Chapter Three: Thanksgiving & Information.
The next morning, Bobby and Angel are at it again about Sofi, Jeremiah is sitting on the sofa seeing them fight and laughing about it. Jack is in the kitchen preparing the turkey while Victoria and Dolly try to calm things down.
Angel: Bobby don't start with your shit, man!
Bobby: Loco Ono is not staying in this house!
Angel: Bullshit, Bobby!
Bobby: I don't care! La Vida Loca ain't staying in this house one more night. So get her stuff-
Victoria: Bobby, let the shit go!
Bobby: I'll let it go when she's gone because-
Angel: So it's your house? It's your house?
Bobby: This ain't no homeless shelter! Yes, I'm running this shit!
Angel: You ain't running shit, Bobby! You not!
Dolly: Okay, boys! Cut the fucking shit down!
Sofi: Hey, Bobby! (Speaking and yelling at Bobby in Spanish)
Angel: Baby, why don't you go upstairs? I got this covered.
Sofi: (To Bobby) What's wrong with you?
Angel: Go back upstairs!
Sofi: Why do you let him talk to me like that?
Angel: Go upstairs!
Bobby: (To Sofi) Was I speaking Spanish? Was I speaking Spanish?
Sofi: (To Bobby) What? What's your problem?
Bobby: (To Sofi) Nobody's talking to you! Vamono!
Angel: Can you stop talking to my girl like that, man? That's what I'm talking about, Bobby.
Bobby: She wasn't your girl as of yesterday, man. She had another man. So I'm confused.
Angel: What are you talking about, man? She is my girl!
Jeremiah: (To Angel/Laughing) He's right!
Bobby: Let's just play some fucking Turkey cup, man. How bout that?
Bobby swung the hockey stick at the puck hitting it and going in the dinning room. Jack was in the kitchen done with the turkey. After he stood up, Dolly came from behind and wrapped her arms around his neck and kisses his cheek. "Hey." Jack said. "Is it always this chaotic here?" Dolly asked. "Yeah, but you get used to it after a while." Jack said. "Shit, I can't decide whether your friends or brothers are a giant hassle." Dolly said. "Well, you like me, attract trouble, but that's what I love about you." Jack said. Jack turned around to see her smile and kissed her softly. "Keep talking like that, and I'll have to show your body no mercy." Dolly said seductively. "I like that." Jack said. They crashed lips hard then Dolly started lowering herself to Jack's belt buckle, unbuckling them. "I should probably get the turkey ready." Jack said. "The boys can wait, right now I'm horny and hungry." Dolly said grinning, pulling his pants down.
Bobby, Victoria and Jeremiah were watching a hockey game while Angel was playing a record. He picked up a few yellow record disks looking at Bobby. "Don't start, man." Bobby said. Angel throws two disks at Bobby who caught one of them. "Why do you always do that?" Bobby asked annoyed. "Shut up." Angel said. "To be aggravating." Jeremiah said. "To be aggravating." Angel said mimicking Jeremiah. Angel then throws one at Jeremiah who dodged it easily. "Chill out, man." "I'm watching the game." "Come on." Jeremiah said. Angel throws more at Bobby but Victoria who was sitting on Bobby's lap, catches one and throws it back at Angel landing on his head. Bobby and Victoria laugh. "Yeah." Bobby said. "Why don't y'all hold that down?" "Hold that down, man." Jeremiah said. Angel throws two more at Jeremiah with the first one hitting his face. "Bing." "You a woman." Angel said.
"Get him Jerry." Bobby said.
"Try it one more time." Jeremiah warned. "What you gonna do?" Angel challenged. "You'll see." Jeremiah responded. "Big ass teeth." "Bite me?" Angel asked mocking Jeremiah who laughed at his joke. Angel made biting sounds at him which caused Bobby and Victoria to laugh. "You do got some big ass teeth, Jerry." Bobby laughed. Jack and Dolly laughed to from the kitchen. "Yeah." Angel said as he threw one more disk at Jeremiah which hit his forehead. "All right." Jeremiah said. Angel turned back around to the record. Jeremiah got up off the sofa and smacked Angel in the head.
Bobby: Yeah, get him, Jerry!
Jeremiah: (To Angel) What's up?
Angel: What the hell you doing?
Jeremiah: Come on, boy.
Jeremiah and Angel start wrestling trying to out power each other. Victoria laughs at the scene.
Bobby: The Gorgeous Black Ladies of Wrestling, Nitro and Midnight! Nitro's got Midnight in a headlock!
"Where's the mud when you need it?" Victoria said still laughing. "I'ma tell you right now, I'm gonna split your tight ass pants!" Angel said still in a headlock. "Get him!" "Get him, Jerry!" "Midnight trying to get up, but Nitro's on him." Bobby said giving his funny wrestling commentary. Jeremiah has Angel on the ground pinned. "Get him, Nitro!" Bobby said. "One, two, three!" Victoria inputted giggling. "Okay." "Alright, alright." "Alright." Angel said laughing. "I'm still your big brother." Jeremiah said giggling. He helps Angel back on his feet and hugs him. "Sweety Man Sway." Angel said. "Yeah." Jeremiah said. They both sat back down and Angel threw one more disk at Bobby. Jack and Dolly were in the dinning room, putting silverware on the table properly for dinner.
"Hey Jack!" Bobby called which got Jack's attention. Bobby got up and threw the disk back at Angel. "Let me ask you a question, it's important." "Dinner almost ready?" Bobby asked. Jack clears his throat. "Almost." Jack said. "Hmm." Bobby said smelling the turkey from the kitchen. He sat down with Jack and Dolly still preparing. "Hey, I'll be upstairs, okay?" Dolly said as she kissed Jack on the cheek and smacked his backside. Bobby smirked at this which Jack smiled. "Well, well, well." "How did you meet a nice piece of ass like that, Jackie?" Bobby asked still smirking. "During the tour, she was actually part of the crew on the bus." "When we met, we just clicked." "We practically have everything in common when it comes to music among other things." Jack said. "Good, good." "So, have you told her that you've come out of the closet, yet?" Bobby teased. Jack rolled his eyes. Victoria then came walking in behind Bobby. "Don't you think it's about time for a new joke?" Jack responded. "What joke?" Victoria asked. "Look, Jackie it's all over the talk shows." "You have to admit to yourself who you really are as a person, inside." "If you're a homosexual, you think I care?" "I love you man." "You're my brother." Bobby said with sarcasm. Dolly, who didn't go upstairs was hiding, hearing the conversation. "Bobby, so coming back home, with a girl, who I am having sex with as we speak to this day, is gay?" "I mean Bobby, I could have a sex tape of us and it'll change your mind that quick." Jack said. "And you think she's okay with you being gay?" Bobby teased again smiling. Jack sighed. "Bobby, don't do that." Victoria said. Jeremiah came and sat at the table. "Jack, why do you even let him bother you with that shit?" Jeremiah asked. "Because I'm not gay, Jerry." Jack said with obvious annoyance. "That sounded pretty gay." Bobby said. Dolly and Angel come in the dinning room now. "Trust me, Bobby." "Jack's far from gay." "I got the red marks on my ass cheeks to prove it." Dolly said grinning and then showing her ass to them. "Okay, I'm a little convinced." Bobby said. "Little?" Jack said. "If you ain't gay..." Bobby said but was interrupted. "Which I'm not..." Jack said. "...then how come you got that big thick meat tenderizer on your tongue, man?" Bobby asked laughing which caused Angel and Jeremiah to giggle. Jack got annoyed and walked into the kitchen. "Jack, wait." Dolly said walking behind him.
Bobby: Jack. Jack, I'm only kidding. Jack!
Victoria: (Smacks Bobby in the head) See?
Bobby: What?
Victoria: Look what you did.
Bobby: I was just- Hey Jack! Come on, man. I was only kidding. That tongue ring is very masculine. Come on, man. Let's eat. Bring out that bird. I'll let you wear my jacket.
Victoria smacks his head again. Dolly was trying to comfort Jack which he easily did. He was about to take the tongue ring out of his mouth but she stopped him. "No, don't." "Leave it." "It makes you be yourself." Dolly said. Jack smiled. "What would I do without you?" Jack asked. Their foreheads touched and they stay silent.
/
Moments later, Dolly and Victoria went upstairs and the boys were ready to eat dinner. Before they did, they stood up to hold hands, closed their eyes and Bobby said grace. "Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, thank you for this day." "Thank you for this food we're about to receive and thank you for bringing us together." "Amen." Bobby finished. The rest said amen and they all sat down eating. Jack looked at the empty seat at the end of the table. It's where Evelyn used to sit every day when breakfast, lunch or dinner came around. "Pass me the salad, man." Jeremiah said getting Jack's attention. Angel and Bobby took glances at the empty chair too while eating. Jeremiah while eating, took a look at the seat and then saw...Evelyn. Not physically but it was as if she was there, spiritually. As he was staring, he was chewing very hard.
Evelyn: Zip up your mouth, Jeremiah. You grow up in a barn?
Jeremiah obeyed his mother. He continued eating but then looked at Angel who was gobbling down his food really fast. "Close your mouth, Angel." "Think you a cow or something?" Jeremiah said. Angel obeyed. "More tattoos, Angel? Evelyn asked. Angel tried to hide the one on his right arm. "You don't have to hide them." "Look at mine." She said as she shows Angel a tattoo of a flower which looked like a rose and then she winked at him which made Angel smile. "But take your elbow off the table." She said and Angel listened. Jack was eating what was left on his plate when he took a look at the chair again and saw Evelyn. This shocked him but his face was still. "Jackie?" Evelyn said. He looked at her hands and wanted to reach them. "I know bad things happened to you before you came to me." "Hey, look at me." She said. Jack obeyed his mother and looked in her eyes. "But you're safe now." Evelyn said. Jack stared until she was gone. As they were still eating, Bobby spoke breaking the silence.
Bobby: To hell with this, man. Let's go get a pickup game. I wanna see some quick sticks and some tight passing.
Angel: It's too cold, man. I ain't come all the way back out here to play no hockey.
Bobby: Come on, ladies, let's show these guys some fucking skills!
So the four brothers helped put the foot away to save it. They got dressed ready to go to the ice rink to play ice hockey. "Hey girls!" "Listen, me and the boys are going out to play hockey!" Bobby called out. "Okay!" Victoria, Dolly and Sofi called back.
/
Afterwards, The Mercers played against some other kids from the block and were winning.
Bobby: Yeah! Come on. Bring it.
Jack: Pass me the puck, Bobby!
Angel: Y'all watch this!
Bobby: You got him!
Angel: Yeah! Black present!
Bobby: There you go, yes!
Goalie: Fucking punk, Mercer.
Angel: Nigga, please.
Bobby knocked down one of his opponents.
Bobby: (Sarcasm) Sorry bout' that.
Jeremiah was on the phone with Camille. "Let me talk to the girls." He said.
Bobby: What are you doing? Give me that! Get your hand off your ass, Jerry!
Jeremiah: That's my phone, man!
Bobby: Come on! Hit him hard!
Jack came from behind and knocked the guy to the wall.
Bobby: That was weak!
Jeremiah: Get it, get it, get it.
Jack: Shut up, man!
Jack then knocked another guy really hard sending him face first on the ice.
Bobby: There you go! Shit, I gotta make a man out of you.
Jack: Damn it, Bobby! Why you make them madder?
Bobby: Yeah!
The game then was over with Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah and Jack winning in the end. They packed up their stuff and went to the truck. "Damn, this reminds me of the good ole' days." "Makes me wanna go out there and steal an American car." Angel said. "Well, before all that nostalgia wears off, and y'all wanna blow back out of town?" "We got some important business to take care of." Jeremiah said closing the back part of the truck up.
They boys later arrive in the office for their mother's belongings. They met Evelyn's lawyer who was considered a friend to her. "Gentlemen, I am truly sorry about your mother." "Although I met Evelyn that one time...she made quite an impression." "I know it's difficult to deal with mudane financials matters while your heart still grieves for a loved one." The lawyer said with sincere. "Thank you." Jack said. Jack was flipping through papers that the lawyer gave to them. "Excuse me a minute." The lawyer said getting up. Jack was getting tensed. "Jack, you okay, man?" Bobby asked. "I'm pretty fucking far from okay." "I'm just ready to kill the guys who did this." "That's all I think about, Bobby." Jack said with his voice cold. "We'll get them, Jackie." Bobby said. "Damn right, we will." Jack said. "It's cool, man. Angel said. Jeremiah patted Jack on the back.
The lawyer came back with a metal box. "This is the uh, contents of your mother's safety-deposit box." "I'll leave you to look through it." The lawyer said as he left. Bobby handed Jack a folded paper and Jeremiah a envelop. "Birth certificate." "Adoption papers." Jack said. Jeremiah looked at his. "Henry Ford Hospital." "So I am from Detroit." Jeremiah said. "Lansing, Michigan." "My mom was- Jack was interrupted by Jeremiah. "Sixteen?" He asked surprised. "I got any papers in there?" Angel asked. "No." Bobby said. "I don't?" Angel asked shocked. "No." Bobby said again. "You got any papers in there?" Angel asked this time. "No." Bobby said once more. "Whoa!" "1969." "Mom went to Woodstock." Jack said amazed. It was a old ticket that Evelyn had for a long time. "You didn't know she was a hippie?" Bobby asked.
Bobby looked through again and saw money in another envelop. "Oh, here we go." He said. He then counted the money and Angel asked, "I ain't got no papers in there, man?" He pressed. "Here's something good for right now." Bobby said. He handed Angel and Jeremiah half of the money and then split between him and Jack. "Alright, that part's over." Bobby said. "Come on, I got something to show y'all." Jeremiah said as they left.
/
Jeremiah brought them to the empty property. Jeremiah always talked about what he wanted to do.
Jeremiah: This is it.
Jack: So this is your dream, Jerry?
Jeremiah: Yeah.
Jack: There's a lot of space in here. So what are you gonna do, build some automobiles?
Jeremiah: No, luxury lofts.
Bobby: Rims, man.
Jeremiah: Urban sophistication is what I'm talking about.
Angel: Oh, so now you're doing real estate?
Jeremiah: This whole first floor here is gonna be lavish offices and storefronts. I'm gonna put stained-glass windows here-
Bobby: This whole building is condemned. You got insurance?
Jeremiah: Why?
Bobby: So we can burn this bitch down.
Jeremiah: No, we ain't burning shit down. You always wanna destroy something.
Jack is feet away from them taking a leak on the building floor. "Look." "Look at your little brother." Bobby said looking at Jack peeing. "Jack!" Jeremiah said. Jack turns around while drinking his beer bottle. "Oh I'm sorry, is this the master suite?" "Am I making the property value go down?" Jack teased making Bobby and Angel laugh. "This shithole gives the term "Motor City Breakdown" a whole new meaning, Jerry." "How the hell you gonna pay for all this? Bobby said. "Government redevelopment loan." "Easy to qualify. Low interest rates." "Y'all stick around, l might give y'all ass a job." Jeremiah said. Angel suddenly laughed pointing at some old items on a rusty shelf. "They look like nipples." Angel said grinning. Bobby, Jack and Jeremiah look at Angel like he was crazy. "Let's get a real drink." Jeremiah said. "Yeah, let's get the girls first." "Except La Vida Loca." Bobby said. "Stop messing with her, man." Angel said.
/
When they got back home, they got Victoria and Dolly to come with them to the bar. They all got shots of whiskey. "Your attention, please I wanna make a toast." "To Evelyn Mercer, the greatest mother four degenerate bastards ever had." Bobby said. They all raised their glasses and drowned the whiskey down. "Johnny, pour me and my brothers another round." "And warm milk for the girls here." Bobby said. "Fuck that." "Give me all the booze you have, Johnny." Victoria said. "Same for me so I can drink Jack under the table." Dolly said. "We're not talking sperm, Doll." "This is whiskey." Bobby said. "Well that's a shame because I was gonna offer you some in advance from Jack." Dolly said. They laughed at Bobby who was crossed but laughed. "Keep her away from me, Jackie." Bobby said. They all then go the a table with Victoria sitting on Bobby's lap and Dolly sitting on Jack's lap. Jack and Bobby had a drinking contest, which Jack won.
Jack and Dolly: Jack drinks Jack. Jack drinks Jack.
Jeremiah: That's your brother.
Jack and Dolly: Jack drinks Jack.
Victoria: (Laughing) You two are fucking wasted.
Bobby: Jack licks ass crack and ball sack.
Dolly: For someone who talks about dick and balls a lot, you must know from experience huh, Bobby?"
Jack: Yeah, maybe you're the one who licks ass crack and ball sack. But me, I'd stick with boobs if I were you, Bobby. Because Jack likes boobs.
Jeremiah: (Laughing) Oh, man.
Bobby: Fuck you, Cracker Jack.
Angel: (Laughing) Bobby, your ass is getting bitched by Jackie-poo!
Bobby: Whatever. So Jerry, you gonna help us out with this situation?
Jeremiah: I don't wanna go.
Bobby: Why are you in such a rush? You can't hang with your big brother and have a drink?
Jeremiah: l'm here. l mean, what? l'm glad y'all here. l love y'all.
Bobby: Love you too, Jerry.
Then Johnny, the elderly bar tender comes to them. "Hey, that's real goddamn bad stuff about your mom, fellas." Johnny said. "Yeah." Jack said. "Fucking gangs." "Worms." "Someone ought to step on them." Johnny said. "Which gang, Johnny G?" Bobby asked. "Oh, shit." "Here we go." "I knew it." Jeremiah said groaning. "I think I heard something." "The neighborhood's really upset about this." Johnny said. "Same old Bobby." "Mama always said, "As bright as Bobby is, he just doesn't like to think." "Ain't no good gonna come from this." "Look, let the police do their damn job." Jeremiah said almost complaining. "Stop with the police, man." Jack said. "Half the cops in this town are crooked." "You think the other half give two shits about a another liquor-store holdup?" Bobby said. "Jerry, this was your mother we're talking about." Victoria said. "Man, I know this." "But, I'm telling you man, Green's on our side on this one." "Come on, man." Jeremiah said. "Green?" "She's the only one that ever gave a damn, man." "The least we can do is bang on a few doors and see what happens." "We owe her that much." Angel said. "We owe her a hell of a lot more than that, that's for goddamn sure." Jack said. "I agree." Dolly said. "Yeah, why are you acting like a little bitch, Jerry?" Bobby said. "Bobby." Victoria said smacking his chest. "Oh, okay." "So, what, y'all just gonna shoot up the whole town because y'all mad?" Jeremiah asked. "Why not?" Angel asked bluntly.
"Come on, man!" "The people who did this, are probably from the same shitty-ass streets we from." "Mom would've been the first to forgive them and y'all know that." Jeremiah said. "I don't see how." "They murdered her in cold blood." "That shit is unforgivable." Dolly said. "Look, we can't all be saints, Jerry." Bobby said. "Yeah, we can't all be saints, Jerry." Jack copied. "All right." "All right." "Cool." Jeremiah said getting up. "Bye, Jerry." Bobby said. "Don't call me when y'all get shot up." "This is Detroit, in case y'all forgot." Jeremiah said putting his coat on. "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Bobby said. "Johnny, come tell us what's going, man." Angel said. Johnny sits down with them. "You wanna know what I heard?" "Get this, heard some gang out a few miles from here knew about the shooting." "Or might've had something to do with it." Johhny said. "You're shitting me." Jack said. "Nope." "And the supposed "gang" their damn high school kids." Johnny said. "No fucking way." Bobby said. "That's as far as I heard." "Also, this is probably a rumor but heard two of them may have done that to Evelyn." Johnny said. "Is that right?" Angel asked. "As far as I know, boys." Johnny said. "Alright, thanks." Bobby said. They all finished their whiskey and left the bar. Bobby stopped. "Y'all down for teaching a lesson?" Bobby asked. "Why the fuck not." Jack replied. Bobby smirked.
