The song this was inspired by is 'Rejazz' by Regina Spektor.
Note: I love Maybelle's character, but I felt that in the movie remake she was a little too much of a saint. My main goal for this one was that I wanted to explore some of her human flaws and history while keeping in tact that sassy lady we love.
Thought I'd cry for you forever
But I couldn't, so I didn't.
People's children die and they
Don't even cry forever.
Thought I'd see your face in my mind for all time,
But I don't even remember what your ears looked like.
The street he grew up on is nothing like it was seventeen years ago. Diners and liquor stores have sprung up where apartments and tiny convenience stores used to be. There's an eatery where Janie Washington used to teach kids how to read. At the same time, North Avenue's not changed much. Still there's the old men smoking on front porches and teenagers dancing to the crackling radio in a vacant lot.
Without giving it much thought, the man slows as he passes them, looking deliberately. He doesn't know really who he's looking for, though, so he moves on quickly.
There's the record shop Essie told him about. She hadn't wanted to tell him and thing, but he'd gotten it out of her in the end. He grins when he sees the store name – Motormouth Records. Her mama had given her that name when she was a little girl for talking too much, but she'd just been starting to live up to it in other ways last he knew.
When the man walks in, he thinks the shop's empty. Then he sees a young girl (she can't be more than fourteen) sitting behind the counter doing homework. She's Maybelle's, that's plain to see. The man wonders whether she's married or not now. The girl looks up.
"Sorry, sir, we're closed."
"Oh, I'm not shopping, little missy. I came by to see Maybelle Stubbs. She's here?"
The girl opens a door behind her and yells up a set of stairs, "Mama, there's a man here wants to talk to you. Mr…uh…"
She glances apologetically at him and he supplies, "Jones."
"Mr. Jones," she yells up.
A minute later she's standing right in front of him. She's changed. She's older, regal, blonde. She stands tall and graceful in a green caftan. It comes as a surprise because somehow in his mind she'd stayed sixteen.
"Maybelle – "
She cuts him off, asking her daughter, "Your brother in detention again, Inez?"
"Yeah."
"All right then. Now go on over and tell Jackie Cooper we gonna go over her song for the show tomorrow."
As soon as they're alone, Maybelle turns on him and asks, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm back in town."
"I can see that. What I mean is, what gives you the idea you can just barge in here like this?"
"I came back, May. For you."
Maybelle laughs, "Is that right? Funny how I woulda thought you'd try that one a little earlier."
"Come on now, I'm serious. I just wanted to do some things before I settled is all, but now I'm here."
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm not sixteen anymore, in case you forgot to notice. I don't need you now. All those years ago woulda been nice, but it's too late for that."
"And what about the boy?"
"He's not much of a boy anymore, Oscar. Nearly seventeen, same age I was last time you bothered to stop by."
"I wanna see him."
"No."
"What do you mean, no?"
"You heard me. You got no call going to meet him."
"He's my son, Maybelle. That gives me all the call in the world."
"Not the way I see it. When was the last time you wanted him to be your son? Do you even know his name?"
Oscar pauses. He doesn't know the boy's name, but what does that matter? Now he's back in Baltimore, he wants his family back. He wonders how much longer he's going to have to put up with this mood of Maybelle's. Not for much longer, if he has his way, which he will.
"Well, the way I see it, Maybelle, you ain't got much choice in the matter. Just you try and stop me seeing him."
She looks completely unfazed.
"You don't scare me, Oscar Jones. Now this is my shop and my apartment, and I am telling you right now to get your sorry self out."
She's in her stride now, and he sees he's underestimated he, though he won't admit it or let on. And yet –
"Mama, did that Dylan cat's album get in? Rhonda didn't show up in detention show we figured that might be why."
There he is. He's right here, right in front of him. That's his son. He knows him right from looking because he looks just like him. Oscar wants to say something but Maybelle gets there first.
"Yeah, she was here twenty minutes ago. Seaweed, you and me are gonna have a good long talk about all this detention later. It is not gonna keep on like this, boy, hear me?"
The boy grimaces but says, "Yeah, I hear you."
"Good. Go find Inez, we're eating soon."
Then he's gone. She turns to Oscar again.
"I thought I told you to get gone."
He doesn't want to go, but he's starting to realize this is a whole different Maybelle. One that people respect and maybe even fear a little. Either way, people take orders from her without a thought to do otherwise. He'll come back later, but for now there's only one more thing he needs to know.
"You named him Seaweed?"
This time when Maybelle laughs, it's not as cold as before. "You think I'm crazy? I named him after you, when I still thought you were coming back. Didn't take long to realize you weren't."
The clock still strikes midnight and noon,
The sun still rises and so does the moon.
Birds migrate south and people move on
Even though I'm no longer in your arms.
Thought I'd cry for you forever,
But I couldn't so I didn't