Lionel sat next to Davanté at the funeral. The two friends were dressed in the finest of black suits purchased by Mr. Kettles. Lionel stared straight ahead as he heard Davanté crying beside him.
When Ms. William's casket was lowered in the ground, the assembly exploded with loud wailing. Davanté, himself, could not hold it in. He leaned over onto his knees and covered his face as he cried.
"It's gonna be alright, man," assured Lionel, as he patted Davanté's back.
Lionel had recognized many people in Davanté's family. He knew most of Davanté's cousins and had seen the adults at least once or twice from past family gatherings where Lionel had been invited to. Yet he noticed one man that he did not recognize.
The man was very tall and chocolate-colored skinned, just like Davanté. He wore a nice black suit. Lionel could detect the man's muscular build underneath his clothes. Although his expression was sorrowful, he barely spoke to others and stayed to himself.
During the reception at Aunt Thelma's house, Lionel walked over to Kendra.
"Hey, Kendra. How are you holding up?" Lionel asked her.
"Oh, I'm okay. I mean it’s hard to lose my aunt, you know. But I know that she was battling a lot with her illness. So, I guess, she's not suffering anymore," she said.
"Yeah," said Lionel.
"I'm more concerned about Davanté. This is such a crucial time for him. This is not the time to lose his mom, you know?" she said.
"Yeah. But Davanté's strong. He'll make it through," said Lionel.
"I hope so," replied Kendra.
"Hey Kendra. Did you see that guy at the service? The tall quiet man? I think he's standing out back. Do you know him?" asked Lionel.
"Um, I'm not sure," said Kendra.
"Oh, never mind. I just didn't recognize him and he was looking around kinda funny," said Lionel.
"Pshaw! That's my entire family! We all look kinda funny. Lionel, you're practically family. You should have figured that out by now," teased Kendra.
Lionel and Kendra continued talking until Aunt Thelma ordered them to the kitchen to grab a plate of food. She gave Lionel two plates and commanded him to take one to Davanté, who had been sitting alone on the front porch.
"Hey man, here," said Lionel as he handed Davanté the plate.
Davanté took it, but made no effort to eat. Lionel chose not to push him. He sat down on the porch next to Davanté and began eating the food on his own plate. After a few minutes of silence, Lionel turned to Davanté.
"Davanté, I think your father is here," he said.
Davanté turned to Lionel. "What?" he asked.
"Your father. I saw this guy that looks just like you, but he's old. I had never seen him before. I think he's your father, man," said Lionel.
"My father? Man, my father split when I was a baby. I saw a few pictures of him, but I never saw him face to face. Why would he be here?” wondered Davanté.
"I don't know. The guy is out back. I think you should talk to him," offered Lionel.
"I am in no mood to talk to some strange dude. Not today," said Davanté.
"Okay," said Lionel.
Davanté picked up his plate of food and took a couple of bites before speaking again.
"I guess I'm gonna live with Aunt Thelma now. I can't stay in my house by myself. And nobody wants to live in the house anyway. They're all afraid they'll get AIDS, too," said Davanté between chews.
"Well, you live closer to me now. Hey, maybe you could come over on the weekends," said Lionel.
"Yeah, that would be cool," said Davanté.
Davanté's appetite gradually returned as he swallowed more food. He continued to eat until his plate was clean.
The boys then turned their conversation to school and girls. They traded silly jokes and made fun of people passing by. Lionel stayed on the porch with Davanté until the sun went down.
As Mr. Kettles rolled his Navigator to a stop in front of Aunt Thelma's house, Lionel turned to Davanté and bumped his fist.
"Hey, man. You know you can call me anytime," he said.
"Thanks, man," said Davanté.
Davanté stood in the front yard waving Lionel off. He watched the car until it turned off the local road.
"Looks like you got a good friend there."
Davanté turned around. Before him stood a tall man similar in features to Davanté.
"Uh, I know you don't know me. But I knew your mother," the man said.
Davanté remained quiet.
"Well, I knew your mother a long time ago. In fact, we were high school sweethearts. She was my first love," said the man.
"Who are you?" asked Davanté.
The man opened his mouth to respond, but then decided against it. He motioned for Davanté to follow him onto the porch. There, the two sat down on chairs facing each other.
"My name is Clarence Myles. I was born not too far from here. I grew up on these city blocks," he began.
"I met your mother, Sandra, when I started middle school. Then in high school, we started dating. And then, uh, she got pregnant right after senior year," he said.
"Pregnant with me?" asked Davanté.
"Yes," he said.
"Man, are you telling me you're my father? What!? I can't believe this! What are you doing here?" Davanté asked.
"Yes, I am your father. I'm here to pay my respects," he said.
"What respects? Where were you? Where were you when she was struggling with paying the bills? Where were you when she was struggling with taking care of me? Where were you when she got HIV? Where were you when she had to sit up in a hospital bed until she died?!” yelled Davanté.
"What's goin' on out here?" asked Aunt Thelma as she entered the front porch. She had come out to turn the porch lights on.
"Oh," she said. "It's you, Clarence. Well, now is not the time. This boy here has a heavy heart and he don't need this now," Aunt Thelma warned.
"I'm not trying to make trouble, Thelma. I just wanted to see if I could make amends," said Clarence.
"Like I said,” repeated Aunt Thelma. “Now is not the time. I never cared much for you anyway. And I'm not in the mood to see you now at my sister's funeral. I don't know how you got the call, but you were not invited," said Aunt Thelma.
Clarence stood up. He nodded his head to Davanté and Aunt Thelma and casually walked down the front porch towards the cars lined along the block. Without looking back, he got into a silver car, turned on its engine and lights and then sped away.
"Don't worry about him," said Aunt Thelma.
"Is he really my father?" asked Davanté.
"Yes, he is," said Aunt Thelma.
"Why is he showing up now?" asked Davanté.
"Well, I don't know. Rumor had it that he changed his ways and was going around trying to make amends with people he did wrong. I guess he didn't make it in time for your momma. He was probably trying to see if he had a chance with you," Aunt Thelma explained.
Davanté did not respond. He wordlessly followed his Aunt Thelma back into the house. As the night went on and family and friends went home, Davanté could not help feeling lonely. He laid on the bed in his usual fashion and revisited the large rose that he had drawn days ago.
He continued with creating unusual contours on the petals. He gave the petals pointy tips and contrasted it with a round and seemingly soft center. Davanté drew slowly and took his time sketching. He worked late into the night and eventually fell asleep with his drawings underneath his head.