Nobody's Son by Zaria Garrison Page A

Instead, she just stared at her with a stupid grin on her face. At Wayne’s request, Kandyss was extra polite and friendly and even invited Gwen to come back and watch a live taping of the show whenever she wanted. It didn’t matter to Kandyss that it was all a lie because she knew Gwen would never get past security again. When the show was over, Gwen followed Wayne back to his large and lavish dressing room.
    â€œThis is so nice. Can I take a picture with my camera phone? Momma has gotta see this. Oh, shoot, I should’ve taken a picture with Kandyss too. It’s too late, isn’t it?” Gwen asked.
    Wayne chuckled. “I’m afraid so, but I’ll ask her to autograph a picture for you when I see her later.”
    â€œThat would be great,” Gwen said, then plopped her ample behind onto the couch. “This is the most comfortable couch I’ve ever sat on. It feels like a big cloud.” She kicked off her shoes and stretched out on the sofa. “You know who else would love to see this?” she said.
    â€œWho?” Wayne asked.
    â€œSemaj, your son. I know things didn’t go well last week when I brought him to meet you, but I think you both were just overwhelmed by the whole thing.”
    Wayne grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to the sofa where Gwen rested. He sat down in front of her. “I’m glad you brought that up, Gwen. You don’t really believe that guy was my son, do you?”
    â€œOf course, I believe it, and you should too. I told you before she died your momma told me all about your marriage and your son. It’s not just family rumors. Your momma would not lie about something like that.”
    â€œYou’re right, my mother would never lie,” Wayne nodded his head in agreement. “Listen, that’s one of the reasons I asked you to come by today. We need to talk about what you know and also about this guy, Semaj. He’s not my son. I don’t know what he told you, but he’s not who he claims to be.”
    Gwen looked at Wayne strangely. “What do you mean?”
    â€œWell, everything my momma told you is the truth. I was a young, rebellious teen, and I ran away from home and got married when I was only eighteen years old. The girl I married was a beautiful young girl named Allison Matthews. We were very immature, and neither of our parents approved of the relationship, but we were very much in love. Shortly after our marriage we had our son, Wayne, Jr. I loved them both with all my heart, but when Wayne, Jr. was just a few months old, our home was destroyed in a tragic fire, and I was left alone and heartbroken.”
    Sitting up and scooting to the edge of her seat excitedly, Gwen interrupted him. “That’s exactly what happened to Semaj’s mother. He was pulled out of the fire that his mother died in.”
    â€œGwen, my son, wasn’t pulled from the fire. My son died along with his mother.” Wayne stared sadly at the floor. “I was at work at my night shift job as a waiter in a diner when it happened, and when I came home, both of them were dead.” Dramatically, he paused and wiped away a tear. “Even after all of these years, it’s difficult for me to talk about. No one in the family knew the whole story except my mother, and that’s how the rumors of my long lost son got started.”
    â€œWhat about all of the things Semaj told me about his mother? The details matched up perfectly.”
    â€œHe’s a reporter, Gwen. Digging into people’s backgrounds is what he does for a living. The same way that you were able to research my life story and marriage, he did the same thing.”
    Gwen sat still on the sofa feeling very confused. She wasn’t sure if it was the story that Wayne was telling her or the three glasses of champagne she drank earlier, but the details just did not add up inside her head. “He could not have done what I did. His grandparents