16. Corinthians #2
“Alright, y’all want pizza or something else for dinner?” Madea asked once they were back in the van. Granddaddy put it in reverse, but we didn’t move.
“Pizza and a movie at home,” Krude answered before anyone else could. “I want to watch my favorite movie.”
“Nobody wants to watch a Disney movie, Krude,” Judge sighed and shook his head. “You really have to grow up.”
Granddaddy chuckled, then we started backing up.
“Granddaddy, stop the van!” Krude yelled. Granddaddy hit the brakes and turned around to see what the emergency was.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking around.
“Put Judge out of the van,” Krude said, taking off his seatbelt. “He's over here saying bad words and stuff. We don’t do that in this family unless we grown, and Madea told us earlier we ain’t grown yet.”
“Judge, you cussing?” Granddaddy asked him.
“No, sir,” Judge answered, looking confused.
“He did too!” Krude said, getting up from his seat. He tried opening the door, but the child lock was on. “Get out of the car and open the door, Granddaddy. As a matter of fact, whoop him.”
“He said he didn’t cuss Krude,” Granddaddy said.
“He said a bad word!” Krude continued to argue. “Beat. Him.”
“What did he say?” Madea said, looking between the boys.
“He told me to grow up!” Krude dramatically answered. “That is not sound advice!” Krude threw his hands in the air. “And before that, he said nobody likes Disney movies. I do!” he pointed at Judge. “Beat. Him.”
“Krude, sit down,” Granddaddy said, laughing. “Nobody is beating him.”
“You need a belt?” he started taking his off.
“Don’t worry, I got you, big man. I stay prepared.
Here.” He took his belt off and tried to hand it to Granddaddy, but Madea took it instead.
“That’s what I’m talking about, Favorite Person!
Whoop him.” He tried to move out of the way, but Madea stopped him.
“Have a seat, Krude, and put your belt back on. No one wants to see your Lion King boxers,” she said, handing him back his belt.
“You're not going to beat him?” he asked her. The confusion on his face turned to sadness. “Favorite Person, I thought you would always have my back.”
“I do,” she laughed, “but that isn’t something to whoop Judge over. That’s his opinion, and it’s okay to have different opinions about things.”
Krude put his hand on Madea’s head. “You sick? You ain’t ever passed up an invite to whoop nobody,” he asked her. “You need some meds?”
“No, baby,” she laughed and moved his hand.
“Now, have a seat so we can go. I’m ready to get home.
If everyone wants pizza, that’s fine; we can grab it, then go home and watch a movie.
If they don’t want to watch what you want to, you can go to my and your granddaddy's room, lie in the bed, and watch it alone.”
“Okay,” Krude said, nodding as he put on his belt. He stopped halfway, putting his belt on, and shook his head. “I appreciate you offering your bed, but I will sit on the floor.”
“Why?” she asked, confused.
“I would rather sit on the floor,” Krude told her. He finished putting on his belt, reclaimed his seat, and put on his seatbelt. “Alright, OG, I’m ready. Let’s go!”
***
The doorbell ringing woke me up. I pushed my way out of the closet where I’d fallen asleep and looked around the room. Everyone was in their beds, still asleep except for Psalms. She was sitting on her bed, her ladybug in her lap.
“You had an accident?” I whispered.
“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “I couldn’t sleep and was waiting for you. I thought you went to the bathroom.” She looked over at the closet door. “You had an accident?”
“No,” I told her. She didn’t know I slept in the closet with a nightlight, and I didn’t want her to know. She worried enough about me.
The doorbell rang again, and we looked towards the door. I looked at the clock on the dresser and saw it was two am. I walked towards the door and slowly opened it. Psalms and I snuck out of the room and walked down the hallway to see Madea and Granddaddy standing at the door with the police.
“What’s happening?” Exodus whispered, coming from the boys' room. I shrugged and pointed at the police. “What’s the police doing here?”
“I don’t know,” I answered as I continued to watch.
“We’re sorry to inform you that your children and their spouses were killed in an accident tonight,” the police told Madea and Granddaddy.
***
“I want you all to listen to me and listen good,” Madea said as the family car parked outside of the cemetery where our parents would be buried.
“You don’t have to put on a show for nobody.
I don’t care what they say to you, how they think you’re supposed to feel or respond to seeing your parents for the last time.
This ain’t a funeral for them; it's for you to say your final goodbyes and know where you can always find them.” She brushed something off Judge’s shirt, then sat back.
“The only person in this car who knows what you’re feeling is the people in this car.
We've all lost our parents. I’m not going to lie to y’all and say the shit is easy because it’s not.
Y’all lost yours young, younger than me and your granddaddy did.
Exodus has been where y'all are. His mama's gravesite is right over there, too.”
“Madea?” Mercy said from her seat. She sat between Krude and Judge. “Do I have to go out there?”
“No,” she quickly answered. “We can sit right in this car for as long as you want.”
Mercy looked out the window at all the gravesites and then shook her head. “I think I want to go, but I don’t want to sit in the front. I want to be in the back, away from everybody.”
“Me too,” Krude said, nodding. “I don’t want to be up there.”
“Me either,” Judge agreed. “I want to be in the back with y’all.”
“We can do that,” Madea agreed. “Wherever y'all want.”
“What about you, Corinthians?” Granddaddy asked from beside Madea. “Where do you want to sit?”
“In the front,” I told him. He and Madea shared a look but didn’t say anything. “I want to say goodbye one last time.” Really, I wanted to make sure they were gone forever.
“Alright, I’ll sit in the front with Corinthians,” Granddaddy said. “Psalms?”
“I’m sitting with Cori,” Psalms answered.