by N. A. Hydes
MaryAnn’s face turned white. Josephine turned to look at her mother. “Momma, Papaw Collins was a nice man. Always gave me candy from his pocket when he visited.”
MaryAnn stayed quiet, staring at a spot on the floor, face still pale.
Josephine looked at Jennifer. “No, Mom’s dad was John Collins. She had a sister and two brothers,” Josephine insisted. “So there, your dreams are just dreams.”
“No, she’s right,” MaryAnn whispered under her breath. Her eyes were looking beyond the room. “My dad’s name was Robert Sowards. He lived in Kentucky.”
The air in the room seemed thicker. Josephine sat quietly, not saying anything, only looking at her mother.
“I never told anyone.” MaryAnn turned to face Josephine and continued, “I never even told your father. I just didn’t see the point, and it was so many years ago.” She looked at Jennifer. “I don’t even know what happened to Papa. I’ve wondered all these years. Did you dream what happened to him?” MaryAnn asked.
“No, but I dreamed of a younger him last night.” Jennifer looked at her great-grandmother. “When he was younger, and he lived in Kentucky and New York. It was such a realistic dream,” Jennifer said. A tear ran down MaryAnn’s face. “I know he said nothing to you,” Jennifer continued to MaryAnn. “In New York, he was very wealthy and looked forward to children. The only thing I think that could have turned him so bitter was the Great Depression.”
Josephine moved to sit next to her mother and put her hand on her lap.
“Momma, Grandpa John was not my grandpa?” Josephine asked her mother.
“No, sweetie,” MaryAnn replied, taking her daughter’s hand. “All that was a long time ago, my dear Jennifer. I can attest that what you have told me about my life is true. So maybe you are the family’s first psychic.” MaryAnn wiped a tear going down her cheek and smiled. “When did these dreams start?”
“In the woods, camping a few nights ago,” Jennifer answered, a little startled. “I just want them to stop.” She decided not to mention the dream of turning into a dragon or waking up on top of the bear. She left out the liquor as well. Jennifer’s family were Southern Baptist; they still saw alcohol as wicked.
Josephine squeezed her mother’s hand. “Well, Jennifer, we are a very logical family. I am sure there is a reason. We just have to find it.” Josephine stood up and walked over to a dresser in the room’s corner. On top was her purse. She turned her back on Jennifer and her mother and started fumbling through what sounded like paper. She pulled out her cell phone and turned towards Jennifer. “Hmm, where are my glasses?”
The room itself was clean, though cluttered. On the vanity, in front of a mirror, sat a bowl full of knickknacks. The Grands often put things in the bowl, like car keys, when visiting Jennifer’s parents.
“Let me look in the bowl.” Josephine walked towards Jennifer. Jennifer pulled her knees as much out of the way as possible when her grandmother passed. “I’m going to text an investigator. I used him to help me find Carla when she went missing. Carla and her silly ideas.” Carla was Josephine’s niece, who upped and moved to California, telling no one. Carla’s dad, Josephine’s half-brother, had passed away a few years ago, and Josephine took it upon herself to protect her half-sibling’s children.
“Eureka!” Josephine turned to show the glasses to everyone in the room. “I have success.” She put them on and looked down at the keypad. Her fingers worked magic. “And there.” She hit send. “I have my French investigator Pierre looking for a plausible reason for your strange dreams or someone with a similar gift.” She typed a little longer. “And now, I’m asking him to find…” She pulled her glasses down her nose. “Jennifer dear, what was that man’s name, my… grandfather?”
“Robert Sowards, spelled S-O-W-A-R-D-S,” Jennifer answered.
Her grandmother started typing again. “And now I have Pierre looking for Robert Sowards. If anyone can find anything, he will be able to.”
Josephine walked back over to her mother’s side and sat on the bed. “So, tell us, Jennifer, if you can remember the details of your own life, how are you?”
“I’m fine, Grandmommy,” Jennifer responded.
“Not good enough, dear,” MaryAnn countered. “Tell us about this Matt person.”
“Not much to say.” Jennifer paused, then continued, “He is tall, smart, and fun to be around.”
“When did you start dating Matt?” Josephine asked.
“I,” Jennifer paused. “I think it was a few months ago.” The grandmothers turned and stared at each other.
“Jennifer, what did you do yesterday?” Josephine asked.
“I think I went to Matt’s apartment and watched TV, but it could have been the day before.”
“So, details are no longer clear,” Josephine commented.
“They are there. It just takes longer to remember them. By the end of the day, everything is back to what it was like before I started having the dreams,” Jennifer answered and looked down.
“What about last weekend? Your mother told us you went hiking and came home sick. She said that is how she found out you had a boyfriend,” Josephine brought up.
“Oh yes,” MaryAnn agreed. “I believe she had a company run a background check on Matt.” MaryAnn laughed. “Matt passed the inspection and the investigation.”
“Maybe that is what is wrong,” MaryAnn continued. “I have heard sicknesses and blows on the head sometimes can give people strange abilities.” MaryAnn leaned over and looked closer at Jennifer. “Can you see auras? Can you see the dead?”
Josephine started laughing.
“No.” Jennifer’s answer was short and direct.
“Well, if there is one thing I have learned in life, it is this: no matter what happens, it will be alright. It has no other choice. You can live in misery or just enjoy each moment.” MaryAnn, still talking, turned to look at Josephine. “I was upset that I only had you and couldn’t have any other children. I thought it was a curse. Then one day, your dad died. I decided life was too short to worry about what is not in your control.” She sighed and smiled. “I am proud to say I am a much happier person now.” The smile touched her eyes, causing Jennifer to smile.
Directing her comments to Jennifer, Josephine said, “Now, young lady—you should get yourself ready and shower and pretty yourself up. You know you can’t catch a bee without honey, so sweeten yourself up.” She stood up and walked over to the door. “Now, whether this boy or the professor sets your heart up and your toes a-curlin’ is no different. Enjoy your life. And get out of our room. The older you get, the more war paint you need, and I need a bunch.” She started laughing.
Jennifer smiled. “Thank you.” Leaving the room and heading to the bathroom, she thought of the things the Grands had said to her. Just telling someone made her feel much better.
While she was in the shower, she thought about getting sleeping pills to see if they would stop the dreams.
20
Lunch
Matt stood in front of the door holding a basket his mother insisted he take with him. He rocked back and forth on his heels, smelling the aroma of a meal as he waited.
Matt had dated a few people in high school, and he had made it a point to meet their parents. But he was from a small town, and his parents knew most of the parents, so this was different. Matt wasn’t sure what to expect. Her parents sounded sane on the phone, but then Jennifer had to call them every night. He wasn’t sure that was normal.
Randy, Jennifer’s brother, answered the door. Randy, fifteen with long pale blond hair and pale eyebrows, hadn’t gotten in the shaving habit and had wild chin hair. It was apparent by his broad shoulders he played a sport, so Matt wasn’t surprised to see a football in his hand when Randy greeted him at the door.
“Hey man!” Randy stuck his right hand towards Matt. “Hadn’t asked, do you like football?”
“Sure.” Matt shook his hand. “Played in high school.”
Randy turned a
round, looking over to the right at the entertainment center. “Green Bay and Detroit kickoff is in a few minutes. Dad and I have the game on if you would like to watch it with us.” Randy jumped over the green couch’s back and landed in a lying position. He pointed towards the wood-paneled wall behind the sunken living room where a single door was in the center. “Mom is getting Thanksgiving lunch ready.”
Matt could smell the grand feast cooking before he walked through the front door. On instinct, once entering the house, he looked to his left where there was a door, which he assumed was a coat closet, stairs that went up, and then a dark hallway.
To the right was a sunken living room with two steps leading to a green love seat, recliner, and couch. Matt walked down the steps and past Randy to glance at pictures on the wall. He smiled to himself when he saw a picture of a blond girl in pigtails wearing a pink dress, knowing it had to be Jennifer.
Two men with similar facial features came from behind a wood-paneled door that blended into the wall. Seeing Matt, the two men approached him. Shaking Matt’s hand, the shorter and younger of the two men greeted him. “You must be Matt. I’m Jake, Jennifer’s dad.” Jake guided Matt to the man standing behind him. “This is my dad, Stewart Wright,” Jake introduced. Matt noted Mr. Wright had a firm grip.
Matt took the initiative and reached his hand towards the older man. When the older man took his hand, he said, “Matt.”
Matt held out the basket. “Mr. Wright, this is from my mother. It’s an assortment of breads. She told me to tell you happy Thanksgiving and to give you the basket.”
“Wonderful,” Jake said, taking the gift. “We are glad you could make it. We are usually pretty relaxed here, so if you want to, take off your shoes and join us. We are getting ready to watch football.”
Matt hadn’t noticed a woman, with the same cheek structure as Jennifer but lacking her height, enter the room. “Not so quick, boys,” she directed to Jennifer’s dad. “Lunch is almost served, but before we eat, I’d like to meet Jennifer’s boyfriend. At least officially. When I saw him yesterday, all we did was wave.” She walked over to Matt.
Pauline was a shorter, plumper version of Jennifer, with Jennifer’s blond hair cut in a bob framing her face. Matt was amazed he couldn’t see any wrinkles. She was wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt and a pair of tight, flared jeans. When she reached Matt, she said, “I’m Pauline Wright, Jennifer’s mother. Thank you for inviting Randy to go with you yesterday. I had some shopping I wanted to do at this store that is only in Charlotte, and you taking Randy helped so much.”
“I apologize,” Matt started. “I would have come over to the car and introduced myself. Jennifer didn’t say her mother was picking her up. I thought, I mean, you don’t look old enough to be her mother.”
“Thank you,” Pauline gushed.
“The teams are coming onto the field,” Randy yelled as he lay down on the love seat, feet hanging off the end closest to the outer door.
“Randy Ellis Wright, you go wash your hands before we eat, right now,” Pauline dictated to Randy. With a smile lighting her face, she turned her attention back to Matt. “We are glad you are here. Please make yourself at home.” Matt returned the smile. From the corner of his eye, he watched Randy disappear down the right hall.
“Pauline, this is from Matt’s family,” Jake said, handing the basket to Pauline.
Pauline removed the cloth on top of the breadbasket and looked at the assortment. She touched Matt’s hand. “You are going to have to thank your mother for me. How thoughtful. I can’t wait to try this.”
She looked over her right shoulder at the hall on Matt’s left. “We are ready for lunch. Jake, honey dear, could you round up everyone?” She turned towards the hallway on the left. “Follow me, Matt, we can put the bread on the table.”
Matt followed Pauline to the end of the hall to a dim, sizeable dining room. At the end of the long room was a single window with closed yellow curtains.
“There,” Pauline said as she moved plates of green beans and mashed potatoes to make room for the bread. Matt watched as she grabbed a lighter sitting beside one candelabra on the table. She lit all four candelabras. The soft glow caused shadows to dance on the wall.
“Oh, Pauline, you have outdone yourself.” A woman about the same height as Jennifer’s mother, with wider hips, put her arms around Pauline. “I’m so glad your father taught you to cook.” She started laughing. As she was laughing, she looked over at Matt. “You must be Matt.” Matt could swear her grin turned mischievous, but he wasn’t sure. Moving to stand beside him, she said, “I’m Josephine Lee, Jennifer’s grandmother. Come now, you will sit by me and tell me all about yourself.” She put her hand on his back to lead him forward, moving him to the closest chair on the window’s right. “Don’t worry. We will sit Jennifer on the other side,” she said, looking up. She paused and then added, “Of course, it would be better to interrogate you by moving you as far from Jennifer as possible.”
Matt put his hand on the back of the chair, moving it out to take a seat.
“No, sir,” Pauline used her mother’s voice. Matt, who hadn’t said a word, stopped with his hand on the high back of the chair. “We don’t sit, dear,” Pauline corrected. “We stand behind our chairs till after the prayer.”
“Oh,” Matt responded. “Thank you.”
Randy was the next to come into the room. “Hi, Grand Number One,” Randy said and hugged his grandmother. “Matt, this is our grandmother, Josephine Lee. Jennifer and I call them the Grands.” Randy explained.
Stewart, Jennifer’s grandfather, came into the dining room, “Not me, I’m just Grandpa. Only Pauline’s mother and grandmother are the Grands.” He moved behind a chair.
Jennifer walked into the room wearing a button-down sea-green canvas-type shirt tucked into jeans. Her long hair was down, and she was wearing makeup. “Matt, can I get you a drink?” she asked.
“Sure, I’ll take a coke,” Matt said, and with his eyes, he followed her out of the room. Jennifer returned shortly with two drinks that she placed in front of Matt and at her spot.
Jennifer kissed her grandfather on the cheek. “Well, Grandpa, you were always more serious than the Grands. Grand just didn’t work for you.” Jennifer looked at the plate in front of her. “Randy, did you help Mom set the table?”
“Yes, are you kidding? You go to college, and all your chores are mine now,” he responded.
“Children!” Pauline used an authoritative voice. “Not now.” She walked to stand behind the chair in front of the window.
Another woman, this one the shortest and possibly the oldest of the three, came into the room. She moved to sit beside Grandpa. “Hello, Matt. I’m MaryAnn. I’m Jennifer’s great-grandmother. Pauline is my granddaughter.” She turned towards Stewart and talked to him at a low volume.
Jennifer’s dad was the last one in the room, carrying a plate of pre-carved turkey. Placing it on the table in the reserved spot, he stood behind his chair. The room, which had broken into small conversations, other than Jennifer and Matt, who occasionally glanced at each other, became silent, and everyone looked towards Jake.
Jake bowed his head, leading everyone to follow suit. “Let’s pray.” Sounding like a Baptist preacher, Jacob prayed, “Thank you, Father, for this day. For another year of us being together as a family. For your kindness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Jennifer’s dad was the first to pull his chair out and sit, breaking the silence as the rest of the group followed suit. Jake grabbed the turkey plate and started passing the food around.
They passed the food plates from one person to the next, causing Matt to amass a food tower. He wasn’t hungry, but the Grands made him nervous. If he ate, maybe they wouldn’t ask him so many questions.
“Matt,” Josephine started. “Tell me about yourself. Where did you and Jennifer meet?”
“Freshman orientation, ma’am,” Matt answered as he took the corn from her and put some on his plate.
/> “And how long have you two been dating?” Josephine asked.
“Grand,” Jennifer interjected. “Please let Matt finish his meal.”
“I don’t mind,” Matt replied. The basket of bread in Matt’s hand was blocking Jennifer from his view. “We started dating about a month ago. We just recently became exclusive, as in boyfriend and girlfriend.” His cheeks blushed.
“You know,” Pauline took the basket from Matt. “I’m curious about your family, Matt. Do you have any siblings?”
“Yeah,” Randy interjected. “Any sisters about my age?”
Matt started laughing. “No.” After swallowing a bite of turkey, he elaborated, “My grandfather lives with us.”
Jennifer spoke to clarify, “The Grands and Grandpa live in Florida. They only come up during Thanksgiving.”
“Yes, dear,” Josephine said. “I will go see my nieces and nephews while I’m up here, but Mom and I no longer live in North Carolina. We enjoy the single life of Florida.”
“Ha,” MaryAnn interjected. “Josephine, you enjoy the single life of Florida. I like the bingo.”
“Yes, the bingo is fun,” Stewart agreed.
“All of you live in Florida?” Matt asked.
“Yes,” Stewart answered. “Not in the same house. Josephine and MaryAnn live together. My home is a few doors down. The community, the Grand Bahamian, has a requirement that only people sixty or older may buy a home. We have a community pool, clubhouse, and emergency care.” He pointed to Josephine. “Josephine was the one that found the neighborhood and convinced us to move. I think we all benefit from being around people our age.”
Matt started laughing. “Sounds like fun.”
“Perhaps not as fun as college,” MaryAnn commented.
“Jennifer,” Pauline interrupted. “Speaking of college. After getting sick this past weekend, how do you feel? And thank you, Matt, for watching over Jennifer while she was sick.”
“Mom, I feel pretty well,” Jennifer answered. “Sorry about the scare.”