by Dina Rae
Chapter 24
The cool spring air seeped through the open window of Jake’s bedroom. He lay in bed both content and exhausted. His afternoon of love-making with Leah had been the happiest moment of his life. Had her feelings been real? Or just an after effect of the love spell Lucien had taught him? Jake wanted to believe their chemistry had always been there, just dormant over the last three years. He wanted to believe she had been waiting for him to turn into a man. And if her sudden attraction was a result of the spell? Then he would have time to make her fall in love with him. Once Pete was out of the way, they could live as a real family.
Warm thoughts filled his head as he imagined himself older, coming home from work, and Leah at home, making him dinner. Rhianna would be a girl, calling him her dad. Maybe Leah would have another baby or two. His eyelids weighted down and the comforting falling feeling took over, sending him into a deep sleep.
In the twilight hours of the night, a loud groan that came from outside of his window awakened him.
“Ummmm! Ahhh! Jaaaaaaa!” bellowed, sounding only feet away from his head. Jake heard the sound of gravel dragging come closer to his window. He kneeled on the part of his bed bumped up to the window and cautiously peered outside. He saw a hideous figure, much like a man, rocking in a heap of gravel outside of his window. The thing seemed to recognize him.
“Jaaaaaa! Jaaaaa!”
Did he mean Jake? He froze in terror, too afraid to scream. What did this thing want? It slowly dragged its legs closer to the window, close enough to reach out and scratch the screens. As Jake’s eyes adjusted to the dark, he scrunched away from the window, watching the creature in fear. Its grunting sounds were interrupted with violent coughing attacks, making the creature less frightening and more human. What did it want with me?
The thing looked straight into Jake’s eyes from the other side of the window screen. Jake’s heart was thumping so fast that the bed frame began to squeak. There was something familiar about the creature. No it couldn’t be…His curiosity superseded his fear.
“T.J.?” he stammered.
“Aaass.”
“Did you say ‘yes’?” Jake shrieked.
“”Teee Haaaay…” his voice boomed, but then trailed off, struggling for speech.
“You’re dead! Go away! You should be floating somewhere in the Cosmos!” Jake yelled. The thing was close enough to smell. It emitted a foul combination of feces, rotten meat, and soured milk. The creature beat on the aluminum siding outside of his bedroom.
“You should be haunting Pete! He was the one who set you up!” Jake cried. That was the last thing he remembered until his uncle jostled him awake.
“Wake up!” Pete yelled.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed. It was still dark outside. He looked at the clock, 3:45 a.m. What just happened to me?
“Jake, you were yelling so loud that you woke all of us up. I thought someone was robbing the house, but it seems like you just had yourself a real doozy of a nightmare. Try to go back to sleep. You’ve got school tomorrow,” Pete said as he sleepily walked out of the room.
For as much as Jake hated his uncle, he was thankful the man snapped him out of his nightmare. Seeing T.J. outside of his window seemed too real. Still spooked, he gathered his pillow and blanket, closed his bedroom windows, and slept on the floor of the living room.
***
The next day after school, Jake and Henry went to Lucien’s for their lessons. Both couldn’t help but notice the drastic change in Lucien’s appearance. His white hair was black with some gray streaks, his face much more smooth, and his body was lean and muscular. His movements were not of an old man’s, but of one still young and agile. Had it not been for his voice, body language, and the gleam in his eyes, Jake would have thought the man inside of Lucien’s home was an imposter.
“What did you do? You look so much younger. All of Chippewa Park is going to want your secret,” Jake said with a smile.
“Did you use Botox? Work out at the gym?” Henry asked.
Lucien laughed. “You boys ever hear the expression, ‘You’re only as good as your last joke’?” They both nodded. “Well a bokor is only as good as his last trick. And this is one of my best. You’ll have to wait until the end of your apprenticeship to learn it. But as much as I’d like to cheat death, this is only temporary. Just because I turned back time forty or fifty some odd years, doesn’t mean I’ll live longer. But I would have died had I not…manipulated things.”
“So, what are you going to teach us today?” Henry asked, unphased.
“First tell me how your love spells are working,” Lucien said with a twinkle in his eye.
Jake couldn’t help but laugh at the silly look on Henry’s face. Things must have progressed with Brittany Bonaducci, the love of his life also known as the town slut.
“Brittany came over to my house last Saturday. I didn’t realize how much she liked whipped cream. You know what? I think I like sex. She is going to show me some of her favorite places in the school this week,” Henry said. They all chuckled.
“And Jake, did your love spell take hold?” Lucien asked.
“Yes. It was the best moment of my life. But I love her. Do you think she could actually love me back?” Jake questioned.
“Of course she could. But you boys might get sick of these girls. And that’s when things turn ugly. The love spell still lasts once your feelings have changed. The women turn desperate. There’s an old movie, Fatal Attraction. Watch it. The actress gets dumped and tries to make her lover miserable. So be careful with the love spells,” Lucien warned.
“What about you? Did you ever use a love spell?” asked Jake.
“Once. There was this woman back in Haiti…Oh, I shouldn’t be telling you boys this story,” Lucien said.
“Please, Lucien, tell us about her. Did you curse her into loving you?” Jake inquired. He was extremely curious about Lucien’s past.
“She was so beautiful. And out of my reach. She was the wife of a Bizango brother. He treated his dog better than her, and he didn’t like dogs. At the time I already had two wives and two babies. Anyway, I justified my love spell by telling myself how much better I was for her, and how my Bizango brother didn’t even love her. Oh, all kinds of things I said in order to feel good about stealing another man’s wife. So I used the same spell as I gave you boys. Things couldn’t have been more magical. Her attention, her smile, and the sex…” Lucien paused to laugh.
“Well what happened? Did she become one of your wives?” Jake inquired.
“Oh no. At the time, I didn’t know of a way to counter the spell. You see, I just wanted some fun, and she was ready to leave her husband for me. She was becoming very public in our affair. My other wives were jealous. And then my Bizango brother found out about us. Everything turned for the worst. She tried to kill me and my family…I never used the spell for myself again.”
“What happened to her?” Henry asked.
At first Lucien wouldn’t answer, but then he held up his shirt and revealed several faded slash marks on his back. “These are the faded markings of a flogging. They didn’t know I put a spell on her. They just thought she had been an unfaithful wife. I had to watch them stone her to death and then be sacrificed to the loas. I searched for years of a way to counter the love spell and found one. Since that moment, I’ve sold people love spells that come with love counter spells.”
“So Bizango brothers are not supposed to sleep with each other’s women?” Henry asked. Lucien nodded. “Then Brittany is all mine.”
“And Leah is all mine,” Jake added.
“Yes boys. But believe me, these women will turn into nightmares once you tire of them,” Lucien promised.
“Speaking of nightmares, last night I dreamt T.J. was outside of my window. He wore the same suit he was buried in. It was so real. And then Pete woke me up because he thought we were getting robbed or something.” Jake noticed the change in Lucien’s demeanor. His eyes
clouded and he looked like his mind was now onto something else. “He’s dead, right? I undid a wrong with the gris-gris?”
“Oh yes. Now let me show you the way you counter a spell. This process happens to work on most spells, but you’ll use different ingredients and prayers as you perform them,” Lucien stated.
“But what about my uncle? When am I going to learn how to hex him?” Jake impatiently asked.
“The protection spell is working, right? He still hasn’t hurt you? I will teach you how to curse and hex by the end of your bokor studies, but revenge never comes out the way it’s planned. Your anger must subside beforehand. Please Jake, be patient. There is so much to learn.”
Jake could tell Lucien was hiding something from him, but it was too incredulous to think T.J. was walking around as a zombie. He cleared his mind and watched Lucien explain the counter spell. Somehow, he doubted he would ever use it. Leah’s love was too intoxicating to undo.
Chapter 25
Jake’s and Leah’s affair had grown into something much more meaningful, or so Jake told himself throughout every waking hour. Their passion had yet to quell as they continued to explore each other all over Hayward. After two months of insatiable lust, Leah knew Pete was on to her infidelity.
“He knows, just not who with,” she said as she puffed on a Marlboro Light. They had just finished making love in a nearby forest preserve. She hiked up her g-string panties and glittery mini-skirt.
“If he knew I was the other man…Well, he’s beaten me up for much less,” Jake reasoned. He put secret protection guards upon himself, Leah, and Rhianna. They seemed to be effective. Pete had been behaving himself.
“He’s only smacked me around once since you and me started hooking up,” Leah said.
“Once? When was that? And for what?” Jake questioned, worried that the guard was beginning to wear off.
“The other day when I left for work early. I picked you up from school. We went in back of the cemetery, remember? He slapped me before I got into my car, accusing me of going off to screw one of my sugar daddies down at the club,” Leah relayed.
If the protection guard was wearing off, then the love spell must be also running its course. Could she be with me because she loves me?
“Forget about him. Happy birthday. I know it’s tomorrow, but I have a present for you. Drive over to Freddie’s Used Cars on West Avenue,” Leah ordered as Jake started her Impala’s engine.
Jack euphorically drove to the dealership. “A car?”
“Pull in. It should be ready for you. That’s it, right there. The white Dodge Intrepid. It’s old, but low miles,” Leah said as she pointed to the car parked by the front door.
Jake didn’t think it was possible, but at this moment, he loved Leah even more. The week prior she had taken him to the DMV to get his driver’s license. The next day he would be seventeen years old, almost a legal adult.
“Leah, I love you! You shouldn’t have done this! This is the best day of my life. It’s beautiful!” Jake exclaimed as he sat inside the car and examined the interior. Leather seats, CD player, cup holders…He was the luckiest man alive.
“Jake, shut up and take the damn car for a ride. And if Pete asks, you bought this with your own money that you earned by helping out our neighbors, you hear?” Jake nodded.
He pulled out of the car dealership and drove towards Henry’s house. Only a block away, Leah had his jeans unzipped, slurping on his penis as he drove. Within minutes, he exploded all over his front seat.
“There goes the new car smell. Like the ride?” she demurely questioned as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and then quickly reapplied her bright fuscia lipstick.
“I love it. I love you. I don’t want to sneak around anymore. Just divorce Pete and marry me,” Jake urged.
“We’ve had this discussion before. You’re still a minor, and I’ll be twenty-one next month.”
“Cougar! One sexy cougar!” Jake yelled.
“Yeah, one sexy foster mother. This arrangement could get us all in a lot of trouble. And Pete would kill both of us if he knew. Let’s have some fun. When you’re eighteen, then we can have a more serious conversation,” Leah said with finality as she took his hand.
“I wish Pete was dead. He‘s nothing but a loser. He could have a car accident. Or disappear,” Jake pleaded.
“Listen. Jake, I don’t love him, but he’s Rhianna’s father. She loves him.”
“Rhianna loves everyone. Soon he’ll start knocking her around once she starts to sass him. I could make him go away forever. You’d get justice for T.J. We could openly be together,” Jake propositioned.
Leah’s exterior suddenly became cold. She dropped his hand and scooted away from him towards the passenger door. “You’re talking murder. Hey, I’m no saint. But that’s wrong,” Leah firmly stated.
“Murder? More like self-defense. You wanna wait until he kills you? Or me? Rhianna? He’s evil, Leah. We should strike him before he strikes us,” Jake warned.
“I gotta go to work. Take me back to the dealership so I can get my car,” Leah directed.
Jake sulked as they rode back to Freddie’s Used Cars in silence. Once he’s gone, we can be together. She’ll see how wonderful everything will be.
***
The next day at school, Jake joined Henry for lunch as he sometimes did in Mrs. Fontana’s classroom. He was curious about Henry’s love spell casted on Brittany.
“So how are you two doing? Does she hang all over you in class?” Jake whispered as they ate their sandwiches.
“No. I told her I don’t want any trouble with Rio. But Jake, I need to undo that spell. Sex was fun at first, but now…it’s all she ever wants to do. She called me this morning, asking if I could come in early so that I could help her with her math. I met her by my locker. She lied to me. She didn’t have any problems with the homework. She made me go to the tower with her. It’s locked, but she had the key. Once she got me up there, she attacked me until I gave her what she wanted. While we were…It happened on the steps. She was on top of me. I heard footsteps above us. I think someone saw us. What if I get in trouble?” Henry cried.
“Probably other kids doing the same thing as you and Brittany. The tower is known for that,” Jake consoled.
“My mom hates her. Last weekend, she came downstairs and caught Brittany with her shirt off in the basement. She’s no longer allowed at my house. I’ve got to undo that spell,” Henry whined.
“I feel so sorry for you. It must be awful to have a beautiful girl that wants to have sex with you all the time,” quipped Jake. His sarcasm was lost on Henry as he knew it would be, but he still jested for his own entertainment.
“Maybe she’ll go back to Rio. He loved her,” Henry wished.
“Henry, I have much more pressing problems right now. Leah and I are in love. I think the spell has worn off and she really loves me for me. She bought me a car yesterday for my birthday. Today I’m seventeen.” Henry was not prompted to wish him a happy birthday. “I’ll show you the car later. I’m really not supposed to drive it until I have insurance. Once I have enough money to pay for that, I’ll pick you up and take you home. Anyway, right now I want to take our relationship to the next level, if you know what I mean,” Jake announced.
“Kill Pete?” Henry inquired.
“Shhh! Mrs. Fontana is right over there! What if she heard you? Not cool, Henry.”
“Sorry,” Henry whispered.
“Lucien’s afterschool,” Jake declared.
Chapter 26
Henry’s mother reliably picked them up after school and dropped them off at Lucien’s trailer. Jake was certain Henry had kept his blood oath by keeping everything they had done a secret. His parents would never have approved. Jake, too, kept quiet, doubting his own dysfunctional family’s acceptance of Voodoo.
The more Jake learned, the more uncomfortable the religion had made him. He saw a new side of Lucien that sent shivers through his spine. He felt himself changin
g into someone who daydreamed about murder, someone who tricked a woman into liking him, someone else. But despite the self-doubt, he continued to hang on every word Lucien uttered.
Jake couldn’t help but think of his mom. She used to say, “If you dance with the devil, you’re gonna get burned,” every time he did something wrong. Praying to loas made him feel dirty. Henry, however, seemed oblivious, eager to learn as much as he could from Lucien.
Mrs. Novak waved as she told Henry to be ready at dinner time when she’d pick him up. Lucien was inside of his enclosed porch, smoking his pipe and wearing his white linen tunic.
“My Bizango brothers, honored to have you over as my guests,” Lucien greeted as he stood up from his chair. “And Jake, today you are seventeen, a man. A token of our friendship.”
Lucien handed Jake his treasured human skull. Jake always admired it.
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say. I know this was very special to you,” Jake said.
“You have no idea. I’ll tell you every detail about how I got the skull, but not today. I have prepared some simple healing spells for you to learn. Back in Haiti, healing was where much of my money was made. Pay attention. Neither of you know this, but I have been treating Mrs. Muddraker, or Esther, for a couple of months. Her arthritis had gotten so bad that she could no longer walk. Jake, you know how frail she is. She had you shopping for her every week. Over the years she had been to dozens of doctors who never healed her pain. Her desperation is what led her to me. In fact, as bokors in training, you will learn that most of the people who come to see you come because of desperation. You are the last resort, the end of the line as you Americans say. Always treat with compassion. We will meet Esther in the common area by the outdoor kitchen. I have a fet or festival of sorts planned for us all. My potions have helped her greatly, but I think this one will erase all of her pain. Help me carry all of this.”