Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 336(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 224(@300wpm)
“Ma’am. . .”
“Guess he decided to name them Friday since they couldn’t use Jones.”
Maybe. . .if I play along with her. . .then she’ll let me out of here.
“Okay.” I swallowed. “W-why couldn’t my grandmother and grandfather use Jones?”
“Because they were cousins, boy.”
I widened my eyes. “Umm. . .look. You have me mixed up with someone else because I don’t have family in the South.”
“Then, where’s your family?”
I opened my mouth and then shut it.
A loud laugh left her.
Shivering, I backed into the wall that should have been stairs.
“You are with your people now. The Lord knows more than I do. Is this His work? Should I stop getting in his way?”
I don’t know you, lady.
“I keep trying to block you. I relaxed when you left the country. But, you went right to Ava. Then, I did a spell to send you away, and you went so close to Gwen.” Her eyes widened in fear. “Then, you was right back with Ava.”
“T-the ballerina?”
“Yes.”
What the fuck is going on?
“Now you are here when you was supposed to be in France or Italy. What do you want, boy?”
“Umm. . .okay. . .Ava. . .is related to you?”
She nodded.
“Is Em related to you all too?”
“No, but Emily and Lunita are linked to you due to your father.”
“Who is Lunita?”
“You know better than me. It was wrong what your father did.” She spat on the ground. “But he was only like that due to his tainted blood.”
“O-kay.”
“Take it all in.”
I cleared my throat. “So. . .am I tainted?”
“You’ve been steadily breaking that curse.” She beamed with pride. “And you’ve been doing just fine if I must say so myself.”
My chest rose and fell like I was running. “And you’re. . .all of you. . .are my family?”
“And you need to be away from us because I think that we shouldn’t rock the boat. Get on out of here.”
“But. . .I didn’t know. . .”
I still don’t know, if . . .any of this is true.
“What do you want, boy?” She eyed me. “Why did you show up on my doorstep?”
I shrugged.
“You must want something.”
“Maybe, to get out of here.”
Her voice boomed in the space. “What do you want, Maxwell?”
“I. . .I want someone to love.”
“That’s simple. She’s coming your way. Very soon.”
“But. . .how will I know.”
“She’s waiting for you. She has stars hanging from her ear.”
“L-like in my dream.”
“Like in your dream.” The tiny woman closed the space between us.
I heaved back, pressing myself hard into the wall, wishing I could disappear into the concrete. She was small, but she terrified me.
“Poor Maxwell. You really are so loveable. Even I can’t help myself.” She wrapped one arm around my waist and pressed her head against my chest. Her body was warm. Comfort melted into me.
She held me for a long time and then whispered, “I’m sorry. I should have done more. We all should have done more.”
I trembled against her.
“But there was a sickness within our bloodline and our ancestors said that you would end it, if we stayed away.” She tightened her grip on me. “You see. Something is wrong with all of us.”
“W-why?”
“Things were done to our ancestors and then we did things to each other. But your generation will be the ones to heal it.” She let go of me , stepped back, and looked up at me. “Do you have any questions?”
My mouth remained open. My voice was gone. My head hurt.
“I’m your Grand Aunt Delphine. All you have to do is pick up the phone and think of me. The phone will ring to me without you having to press a button, and I’ll answer.”
I have to stop doing drugs. No more weed. It’s making me crazy.
“When you find the love of your life, bring her here so that I can make your union holy.” She bobbed her small head and smiled. “I’ll make sure that none of those curses pass down to all those pretty little girls of yours.”
What little girls?
“Welcome home, Maxwell, but now you have to go and keep on healing.”
“O-kay.”
“Goodbye.” She tapped her cane.
A basement appeared around us. The room was dim, and the only light came from a single, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling and swaying slightly.
A man sat in the corner with his body hunched over as he tapped a drum in a steady rhythm. The sound was low and hypnotic, and it seemed to reverberate through the room.
Jean-Pierre stood on my right. Rafael and Boris on my left. None of them seemed surprised that I had just appeared in front of them. In fact, I don’t think they noticed that I hadn’t been there.
They remained silent as they watched the sight in front of them.
What. The. Fuck?!
I turned that way.
The old woman was no longer in front of me.
She stood far on the other side with her back pressed against the wall all innocent like she hadn’t been near me making piles of gold and butt-naked women appear and disappear.