The Crab Man Chapter 5
Silo, the family cat approached Eddie’s feet to distract him while Shawna fooled around with the back of the TV. She was no stranger to technology and knew just where she could find the portal to plug in the crab chip. The Siamese cat continued to lick at Eddie’s feet while Shawna looked for the AV button on the TV remote.
Eddie couldn’t stop himself. “This is just sick you know that?”
Shawna lowered the remote. “What?”
“This shit, he knows we’re doing this right now. He’s probably getting off on all this as we speak.”
“Babe I wanna know what’s on the chip.”
“I don’t. I told you he a nut ass dude that’s all we need to know. I have no interest in playing into his nut ass psychological games.”
The screen went blue. Soon they would find out.
“Eddie you may not but I wanna know. Could be important.”
“Hmph!” Eddie crossed his arms. Even Silo had no interest in Dirty Bird games. Cats were superior to birds. They chased and ate birds. Top of the food chain remember?
The blue screen dissipated and a 5 year old boy with dreadlocks flailing in the wind was swinging on a swing. Eddie recognized the little yellow corn on the cob berets immediately. He pushed the cat away from him.
“Oh no he didn’t!”
Shawna cut in. “Honey that cute little boy look just like you! You got sumthn to tell me? You told me you ain’t got no kids!”
“I don’t! Hissed back Eddie. He ain’t my kid he my nephew! How the fuck Dirty Bird know where to find the Scribble Kid?”
“Scribble Kid?”
Eddie now fixated to the TV immediately silenced her as he pushed up closer. “Shhh! Long story no time to explain!”
The little black kid appeared happy and smiling as the swing swung higher and higher and it was obvious the boy was enjoying himself.
“Higher daddy push me higher!”
Eddie was in disbelief.
Was his older brother still alive?
The camera ever so slowly moved back as if to purposely show off the shadow of the camera man filming as if to offer a clue. Eddie grabbed the remote away from Shawna immediately and froze the shadow image.
“You see that! That’s his hat! Dirty Bird filmed this!
And those yellow corn on the cob berets in his hair? I made those for him!”
Shawna was confused. “I didn’t know you had a brother or a nephew. If Dirty Bird is filming this then who’s pushing the swing?”
Eddie hit play on the remote to continue the video. He eagerly awaited to witness his whom he thought was deceased brother pushing the swing. The camera angle eased nice and slowly as if DB knew he was getting under the Crab Man’s skin with false hopes that his older brother might still be alive.
Eddie gaped in horror as Shawna was the first to comment. “How you have a white brother? Look at those fancy pants? He don’t look weird to me looks like a well heeled Ivy leaguer.”
All hope was lost in Eddie. “He ain’t my brother and he ain’t that weirdo that came to my club…well I suspect the camera man is but not that dude pushing the swing.”
“Why your nephew calling him daddy?”
“He’s confused. Must be the guy that adopted him. At least they found him a fit parent.”
Shawna was confused. “So what’s this all about? Why ain’t you talk much about your nephew or your brother?”
“My brother overdosed. Long story. But me and my nephew was tight. My deepest of homies know the whole story. Been looking for my nephew for years. Some how Dirty Bird knows his whereabouts and knows I would do anything to get him back into my life.”
The footage changed abruptly to the fancy pants
white man eating lunch at a picnic table with the Scribble Kid gobbling down a cheeseburger while his Gi-Joe action figures took a rest at the end of the table. The camera zoomed in to a woman seated next to fancy pants with beautiful blond hair and a smile that looked like it belonged on a high rated weather channel.
Shawna insisted on commenting. “Honey every thing here look good. Your Nephew looks happy. I’m not understanding all this?”
Eddie cut her off “Shh!”
That’s when I had the privilege of showing off my foggy glasses up close on Eddie’s TV.
“Hello Eddie! Or should I say the Crab Man? Bet you been looking for the Scribble Kid for mighty long time.”
I continued to taunt. “What’s a matter little Eddie? Not liking me having something you want? Wish you knew what happened to your little Nephew?”
I leaned in closer to the TV but not too close that he would get a good look at my eyes through the fog in my glasses. I shifted down a few octaves to a lower tone.
“Well you have something I want! That document was meant for the original Spyder Woman! You encroached upon a top secret location that I have been scouting for a decade! Now it’s no good because YOU know about it!”
I continued with my tirade. "You listening Crab Man? You walked into a conspiracy that your little pinching crab legs ain’t prepared for. Yes I’ve dug into the comic books. Yes I know that you consider Spider Man a foe and might be reaching out to Spyder Woman just to get to him as it would only make sense Spyder Woman would be married to Spider man!
I leaned into the camera once again. “I got news for ya Eddie Spaghetti! You have NO idea what your walking into and I will protect Spyder Woman at all possible costs! Fall back Crab Man you heard me? What I say?”
Shawna couldn’t help but chuckle wondering if maybe all this was some sort of practice joke but Eddie knew the drama was serious.
“Honey what he talking about? That Spyder Woman shit that his boo or sumthn?”
Eddie caressed his dreadlocks just as he always did when he was nervous. “Got no clue what he talking about. Don’t know nuthn about intercepting a document meant for Spyder Woman. Just want my nephew back.”
Shawna corrected him. “Original Spyder Woman remember? He articulated Original Spyder Woman insinuating there might be a current Spyder Woman. I think they two different people. Your Dirty Bird friend got some weird shit going on.”
Eddie countered. “He ain’t my friend he a nut ass dude. Goosebumps get crazy around him. But yeah… he keep this creepy weirdo stuff up I’m gonna ruffle his feathers.”
“Why again does he call you The Crab Man?”
“Nephew gave me that Nick name long time ago. Long story babe….long story.”