"Your lotion smells good Ma," Allen said as his father walked in.
"Helen,"
Allen's father said with loving durability,
"let the boy go."
"Steven shut up!"
Helen said sternly,
"this is my baby."
"Yeah, and every time your baby leaves you start crying for him to
stay. Let the boy go, he has a plane to catch. I'll take your bags to the
car son."
"Thanks pop,"
Allen said as he broke the embrace of his mother and
headed for the door.
"Bye baby."
"Bye Mama, I will call you the minute I get home."
"Make sure you call baby, and get the pictures developed. Don't
forget to call, tomorrow is not promised."
"I will Mama," Allen said as he closed the door behind him.
The drive to the airport gave Allen's father time to tell him what had
been going on since his last visit.
"You know son, it gets lonely without my second best friend here."
"Yeah Pop I know what you mean, but other than you, Mom and the
Bulls, I don't really miss Chicago that much. It seems that every time I
come home I see the same people. I hear the same excuses, I hear the
same lies, and the only difference is that someone else is telling it. It's as
if our people can't get out of their mental depression. But the true
reason is they don't want to get out of it."
"That's kind of a harsh thing to say eh son?"
"No, a harsh thing to say is, 'you're nothing' to a child, when they are
our future. Or to say, 'can I get a fix' when you're six months pregnant.
Now I think those are harsh things to say."
"Well, what about those who are sick or who have been sick and can't
get over the anguish of their illness, what about those people?"
"There is no such word as can't. Didn't you and Ma tell me that? For
people like that it's mental as well. Haven't you always said shit or get
off the pot?"
"Yes,"
Allen's father replied with a chuckle.
"Well then, those who have been sick and don't work when they are
physically able to are making excuses."
"Well son think about this, I have always told you to think before you
speak, take your time when you speak, know what you want to say
before you say it."
"Pop what are you getting at?"
"Your mother stopped teaching at the elementary school a week
before you came home."
"Why didn't she say anything?"
Allen asked as though he was the
elder in the car.
"Mind your manners boy,"
Steven spoke sternly.
"She didn't want to
spoil your trip, besides she was waiting for test results."
"Test results for what?"
"Well your mother had her annual check up and the doctors think
she may have a touch of cancer,"
Steven said putting it lightly.
"Wait pop, go back to the house, I can't leave like this."
"No no, your mama didn't want to postpone you getting back home,
she wanted me to tell you in the car."
"So when do the results come back?"
"Well, we were told that the results would be here by Tuesday, then
the doctor called and told us that they needed to run more tests and he
would have an answer by Friday."