CHAPTER 30 - YUCKAMUCKING AND FIST BUMPING

LINDSAY

“What do you mean Nya wouldn’t have used soap?” I frown as we head back downstairs.

“Ask either Kendi or Justin. Ooh that was, in teenspeak, sick. I have never seen my baby so mad!”

Mel and I exchange looks. “Madder than she’s been with Jenny?”

“I stand corrected, no not that mad.” Abi laughs. “They didn’t speak for a week!”

As we go back into the lounge, the kids have returned. I take a proper look at Brian’s family, for that is what he has now, and smile. Gus is talking with Hunter and, I assume by the sling, Josh. Kendi and Kemi are talking to Debs and Earl respectively, but Michael is glaring at Brian and Justin.

“Where’s Jenny?”

“Still trying to rinse the soap taste out, Aunt Lindsay.” Kemi giggles. “Kudos, by the way! Papa, Kendi told me what Aunt Nya did.”

“Yes she did allude to that and it caused a slight rift. So what did she do, Justin?”

“Dunked her head in a bucket of dirty mop water.” Justin chuckles and Kendi goes pink.

Everyone swivels round to look at Nya, who is redoing Debs’s hair. “You did what?” Mel gasps.

Nya shrugs. “She was rude, she kept being rude, I warned her, she didn’t listen so I dunked.”

“No actually, you didn’t dunk, you triple dipped!” Justin retorts, but he’s smiling.

“Yeah, kinda used her like a mop!” Nya starts to chuckle. “She stank for days!”

“I was more mad about her immune system being compromised…”

“Bullshit, J. You were pissed that I followed through and you didn’t think I would.”

“Okay, yeah that.” He laughs. “You know what I did, right?” Nya nods then Justin frowns. “You knew I changed the water, just in case?”

“Yep. So I changed it right back again and added lots of salt.”

“It was the most disgusting thing I have ever had the misfortune to taste. Never, ever pissed her off again!” Kendi shudders at the memory.

“You should have her arrested. Can’t you have her charged with child abuse?” Michael declares. “I would, if she did anything like that, if anybody, did anything like that to Jenny.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because it’s abuse!”

“No, I mean why are you so Team Jenny at this moment?” I demand but keep my expression neutral. He is like a dog with a bone today. What the fuck is going on here?!

“I have always been Team Jenny, since nobody else is!” He retorts and as if right on cue, in comes Little Miss Victim.

“Thanks, Uncle Michael. I always knew I could rely on you to…”

“Nya, may I have a word?” I ask, rendering the room silent.

“Wh-why would you need to speak to her Momma?”

“My reasons are my own, Jenny. Nya, it would take but a second...”

“Can we borrow your study, Brian?” She asks and he nods. “Now Debs, you are about to be done by the Master. Mom, can you tighten up for me?”

“Of course, baby.” She replies and stands behind Debs. “Nice job baby, nice job. Now Debs, which wig is it?”

Nya doesn’t say a word as she leads me to the study and shuts the door.

STUDY

“So?” She raises an eyebrow.

“You know that Mel had Jenny by IVF?” She nods. “Well it’s just that, and I’m most probably being irrational what with all that is going on, but Michael… well Michael keeps saying fatherly things and I don’t get why. We were going to ask him to donate but changed our minds at the last minute. I know what you did with my bank account...accounts and I just wondered if you knew anybody that could...maybelookatmelsrecordsandseewhothedadis.”

She doesn’t say a word but boots up the computer. “Name of clinic…”

An hour later, I am sobbing in her arms...in relief. It’s not him! He’s not the father! The father is exactly what we wanted, a MENSA student from Yale and blah-blah-blah.

“Lindsay, Lindsay, I need you to go to the bathroom and get cleaned up. Tell them we were discussing punishing techniques, okay? This is more than but a second.” I nod. “Why are you still here?!” She grins and I run out of the room.

NYA

I sit back and take some calming breaths, then reach for my phone. Ten minutes later, there is a knock on the door. I open it to Dad and whisper my thanks to Kemi. She absolutely adores him!

“You comfy?” I ask as I settle him into the chair opposite the desk.

“What you itching about?” He demands as only Dad can.

I tell him everything I know so far and at one point have to scoot round the desk to put him back into the chair.

“So now what do I do? He can’t get away with this clusterfuck of a shitstorm. He just can’t! This is Kendi’s dad we are talking about and…Brian and Justin know some of it, but not all. They can’t know this. They just... can’t. We need to get him gone and make it look like it’s his idea to just leave them the fuck alone.”

“Call Ted. Call him now. I have an idea. The fool is the wrong kind of fool, stupid and nasty…but I don’t agree that he gets to walk. He needs to fess up and then walk. If he walks without doing that, there’s a way back.” He steeples his fingers and then looks at me. “So, if he hadn’t have broken his hand…”

“Yeah, would’ve asked him to take him to the light, as Debs asked.”

“You are your mother’s child.” He chuckles. “The amount of times this blind man slept with his eyes open just in case!”

LOUNGE - 10 MINUTES LATER

MICHAEL

Jenny has not stopped snivelling over what they did. And if I could reach my phone, I would be calling child services right now, especially after what Lindsay has just said! The door opening brings back Nya and her Dad, so I clear my throat hard. “Brian, can you and I speak alone please?”

“Not if it is about money, you can’t.” He retorts.

“It is not about money! I want to ask you to speak to Jenny about something since their mothers are being ab…”

“Disciplining her! Don’t you dare compare his childhood abuse to her being disciplined! His motherfucking father and mother did those things to him because they could. Jenny is being disciplined because she deserves it!” Gus yells at me and starts to approach, but is stopped by Justin.

“Go outside and cool down. Gus, look at me. At me!” Justin orders and Gus slowly turns his head. “Outside with Hunter and Josh to cool down now, please.”

“Dude, come on!” Hunter calls from the door, but Gus holds his ground and is back to glaring at me.

“Gus, will you please go with Hunter?” I am stunned as Lindsay gets between Gus and I. “For me, please go with him.” Without another word, he heads to the door and the rest of the children follow.

“Thank you, Lindsay. I have never been treated in such a way and to be done so by h...”

“If you ever do what you just did that I get to witness or hear about, I will beat you till you move no more!” Lindsay barks. “Do you understand me? I can’t believe you tried to compare the two!”

For a few minutes, nobody says a word. “Beat you till you move no more? That is stolen and a fist bump given!” Nya laughs and I watch as she approaches Lindsay to fist bump her. “Come on people, bumps due! Take them, Lindsay!”

I gape as Lindsay goes round the room, taking in her applause and I seethe. “I don’t think…”

“No, you didn’t. Which is why Lindsay almost ripped your head off.” Ma interrupts. “And be grateful that both she and Gus got in first! Now take on board her words and mine...I will hold you down while she does so!” I gasp. “Now for the third time, take your feet off the fucking table!”

“Has everyone gone mad?! I am injured and trying to protect Jenny from…”

“The real world where people won’t take her crap?! What do you think is going to happen in military school? She is going to be punished ten times worse.”

“She is not going, even if I have to pay for the academy myself! She will be miserable without her brother and…”

“What bullshit has she been telling you?!” Mel laughs. “They didn’t go to the same school in Toronto at her insistence; they weren’t going to be going to the same school here, again at her insistence. She spends way too much time with you and has picked up a few of your nasty habits. That ends now! If she comes home, as she has told us that it is her choice if she does, we will limit her interaction with you. Since you encourage her boorish behaviour and spitting tantrums, and we are trying to eradicate that.”

“His feet still on the table?” Earl asks and I yelp as Mel kicks my ankle. “Not anymore, eh?”

“No, not anymore.” Brian laughs before looking at his baby daddy. “You okay? Want to go up for a bit?”

“Want to stay down here but…”

“Michael, move! Justin needs to lie down.” Brian orders. “You can move to that other chair. At least, you will be away from the table temptation.”

“Are you kidding me?! For fuck sake! I am severely injured and…”

“The straight back of the chair is better for your ribs, stability wise. Besides this is Justin’s home, ergo that makes that his sofa. So move!”

I slowly shuffle to the other chair and watch Mel and Lindsay plump cushions. Brian gets a comforter and after putting his head in his lap, Mel covers him up.

“Nya, can you check with Tobias about dinner?” Brian asks. “You will eat and then go for a proper sleep up…”

“Nice try, kiddo. He is staying right where he is. I will check on the food, though.” Ma laughs as she heads to the kitchen. A few minutes later, we hear her sending the kids upstairs, but Jenny says she wants to stay downstairs.

“Jenny, do as you are told! Or do you want to brush your teeth again?” She comes back in alone. “Another hour. Tobias is going for a run.”

“So Michael, what is it that you do?” Earl asking me a question takes me by surprise. “Do you work, I mean?”

“I run a store and…” I glare at Mel as she snorted. “Problem, Mel? Is that incorrect?”

“No, that’s correct! It’s just that you forgot to add into the ground.”

“Burn!” Brian laughs and I switch my glare to him. “Well come on, Michael. It hardly looks great, does it? It does well from what I can see and you are clearly doing good enough. So why not plough some of that money back into the business and smarten it up a bit? Appearance is everything.”

“To you maybe, but I like the old world charm of it.” I sniff.

“Speaking of appearances...” Nya interrupts. “I was walking around the other day and there is this shop that looks like even the homeless wouldn’t stay there. It must have been shut up for years. I pity anybody who tries to buy that place. Used to be a comic book store, a Red Cape Comics, I think it was called. So dirty and…two things, one what are you looking at me like that for? And, two why has it gone so quiet?”

“Red Cape is the name of Michael’s open comic book store.” Mel explains with a smirk.

“Ah. Well I’m…”

“I accept your apology.” I gripe.

“You can’t, as I wasn’t going to apologise.” Nya retorts and stares at me.

“Well, you should!”

“But I won’t. So Dad, how’s business?”

“Oh fine, fine. That’s one of the reasons we are here. Got a meeting with a Ted Schmidt and Blake Wyzecki…”

“Ted and Blake? Why are you meeting them?” Nya asks frowning...as is everyone else.

“You know...wait, is Ted the same Ted that’s Kemi godfather and works for you, Brian?”

“Yes. So the meeting?” He prompts.

“I am taking over a debt that he recently acquired. I know he had a tax write off.  but I mean buy yourself a car or something; it just doesn't make sense for him to spend it the way he did. However, it was his money but he’s regretting spending it like he has now. That regret will soon be over for them, though.”

“What are you going to do with the debt you’ve taken over?” Baby Daddy asks.

“Call it in and the sooner the better. I am meeting with them tomorrow, and should have all the paperwork done by end of the day.”

“C-can you do that? Just take someone’s debt like that?” I try to keep the panic out of my voice. The last thing I want is to be indebted to her and her family!

“Yeah, been doing it for years! Once I lost my sight had to find another way of supporting my family.”

NYA

I look quickly across at Justin, who’s frowning. He turns to look at me and gives me the we are going to talk look, and I wink back. Unfortunately, this is not missed by Mel and up goes an eyebrow. So I give a small nod.

“So you’re a…”

“Debt collector, yes Michael, I am. And I always collect, either the money or the collateral...always.”

MICHAEL

I swallow hard and try to think how much of the money is left. I am determined to keep my collection; nobody is taking that away from me! This is Jenny’s legacy! I am adding up in my head when I realise people are looking at me. “What?”

“Your phone is beeping.”

“Oh, I was miles away!” I pull it out and I feel my ass tighten as it is Reed. He wants the money tomorrow!