Page 45 of Stronger Than Blood
Would I like him to be? Again, I wasn’t one to lie, I would like Mick to be an active participant in my life. Even if it meant I wouldn’t be the playboy I liked to pretend I was. I chuckled at the thought. “Not like you were ever good at that anyway…” I mumbled and shrugged. Regardless, I thought to myself, it’s strange how quickly life could change, even when you weren’t expecting it.
Chapter thirty
Mick
Islept most of the way to Memphis and only woke up long enough to use the restroom. I’d gotten off work, which took me an extra two hours to complete with all the orders Brenda had. I was so going to have to figure out a better system.
I ran by Granny’s room to hug her, but luckily, she was headed to breakfast so I could get at least a few hours’ sleep before I had to meet Madam Bellamy and Rory. The three hours I was able to get just weren’t enough, and Madam Bellamy was dead set on us meeting her niece, who’d been cooking all day, apparently. Rory wanted to follow her back to Memphis, because he was protective of his loved ones like that. Something I loved about him. So, I didn’t feel too bad about falling asleep with Rory at the wheel and getting a few more hours in.
I loved that we held hands most of the way there. Even as I slept, Rory’s hand only left mine momentarily. His contact felt so good. It felt so right, as if he was protecting and nurturing me at the same time.
Luckily, by the time we pulled into Memphis, I was beginning to come back to life. I looked around the neighborhood and felta sudden burst of excitement about being in such a historically significant part of Tennessee's history. Beale Street was a place of legends, and I now understood why Madam Bellamy must’ve been attracted to the area. I could imagine her business booming there.
I followed Rory and Madam into the building. As we’d been told, the store was mostly empty. There were still odds and ends on the shelves, but for the most part, it’d been cleaned out.
Luckily, that meant there wouldn’t be much to pack, at least not in there. Madam came out of the back, and a tall, beautiful woman followed her. “Boys, this is my niece, Dupris Baptiste, soon to be known only as Madam Baptiste,” she said, smiling at the woman behind her.
She reached out and shook our hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. Rory, my auntie has only had the most lovely things to say about you.”
Rory blushed, which caused me to realize just how important this woman must be.
“I was just about to make the official handoff to my niece, and we’d be honored if you’d join us,” Madam said, and I heard Rory swallow hard beside me.
“I’d be honored,” I said, and Rory nodded as well.
“Then come sit around the table,” Madam said.
I winked at Rory and squeezed his hand before we sat down, understanding this was a big thing for him. It probably would be for me as well if I’d known more about what was happening.
There was something in the middle of the table with a black velour cover over it.
Madam took off the cover and waved her hand over the ball before looking at the woman in front of her. “Our ancestors have been in possession of this tool of our trade since the late 1800s. Our grandmother’s grandmother traveled to Africa and found the crystal, from which it was made, sticking out of the ground.”She smiled at her niece. “I know you already know this story, but it’s important to tell the stories of our loved ones once they are gone. That’s how we never forget them. Her story was that she had to hike through dangerous lands, avoiding snakes, lions, and hyenas. But she knew she had to journey there because this was waiting for her. When she found the crystal, she knew it was what she was seeking. They loaded it on the back of a cart and wheeled it for many miles until they came to a village where a man was able to turn the raw crystal into this beautiful sphere.”
Madam Bellamy looked at the crystal for a long time, then sighed. It was almost like you could hear a lifetime of work pass through her. She looked up at her niece and said, “You’ve gone through so much, first accepting yourself as a transgender woman, then teaching our family how to respect you as a woman instead of the gender you were assigned at birth.” Madam reached over and took her hand, smiling as a small tear dripped down her face. “I know it was hard, but that journey has made you strong and made you powerful.”
She put her thumb and three fingers on the woman’s forehead and said, “I transfer to you the gifts passed down from mother to daughter, aunt to niece through the ages. You must swear never to sell this crystal and to protect it with your life as it represents every woman who has owned it before you.”
“I swear, Auntie,” she said. “I will cherish this as the gift from the ancestors that it is.”
Both women were crying now, and I was feeling more than a little weepy myself. “Then,” Madam Bellamy said as she took her hand off her niece’s forehead, “I designate you, Madam Baptiste. May our ancestors guide you and the spirits speak through you, so you may pass their wisdom to others.”
Madam Bellamy stood and placed her hands on her niece’s head before kissing the space between her thumbs and fingers. “You are a blessed and beautiful woman, my sweet child. Now,”she said and sat back down, “tell me, do you know how to keep it safe?” The woman nodded, but Madam Bellamy gave directions anyway. “Keep it in the dark, or it will likely burn your house down. This is a powerful tool and not just in a mystical way.” Her niece laughed and nodded. “Clean it with the cloth every day when you’re done with it. The oils from your hands will stain the crystal if you don’t. Never allow anyone to touch the crystal except with your express permission. This is an instrument honed for our family and those we are training,” she said and winked at Rory. “Finally, keep it covered. Spirits move through the crystal and can often get caught. When the crystal is covered, it prevents that from happening, which makes the visions you see more accurate.” The woman smiled, and Madam Bellamy nodded. “Read your great-grandmother’s journal, for she has more advice than I want to rehash today. This is a special occasion, and we should celebrate.’
When we stood to head upstairs to the apartment, I asked, “Madam Bellamy, do you have plans for these crystals?” I pointed out the ones hanging in the window.
She smiled at me. “First, I am no longer Madam Bellamy. That is a name we use only for the head priestess in our home, our Queen Leader. You may call me Kalinda or Kalie if you prefer.”
“Really? That doesn’t feel right,” Rory said beside me.
“My niece is now the owner of the crystal, which makes her my successor. She is now the Queen in our family, and therefore, she holds the title Madam. But, Rory, I’ve given this up with a very happy heart. My niece is a powerful practitioner, and I’m tired and ready to retire. It was time.”
“Kalinda, Kalie, Kalinda,” Rory said several times and finally settled on Kalinda. “Sorry, at the very least, I’ll have to call you by your full name. And your last name is Bellamy?”
She squeezed Rory’s arm and smiled. “Kalinda Bellamy, actually. As far as the crystals go, if one is speaking to you, pleasetake it. I always try to keep extras in case they do,” she told me. “Often crystals are the best tools we can use to filter and manage our emotions.”
She and Rory went upstairs, and I took the crystal, a brown-tinted one, which was certainly speaking to me, and slipped it into my pocket. I immediately felt safer with it and had a feeling it would be with me for the rest of my life.
Chapter thirty-one
