Falling Slowly - JJ Maybank Love Story

CHAPTER 6 - BIG JOHN

I take out an envelope from a small hole in the wall. I contemplated it for a minute before getting out of the grave. I pass the envelope to John B, who was waiting for me in the other side.

"That's not gold" Pope said disappointed.

"Holy shit" John B exclaimed. "This is from my dad" He added exited. JJ helps me get out of the grave, and when I'm outside, I run towards John B. I smile at him from the exitement.

"Code red! Code red!" JJ startes running towards me. "Square groupers!" He grabbed my hand and we all start running away.

"They are the guys who robbed your house" I said to John B as we hide behind a wall. I tried to catch my breath.

"The light" Kie said.

"John B, your light!" I said to him.

"I see something" One of the guys said coming closer to us. JJ placed his hand in my stomach, pushing me closer to the wall as he tried to see what was happening.

"Homie's got a gun" JJ said turning around.

"Screw this" I said before getting up and running away.

"Hope!" I heard JJ say before he started following me. The other three followed us. We get to a fence and we start to climb it, jumping to the other side.

"Guys! Guys!" Pope starts to panick. "I'm stuck"

I grab the gun from JJ's pocket, just in case. Kie grabbed pope and yanked him down, ripping his pants and leaving him in underwear. We runned into the van, laughing as quietly as posible.

....

We walked into the Chateau, still processing what happened in the sementery. As we got inside the house, JJ immediately went to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

"That bread had mold on it three days ago" I said to JJ.

"I'll just pull off the bad parts" He said carelessly. "Plus, mold's good for you. It's a natural organism" I roll my eyes.

"Come here" I called him so he would join us to open the envelope.

"Hot damn! Let's do it!" He runned towards us. He stood besides me and took a bite from the sandwich. Shortly after he starts to choke.

"Told you" I said.

John B started to open up the envelope. We all stared at him, nervouly. He pulls out a map and openes it across the table.

"Holy shit" He said as we all looked at the map.

"X marks the spot" Pope said pointing at the red X.

"Wait, there is something else in there" John B said as he put his hand inside the envelope.

"What's that?" JJ asked.

"It's a tape recorder dumbass" I answred. John B pressed a button and a red light appeard.

"Dear Bird" Big John's voice starts to fill the room.

"Who's Bird" JJ asked confused.

"That's what my dad called me" John B said with a voice full of emotion.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either"

We all looked at eachother surprised. John B wasn't moving a muscle. I placed my hand in his shoulder.

"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly the father of the decade. What can I say kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, you are listenin' this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, living our passive investments and pulling out permits. If not, and you'll find this for less that optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold kid. I love you Bird, even if I didn't act like it. And please, take care of Hope. She needs us, and she is part of this family. I'll see you on the other side"

We all stayed in silence for a while. I was still processing what he just said. She is part of this family. Those words were repeating themselves in my head constantly. I owed so much to Big John, and he made me feel like I was truly his daughter.

John B suddenly gets up and runned outside. I could hear him crying.

"Holy shit! He did it!" JJ said exited. "Big John. He found the Merchant"

"Can you... can you please?" Kie said looking at me and then back at JJ.

"Sorry" He said quietly. I walked outside and hugged John B from behind. He turned around and wrapped his arms around me as he continued to sob.

....

We were all in John B's dock. We opened up a few beers to cheer ourselves up. Kie was playing the ukelele softly.

"How much was it again?" JJ asked.

"Five hundred mil" Pope answred him without taking his eyes off the ground.

"Alright, let's talk the split" JJ said getting up. "Now, before we say evenly, may I remind you that I'm the only one that can defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap"

"You haven't trained. You have zero training" Pope contradicted him.

"Youtube, bro" JJ said like it's obvious. "That's at least five percent bump right there. Any objections? Didn't think so" JJ joked. I smiled.

"What are you gonna do with 100 mil Pope" Kiara asked, leaving the ukelele.

"Pay for college in advance" Pope answred. "And also textbooks. Those are expensive"

"How about you Kie?" I turned my head towards her.

"Yeah, what does a socialist does when she's rich?" Pope smiled.

"Just wanna do a double album. About OBX, the Pogues. You know, catch and fire is about Kingstone. Recording at Marly studio, Peter Tosh producing" She started daydreaming.

"Peter Tosh is dead" Pope brought her back to reality.

"I know that" She said. "But the spirit of Peter Tosh will never die"

"Actually, I know what I'm gonna do" JJ announced. "I'm gonna buy a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook"

"You're gonna go full Kook?" Pope asked.

"Yup" JJ said. "I'm gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond" I laugh at the vision. "How about you Hope?" JJ asked.

"I'm going full Kook too" I smiled. "John B?"

"To going full Kook" He raised his beer in the air.

"To going full Kook" We all said in sync, before taking a sip of our drinks.

....

After a while of celebrating and drinking, everyone decided to go home. John B and I walked into the Chateu and I started walking towards my room.

"Hope" John B called me, making me turn around.

"Yeah?" I asked him, walking in his direction.

"What my dad said, about you being in this family" He started saying. "It's true Hope. I concider you my sister. You will always be my sister" I felt a tear forming in my eye.

"Thank you" I said with my voice breaking. "Really. When I lived with my dad, I would get so abused. He would hit me every day. Until one day, a little curious boy sneaked into my back yard, and because of him, my life changed forever" I started crying. "You saved me John B. You and your dad"

"Come here" He said pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my arms tightly around him.

"Thank you" I said again.

"That's what brothers are for" He smiled. I let out a laugh.

"Love you bro" I said before going inside my room.