ThaWilsonBlock Magazine Issue23 "Meet Mya Vat"

For Love, Peace, & Unity

Fat X 101

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Story by Mistah Wilson

“Buddy just wanted a friend…”

Tha Lone Journey Jimmy was a twelve year-old boy who moved in with his Aunty after his parents passed away in a fatal car crash. He was a lonely little boy, but knew how to have his own fun. Jimmy would get up and ready for school before his cousins. But when he got to school, he wasn’t a social kid. And sometimes his cousins would act like they didn’t know him.

One overcast morning, Jimmy woke up to get ready for school as usual. After he put his last shoe on, he made his way over to the kitchen to have breakfast. As he draws closer to the kitchen, he hears his Aunty Shyla having on a conversation on the phone with his grand mother Velma. “The boy is getting older and we need to tell him the truth about Jenny & Oscar,” Shyla says over the phone. Jenny & Oscar was Jimmy’s parents. He didn’t know who his mom & dad was, but he knew it wasn’t his aunty.

“He’s still not ready, Shyla. He’s too young,” replied Velma. Jimmy started to peak into the kitchen being as quiet as can be. “Who is Jenny & Oscar?,” he thinks to himself.

Shyla goes on to say,” The time to tell him will be soon, just not yet.” Jimmy heard his aunty but had no clue what she was talking about or who she was talking to.

“Breakfast!,” yelled Aunty Shyla. By this time, Jim’s cousins, or Shyla’s kids, Cornel, Terry, & Thomas came rushing in to eat before going to school. Jimmy strolled in slowly after them. “I’m not hungry today,” Jim says to his Aunty. “Boy, you better sit down there and eat,” replied Shyla with a firm voice. “We’ll be leaving for school in 10 minutes. Hurry up.”

Jimmy looked at the bowl of cereal and left the kitchen to sit on the couch to prepare to leave for school. His cousins ate quickly and finished their food. Shyla walks out of her room and into the living room with car keys in her hand. “Ya’ll ready?” Before leaving out the door, Aunty Shyla grabbed Thomas, the youngest one and picked some lent off of his face. Jimmy looked at this and became puzzled. He definitely sees the resemblance between his Aunty and his cousin Thomas because she was their parent. But none of them look like Jimmy.

On the way to school, Jimmy’s looking out the window. As they come to a red light, he notices another mother and son showing that exclusive bond with physical resemblance. And out of nowhere, he asks,” Aunty, where is my mom & dad?” Shyla looked at him in the rearview mirror with a shocked look on her face. In her mind, she’s dreading having to tell young Jimmy the truth about his parents. She doesn’t know if he’ll be able to handle it.

Furthermore, if he’s old enough to know.

That’s a conversation we can have when you come home from school, okay?,” Auntie Shyla replies to Jim. Jim looked up at her and then back at the window. “Okay,” he

said. So, Shyla dropped all the kids off at school and drove off. Instead of going home, she went to Velma’s house to talk about their morning conversation and what Jimmy asked her on the way to school. Shyla gets out of the car and walks up to the front door of Velma’s house. Before she could even ring the doorbell, Velma opens the door and gives Shyla a hug.

They walk inside the house and close the door.

“Come on, Shyla, you know it’s our responsibility to tell Jimmy what happened to his parents,” Velma exclaimed. “That boy ain’t getting no younger. He learns fast and I don’t want that young boy to get angry at us.” Shyla looked at Velma and said,” You know, he asked me where his mom & dad is while I was dropping him off at school. I told him we’ll have the conversation after school when I pick him up,” Shyla said. “Ok, well let’s prepare to tell him.

Later that day, Shyla went to pick the boys up from school. As she pulled up, the boys started running to the car, but Jimmy walked. When he got to the car, he opened the door, got in and asked,” So, now can we talk about my mom & dad?” The question appeared to irritate Shyla but she kept cool and said,” Yes, we are going to Granny Velma’s house right now.”

“Yay! We get to see grandma!” shouts Terry. “I’m gonna give her a big ol’ hug,” Cornel replies. Times passes and they get to Velma’s house. She is already on the porch drinking a cup of coffee. As Shyla and the boys pull up, Jimmy jumps out of the car and runs to Velma. “Where is my mom & dad?” he asked with such wanting to know. “Come on inside, Jimbo.” Velma said. “let’s talk.”

When Shyla walked up to the porch, she couldn’t help but to notice how Jimmy was not ready to hear the information about his parents. Jimmy clearly looked as if he thought his parents were just somewhere else and not dead. He was completely clueless.

They walked into Velma’s room in the back of the house. “Sit,” says Velma. Jimmy sits down and is trying to figure out why this seems so weird.

“Listen, Jimmy. This hasn’t been easy for us to tell you. We’ve waited as long as we can to tell you that your Mom & Dad died in a car accident when you were just two years-old,” Velma said. “That is why I took you in to live with me and the boys,” Shyla adds.

Jimmy looked at them both and ran out of the room! He ran past the hallway and kitchen and out the front door. The last thing he said was,” I don’t believe you!”

“Oh, dear what do we do?” Velma worried. Shyla followed Jimmy out the door but she couldn’t catch him. Cornel attempted to catch him, but Shyla told him to give him his space. It was a delicate matter. “I’m going to go find my mom & dad. I know they are somewhere!” Jimmy shouted as he ran away. “And I’m never coming back!”

Tha Lone Journey