I helped Adele with the vegetables in the garden. I'm pulling the potatoes out the ground when I get an idea. What about an apple tree for Lynndie? It would give her something to do.
Her mother picks the cabbages at another patch. She looks at the street and I go over to her. "You know it's scary out here." she says. "Thinking about what Lynn said?"
She chuckles, "I wish my daughter was stupid. But she isn't blind and it doesn't make sense for two to work nd one to be broken."
"Huh?"
"If I can see and touch; and lose my ability to see. How can I say the grass is green?"
"I'm not following."
"The grass is yellow." she says. "I have something for Lynndie's birthday." Boy what a time to be part of a fucking family. "We don't have much but, we make the best of it."
"What is it?" I ask. Adele puts her finger up to her lips. I almost forget this woman is a cow and her husband is a hound. "It's watermelon."
"She's never had watermelon?" I smile. "She's had watermelon. Hazy would cut the watermelon up into cubes. We'd get toothpicks and dip them in salt or ice water."
"Well that sounds nice."
"You're a big strong man. Come help me get four melons."
We got four melons planted in the forest beside the house. Apparently, everything is deadly around here, including these woods.
We brought the watermelon inside and Lynn come out her room leaving a trail of black dots. "I'm not doing anything!" she ran to her mother. "Oh my--" Adele sat the melon on the table which rolled off. She gets a cloth and damps it and wipe off the black blood. "Did you go outside again?"
"No!" says Lynndie. "I was washing my hands and the sink in my bathroom is broke too." Something tells me that's what Hazy told her to keep her from messing with it.
The rag is now black. Adele turns on the stove and runs the facet. She quickly turns it off and throws the rag on the burner. Adele picks up Lynndie and goes to the bedroom, grunting and cursing the house.
Well, you can't let the watermelon chill in poison, that makes poison.
Hazy comes back from hunting. They have another horse and that horse has four eyes and a monkey tail with the facial ability to smile something ugly. "I'm home and I got grub for tonight."
"You need to do something about that tank. Your daughter had black hands." says Adele. "Hazy, the sink in her roomm is running dark."
"Fuck me in alphabetical order." he pants. Hazy takes a seat at the table with the catch. "Y'all need somewhere to stay?"
"We've been staying here forever. I don't know where to go." says Hazy. "You can come to my motel, I got room. Rent free."
"Boy you ain't listening..." he turns his head away from me. "I don't hink you are. It's rent free!"
"Again, you deaf. Why would my ass be out here anyway?"
"I don't know." I shrug.
"I'm wanted." states Hazy. I really don't know how to listen, but that's the great thing about the motel. Everybody's a criminal. "Hazy, I own the place. I got you."
"You just got here!" he jabs the table. "I ain't fucking up again with my little girl."
I sigh, "Alright."
"Just to be asking. How many rooms?" requests Adele. "I got a room for y'all with four, five and three. The one with three beds has a large room you fit bunk beds in if you wanted."
"What's the regular rent for three beds?" she asks. Hazy hisses loudly, "Stop!" she glares at her husband. "You must be doing crack again."
"Woman be quiet!" he snarls. "I haven't done any of that shit and I don't plan to!"
"Then why can't we move!"
"Because I said so!" he stomps. Removing himself from the chair, "I said so! That's why!"
"That's bullshit and you know it! Let Lynndie wash her ass in blood, keep her in the house, it makes no sense to live like this!"
"When I was dirt broke you took the ring! So what now!"
"I HATE YOU!" Adele darts to the bedroom, slamming the door. This is a regular ass thing I see. I'd rise they rent.
.
.
.
We had apples and beef with corn this time. Dinner was rather quiet. At night, I slept, and I heard that verse again.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
I saw the ostrich again, flying through the night sky. And I thought I saw a fireball fall.
I woke up and got ready for breakfast. "Sam! Is it true you got us a house!" she hops out the chair and runs to me. "You own a whole motel!"
"I would give it to you but your daddy don't want it." I look at her and that beaming smile disappears so fast. "Sam, when was the last time you check on your car?" questions Adele. "I suggest you move it to the back of the house."
"I will." Lynndie goes back to the table and takes a seat. This time Hazy fix breakfast. We had chicken wings, snail, and toast. Lynndie looks at her plate and pouts. "Hey, Sam!" she exclaims. "What kind of food you got at the motel?"
"Huh, well, most people cook themselves or go out and get something to eat. You ever had a burger?"
"A burger?" her eyes sparkle. "Lynn!" She turns slowly to her father. "You've had that."
"Well, I haven't had one in a long time." she says softly. "You don't need one." he growls.
"Let's keep feeding ourselves butchered people. Genius." mumbles Adele. "And scrumptious." he adds. Lynndie lays her chin on the table. "I don't like snail."
"It has protein. That means it like chicken." titters Hazy. Lynndie sulks with power. "Ridiculous..."
The door thuds shaking shoulders at the table. "Barney!" yells Solis. Hazy gets up and jolts to the door. He opens it and Solis runs in. "Dozens of them!" he hollers. "Fornicatin' and stitching people together." he cries forcibly. "They--They got Willa, she strung up!" he falls to his knees. "He moves his hands trying to symbolize a rope around a neck. "She ain't got no body!" His crying is felt throughout the house. Solis lays flat against the floor. "We--We was gon' get married..."
"Solis, get up..."
"My Willa--Her eyes--gone." Solis chokes on his tears. "Uncle Soul..." weeps little Lynndie. "We have to move!" Adele rises. "We can't!" Hazy argues. "He--He could be with the Department!" We lock eyes. "I'm not."
"What the fuck you got a motel for? Collection?"
"Yeah..." And criminals. "Solis, calm down." Adele goes to the floor laying both her hands on him. "Solis breathe..."
No matter what, Solis is gasping with tears.
.
.
.
We sit on the couch between the grandparents. Solis has a cup of hot clear water with sugar. "Willa's dead..." he says to the cup of steam. "Solis..." Adele lays her hand on his shoulder. "Head cut off and I don't know where her body is."
"We could use the circle..." Hazy suggest from the table. "I'm sorry ya woman gone."
Solis rolls his eyes. "And I said, stay at the hotel. You said, nah, I can't stay over there with my little girl! Yet, " he takes a sip of hot water. "Here we are with fake everything. Fake charms, fake laces, fake money and fake magic--"
"The magic is real!"
"A country boy doing crack, selling lean with the market and doing God's creation. What's that shit we learned in school?" he snaps his fingers after two seconds of thought. "Ironic. A fucking paradox. A Contradiction. A puzzled fucking shit-uation!"
"Pat yourself on the back. Look at all that edu-macation just blowin' out ya ass."
"Wait, one more, with your name in it. An oxymoron and you used to siphon gas."
"How old are you? Because I'm sure senility come about right now."
"I ain't fucking lost my mind. Because I stay repeatin' shit!" he grimaces. Solis stands up, "Since my memory so bad. You didn't hit be with a stolen car because I damn near told Adele you cheated."
"Enough!"
"Since my memory so back, you sure as hell wasn't running from the cops and stayed months in jail under investigation."
"Solis!"
"Since my memory... is so fucking bad. You didn't get high as shit and let yo brother in the house. You couldn't get to Lynn--Aubriana, because yo' ass was sitting on penis!"
"Wow..." Hazy sits in the chair with his head turned. I just know I shouldn't be here. "You eat people!"
"They look like animals..." he huffs. "You literally go outside and hunt people!"
"But they animals--"
"Nigga you a animal!"
"Stop it!" yells Adele. "All is forgiven!"
"Goddamn it Adele! It's not!"
"Is it! Look where we are! And papa said never be what you around, it's choas in this house."
"And live with a crackhead!" Solis explodes. Ok so, using my context clues. Adele is Solis's sister. She had child with his friend, and he is half white. And the child was harmed (I refuse the other word) and now Uncle is looking for forgiveness.
Why do I keep hearing that verse?
"Guess what! I just thought about another word. Take a guess."
"Nigga?" assumes Hazy.
"DECEIT!"
.
.
.
I checked on Lynndie before bed, and she sat in the room with her mother while she sung a tune to her.
I started thinking about the watermelon, I hope that's good enough. At the same time, I remember to move my car. I go outside and my vehicle is still in the grass. I get to it and slide inside the car, "Roar..." the word hits the stirring wheel and I hear a click like the keys been in. I drive the car slowly in the back of the house and go back inside to sleep.
I wonder if I have Solis room? Because he's sleeping on the couch with a blanket. He must have a bit of magic on him because he's a snake. This man is tan with black hair and deep set brown eyes. I wonder what Adele looks like if she's related to him.
I mind my business and go to bed. I heard this annoying scratching in my sleep and next to come.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9–11.
And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over and join this chariot." So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
Acts 8:27-31
And in my dreams, I saw the ostrich. The bird looked at my car, and it spoke to me. "Do you hear me?" his voice gurgled like. "I did it."
My car is still moving but I can't go fast enough. "It's in the house. I did it."
He disappears, and I wake up out my sleep and take the gun from the closet. My body moves to the middle of the living room as if I would where. I don't question myself and shoot the floor. Solis jolt awake, "What in the fuck!"
"I'm having premonitions!"
"Nigga you seeing ghost!"
"I still got my body!" I shoot the floor near the kitchen. "He told me he did it!"
"Who!"
"Greg!" I shoot the floor in the middle in a circle until I hear a clank. "Stop!" Solis drops to the floor and crawls to the spot I shot. "What in the hell!" Adele and Hazy come out the room. "Why you shooting up my house for!" he screams. Solis picks apart the floor boards till a silver box can be seen. "So, you are still doing it!" he yells at Hazy. "I don't know nothing about that."
Little Lynndie comes out the room with her doll. She stays near the edge of teh wall. "Uncle." Solis struggles trying to get the box out the floor. I get a knife and try to wedge it under to pull it up. "He said he did it."
"That bitch!" he gestures at Hazy. "No," I shake my head. "Greg!"
"This is Greg's box? Solis stares at me. We finally lift the box up, and it has a little weight. "I said I don't know nothin' about that!"
Solis shake it and something hits from the inside. "It's locked..." he flips the little lock pad. "I think I have it..." we all turn to little Lynndie.
"Lynn..." Adele moves to her daughter's side. "Don't any of you go in her room!" she glares at us before going to her daughter's room. "He put the key in my dresser..."
"I don't see why I can't go in my kid's room. I'm her father!"
"Shut up Barney!"
"Bitch!" Hazy snaps. I hear the rummage in Lynndie's room, Adele comes back with a small silver key. Hazy, the hound, tries to take it from her. Adele slaps him and unlocks the box. Solis opens it and blinks his eyes. "Why?" he contorts.
I look on the side of Solis, it's a black woman's hand with long sharp brittle nails. It has a purple bracelet, and a rose ring. "That's Monique!" states Lynn. Her mother faces her, breathing shallow. "Lynn, did you bury..."
"I didn't..." she shakes her head. "He did... and--and, he took her eyes and that's in the backyard."
"Monique's eyes?"
"He chopped her up but uncle found me first so..." she looks down. "That's why I wanted to do the baptism!"
"Lynn that's not that works..." Solis ponders. "Monique needs a body and soul."
"She can have mine! Even if it doesn't have a leg!"
Damn.