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“Mama, please stop talking in circles and avoiding the question,” said Camille.
“Y’all are startin’ to act like my boys. Always suspicious of something goin’ on. There’s nothing goin’ on. Your answers are in front of you.”
“Mama,” started Camille. Irene held up her hand, silencing her daughter.
“You all visit the pond at least once a week. That keeps you young, healthy, youthful lookin’. What helps is everything around you. The plants we eat, the air we breathe, the life we live.
“Yes, Ruby and I have a bit of magic in our fingertips. But ninety percent of it is just prayer.” The women stared at them, giving a curious gaze of disbelief. Ruby gave a big belly laugh, shaking her head.
“Y’all know that my ancestors came here with magic in their fingers,” said Ruby. “You can call it voodoo if you want. My people did.”
“So, you’re a priestess?” asked Kari.
“I’m no priestess, child. I’m just a woman who knows how to make things happen using what’s around me. That’s my gift. A big part of that is sometimes making others believe in things that aren’t real. Making them believe so heavily, they see nothing else.”
“What do you mean?” asked Faith.
“Why do you think your mama and me spend so much time with our plants?”
“You like to get dirty?” frowned Suzette.
“You, more than anyone, should know the qualities of plants, especially those special plants when they’re mixed together.” Suzette stared at her. “You mix a few things, and men begin to hear and see strange things. You mix a few more things, and you can bring on powerful illness. It’s not voodoo. It’s science.”
“I suppose that is true, but are you telling me that you and Mama have been mixing herbs and plants all these years to make magical things happen? That doesn’t explain knowing when something will be said or done, and you two showing up.”
“Child, we’re both over a hundred years old. The fact that we’ve learned to read people along the way, to gain a sort of sixth sense, seems natural,” chuckled Ruby.
“Y’all need to learn to accept things, even when you don’t understand them,” said Irene. “Ruby and me, your daddy too, we work to have the earth, the air, and the land protect all of us. Now, your daddy, he has skills even I don’t understand, and those won’t last forever either.
“In fact, time is coming near.”
The women all stared at Ruby and Irene, looking from one to the other, trying to understand the depths of what the women were saying.
“But how long, Mama?” asked Marie with a slight hint of childlike fear.
“There’s no tellin’, child. It will be different for everyone, or maybe all at once. I think it’s safe to say that Ruby, me, your father, we’ll be closer than all of you.”
“Probably Teddy, too,” said Ruby.
“Yes. Teddy may be the closest of all.” Marie turned to her sister, Claudette.
“Is this what Mama has been teaching you? You’ve been learning of the ways to help us all live longer? The plants, the water, all of it.”
“Yes. That and our history here. If we don’t know that, it won’t help us at all. There’s an entire library of history to learn, and I’m not even halfway through it all. Mama and Miss Ruby have so much knowledge, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand it.”
“Mama, maybe we share the knowledge,” said Suzette. “Don’t put that burden completely on Claudette.”
‘You know, it’s funny you say that,” smiled Irene. “I was thinkin’ this would be a good time for y’all to get away and learn some new things.”
“Irene, we have a getaway planned,” said Erin. She nodded at the women.
“Yep. And I’ll be sure you learn what you need to learn.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Brother, I used to drag my feet when we spoke about vacations or getaways,” said Ghost. “I gotta say, I’m not dragging my feet this time. It feels like ages since we had a vacation, and I know that’s not true. It was just a while back we were all in Italy together. But here I am. Pissing and moaning. I need this break.”
“I feel the same,” said Whiskey. “It doesn’t help that Kat and the legal team seem to be busier than all of us. I’m not sure what’s happening with everyone, but it’s getting harder and harder to get motivated every day.”
