Kado & Mo meets the Pushaman

Kado & Mo meets the Pushaman 

There were 2 boys on  bikes in the neighborhood.

They had both won an equal amount of races

Riding top speed to let the freedom blow on their little brown faces. 

Tired now, they rode to the “Cona Sto” for some cheetos, powdered donuts, and soda.

Outside the Sto was 3 black men throwing dice screaming and shouting about winning something nice, 

Mr Richard had his fancy car parked blasin ‘06 TI  ‘bout how he like his “beat down low and  his top laid back, riding 24s with a chopper in the back”

Manman was learning how to play chess by the local old head who was smoking a black and mild

across the way was the barber shop, it was so packed that day that boys were getting their haircuts outside. 

Pushaman was selling bootleg mixtapes and dvds, and cologne to go with the trees that he would serve outside of his van. 

But Pushaman was a thoughtful man, hustling his days away.

The  two boys, rich with Cona Sto treasures, were called upon by Pushaman,

“ayo ! y’all got some more money to spend?” 

Mo replied  through his mouthful of dusty cheese crunches “You owe my momma money Mr. Pushaman. she said she gnne beat you up”  

Pushaman laughed. “aiight c’m’ere, this one is on me.” 

the two boys walked their bikes to pushaman. “listen here, Mr. P luhh da kids,” Pushaman reassured the kids, 

“tell ya momma i’m sorry and give her this” he handed Mo a DVD Case of Spike Lee’s “See You Yesterday” but inside the case was a CD of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” album. 

“that first song is a HIT youngin. ya moms is  gonna love it. And I’ll give y’all  something for ya troubles. But whatchy’all wanna be when y’all grow up ?” 

“i wanna make super cool watches like My dad has.” Kado says. “i think it’s called a rolly, i heard that in a song. but i wanna make mine so that i can time travel!” 

“i wanna go on adventures around the universe.” Mo says excitedly,  “i also want to draw everything. and sometimes i like to write too. i like to build stuff with my hands. i like to help kado. and i want to meet all kinds of people and learn all kinds of things. Oh And i like to draw too and-.”

”Alright alright  man,” Pushaman cuts Mo off. “I got just the thing for yall.”

he gives Mo a Journal and a pen and Kado a watch 

he said to them “this is a place to store your gifts in and when they get you rich and famous, i’ll be here to sell them for you”

then all of a sudden there’s a low rumble of gangsta music in the distance and Pushaman looks down the block in a panic.

“it’s about to get crazy over here! It's the Vye Neg Gang! Yo, Jump into my van y’all! Quick!”

in the distance a black truck rolled toward the busy block and the window slowly slid down revealing a large gun.

the two kids clench their treasures, drop their bikes and quickly jump into the van. Pushaman runs to the driver seat

gunshots flood the block disrupting the meeting place for black stories. where real life happens. 

Man man and the old head take cover causing chess pieces to go flying

the three men throwing dice grab all the cash sprint away, one of them didn’t get far.

Mr Richard is ducked in this car in terror, crying because his vehicle has been licked with several bullets. 

most of The boys and barbers retreat back into the shop!

Pushaman ignites the van and the back doors slam shut. 

There’s a screech and the two boys are flung by the motion of the van into what was a collection of knock off perfumes and cologne into what now is

sand. They looked around and realized that now they were on an island with glass boundaries and a giant palm tree in the center. 

Pushaman suddenly appears from behind the tree. 

“Are we dead?” Kado asks.

”mmnah, that was a different draft.” Pushaman replies. “You’re in my van. It’s actually a Time Machine”.  Both the kids' mouths drop. “Yeah… I may have sold those guys some fake jewelry. That's why they came looking for me. 

But I feel bad, those other kids on the block, they shouldn’t have to die… so i gotta go back in time and stop them. This is my block man. I grew up here. I’m not going to let these losers wreak havoc.”

The two kids still in disbelief  “this van is a Time Machine?” They looked at each other and simultaneously said “coooool.” Pushaman laughed. 

Mo closed his mouth and contorted his face as he tried to find words for his thoughts “why is there so much sand everywhere?”

”Oh we’re on the inside of an hourglass right now. I froze time. I needed you inside here with me so that I can deliver a message to you from Father Time himself.” 

Pushaman shoves his hand into the sand as if looking for something. 

”Is that God?” Kado asks.

”Nah he’s just the one who wrote the story. God’s a few steps higher.” Pushaman replies. 

Then pulls out a boom box and cassette tape labeled “For Kado, Mo and the audience” He opens up the slot for the tape, inserts it, dials the volume up to max and presses play:

breathe ~

“to remember means that the past does exist 

sometimes it can hurt 

sometimes it can be used as a catalyst 

to plant a seed in your present means you can imagine a tree 

but all your imagination means nothing unless you water it. 

your future is for you to write 

but you don’t start with a paragraph, you start with a letter. 

and you get to choose each word you use

 but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any plot twist 

but when it does happen look in the imaginary camera and 

say “and the plot thickens” 

if you wanna feel time you should write

if you wanna time travel you should read

if you wanna release time you should breathe 

but if you don’t take anything else from this i hope you take this please

La vie se yon kado 

Life is a gift. 

so be present 

hold space. 

move love. 

show grace. 

Spend all your  seconds

Creating quality minutes

For moments that last for hours

With the hope to inspire all your days.”

click. rewind. click. 

Pushaman presses stop on the boombox. Then hits the rewind button until it clicks.

 “There. I just rewinded the timeline a few moments. Now it’s time for me to go which means y’all aint gotta go home, but y’all need to get the heck outta here! Also, Mo when you get back out there check the last page of that book I gave you.”

 Pushaman pulls out a pocketwatch from his pants pocket and presses a button. 

Kado and Mo’s mind’s racing with questions but before they could let a word out the hourglass begins to flip causing a sea of sand to envelop the two boys. 

Once completely flipped they begin falling down toward the new bottom of the glass. What looked like sand particles began to take the shape of knock off perfumes, loose dvds and the other products in Pushamans van. Before they hit the bottom the back of the van flings open and they fly out back onto the street of the Co’na sto. 

Everything had returned to normal except the Vye Neg Gang’s gangsta music was now blasting Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” and instead of guns they were squeezing the thorns on the stems of roses causing their own hands to bleed. 

The two boys got up to see the Time Machine van driving off in a hurry with the Vye Neg Gang’s truck chasing after.

 They look around to see the neighborhood was still as lively as ever, as if nothing had happened. 

the barbers called for their next clients in the seats

the men throwing dice give congratulatory cuss words to the winners

Mr Richard wiped the hood of his fancy car while it blasted kendrick lamar’s “but if God got us we gnne be Alright”

The old head who was teaching Manman how to play chess called over to Mo without looking up from the board. “Hey. Remember he said to check the last page of that book.” Mo opens up the book and it reads

”Meet me at the library”

Kado grows up to create the leading watch brand named after himself. Mo grows up to be a world renowned artist and best selling poet. they still visit their old hood, that old cona sto. It seemed have changed a lot, the people are different all except Mr Pushaman, he hasn’t aged a day.