Hidden Valley (D. SWING)

XIX. Karma's Revenge

Their silhouettes are similar in stature but the better dancing and feminine curves separates who is really who in the corner of my eye. Drying my hands off from washing dishes, I join Evelyn on the couch as Paulette and Dalvin dance to the Bobby Brown video on the television. The rustling of my brother's tracksuit pants coincide with Paulette's dangling jewelry. Evelyn's giggles are drowned out the moment I slip on my headphones to listen back to the demo we cut earlier in the afternoon. Biting the bullet of not having the means to immediately fix the necessary tweaks in the harmonies I can hear, I remove my headphones from my head. All of my equipment is being stored in the Hailey family's garage.

"Hey, Don, you wanna' play a card game?" Evelyn holds up the pack of cards with a small smile that has the ability to push her ponytail up. Her hair's new sandy brown hue is an after affect of all of the pool water she's been basking in. My nod is a trigger for her to sit up on her knees. "Okay, we can play here." She makes the distinction of the cushion between us being the playing field rather than another seat.

As a video he can't care any less about spawns onto the television, Dalvin's turns around to leave Paulette dancing on her own. "Play Goldfish! I used to bust his tail in that one," laughs Dalvin.

"How many times I got to tell you it's Go-Fish, nuthead?"

Paulette chuckles, mid-spin on the balls of her feet, as she does a full 360° turn. "He's been telling you that since you was a kid and you still ain't got it," she teases.

Dalvin smacks his lips.

For about another hour, we all remain in our separate groups as the early dinner Paulette prepared for the house settles in our stomachs, Dalvin and I extra stuffed since we'd already had food from a local burger joint before coming here. After showing Paulette and Kitty a new pin-drop he saw somebody in Kid N' Play's crew do in a video, my brother is asking me for a ride back to my parents house. He promised to eat dinner with them and spend the night. I didn't want to do it at first, I have to be honest.

No longer playing with my father's band came with some silent blackballing that I thought would've really came after I ran away the first time. I can't say I didn't see it coming but I took it like a man. I was still mostly showing up for service so it wasn't much for him to say. It was about three months ago that I really stopped coming around though. Everyday is Judgement Day when you're stepping to my father. My mother too, actually. Having music I've created with the gifts that God gave me and they help me shape banned from being played out loud is a different kind of pain. I ain't have those problems from Ma Anita and Cliff, and that's why I didn't come back.

"You gone come in," Dalvin asks, glancing up at me as I park the car in front of my parent's house. I bite down on the inside of my cheek, not wanting to have to make that kind of decision right now. "Just stop in, say hi, and go before they start talking and asking questions. It ain't that bad, man." Dalvin's refusal to move spoke volumes.

I give in with a sigh, snatching my keys out of ignition and throwing my hat into the backseat with the knowledge that I can't wear it inside. My hat falls on top of a navy blue bra that I can't immediately identify but the investigation is too low on the totem pole to put real effort into as I'm heading into my parents' home.

Dalvin leads me to the front door. He doesn't knock or pull out any keys. Instead, he walks right in like he's been sleeping here every night of his life. He hasn't, in reality. Dalvin couldn't even make it living here after that final showdown with Derek. A few months after my mother made him switch schools, he moved out of here and in with our cousin. It was a good idea too because my mother was bound to find out he was sneaking to chill with Cynthia.