, “Callux E. Berumen, your mother is speaking to you. Be a man and listen to the woman speak.”
His croaky voice causes me to stop because dad is now focusing his attention on me rather than his paper.
He places the newspaper on his lap while looking at mom. He asks, “What is the boy running from now?”
I roll my eyes before mom could answer him because I already know she'll bullshit the entire thing.
“He’s running away from a suggestion,” Mom says carefully as she places a hand on her hips. “I asked him if he was willing to hang out with Janiya.” She looks at me now. “Is that what you call it? Hang out? Hook up?”
My eyes widen.
I hear Mitchum laughing from upstairs.
I bite down on my lower lip, ready to tell my brother off.
“Don’t even think about it,” mom threatens.
▽△▽
JANIYA
“You don't remember him?”
Mom stands near the frame of my door while she's burning the Berumen name into another conversation of ours. She's talking about the possibility of getting me and Callux to mix it up, or whatever mom is referring it to.
“No,” I lie.
She places a hand on her hips. “Callux, he's the boy that came home that day when we had that lunch at his house. The one with the really good tomato soup?”
“Oh,” I whisper. I still act like I didn't recall him. “Right, but I still don't think it'll work.”
“C’mon, Janyia.”
“Let me think about it, please.”
A smile creeps on my mother’s lips. “Great!”