Chapter 8 (Gabos )

Shed So Many TEARS

“Fatboy, baby, get your behind up and get dress.”

“For what, Momma?”

“’Cause it’s your friend and Mrs. Jones’s funeral today.”

“So, Mom, why I gotta go see the dead? Why I can’t just keep right on, remembering them alive?”

“Look, boy, ’cause that was your friend, and you should at least pay your respect, even if you don’t stay to the end.”

“All right, Momma. Dang, but can my friends roll with me?”

“Boy, I don’t care. That’s on them.”

“All right, let me call them right quick.” Ring, ring. “Hello, hello, Mrs. Queen. Can I speak to Pokey?”

“Hold on, baby. Pokey, Pokey, your friend on the phone.”

“All right, Ma, I’m coming.” ’Bout one minute later, Pokey comes to the phone.

“What’s up, dog? My bad, I kept you waiting, I was using the bathroom.”

“Look, dog, my momma making me go to my friend funeral and Mrs. Jones. You gonna roll with me?” Fatboy asked.

“Yeah, dog, I’ll roll with you. What you wearing?”

“You already know, all black with the shade game.”

“All right, dog. I’mma do the same.”

“All right, dog. Look, I’ll be over there in about twenty minutes.”

“All right, I’ll see you then. Flick going?” Pokey asked.

“I’m finna call him right now.”

“All right then, handle that. I’m out,” Pokey said.

“Hello, may I speak to Flick?”

“Who this is?” Mrs. Brown asked.

“It’s Fatboy.”

“Oh, hold on, baby. I think he sleep, but I’ll get him. Flick, your friend wants you on the phone,” his momma said.

“Momma, ask him what he wants.”

“Baby, he said what’s up?”

“Oh, ask him if he gonna ride with me to the funeral?”

“Hold on. He said you gonna ride with him to the funeral? Hold on, here he go.”

“What’s up, dog?” Flick asked.

“Man, you gonna roll or what?”

“Yeah, dog. What made you change your mind?” Flick asked.

“My momma,” Fatboy said.

“When y’all leaving?”

“In about forty-five minutes.”

“All right, what you wearing?”

“Me and Pokey wearing all black with the dark boys on.”

“All right, I’m feeling that. Let me go hop in the shower right quick, then I’ll be over there.”

“All right, dog. I’ll see you when you get here,” Fatboy said, hanging up the phone.

About twenty-five minutes later, Pokey and Flick made their way to Fatboy’s house clean as a whistle, decked in all black from head to toe with dark shades on, looking more like they were going on a business meeting than a funeral. As Fatboy opened the door, all he could say was, “Damn, y’all niggaz clean. Shit, you clean yourself. Look at cha, with the black on black.”

“Dog, you rocking that shit,” Pokey said. Lifting his shades up to look at his dog Fatboy. “Y’all ready to go?”

“Yes, ma’am, we ready,” he said. As his mother stepped out in an all-black dress that hugged her body, “Damn, oh my bad, Mrs. Walls. Fatboy, your momma fine as hell,” Flick said, giggling.

“Dog, don’t make me beat your ass ’bout my momma,” Fatboy said, play-punching his friend.

“I heard that too,” Mrs. Walls told Flick. “Thanks for the compliment. Y’all ain’t looking too bad y’all self,” she said, smiling, playing with them, and they began to blush.

“Momma, you tripping,” Fatboy said.

“Boy, shut up,” she said smiling. “I’m just having fun, you know your lil friends too young for me,” she said as they got in the car. As she began to drive, it slowly started raining, and when they reached the church, it was jam-packed. And instead of a light rain, it was now pouring.

“Dang, it’s raining hard. I guess God really loved this nigga, to be doing all this crying,” Pokey said.

“Boy, see that’s what’s wrong with y’all. Y’all don’t know nothing bout God. God loves y’all,” she was about to say.

“Momma, please don’t start preaching, we already at church,” Fatboy said.

“Boy, listen I just hope one day I ain’t gotta be leaning over your coffin, crying and yelling, ’cause you done got yourself killed being stupid. A mother’s kids is supposed to bury her, not the other way around.”

“Momma, I hear you, and I ain’t gonna do nothing stupid to leave this world early. It’s too much stuff I haven’t done that I gotta do,” he said, with his friends saying, “We amen to that.”

And all his mom did was smile, “Come on y’all, let go.”

Why the rain done slacked up when they entered the church it was so many people there to see the dead, they felt like they were zombies, until they saw Maurice’s mother and sisters, sitting on the front bench, shedding tears. As a lady sang “Walk Around Heaven All Day,” more people began to shed tears. Even as I looked at my mom, I noticed she was crying too. As everybody started crying, me, Flick, and Pokey, put our dark boyz on and just listened to another lady start singing “The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name.” After the song was over, the preacher by the name of Reverend T, a.k.a. Tony, began to speak today.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have two people who are leaving this earth to go be with the father. Mrs. Jones and lil Maurice, they both died a tragic death, all in the hands of another person. We all know Mrs. Jones was a fine lady, who did and gave to everybody. She was born in the projects, and that’s where she died. But we all know if she could talk to us now, she would tell us she is okay, she home, and would want us to keep living life to the fullest.”

As he was speaking, the door opened and the preacher stopped talking and locked eyes with Mr. Big, a.k.a. Sterling. As Sterling made his way up front to his mother’s coffin, he began to cry, and the preacher went on.

“Mrs. Jones was loved by everyone. She did all she could for the kids, even gave her last meal to see them eat. And today she is leaving us, but not forever. One day will see her again in a better life, a better world, one day, one day,” Reverend T said.

As a guy began to sing a song by Boyz II Men, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday”—I don’t know where this road / is going to lead / all I know is where we’ve been / and what we’ve been through.

With that, Mr. Big got up off the coffin, with tears still streaming down his face and walked outta the church, filled with hurt and overcome with sadness that the only mother he ever had was now gone. He knew for him life would never be the same. As he beat his hands on the steering wheel, all he could do was yell, “God, why not me instead of her? She was only doing what I ask her to do, so it was my sin, not hers,” as he began to shed his last tear.

As Shine and Boo Boo walked up to see their mother, for what they believed was the last time, they were filled with so much pain and hurt. But they refused to cry ’cause one day they realized, they too would be lying in a casket with people crying for them, but the only tears they could cry was tears of blood as their hearts began to break.

“Momma, I’mma miss you. I miss you already, and I regret always getting locked up and not spending time with you,” Shine said. “I love you, Momma,” he said and walked away.

“Momma, I know I was hardheaded, but you loved me regardless. And, Momma, I really can’t believe you are gone. But when the reality hits, that’s this is you in this casket. I really don’t know what to do or how I’mma make it in this world without you. I know you would want me to be strong, and for you, momma, I’m reach the skies. I love you,” he said, kissing the top of his mother’s casket, turning and walking off.

As everybody began to pay their respects to a woman who was loved for who she was, they started singing “See You When I Get There.” As everybody finished paying respects, some people left, most stayed to pay respects to a lil kid.

Reverend T began, “Today Maurice is leaving us too, and he will be truly miss. This was a fine young man who loved life more than anything. He loved to play basketball, he was in school, doing all the right things.”

“Look, why this nigga up here lying on my dog,” Fatboy said.

“That’s what they get paid for,” Pokey said.

As Reverend T kept going, his momma and sisters walked up to his casket.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” his mother said. “I love you so much, and I know in my heart you was doing all you can for me and your sisters. And even though it was wrong, I appreciate all the things you did, ’cause I know if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have a thing to eat. I’m sorry you lost your life, trying to save ours, but I want you to know I’ve always been proud of you, and I love you, baby, and I’mma miss you dearly. I know things are going to be rough, but I’mma make it, ’cause I’ll always have memories of you,” she said, while tears fell on his face, and she moved over to let his sisters say their good-bye.

“It’s a sad story when a mother has to bend over her child,” Pokey said, as he watched all his friend’s sisters say their good-byes to their only brother. As everybody began to pay respects, Fatboy and his friends were the last one, even though Pokey didn’t vibe with Maurice, he was doing this for his dog, as they made their way to the casket.

Pokey said, “Real G’s don’t cry.” Pokey looked down at Maurice and said, “Dog, sorry life was taking from you so early. I guess that’s the way the game goes, but you kept it G with ya people, you made sure they got fed. And for that, if I ever make it big, I’mma look out for ya peoples, that’s my word,” Pokey said, making the sign of the cross, lifting his glass up and looking at Maurice for the last time. “I hope heaven’s got a ghetto for niggas like you and me,” he said, walking off.

As Flick looked down at a lifeless body, all he could say was, “Damn, dog, this could’ve been anyone of us, but it’s not, it’s you. And I hope, dog, you finally at peace, you can take a break, and just look over ya family from the skies up above. I know you gonna be up there balling and dunking on everybody,” Flick said, smiling. “Dog, look, if I ever make it running, I’ll never forget you,” pulling up his glasses. Looking at his friend for the last time, he said, “Save a place up in heaven for me,” Flick said, walking off.

As Fatboy moved his glasses from his face, he stared at his friend for a minute, “Lil, homey, look, I know you can hear me. I just want you to know I’mma miss you. I wish you would’ve listen and stayed outta trouble, but I understand now why you did what you did, and, man, I ain’t mad at cha ’cause I ain’t no saint. So I’m asking why you up in heaven, look down on me and try to keep me outta trouble. Look, dog, I love ya, and I’mma miss you, but I know in my heart I’ll see you again ’cause it’s a heaven just for G’s. I love you,” Fatboy said, walking off. With no tears in sight, him and his two friends realized this was a good place to turn ya heart cold and to remember the saying GABOS. As they walked outside, they seen people talking, getting into cars, and leaving, but they also noticed . . . Mr. Big was still there, bent over the steering wheel.