Thorned Figures

Chapter 23

   
  
 
I was curious about her family. On my mother's side, I mean.

"How's the family, since I've never got the chance to meet them?" I inquired, busting the shells off the pistachio nuts.

"It's a good things you never met them." She chuckled, putting all her nuts in one pile to eat them at once.

Maybe I should do that too.

"Why?"

"Grandville, Pit four is no easy place. If it's not your own family trying to beat us down it's the community. Our grandma is an old witch who nuh stop guh obeah man." She started and I laughed.

She gave me a looks and my eyes widened. "True ting?"

"Mhmm hmm. That's why aunty, yuh mommy left. Grandma nuh realized seh ar life soon done and shi fih guh start praise God. It's a obeah church shi going like that one wid pastor Smith."

I started coughing and she started laughing as I quickly drank some of my juice.

"I don't know if I should tell yuh this, but the truth is the only way to set us free. Mommy seh har sister run weh from the man who grandma did a get fih har." My eyes widened.

"Our grandmother a look man fih mommy?" I asked with amusement.

She looks me up and down, silently telling me that I must believe it.

"Grandma seh mommy and the man shi run weh with won't be together for long because she knows fih set trap fih mongoose." Rae whispered and I gasped.

Wait.

But a she have hand inna mommy life mek mommy did a behave suh and neva happy wid daddy.

"Oh God." I held my mouth and leaned back.

"Seems the trap set and the mongoose get ketch." She sighted. "If yuh mada nuh return home, it mean seh shi deh fight it. Deh fight har mada curse and good prayer will help, but hear dis."

She puts the shells with the others, brushing off her hand.

"Some times things bounce offa head and land pah shoulder. The full blow might nuh ketch yuh mommy, but it might ketch you and any man yuh deh wid."

"Wait." I stopped her.

All this is true, and I don't want to call her names, but...

"A true thing, Rae?" I started to worry.

"Calm down, yuh naw mek yuh scary man run mih outta unno house fih deh stress yuh out." She whispered and I laughed.

"Sorry, but him cyaw do dat or mih a lef wid yuh too." I said and meant it.

Talking about my scary man. Her man is Hulk, much thicker and muscular than my man. Even his bearded face reminds me of lumberjacks or men in motorcycle clubs. The tattoos and piercings makes it obvious.

Love is really blind.

"Anyway. Yuh did have a relationship before him?" She pointed outside the doorway which Hassan had went through.

"A bad one. Stalking, abuse..." I sighted.

"Seet deh." She realizes. "I don't know if the witch still riding har broom..."

I laughed out and held my tummy.

"Hey, nuh badda wid dih laughing. Mih mek mih friend laugh till har water break, mih nuh want it be an habit." She warned but I laughed for the better.

"Weh yuh did deh all mih life?" I laughed, looking at her with amusement.

"Soon tell yuh, back to story time now." She took a sip of her juice and continued. "Grandma set up all har pickney dem wid sumaddy inna dih church. Your mommy run as I did too, when grandma starts to friend me up. So my mada did affi lef my fada and shi tek the man grandma give har."