The Meltdown (28 page)

“Yes, indeed we do. The child needs a bath. She has to be completely cool for it to work.”

For what to work? And what kind of bath do I have to take now?

“The river should be warm this time of year,” Netta says, still searching for guidance in our ancient family text. “Or rather a salt bath would do her well. It’ll calm her hot head right down and scrub all that madness off of her at once.” Netta stands up straight as an arrow and points at the page, apparently finding what she’s looking for.

“What does it say?” Mama asks, gathering white towels, linens, and blankets from the tall pile in the corner of the room across from where I’m sitting. I hate when they act as if I’m not in the room. It makes me feel out of control.

“That’s exactly how you should feel, because you are,” Mama says, catching my whining in midthought. I also hate it when she does that. “And you need to surrender to the process, Jayd. Walk your path with as little resistance as possible and you will master your powers in a way you thought was possible only in your dreams,” Mama says, her emerald eyes sparkling in the candlelight. I stare deep into Mama’s eyes, seeing all that she sees in my lifetime, from before my birth to me as an old woman. Sharing the vision, I feel the power Mama’s speaking of, realizing that for the first time, I control my dreams and, through them, the collective powers of my predecessors.

“See what I’m talking about, child?” Mama asks, directing the next scene in our vision quest. “You can borrow anyone’s sight if you think about it and purposefully fall into a dream state.” As I fall asleep, the power takes over my eyes and I wake up in my mother’s vision. “You have to learn to fall into your dreams and come out with the power you intended to borrow. You also have to learn how to master sleepwalking with the other powers in our lineage. Why do you think I let
you keep your mama’s vision so long? I wanted to see what you would do with it and how you would handle so much power.”

“You knew?” I ask as my mother walks into the room. “Mom, you told Mama about me keeping your powers?”

My mom looks at me sympathetically. “Jayd, when will you learn that you can’t hide anything from Mama for long?” my mom asks, kissing me on the cheek. “I don’t even try, but I did ask her to let me handle it since I’m the only one who knows my powers inside and out, or at least I was.” My mom joins Mr. Adewale, smiling at Mama and Netta.

“Iya, what can I do to help?” Mr. Adewale asks.

I feel so bad for putting him in this predicament, but I know he understands.

“Do what you do best, Ogunlabi. Protect us. We’re going in.” Nodding in agreement, Mr. Adewale stands at the door. “Our enemies have waged war on our house, and we can’t let them continue with this foolishness. With Jayd and I working together, we can squelch this madness once and for all.”

“War?” I ask. I have no idea what’s going on.

“Yes, Jayd. War. Emilio’s godfather and Esmeralda have been working hard to get revenge, and we’re caught up in their mess. That’s the real reason we were gone. We had a lot of work to do and needed to be out of earshot to get it done.” Mama looks at the spirit book, reading the information for herself and nods in approval.

“We also needed to be with our ancestors,” Netta says. “We got a lot of work done in Nawlins. I sure do miss being home, even if it’s not the same since Oya and Yemoja went buck wild with Katrina. There’s nothing like the kind of havoc wind and water combined can wreak, is there, little Jayd?” Netta asks, her golden-brown eyes shining at the
memory. None of her relatives were killed in the storm, but several of their friends weren’t as fortunate.

“Let’s get her to Mama’s house,” Mama says, referring to Yemoja’s house, the ocean. Yemoja is known as the mother of Oshune, and is therefore also one of our mothers. Lifting me by my right arm and leading me out of the backhouse, she locks the spirit room door and directs Lexi to clear the way, checking for any obstructions in our path.

“A bembé,” Mama says, acknowledging the commotion in Esmeralda’s yard. “She’s officially taken over as Hector’s wife in their ile.”

I look across the backyard and see Misty and Emilio kneeling side by side, dressed in all white.

“Is she initiating those kids tonight?” Netta asks, recognizing Misty and Emilio. “They’re not ready.”

Mr. Adewale looks sad at his male protégé playing for the other team, but what can he do? Ultimately, we all choose our paths, and Emilio and Misty have made theirs no matter how wrong they both are.

“And they’re also not our concern,” Mama says, continuing with her trek. I follow my elders, but the loud squawking of a crow circling above my head stops me from moving forward.

“I can’t see!” I scream. The squawking is getting louder and louder as the bird lands on my hair, pecking at my forehead. “Ahh!” I scream, blood streaming down my face. I know this old crow is Esmeralda, just like in my dream last night.

“Jayd!” Mama screams, trying to hit the bird, but it’s relentless in its attack. My mom, Netta, and Mr. Adewale gather around, trying to protect me, but the bird’s too agile.

“You mustn’t let her win,”
Maman says in my head.
“Open your eyes, child. Je suis ici
.”

Fanning the bird above my head, I open my blind eyes and recognize the distorted vision from my time travels. Unafraid of the pain of the pecking bird, I reach up and grab it in my hands, stilling its fluttering. The black crow silences under my strong grasp, accepting that with one wrong move, I will snap its neck in half.

“Mama, look at her eyes,” my mom says in shock. “They’re green.”

“Maman,” my grandmother says, recognizing her mother’s stare. “Maman’s riding Jayd.”

Netta and Mr. Adewale bow at my great-grandmother’s feet, and Mom and Mama kneel at her powerful presence as well. I’m aware of my actions, but instead of controlling them, it’s like I’m in the background watching it all go down.

“No!” Esmeralda screams from the other side of the fence separating her yard from ours. The drumming next door has ceased, and Misty and Emilio look at us. The rest of their guests can’t help but wonder what’s going on over here.

“It’s over, Esmeralda,” I say in Maman’s voice. “You can’t hurt us anymore.” I walk over to the fence with the bird in hand, my eyes beaming as Maman’s powers fully take over the scene. I toss the frightened crow at a shocked Esmeralda.

“Impossible,” Esmeralda says, running toward the fence with a broomstick. Her tricks won’t work on me now, and the frightened look in her cold, blue eyes reveals what her mind’s not ready to accept. “But I fixed you good. I got you right where I want you, little Jayd. Your head’s too hot to see straight, let alone beat me.”

Esmeralda’s followers begin to chant loudly to the returning drumbeat as she boldly stares into my eyes. Instead of avoiding her debilitating eyes, I look straight into them, Maman’s powers coursing through my blood.

“Oui,
Esmeralda.
Se mettre d’accord,”
I say, agreeing with Mama’s archenemy. “My head’s too hot. I need a cool mind
to finish you off.” Focused on Esmeralda’s vision, I slowly drain her mind of its cool advantage, transferring my heat to her head and vice versa. With every beat of Esmeralda’s heart, Maman robs her of her sight, crippling her in her own house. Misty and Emilio watch in awe as my eyes beat their godmother at her own game: I bet her wicked ass didn’t see that one coming.

“No!” Esmeralda screams. “I can’t see!”

“Funny,” I say as my enemy squirms from the pain she’s used to wielding on her victims. “I can see just fine.” Before I can get too cocky with my new swag, I feel faint and fall to the ground.

“Jayd!” Mama screams, coming to my aid. “We have to get her to the ocean. Her crown can’t be put off any longer.”

“I’ll drive,” Mr. Adewale says. He’s proving himself to be quite handy in spiritual matters. I think they’ve done this before. We all leave the backyard and pack into Mr. Adewale’s truck.

Mr. Adewale expertly maneuvers his Jeep over the rocks and sand off the main road leading to the pier. The ocean is calm tonight and the breeze warm. I miss spending evenings like this with Jeremy, but I can’t think about that right now. I have to focus on getting my head straight.

We exit the vehicle and head toward the water. I still can’t wrap my head around my maturing powers. If I can borrow anyone’s sight through my dreams, we can bring back all of the powers mentioned in the spirit book. That’s got to be the dopest shit ever.

“Jayd, sit down,” Mama says.

My mom and Mr. Adewale serve as lookouts for any unwelcome visitors we might encounter, but this part of the beach is pretty deserted.

Netta takes my hand, leading me to the wet part of the
sand where the water turns to salty froth and kneels down beside me.

“All fresh water returns to the ocean. Daughters of Os-hune always go back to their mother, Yemoja,” Mama says, scrubbing my ankles with the sea salt and ocean water. The full moon fills the dark sky, blessing the ancient ceremony. This is the beginning of my journey to full initiation, my first step to becoming a priestess in my own right.

“It’s about balance, Jayd. Yemoja is the cool, levelheaded mother while Oshune is the fiery, passionate one, but she can be cool as well,” Netta says, washing my arms and hands in the same mixture. I can already feel my body cool down, but Maman’s still in my head. “They both have their crazy moments, as evidenced by floods and tsunamis,” Netta adds, checking the romantic side of both powerful female orishas.

“The point is that it takes all levels to become all the woman you were born to be. And you can’t be afraid of your power. That’s good for no one.”

Mama’s right about that. I’ve been no good to anyone lately.

Mama gently massages my scalp, parting my hair with her fingers. She then wraps a large white sheet around me, covering my white gown from this evening’s ball. As she prays over me, Mama rips the delicate fabric away from my body, tugging me hard with every pull.

“Jayd, you’re going to take off the dress and throw it into the ocean,” Mama says, passing Netta one end of another sheet identical to the one I’m wearing.

Knowing Mrs. Esop’s going to be extremely upset at both my disappearing act and the loss of the couture gown, I follow Mama’s directions and let the dress go with the ebb of the receding tide. It comes back with the flow, and I again attempt to discard the new outfit, this time going with it.

Completely taken asunder by a wave, I’m unafraid because
I can feel Maman’s presence take over, eliminating any doubt that I’m doing the right thing. While underwater, I can see everything so clearly. It’s all running together like a movie in front of my eyes. The heavy feeling I’ve been carrying on my head gently fades away with each ebb and flow of the strong tide. The blindness, the fall at cheer practice, the fight with Jeremy, Sandy’s crazy-ass accusation of Rah being her new baby daddy, and last but not least, Mickey going to Misty for help losing weight, which in turn has made her lose her mind. In the quiet of the water, I can hear the answers to all of my inquiries. I now know what to do.

“Jayd, breathe. It’s all over,” Mama says, rescuing me from the water. My wet hair feels like snakes again, but this time it doesn’t scare me. Instead, I am comforted by their return. The eldest ancestors are represented by the amphibians and therefore would never harm a hair on my head, let alone strangle me. The cold-blooded reptiles instantly cool my blood, and my vision is again my own. And what a powerful vision it is.

I
t’s been two weeks since the debutante ball, and I haven’t spoken to any of my friends for longer than the two minutes Mama allowed me to communicate that I’m all right and will see them soon. Today’s the first day we’ve had to chill, and I admit I’ve missed my crew. Nellie’s not here and neither is Rah, who’s caught up in his hustle, but I’m glad to see Mickey, Nigel, and Nickey made it to the Westside Pavilion. There’s nothing like shopping on a nice day to bring out the best in us all.

“Jayd, are you okay?” Nigel asks, hugging me tightly.

Mama gave me strict directions not to let anyone touch my skin directly, thus causing me to be fully covered when I’m outside of the house: no more arms and legs out until the restriction is lifted. My friends all look concerned at my altered appearance, but I feel better than I have all year long.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I say, returning the love. “Please tell your mom I said sorry and thank you for everything.”

“You can tell her yourself,” Nigel says. “She wants to see you first thing on Monday. I know you didn’t think this debutante shit was over, did you?”

“Yes, actually I did.”

I greet Mickey and Nickey and follow them to a table in
the food court. We have only a few weeks left of summer, then it’s on to our senior year at Drama High. I want to spend them doing everything I want to do. Mama called the school and told them to send my reading work home, which they did. Cheer practice is a whole other complication I’ll have to work out when I return to camp in a couple of weeks.

“Jayd, it feels weird being in the mall with you looking like a goddamned nun,” Mickey says, turning her nose up at my attire.

I feel strange, too, but it’s all part of my transformation. At least it’s happening now and not during the school year. Then I’d really feel out of place. I’ve already been down that road and don’t want to begin my senior year like that.

“Do you have to wear that thing over your head? It might not be so bad if you had your hair out.”

“Not until my five weeks are up,” I say. I’m just glad to be out of the house. For the first seven days, Mama had me on lockdown in the spirit room. I couldn’t do anything but study and sleep. I wonder if my diabolical twins had the same experience. I can’t believe Misty and Emilio were initiated the same day I was. That’s some irony for my ass.

“You and Nickey take a load off. We’ll grab the pizza and drinks,” Nigel says, holding Mickey’s hand as they walk toward the long line of patrons waiting for the New York slices.

“Hey, baby,” I say to my goddaughter, who smiles up at me. I know she understands my attire, unlike the gawking people around us. So much for people having an open mind about other cultures.