“I got it...I know...I mean, I remember...umm...I know who you are.” she abruptly says cutting him off before she continues “Umm...how? Why? I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. It’s been 20 years.”
“Neither do I. I’m sorry that I’m calling you like this after all this time. I didn’t feel like I had a choice. I learned something earlier this year that I should have been told years ago.” Lucas tries to gradually move into the reason he’s calling, hoping that Bernice will let him off the hook and just tell him if there is anything to tell. After such a long time and everything she has been through she has no intention of making it easy on him.
Lucas is very apologetic to Bernice as he tells her “Unfortunately, my mother got sick last year and passed away from cancer. After that, my uncle confessed to me that he was forced to keep a secret from me by my mother...for so many years. I guess he couldn’t live with the guilt anymore.” Lucas pauses as if all of this is still overwhelming for him as he works through it. “I spent months scouring the internet and other resources trying to find contact information for you. If it’s true...If you were preg...all those years ago. I couldn’t live another day not knowing what happened.” After explaining exactly what happened on his side 20 years prior, he has one question he is afraid to ask but has to ask, “Did I have a child all this time?” He is devastated when she says, “Yes, Lucas.” He doesn’t make any noise but the flood of emotion after she confirms forces tears down his cheeks. He has lost so much time. She has gone through so many unnecessary things alone. How can he be forgiven by this son he never knew existed? Ironically, they stay on the phone for an hour, both opening up about the situation and what has become of their lives. She explains to him that she has to find the proper way to introduce him to Jairus even though he is ready to just rip the band aid. She has to be sure it is the right thing to do for her family. He understands her apprehension and doesn’t want to force her into anything she’s not comfortable with but he still asks, “Can you tell me a little about him?” If there’s one thing she can do easily, it’s speak the praises of her son. “Jairus has made me so proud over the last two decades. I am really proud of the type of man he is becoming. He is a caring person, and he takes care of the people around him. He protects his loved ones and pushes them to be better. And he always tries to do the right thing himself. He is very loyal...to a fault at times. He has dealt with a lot of difficult times and become stronger on the other side. And he’s so damn smart. He doesn’t even realize how smart he is.”
She is caught off guard when Jairus beeps into the conversation as if she talked him up. She tells Lucas she has to go but has his number to call him back. When she switches over to his call, she never expects to hear her son sound hysterical on the other end of the line. She can tell he is emotional and is trying to get him to calm down so she can understand him. Eventually he speaks clearly, and she is sad to hear what he is trying to say. “Ma, he’s gone! Ovaughn is dead!”
15
“Y’all Can Just Come To The Apartment”
The night of the accident Jairus unexpectedly spends the evening talking to Lisa about a relationship he is feeling more and more detached from as he emotionally deals with the trial they are trying to overcome. Mike is unexpectedly at home with his family watching movies on a Saturday night. They both intended to hang out with Ovaughn that evening but decided against it at the last minute. They both will regret that decision for years to come. Duc is the only one of them who got to hang out with Ovaughn that evening, with him unexpectedly popping up at the club he is working. He will regret it even more than his friends.
Still inside the club when the gunshots ring out across the club parking lot, Duc, Malik, and Samantha don’t exit the club until they see the police arrive outside. It is only a few moments later that they notice the ambulance arriving as well. As they start trying to see what is going on from a distance, Duc recognizes the car being tended to. It is Ovaughn’s car, and he rushes to see what is wrong with his friend. It is worse than he ever imagined. He watches them pull his friend out of the car and place him on a stretcher. He’s scared as he watches them perform C.P.R. on his friend looking lifeless. As they put him into the back of the ambulance after cleaning some of the blood from his forehead Duc attempts to get in with him. The E.M.T. stops Duc as he’s climbing in and he just yells “That’s my best friend” as his voice trembles. Still, they won’t let him come since he isn’t family.
Samantha, wraps an arm around Duc trying to console him and says, “Duc, let’s get my car. I’ll follow the ambulance to the hospital. You don’t need to be driving when you're frantic.” They get to the hospital and Duc runs inside the emergency room while Samantha is still parking. He is trying to remain calm as he speaks but is struggling as his heart races and he gasps for breath through each of his words. “Where is Ovaughn Stover?” The nurse responds with a look of confusion. “Ovaughn. Tall, light skin guy who was just in a car accident at a club shooting.” “Are you family?” is the immediate response of the hospital staff. Samantha walks up to see Duc getting more upset and hears him say, “He doesn’t have family here. He’s a college student. I’m one of his best friends.” Even with that knowledge the staff won’t give them any information. Duc is terrified for his friend and there is nothing he can do. He sits there for a few minutes with Samantha as tears run down his cheeks without saying a word. He feels helpless and wants to do something and realizes he is the only one who knows what happened. It is traumatic to get a phone call informing you that a loved one has been in a tragic accident. It’s even worse to have to be the one that makes those calls to people. Duc now finds himself with the burden of calling his friends.
Duc uses his cell phone to first call Jairus hoping he will have something to say that will calm him down. He doesn’t answer his cell phone though, so he tries his dorm room phone. When he finally answers, Duc can tell he woke him up even though he denies being asleep.
“There’s been an accident. Ovaughn was in a bad car accident.”
“How bad? Is he okay?” Jairus quickly replies.
“He was carted off while unconscious.”
It is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. He can’t get through it without tears rolling down his cheek because he knows what he saw, and he feels like he is telling him that Ovaughn is dying. Jairus is wide awake now but completely stunned into silence. He gets out of bed immediately after getting off the phone with Duc. He then calls Mike, who is still up watching movies with his mom and sister even though they are already passed out on the couch next to him. He casually finds his cell phone as it starts ringing in the dark room and answers.
“Mike, there’s been an accident. Ovaughn was in a bad car accident.”
Once he realizes what Duc is telling him he immediately begins to rush and hops up to get shoes and go to the hospital, waking up his mom in the process. She can tell something is wrong because he’s frantically looking for his cell phone that is still in his hand.
“Mike, calm down and tell me what is going on? You‘re not leaving here until I know what’s wrong.“
“Ovaughn! He was in a car accident. A bad one. He’s at the hospital.“
She wants to go with him to the hospital, but she can’t leave his sister and Duc asked him to go pick up Jairus on the way. So, she makes him promise to call her and keep her updated as she watches her young man walk out of the door holding back tears in his eyes. She knows that this isn’t going to end well when he leaves. She just has that mother’s intuition, and she begins to pray that she is wrong and that her son and his friends will find a way to deal with this the best they can. This is something that can stick with them for the rest of their lives.
Mike arrives on campus, calls Jairus, and he comes out to the car to leave but before they get off campus they think about Kennedy. Nobody has told her anything and she will want to be there. Mike has her cell phone number and gives her a call. He hopes she doesn’t answer so he won’t have to tell her what is going on. He isn’t that lucky. She is actually just getting back to campus with her friends from going out and they haven’t even parked yet. “Kennedy! You’re awake? Umm...I’m on campus picking up Jairus. There was an accident with Ovaughn. He’s at the hospital.” That is all she needs to hear. She runs upstairs to get sneakers and then hops in the car with Mike and Jairus, still in her outfit from the club.
They finally get to the hospital and are surprised to see Samantha sitting there with Duc, rubbing his back to console him. Kennedy, who is still somewhat in the dark, sees Duc has been crying due to his red eyes, and begins to question what they haven’t told her and just how bad it is. “Duc, have you been crying? Mike, what happened to Ovaughn?” Duc just shakes his head as he drops his face into his hands. Neither of the guys wants to be the one to tell her just how bad it seems. So Samantha, sympathizing with her as the only other woman with them, tells her what she and Duc saw at the club. She tries to be as sensitive as possible and delicately tells her what they know. She instantly starts crying while she hears the details trying to muffle her noise as she becomes fearful of the worst. Jairus tries to talk to the nurses at the front desk and they calmly tell him they are doing all they can for Ovaughn and they just have to wait. They are trying to be understanding but it is nerve wrecking for Ovaughn’s friends. So they wait. They sit in silence, and then Mike eventually breaks the silence by talking about Ovaughn’s basketball game the day before.
“Man, he was so damn good in the game yesterday.”
“Damn near as good as the day he tried to kill Jairus on the court” Duc quickly blurts out getting a laugh from the fellas.
Jairus replies through his laughs, “How was I supposed to know basketball is the one thing that will bring him out of his shell? My man always quiet any other time.”
Kennedy then chimes in “My baby doesn’t play when he’s on the court. But you gotta be aggressive when you play. He doesn’t need that every day. And his bashfulness is cute. Duc already talks enough for everyone anyway.”
They continue to tell happy or funny stories about Ovaughn. It feels better than sitting around in silence and sadness. It makes them all feel positive as they wait. That keeps them in better spirits as they wait over two hours to hear something back from the doctor. When they see a doctor come out of the back and walk to the nurse's desk, they all turn and stare in his direction. When the nurse points him in their direction, and he begins to approach they all begin to listen intently and hold their breath collectively. It is nearly four o’clock by the time this time and the wait has feels like it’s been a lifetime. He asks, “Are you the friends of Ovaughn Stover?” He receives a chorus of “Yes” from the group trying to rush an update from the doctor. “I’m sorry I have to inform you all that we were not able to save him this evening. His injuries were too substantial. He had a skull fracture, a broken collarbone and a severely bruised rib cage with a few broken ribs. We were unable to stop the internal bleeding.”
When Kennedy hears the news, she lets out a gut-wrenching yell that turns heads around the hospital, before bursting into tears. Duc is inconsolable after hearing the news as he blames himself for the outcome. He thinks if they hadn’t been throwing the party then Ovaughn may not have been there. So, the doctor speaks to Jairus and Mike “I understand that this is difficult to deal with but I hope one of you can help me. I’m trying to determine where he went to school and if you can help inform the next of kin.” They were both trying to hold it together. Mike is trying to focus as his eyes water and Jairus seems to be operating in a state of shock with no visible reaction. Neither of them feels comfortable calling his parents with this type of news. So, the doctor handles it himself using the hospital phones to call New Orleans. It takes three tries before they answer the phone number Mike provided and they can hear the horrific yell from his mother through the phone the doctor is holding. It puts them back into the sad emotional state they had been trying to avoid for the last few hours. This has turned into the most emotionally draining night most of them has experienced in their young lives.
They sit in the hospital lobby for almost 30 minutes after the doctor gives them the bad news. Partially out of shock and disbelief and partially because they know once they leave that hospital without Ovaughn then it is real. There is no going back for him. No hoping they made a mistake, and he is actually going to pull through. There are no words said. Just a growing sadness falling over them. Mike fails to continue to hold back his tears as he is now continuously wiping his face, and Jairus can’t lift his gaze up from the floor. But no matter how long they are willing to wait they eventually have to leave. It is Samantha, who is holding it together for them the best she can, who finally says quietly “Maybe we should leave.”
No one argues or even responds. They just slowly begin to get up from their seats and make their way to the cars. As they are approaching the separate vehicles, Duc turns to them and through his trembling breaths says, “Y’all can just come to the apartment” knowing that none of them really wants to be alone. Mike looks over at Jairus and he nods his head towards Kennedy. He doesn’t want to go back to his room now, but they can’t force her to go to Duc’s apartment. Kennedy, knowing they are waiting for her response, drops her head and takes a long, deep breath and then, under her breath, says “I just want to go home.”
On the ride back to campus the car is silent. They pull up outside Kennedy’s dorm and before any words can be said she hops out of the car and runs into the dorm. They sit there briefly now feeling even worse for her. They know she is hurting, and her pain is going to be different than theirs. As they start back across campus to head to Duc’s apartment Jairus sees Lisa’s dorm room as they pass by. Suddenly he says to Mike, “Me and Lisa ended things last night.” Mike doesn’t know how to respond. He just shakes his head. He realizes his friend has a lot more on his mind than any of them understood and wonders if that is why he hasn’t cried much during everything that is going on.
They get back to Duc’s apartment, don’t see his car and are quickly getting frustrated that they beat him back until they remember he is riding with Samantha. They are on edge and beginning to notice it themselves. They get upstairs to the apartment and Duc forgets to lock the door, so they walk right in as they knock. He and Samantha are in his living room. He is still visibly shaken and seems to be calming down from crying once again as Samantha consoles him. Mike comes in and sits on the couch, asking if he can turn the television on. He needs something to take his mind off what is going on and it doesn’t seem like he will be sleeping anytime soon. Jairus, surveying the room, goes straight to the kitchen and grabs one of the bottles of vodka he knows Duc has in the cabinet and a few shot glasses. He figures they can ease the pain or pass out. Either one works for him. Mike is down but Duc surprisingly isn’t in the mood. He says his head is hurting and he just wants to go lay down. Knowing it is nearly 5 o’clock in the morning he says to Samantha, “We’re good now. You should go home and get some rest. No reason for you to still be up for this.” She looks at him like he said something disrespectful to her. “Duc, I don’t need to go anywhere until I know you’re straight. I’m good.” And so, they both head to Duc’s bedroom. She lays in the bed with him and just hugs him. Nothing more. It helps to calm him and allows him to fall asleep.
Meanwhile in the living room, Mike and Jairus find a funny movie and begin to pour drinks. After the second round is poured Mike is finally ready to talk to him about the Lisa situation. “Boy, this shit is a lot. And you got even more going on than the rest of us. You good? I mean, I ain’t seen you shed a tear yet?”
Jairus pauses to think as he sips more of his drink. “I been through a lot before.”
It was not the response Mike expected. He can clearly tell Jairus is past wanting to talk about the situation. He lets it go and focuses back on the comedy they are watching and pours another round of drinks that they never finish before they both fall asleep on one of the couches.
After about five hours of sleep the fellas are woken up by Samantha exiting Duc’s bedroom in a rush. Duc comes out behind her and hugs her as she leaves telling her thank you. She is going to rush home and wash up then head to Jazzy Belles to cover for Duc, who was planning to go in with Angie for a couple of hours to see how the Sunday Brunch rush is operating. Duc isn’t in any place to go to work, and she is more than willing and able to cover it for him. Once he is fully awake, Mike sees that he missed three calls from his mom who he had forgotten to call and update all night at the hospital. He wants to hurry and get home to tell her in person because the phone feels too impersonal for this, but he now has to take Duc to his car and Jairus to his dorm. They rush back to the club to get Duc’s car and as they pull into the parking lot he points to a light post and says, “That’s where the accident was. I can‘t even tell now.” They are speechless at the fact that you really can’t tell anything happened at this point. Duc decides to give Jairus a ride back to campus since he lives closer, and he knows Mike wants to get home to his family. On the ride to campus Jairus expresses how weird it will feel to be in the room without Ovaughn now.
Duc suggests going to the caf to get something to eat first since neither of them has eaten anything for a while. They go and get food but have totally missed breakfast by this point. It is the start of lunch by the time they get there. They eat and don’t say much until they notice Lisa, Shana, and Ashley come into the cafeteria. Lisa looks in their direction, catches eyes with Jairus and goes in the other direction. Jairus doesn’t even react. He just drops his eyes onto the plate sitting in front of him.
Duc is lost and asks, “what the fuck was that?” Jairus, still not wanting to talk about it, says, “nothing” in a stern voice. Duc chooses to let it go. He can read between the lines and it’s obviously not the time. They finish eating and he drives Jairus over to his dorm. Duc tells him “Young, just clean up and pack something to wear tomorrow and I’ll be back in a couple of hours to get you. I gotta go call my fam and tell them the bad news.”
Jairus gets up to his room and sits on the edge of his bed for what seems like an eternity just thinking about the fact that his best friend will never be there with him again. He looks around the room and everything he sees is a reminder of Ovaughn. His unmade bed. His closet full of clothes. His television on the dresser. Finally, he is overcome with emotions and lets himself cry. He cries hard. He has been holding back a lot of emotions for the last few months and they all decide to come to the surface now. It isn’t healthy for him to bottle up all that emotion, but his experience has shown him that being over emotional doesn’t help anything. But right now, it is a lot. Too much. And he needs to let it out and get it off his chest. And there is only one person he trusts completely with his emotions. So even though he is still a bit hysterical, he calls home to talk to her. He has to tell her the bad news anyway. When she answers the phone, all he can do is blurt it out through his crying, “Ma, he’s gone! Ovaughn is dead!” Bernice can’t believe her son, who has been through so much, is calling her with such bad news. She wants to be able to protect him. To cover him and make sure he is okay. But he is hundreds of miles away and he is a 20-year-old young man. So, she does the best thing she knows to do for him. She prays. “Dear Lord, please be there for my son in my absence. All I can do it love him. I need you to bless him. Especially through the trail he has before him. He needs your supernatural ability to ease his heart and mind to bring him peace. We can’t always understand your ways, so we ask that you provide us strength to get us through the tough times. Jairus and his friends all need you more than ever at this moment Lord. Please help them get through this time.” As she prays, she hears him begin to calm down and hang onto the words she is saying. All she hopes is that he can rely on everything she has instilled in him to get him through these rough times. God has gotten her through her worst days, and she hopes he knows God can do the same for him. But that is a decision for him to make. She can only point him in the right direction. She can’t solve his issues for him. On top of that, she has just been confronted with the most unexpected surprise of her life and it revolves around her son, but she now knows he will need a lot of time before they can tackle that situation together.
As planned, Duc shows up a couple of hours later to pick up Jairus after he has the chance to get ready. That Sunday night and every night that week he spends sleeping on Duc’s couch. Mike spends most of his free time at the apartment as well even though he goes home every night. He is the only one in contact with Ovaughn’s parents in New Orleans because his mother asks him to get her in contact with them once she finds out. Mike’s mother, Brenda, has developed the best relationship with Ovaughn out of all of the guys parents and she looked at all the fellas as extended family as they developed a close friendship with Mike. She acts as Ovaughn’s parents' liaison in Atlanta to help make arrangements for an Atlanta funeral that Friday, a week after he passed away.
