Chapter 3: Wat Up Woodcrest!

It wasn't fear they felt, but it was a feeling of uncertainty. That feeling of not knowing what was next to come that brought on frustration and tension within the Freemans. Huey been through enough as it was, but it was the last straw when he almost watched his mom get killed just like he did his father. The police were going to pull the trigger until they saw 9 year old Huey standing right in front of their guilty and abject souls; that is if they had any. He was quiet, yet; his face showed all of what was going on in his young and perplexed mind. Hendrix screamed for Huey to stay back when his son inched closer to the armed men. Huey didn't want to obey; he wanted to help him. It always played in the back of his mind of what if, just what if they had pulled the trigger? BANG!

Huey popped up out of his sleep, his eyes revealed a somewhat blurry world inside of Aunt Cookie's car, and Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin" played throughout the vehicle. His breath harshly came out of his mouth and nose as if he had just ran a marathon.

"Nigga what's wrong wit you?", asked Riley, he looked away from his game and stared at his sweaty older brother.

Huey rubbed his eyes to get a clearer view of their destination. They were almost to the airport; it would be a while before they reached it; traffic was horrid.

"Hey jelly bean...you were out for a little while", said Issa as she handed him a bottle of water from the passenger's seat. Her face went from happy to complete dismay. "Bad dream huh...feels good to wake up and it's just all a dream right?", she said in her smooth comforting voice. Huey scowled and nodded. Though most of it was memory; he was glad the ending was just trickery of the mind; his conscience playing games.

"Ooooh man I REALLLY gotta PEE...Aunt Cookie pull over or sumum", Riley said, he rocked back and forth in his seat as he held himself. He bit his lip and whined.

"Riley I told you to use the bathroom before we left.", Issa confronted

"Yeah I know, but THEN I didn't have to go though", Riley said, he barley moved his mouth.

Aunt Cookie pulled into a gas station. Riley ran out the car with lightning's speed; Issa hopped out and followed him; she shook her head with a big grin. Huey sat back in the car and sighed. It, the whole move it self, was already feeling like a giant weight; it was taking hold of him. Everything from way back then til present time only added to the weight he felt, and to top it all off, the move wasn't a secure plan. Though he knew what this was all about, he was still confused as in why his family. The astute boy knew the government was corrupt, no doubt about it, but he never knew why his family was targeted. The man had said that they knew too much. Too much of what? The obvious?

Huey stepped out of the car and closed his eyes. The wind blew a settling breeze; he could feel it dance at his scalp as it passed through his large fro; his crown his mother would call it. It whistled a tune no one else could hear but the mocha-skinned boy. For some reason, the wind always been his favorite song. The song had a special tune to it, almost like a humming tune; a beautiful one. It was so familiar but he couldn't quite figure out why. All he knew and cared about was that it soothed him.

"Yo let's go", yelled Riley, he popped a cherry lollipop in his mouth and walked back to the car with swag.

"So let me guess good behavior", Huey said, he climbed back in the car and strapped in.

"What? I can't hear you because I don't speak hater punk", Riley retorted. "I was gonna give you one but since you wanna act like a lil bi-

Riley paused; he could feel two sets of eyes staring at him from up front.

"I mean a lil punk", he then continued with caution.

Huey shook his head in disappointment. "Riley you know I don't eat sugar."

"I know because you's a gay nigga."

Huey rose a brow. "I'm gay yet I'm not the one studying on sucking that death stick you call candy"

Riley's eyes widened; he pulled the lollipop quickly out of his mouth. He eyed the candy and glared at Huey, only to find him lost in his book.

"Man you get me sick", muttered Riley as he rolled the window down and tossed the treat to the street. He slammed his back to the seat and folded his arms.

"You still gay", Riley murmured

"Thank you so much aunt Cookie", Issa said as she hugged her aunt goodbye.

Aunt Cookie squeezed her tight and gave both the boys kisses. "Alright you two stay out of trouble you hear?", she said

The boys nodded and walked into the airport, carrying their luggage. Issa stood at the entrance for a few more seconds to look at her home city just one last time. She closed her eyes when the wind blew peacefully around her like the city itself was trying to say goodbye. She chuckled and walked inside. Huey watched his mom enter the airport; she let her suitcase drag behind her as she stared at the map of the airport, anxious to find her next destination.

"Ok we made it just in time", Issa said as she let out a big sigh of relief.

They began walking; Huey looked around as if expecting to find someone.

"You do know this isn't a secure plan; we can't run from them", admitted Huey

Issa looked away from the map and into her son's cautious eyes.

"Unless you have plan, like Cuba...might we be going to Cuba?", he then added

Issa chuckled and replied, "No but don't worry your dad and I have it all worked out trust me"

"Y'all smell that?", asked Riley, he took deep whiffs of the air. "Man that's chicken come on lets go I'm starving."

Issa grabbed his arm. "Sorry Riley but we don't have time; we are already pushing it and we still have to get our stuff weighed."

"Awe maaaan", Riley fussed, he snatched his things and followed Issa.

"I'm sure the plane has good food", Issa reassured as she released her luggage onto a moving belt.

"If you call peanuts that make you have the runs real food.", said Huey

"Peanuts sound too gay to eat so I ain't eatin that.", Riley broke in.

"Riley eveything sounds gay to you", Huey acknowledged, his brow high in the air.

"That's because most things are."

Huey shook his head at his brother; he thought it was so annoying how homophobic Riley was, but he also thought it was strange that Riley found Gangstalisious, a hit young rap artist, cool, yet; he was one of the gayest rappers out there, at least in Huey's point of view.

The Freemans boarded the plane after 45 minutes of torment.

"Man that was some Ol'Bullshit", Riley exclaimed

"Aye watch your mouth Riley, just because we are in this tight plane don't mean I won't correct that ass", Issa demanded

Riley looked away surprised at his mother's vulgar language.

"Mmmhmmm, doesn't feel good does it", she asked as she slipped out her laptop. She still had much work ahead of her.

Huey ignored all of the chaos and pulled out his book. Reading gave him instant closure and peace of mind when things got out of hand; he always felt that books were made for the sanity of man. Maybe. Pulled into another world, Huey didn't even notice when the plane landed. He closed his book and followed his family. For some reason agitation filled his body, Woodcrest was never his ideal hide away. It had always been Cuba or Africa maybe even Brazil but Woodcrest never. When they stepped out of the airport, familiar landmarks drew out the town. Huey's nose wrinkled at the smell of fresh pork flesh cooked up in the restaurant across from where they stood.

Mmmmm AYE can we get some of that-

"NO!", Huey and Issa responded in harmony.

"DANG y'all ain't have to jump a nigga like that", Riley said snatching his things and stomping away.

Issa shook her head and looked at her phone, but finally realized it was dead. She huffed.

"GEEZ"

"What?", Huey asked

"Phone's dead", she replied

"Oh...where's Grandad?", Huey asked

"I told him not to bother we're taking a taxi", said Issa, she stuffed her dead cell in her purse and place her hand over her eyes as a visor. Issa smiled at an arrival of one just in time. She rose her hand and the taxi stopped. When they walked towards it instant irritation splashed over Huey and Riley's face. The window slid down and exposed a man with deep brown skin and a very unpleasant face. His right glass eye was stiff as wood and his left lazy as ever. He had snow white hair that only covered a quarter of his head. He was a hideous sight. (deep and mellow trombone music plays in the background.)

"Juuust when I thought my eye was deceiving me, MORE niggas here to destroy this beautiful town the white man gladly built for themselves."

Issa rose a brow. She placed both hands on her hips.

"Excuse me?", Issa said

"You heard me-

He cut off his next insult when he finally looked at Issa. His mouth dropped opened and his eye widened.

"You sure are attractive for a monkey", he said

"AYE quit talking about my moms before I throw this fist across that yuck face!", Riley warned him.

"YOU gave birth to these niggas of havoc?", he asked

Issa got angry quick; she stepped off the curb and drew her face close to his. Though she was angry, he still couldn't get over how much more attractive she was up closer.

"What's your name?", she asked

"U-Uncle Ruckus no relation", he replied

Issa rose a brow in surprise of the name. "Oook, Uncle Ruckus I'm going to need you to set aside your unethical ignorance of a theory and just get my family and I safely to Timid Deer Lane ok...

"Yes, yes", he replied nervously, he couldn't take much more of her beauty and the fact that she was beautiful while being black was just too much for his mind to wrap around.

"We are TIRED and HUNGRY; we don't need THIS right now got me", she finished.

"Yeah nigga!", Riley yelled

They climbed in the taxi and waited as Ruckus scurried around the taxi and threw their things in the trunk. When he hopped back in the driver's seat, Issa had more weight on her tongue.

"I'ma let you in on a little something Uncle Ruckus...you don't want to get on my bad side", she explained

"Believe me you don't", Huey agreed in his normal nonchalant manner.

Uncle Ruckus stayed silent the whole ride. Huey watched as they drove past all of the mini marts and no good for nothing restaurants. The town never was a busy bustling place, but it also wasn't quiet either . Every corner turned there was a white person either jogging or on a bike; the day was perfect for those things, but Huey also experienced such behavior in the winter too. He shook his head at the old images in his head. He fidgeted about in his seat anxious to get to Grandad's and sleep.

Riley leaned almost laying in his seat; he had his foot rested on the back of Uncle Ruckus' seat and kicked to the rhythm of the music that blasted from his headphones. Ruckus kept his cool for a little while until he couldn't take it anymore. Ruckus let out a huge frustrated sigh and glanced through the review mirror; he opened his mouth but quickly closed it when he accidentally made eye contact with Issa. Her eyebrow was arched and her look threatening.

Ruckus chuckled nervously and asked, "Could you kindly ask Riley to stop kicking my seat?"

The words sounded forced and sweat leaked profusely from his forehead from keeping all of his "ratchedness" bottled up inside.

"Of course Uncle Ruckus", Issa replied in a congratulated manner, she placed her hand on Riley's leg which made him stop. Ruckus exhaled strongly and wiped the perspiration from his forehead. This was going to the longest ride ever.

"Oh wow", Issa said as a smile grew gently on her face.

When they arrived, four familiar faces welcomed them back. They all stood in a horizontal line and held a handcrafted sign that read "Welcome Home Freeman Family!"; its colors were bright and vibrant with some accents of glitter and pink, evident enough that it was the young peach-skinned girl's work of art; she went by the name Jazmine or Jazzy. They all climbed out of the car; Issa went straight into Grandad's opened arms. She held him tight for a long time. When they departed they exchanged a wordless hello with sincere eye contact. Jazmine jumped from the curb and ran to Huey who stared at her with no sign of any amusement; she wrapped her arms around him; he let her hug as long as she wanted but didn't return it.

"I missed you guys soooo much!", she squealed, she jumped in place with both palms bouncing together.

Huey watched as she put on a dramatic show of her sincere feelings of his absence. Nothing has really changed about her except for the fact that her hair was braided into medium size box braids that dangled down to her mid-back. Other wise, she was still the same Jazmine. Huey rose a brow.

"You braided your hair.", he stated

Jazmine giggled. "Yup do you like it?"

Huey nodded.

Jazmine giggled again. "My friend's mom braided it for me"

Riley walked up to them and eyed Jazzy's hair.

"Didn't recognize you when we was driving up in here", he admitted

Jazzy pulled Riley into her arms and squeezed him.

"Dang Jazmine ya know I don't do all dat mushy stuff!", he complained as he tried to breath.

She let him go with a somewhat guilty but happy look. "Sorry I can't help it I just missed you guys!", she exclaimed.

"You must be Issa.", Tom said as he offered his hand.

Issa smiled and hugged him. "I only hug and yes I am she"

Shock from sudden affection, Tom blushed with a great big white smile. He cleared his throat. "I feel like I already know you."

"Your beautiful.", said Sarah, she stood on the side of Tom and watched her husband choke up. Her big ocean blue eyes traced Issa from her head down to her toes; Sarah smiled when Issa hugged her.

"Oh.", Sarah giggled

"How come we never met you?", asked Jazmine, she rocked her foot and stared at the ground.

Issa knelt down to her and smiled at the curious child. "You must be Jazmine; I heard so much about you"

"REALLY?", Jazmine squealed as she hopped in place.

Issa chuckled. "Yes and I am so stoked to have finally met you."

Jazimine jumped into Issa's arms.

"You are so pretty just like Mr. Freeman said", said Jazmine, she let Issa free from her tight hug and looked at her well wrapped head. Jazzy gasped. "Can you wrap my head too."

Everyone laughed at her excitement. She was so cute and innocent at times that all you could do was laugh. Jazzy could make the saddest person smile in seconds. She just knew how to make people's gloomiest days not so gloomy anymore. Though Huey still wasn't happy about the sudden transition, he was glad that he still had his family and friends.

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