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Almost a year has passed since Brandon’s release, and he has a birthday coming up. Brandon will be turning seventeen years old and has been asked continually about his college plans. On his birthday, Brandon and Donnell are scheduled to speak to a group of young men. These young men are facing the possibility of being charged as adults at the federal level for the crimes they’ve committed. The group is part of a federal initiative program for youth offenders.
When the time arrives, Brandon and Donnell head to the federal courthouse—the same courthouse where they first met. Walking up the steps and into the building gives both Donnell and Brandon a moment of déjà vu. In their minds, they realize they are free men now, but they had been prisoners themselves not long ago. Neither of them mentions to the other what he is thinking. They enter courtroom 401, where the Honorable Stacy Ransom is presiding.
Donnell and Brandon are seated after a brief introduction to the group. Brandon has a strange look on his face, and Donnell can see that he’s visibly disturbed about something. Donnell leans over and whispers, “What’s wrong, Brandon? Are you nervous?”
“Not really,” Brandon says. “It’s just that I know one of those guys well. He is like a brother to me, but I haven’t seen him in so long, and I hate to see him caught up like this.”
“Well, you already know that this is the big league, and he’s in some serious trouble now, right?” Donnell asks.
“Yeah, I know,” Brandon says.
Also attending is a gentleman named Arty Sumler. He is a journalist. He works for one of the most recognized magazines in the country and was invited to do a cover story on Judge Ransom. What he ends up getting is worth far more than what he’d expected. The judge walks in and allows Donnell and Brandon to start things off.
Arty Sumler and his cameraman begin recording as both Donnell and Brandon take turns telling and integrating their stories. They cover how they met, what they’ve been through together, and how the Boys Will Be Boys Foundation is changing lives in their community. It is almost an identical rehashing of the dramatic experience they both had witnessed before. Some of the boys let a few tears flow, but the ones who don’t ask sincere questions about how to change.
It is an awesome experience for Arty, as he captures on camera a moment far beyond what he had bargained for. Arty decides to conduct an impromptu interview with Donnell and Brandon. He also asks them if they will sign release forms allowing him to use the footage. They both sign, and a few months later there is a four-page spread about them and the BWBBF in the nationally recognized magazine Arty works for.
That publication catapults Donnell and Brandon into instant fame. Calls for interviews and appearances come pouring in from all over the country. It is as if everybody wants a piece of this unusual duo. Riding on a wave like that, it isn’t long before the number-one-rated-TV-show host, Jonathan Jewish of JJ in the Morning, wants to have them as guests on his show.
Urged by his fiancée, Oleta, Donnell hires a publicist to represent him and Brandon. The publicist goes straight to work on the JJ in the Morning appearance. At the time, Donnell is oblivious to the changes in Brandon’s behavior since their courtroom appearance.
The name of the old friend Brandon had seen that day in the courtroom was Earl. Earl contacted Brandon after that day in the courtroom, and the two have been spending time together. Brandon really had been trying to help Earl change, but it seems Earl got the better of that exchange. After some time, Earl managed to acquire mind control over Brandon, and he uses it to create enmity between Brandon and Donnell.
Earl tells Brandon things like “You really don’t know this man like you think you do” or “I believe that Mr. White is using you, Brandon.”
Brandon vehemently denies Earl’s accusations at first, but the jealousy of seeing Donnell and Oleta giving their attention to the boys in the program eventually causes Brandon to succumb to Earl’s ill-fated advice. Slowly he begins to slip back into his old ways.
The first thing to take a hit is his grades, as they plummet to below average. Whenever Donnell gets on to him about it, Brandon brings up things that allegedly bother him concerning Donnell’s relationship with others. One day, Oleta finds a cigar wrapper in Brandon’s bedroom. To Donnell, that means Brandon is back in the streets, but Oleta convinces him otherwise.
Out of fear that Brandon might be a hindrance to the BWBBF, Donnell sits him down for a talk. He explains to Brandon that he is the poster boy of the organization and also that there are kids who look up to and admire him. More to the point, Donnell tells Brandon he can no longer participate in the BWBBF until he straightens up.
This only adds false validity to the lies Earl has already been planting in Brandon’s head. Brandon is furious and discreetly moves out of Donnell and Oleta’s condominium one night. When Donnell discovers Brandon missing, he searches for him in the streets all night long to no avail, until he remembers that the streets don’t talk.
After a couple of weeks of searching, Brandon calls. Donnell’s ready to chew his head off. Thinking fast, Oleta, standing near her frustrated fiancé, tells him to calm down. Donnell calmly speaks to Brandon, but Brandon still isn’t willing to come back home, despite the two having had an exceptionally good talk.
Right after Donnell hangs up the phone with Brandon, he gets a call from their publicist. Donnell tells the publicist everything that’s unfolding between him and Brandon, and that it is best to cancel the appearance.
The publicist informs Donnell that he doesn’t believe this is a good idea and explains why. He believes Donnell should do it without Brandon, but Donnell disagrees. The publicist explains that the issue Donnell is having with Brandon isn’t what this appearance is about. The storyline of Donnell and Brandon’s movement is what this thing is about. He breaks down the dynamics and purpose of the appearance, which he says is a cause that far exceeds either one of them. Donnell still isn’t convinced that he should make the appearance, so he asks for a few days to think it over.
Days later, the publicist calls again, and on the other end is none other than Jonathan Jewish himself.
“Hello, Mr. White. It’s an honor to speak with you,” he says.
“Likewise, Mr. Jewish,” Donnell replies.
“Allow me to get straight to the point, Mr. White. I called you personally because I’d really like to have you on our show.”
“Mr. Jewish, I’m not sure if you have been informed of this, but Brandon and I are not in a good place right now. I don’t want to appear misleading on your show, sir.”
“I understand, Mr. White,” Mr. Jewish says. “But I think you should come on the show anyway, and if you’re comfortable with it, maybe we can get in a little discussion about your son.”
Donnell asks Jonathan to give him a day or two to talk things over with his fiancée.
“No problem,” Jonathan replies. “Go ahead and discuss it with your fiancée. I’ll wait for your answer. Hopefully, it’s a yes.”
Donnell and Oleta have the discussion, and he tells her that he wants to reject Jonathan Jewish’s offer. Oleta talks him out of it. She reminds him of the vision he had when they first met. She also reminds him that, although Brandon’s decisions in life may affect their image together, it has no bearing on God’s purpose for their lives. “Don’t throw in the towel,” she says, “and abandon the rest of the boys who believe in you and need you in their lives.”
Afterward, Donnell calls his publicist to confirm his appearance, and a flight is booked for him.
The week of his departure is chaotic. He is featured in every local publication and does interviews all over the place. By the time the date of his departure arrives, he is exhausted.
He and Oleta arrive in New York, safe and sound, and check into the luxurious hotel room reserved for them. The next day, they arrive at the JJ in the Morning studio and are led to the green room, where they’ll remain until show time.
They’ve never seen or experienced anything like this before. The producers, camera crew, makeup artists, and everybody on staff, including Jonathan Jewish, come in to greet them. They even have a personal concierge service that attends to their needs. Quite naturally, Donnell is nervous, but having a microphone affixed to his tie makes him even more nervous.
The time is at hand; the show is set to start. Oleta is led out to a front-row seat in the audience. The production coordinator places Donnell in a designated spot, where he must stay until he’s signaled to come out. While standing there, he gets a text message from Brandon that reads, “I’m proud of you, and I’m sorry.” The music plays, the signal is given, the curtains open, and Donnell walks out to a standing ovation.
He gets off to a great start with humorous responses to Jonathan’s questions. All his jokes seem to go over well with the audience. That is, until Jonathan asks him to explain in detail what is going on with Brandon and what has happened to cause things to go awry between them. Donnell struggles to find the right words to express himself, but ends up crying instead. In true fashion, as she’s always done, Oleta abandons her seat and takes the stage to comfort her fiancé. She hugs him and cries, saying, “It’s OK, baby. Take your time,” as a stunned audience looks on in silence.
Oleta whispers something into Donnell’s ear, and he begins to lift his head. He opens his mouth, stammering a little before releasing a forceful breath—“Whooh”—and then proceeds to make an open plea to Brandon on live television. “Brandon, I’ve given up on a lot of things and a lot of people in my life. I’ve had so many people turn their backs and give up on me as well, but God has taught me something that I will never forget, son. God taught me how to love.”
Donnell looks at Oleta and grabs her hand. “Brandon, love’s got a face, love has a voice, love even has a body to express itself. We love you, and we will never give up on you, son. I may not know where you are right now, but you know where we are and how to reach us. Come home, son. We’ll be waiting for you.”
The mood throughout the audience is about as high as it can get on an emotional scale. Tears are flowing, and the next thing you know, everyone is on their feet, clapping and cheering for the couple. A member of the audience comes on stage to hug the couple, and protocol goes out the window. The audience lines up to hug the couple and shake their hands, and show their support for them and Brandon.
Ratings for the show soar, hitting an all-time high. Calls from viewers pour in, asking for Donnell’s contact info and for information about the BWBBF. From that moment on, Donnell, Oleta, and even Brandon become the topic of much discussion nationally.
Donations and free professional services to aid the growth of the Boys Will Be Boys Foundation come in from all over. The couple returns home to a welcome befitting a king and queen. Once their plane lands and they make their way into the terminal, a large crowd, holding signs, greets them with thunderous applause and cheering. It is unlike anything the couple has seen before.