Trouble Man

1 Jermaine's Day Jermaine Banks sat on the side of the bathtub as his three-year-old-son, Khalil, played in the sudsy water with a green-and-white plastic boat. The boat was one of the few toys that remained from Jermaine's own childhood. Khalil loved it and wouldn't take a bath without it. As Jermaine watched his child's carefree smile, he felt uneasy. He knew that, in order to keep that smile on his son's face, he was going to have to make some drastic changes in his life. But how? He was almost thirty years old with only a high school education and absolutely no work experience. Just as he got lost in his thoughts he looked up to see his pregnant girlfriend, Erin, in the doorway. "Are you guys almost done?" Erin whined, crossing her arms. "We just got in, Erin. Give us a minute," Jermaine said, shaking his head. That girl wants everything on her time, he thought. "I'm just checking, no need for the attitude," Erin said as she turned and stomped down the stairs to the living room. Jermaine shook his head again and went back to washing his son. For the most part he loved Erin and she was a good woman. She had her ways, but who didn't? They had been together through a lot of thick and thin. Even when Jermaine had stepped out on her and got Khalil's mother, Amani, pregnant while Erin was completing her undergraduate work at Morgan State University down in Baltimore. But then again, that forgiveness had come with a price, and now that Jermaine was trying to take a more active role in Khalil's life, he was starting to notice that Erin was pretty ambivalent about her feelings toward his son. Sometimes she went overboard, trying to act as if Khalil were her best friend, like making sure he had a bedroom at her place, but whenever she was upset with Jermaine, her true feelings about Khalil surfaced. The last few months had been pretty stressful for both of them: Erin getting used to the idea of being a real mom and Jermaine with the burden of becoming a daddy for the second time with no real plans for his future. Rightfully so, Jermaine seemed to be getting it the worst; it seemed as if every day someone was on his case about getting a real job and leaving his hustling days behind him. But just the thought of wearing one of those fast-food uniforms turned Jermaine's stomach. As far as he was concerned, those kinds of jobs were for high school kids and grown-up losers. Plus, he didn't see anything wrong with his current "job"selling weed. As a matter of fact, he felt like he was doing Philadelphians a favor by providing a natural herb that helped folks calm the hell down. "Jermaine. Jermaine," Khalil called out, with his arms outstretched toward his father. "What's up, lil guy?" "I'm ready to get out of the bathtub." "Okay." Jermaine pulled the stopper and lifted his son onto the toilet seat. He toweled him dry, rubbed lotion all over his already soft skin, and helped him into his favorite Superman pajamas. The kind with the feet attached. "You're all set, my man." "Will you sleep with me?" "You scared?" "Yep," Khalil said with no shame. "Man, how you gonna be a tough guy all day and a big baby at night?" "I am tough." Khalil flexed his muscles for his father to examine. "But I still want you to sleep with me. Please." Khalil smiled. Jermaine smiled too. He placed his hands on both sides of Khalil's face and looked down at his son. Khalil looked likeHunter, Travis E. is the author of 'Trouble Man', published 2003 under ISBN 9780375508950 and ISBN 0375508953.