Zambian Roots

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the SoA, wish I did but I don't. I a merely borrowing them for my own amusement and that hopefully of the person that reads this little ditty, I make no money from this or any other story I upload on this site.

Summary: When the guys caught Juice looking up details about the country Zambia one day and were curious, he told them it is because he is thinking of holiday destinations with a difference now that their parole was finished but it was not the truth, he was looking for someone, his father.

A/N: This story popped into my head a few days ago and would not go away so I hope you like it.

xXx

Juice leaned back in the seat and stared out of the window of the plane he had been on since leaving the United States, he looked into the cloudless sky and wondered again if what he was doing was the right thing. His thoughts wandered back a few days to when he had been back in Charming at the clubhouse, he had been staring at the screen of his laptop for several minutes when he had felt a callused hand land suddenly on his neck, making him jump a little as Tig leaned forward to read what had had his brother so interested.

"What you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Juice had reached forward to close down the screen but Tig had stopped him. Grabbing his wrist and pulling it and his hand back before he could hit the mouse.

"Don't look like nothing retard."

Juice had shrugged and tried to make out that it was not a big thing, he had just been looking for some vacation ideas, after all with all their paroles about to be finished within the next few days, they could all start moving about the country and further afield and not have to ask permission to do so.

Well apart from the fact that he had had to go to the local police station to have his finger prints done and other stuff because of the Zambian laws about entry to the country that when he had read them had stated that all U.S citizens had to have their finger prints taken other stuff before they could even enter the country.

He had thought that he would not have to do it seeing as they had his fingerprints already, seeing as he had a record but no, he had had to go through the indignity of giving his prints again and the questions from the officers doing it had done his head in, they had thought that he was going to Zambia on club business but as he had told them, he was just going on a holiday, not that they believed him.

"Ladies and gentlemen can we ask that you fasten you seatbelts, we will soon be landing at Lusaka airport. May I take this moment to thank you for flying with Lusaka airways and may your visit to our country be a safe and happy one."

Juice sighed as the flight attendants voice rang out and he clicked his seatbelt in place; soon he thought I'll be meeting my father for the first time.

xXx

The landing had been a little bumpy as they touched down and for a moment there had been a few fearful shrieks from a few of the passengers and Juice had feared that they were going to end up a mangled heap on the airstrip as the pilot fought to keep control of the plane.

Breathing a sigh of relief when the pilot managed to land the plane and it then finally taxied to a stop, Juice waited a few moments while the other passengers made their way to the flight attendants who had opened the doors on the plane so that they could all disembark.

He was now starting to worry a little at what his father's reaction would be to meeting him for the first time after all these years. After Lieutenant Roosevelt had tried to blackmail him over the fact that his father was black but it had not totally worked, he had given Juice the file that they had had on his father along with the photograph of him, standing proudly in front of an industrial fryer in some restaurant smiling broadly at the camera and Juice had seen little of himself in that face but for the smile that exactly the same as his.

Juice had meant to destroy the picture as well as the file but every time he had tried to do so something stopped him and he had found himself over a few months wondered what his father was like and where he was living now. Gradually even though it was probably bad idea especially if the club found out, he had started to look for his dad, just to quell the curiosity he had, he had no intention of meeting him at least that had been what he had told himself but here he was now about to depart from a plane and meet the man for the first time ever.

Taking a deep breath as he exited the plane, he was briefly for a moment stunned as the midday heat hit him and stared around at his first sight of Zambia.

xXx

Juice stood and stared at the area of land where his father resided, so many thoughts going through his head. He had not really known what he had been going to say to the man before he had come here but foremost he had wanted to know why he had abandoned him and his mother but now those questions would remain unanswered.

"When did it happen?"

He asked the withered old man who stood at his side, he had shown Juice exactly where his father was when he had heard him making enquiries in the market, he had known Michael Howard since he had been a boy and had lived in the same dilapidated building as him since Michael had come home from the states but until today he had not known that he had a son in America. As he gazed at the young man standing beside him he could see some of Michael in him, the eyes and the smile although the young man was not smiling now.

"A few days ago, it was quick and I am sure he felt nothing."

He placed a withered hand on Juice's shoulder as he left him where he stood before the grave where his father lay.