“You think Wilma did that?” Bernice asked.
“We don’t know,” Seth said.
Bernice nodded. To avoid their questions, she looked down and drank her coffee.
“Well,” Bernice said. She looked up at Seth and R.J.; then she turned her head to look at Claire. “I guess it’s time for me to get involved.”
“Involved in what?” Seth asked.
Bernice looked at him for a long time. Rather than respond, she got up from the couch and went into Claire’s guest bedroom. Claire, Seth, and R.J. watched her disappear into the room. She returned with a full manila envelope. The envelope was old, worn thin in places in the creases made around the heavy contents. There was something scrawled across the front of the envelope. Bernice held it out to Seth. He looked down at the envelope.
“Seth” was scrawled across the envelope in Di’s handwriting. Seth looked up at Bernice and saw that she was watching his face.
“You don’t know what this is,” Bernice said.
Seth shook his head. Bernice gestured with the envelope, and Seth took it from her.
“I found it when my mother died. I’ve never been through it,” Bernice said.
Seth gave her a vague nod.
“Susan told me not to give it to you,” Bernice said. “You were in love with Andy and finishing that horrible college; then you left the city and met Mitch, went to Vietnam, and Andy had Sandy, and all of that.”
Bernice swallowed against the pain in those years of Seth’s life.
“Big Daddy said it was best to leave the past alone,” Bernice said. She lifted her shoulders in a quick shrug. “Seems like the past isn’t the past anymore.”
“What is it?” Seth asked.
“What is what?” Bernice asked.
“If the past isn’t the past, what is it?” R.J. asked.
“Look at yourself,” Bernice said. She nodded to him and sat down next to Claire. “You’re here in New York with Seth. I’m here. Claire. We’re here in this building. When was the last time we were all together like this?”
Seth and R.J. looked down at the ground. Claire gave Bernice a kind look.
“Seems to me like the past has returned for us to clean up the mess our beloved friends weren’t able to,” Bernice said with a nod.
Seth blew out a heavy breath and turned to leave.
“No, you don’t,” Bernice said. “You are not going to leave me out like I’m the stupid woman.”
Seth turned around to look at her.
“I . . .” Seth started.
“Yes, you were,” Bernice said with a sniff. “Here, me and Claire were making everything work for you and you were going to head out. How do you really think my husband kept himself alive? How do you think you were held captive and aren’t dead your own damned self?”
“I didn’t mean to insult you.” Seth started.
“I know,” Bernice said. “I’m just saying that, now that Big Daddy’s gone, well, and you worked out all that stuff with the government, I want to be involved in my own life, not sheltered like some dumb song bird.”
Seth took a breath, which made his cheeks puff out.
“What?” Bernice asked.
“‘Songbird’?” Seth asked with a squint of his left eye. “‘Dumb’?”
Bernice laughed. Claire smiled. R.J. nodded and took out a cigarette.
“You are sadly mistaken if you think you’re going to smoke that here,” Claire said.
“Yes, ma’am,” R.J. said.
“And anyway, your wife called to tell me that you’d quit,” Claire said. R.J. looked at the cigarette. “More than 20 years ago.”
R.J. gave Claire a guilty nod. Claire held out her hand, and R.J. put the cigarette in it. She kept holding out her hand until he put the pack in her hand.
“Thank you,” Claire said.
“If that’s it, I’ll . . .” Seth said.
“Pour it out here,” Claire said. “We’ll get through it faster if we do it together.”
She nodded to Bernice, and they cleared off the coffee table. Seth opened the manila envelope. He tipped it onto the table, and the contents slid out. Claire pushed the contents of the manila envelope to spread it out. He looked into the envelope and pulled out a card. He read the card. When he looked up, they were looking at him.
“Di says that . . .” Seth said. “I guess we have some work to do.”
“Then we better get to it,” Bernice said. “I know that I’m not getting any younger.”
Seth nodded. R.J. dropped to his knees to look through the material. Not sure how to get involved, Seth stood on the sidelines for a moment.
“Call Sandy,” Claire said.
“Sandy?” Seth asked.
“Sandy,” Claire said. “Bernice said that Wilma talked to Sandy. Let’s find out what Sandy knows.”
Bernice looked up at him and nodded. She held out her hand, and Seth put the card into it. Taking out his cell phone, he called Sandy.
Chapter Four Hundred and Sixty-one
What do we think about voodoo queens?
Tuesday morning — 7:35 a.m.
Denver, Colorado
Sandy’s phone rang at the moment she was taking muffins out of the oven. She clicked her headset to answer.
“Hello?” Sandy asked.
“Hi, Sandy. It’s your dad,” Seth said.
Sandy was so jarred by his use of “your dad” that she nearly dropped the muffin tin.
“What have you been smoking?” Sandy asked.
“What do you mean?” Seth asked.
She set the muffin tin on the counter and went back to the oven to take out the second tin.
“Are you sure you called the right person?” Sandy asked.
Seth laughed. Sandy rolled her eyes and set the second muffin tin on the counter.
“So . . .” Sandy said, with a grin. “What did you smoke?”
This only made Seth laugh harder. She started taking the muffins out of the tin.
“Should I call someone?” Sandy asked. “Did yesterday’s drama cause you to lose your freakin’ mind?”
“No,” Seth said. “No. I was making a joke.”
“I see,” Sandy said. “Heather said she put you back in your own bed. She and Tanesha had a whole story about alien species and a space ship.”
“What?” Seth asked. His whole attention shifted to Sandy.
“Ah, now I have your attention,” Sandy said.
Seth laughed.
“What do you want, Dad?” Sandy asked.
“Can I?” Tanesha pointed to the muffins, and Sandy nodded. “If that’s Seth, tell him it’s the alien craft.”
Sandy nodded. Tanesha began to take the muffins out of the tins and put them on a plate. Sandy told him what Tanesha had said.
“More aliens,” Seth said. “What’s this with the aliens?”
“It’s something Heather and Tanesha were doing to work out what’s going on with you,” Sandy said.
“What did they come up with?” Seth asked.
“That you were a vehicle for some other action,” Sandy said.
“You mean that I can take something from here to there, so they stopped me from doing it?” Seth asked.
“Something like that,” Sandy said.
“Huh,” Seth said.
“Why ‘huh’?” Sandy asked.
“I called to ask you about Wilma,” Seth said.
“Wilma?” Sandy asked.
“Bernice said that she saw you talking to her,” Seth said.
“Oh, I see — you’re there with Claire and Bernice,” Sandy said.
“R.J.’s here, too,” Seth said.
“I see why you’re spicy today,” Sandy said with a smile.
“Wilma!” Claire said. “Don’t hang up until she tells you about Wilma.”
“Now, there’s a woman who knows you well,” Sandy said.
Seth laughed.
“Let’s see . . .” Sandy said. “I met so many people.”
>
Aden came into the kitchen, looking for the muffins. Sandy pointed him to where Tanesha was putting the muffins on a plate. He pointed to her headset.
“Seth,” she mouthed.
He shook his head and gave a little shrug to indicate “What does he want?”
“He says that I met someone named ‘Wilma,’” Sandy said to Aden. “I don’t remember her.”
“Who’s that?” Seth asked.
“Aden,” Sandy said. “We’re kind of in a flurry because we rescued Tink’s brother last night. He’s staying here, but the re-education group is known to be aggressive at getting kids back.”
“I see,” Seth said.
“We’re bringing muffins to a group breakfast,” Sandy said. “We have to figure out what to do.”
Tanesha and Aden left with the plates of muffins. Sandy grabbed a muffin off the plate as Aden passed. By the sounds outside the kitchen, the children left the apartment with Tanesha and Aden.
“Do you have to go?” Seth asked.
“No,” Sandy said. “In fact, I think I’ll sit down right here and talk to my dad.”
Seth’s breath did a quick intake, and Sandy laughed. Sandy sat down at their table.
“Oh, it feels nice to sit down,” Sandy said.
“Long night?” Seth asked.
“This poor boy,” Sandy said. She picked off a piece of muffin. “They tortured him — long-form electroshock, sleep deprivation, and God knows what else. Heather’s taking him to the doctor today to get checked out.”
“Those places are horrible,” Seth said. “So dumb.”
Sandy grunted and put the muffin in her mouth. She chewed fast.
“You know?” Sandy nodded to herself. “I don’t think I met anyone named ‘Wilma.’ Can you ask Bernice what she looked like?”
Seth walked toward Bernice.
“Can you tell Sandy what she looked like?” Seth asked.
“Who?” Bernice asked.
“Wilma,” Seth said.
“Oh, right,” Bernice said. “Sorry — we were talking.”
Seth nodded.
“She doesn’t remember meeting a ‘Wilma,’” Seth said. “Can you tell her what Wilma looks like?”
Bernice nodded. She got up and took the phone from Seth.
“Heya, Sandy,” Bernice said into the phone.
“Bernice!” Sandy said. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” Bernice said.
There was a pause in which Bernice expressed her sorrow over losing the love of her life. Understanding Bernice’s pain, Sandy nodded.
“You having a busy morning?” Bernice asked.
“Stupid,” Sandy said. “I’m using Seth’s call to play hooky from the chaos.”
“Good for you,” Bernice said with a grin. “Seth’s good for that.”
“That’s the truth,” Sandy said. “I wonder if you could tell me what this ‘Wilma’ looks like.”
“Hmm,” Bernice said. “Well, she doesn’t look like me, of course. I say that because our kids all look more like me than Big Daddy. Did you see the pictures of Bud?”
“Uh . . .” Sandy thought for a moment. “Yes. In fact, Seth has a photo of the two of them, wet with sweat, hanging in his house.”
“She looks some like him,” Bernice said. “If you add a high yellow Creole Voodoo Queen.”
“Voodoo Queen?” Sandy asked.
Sandy swallowed hard. She had been friends with Tanesha for most of her life, but sometimes when she talked to older African-American women, she had no idea what they were talking about.
“High yellow?” Sandy asked.
“Bud was in the Great War,” Bernice said. “He couldn’t have children when he returned. The gas. It happened to a lot of people, especially African-American men.”
“But . . .” Sandy started.
“Big Daddy’s biological father was a friend of Bud’s,” Bernice said. “Bud was there. It was all very risqué. But they were like that. You know that Di was a madam, right?”
“Sure,” Sandy said.
“Di wanted a child. Bud couldn’t have one,” Bernice said. “It was more common than you’d think.”
“Big Daddy knew?” Sandy asked.
“Everybody knew,” Bernice said. “It wasn’t a secret. Bud loved Big Daddy more than anybody. And to my husband, Bud was his dad. If Big Daddy could have had one wish, it would be that his father returned from the dead. He missed him until the day he died. Di, too. For all of their flaws, Bud and Di were great parents. But it is why Big Daddy had zero musical talent. Our children, too.”
“Oh, I see,” Sandy said.
“And high yellow means ‘light skinned,’” Bernice said. Sandy could hear the smile in her voice. “You don’t have any black friends?”
“Tanesha,” Sandy said.
“The dark one,” Bernice said. “Yes. She’ll tell you all about it.”
“I think Tanesha is beautiful,” Sandy said, defensively.
“She sure is, and she’s captured the heart of that rascal Jeraine,” Bernice said. “And, anyway, I’m not talking about what I think — just what the world thinks.”
“So you’re saying that this ‘Wilma’ is light skinned,” Sandy said. “African-American.”
“Yes,” Bernice said. “Tall. She was wearing a red sweater and black leather pants, heels. Very expensive clothing.”
“Thin nose, yellow-brown eyes?” Sandy asked. “Cream-colored silk shirt? About your age?”
“That’s her,” Bernice said.
“She didn’t introduce herself,” Sandy said. “She just stood in front of me and mumbled.”
“Mumbled?” Bernice’s voice rose with concern.
“You know, it was strange,” Sandy said. “I was just about to ask her if I could help her with something when Fin came out of nowhere.”
“Fin’s that big man,” Bernice said. “Long dreads, muscular, speaks like royalty. Friend of your friend, Tanesha.”
“Handsome, dark,” Sandy said. “Dreadlocks.”
“That man is gorgeous,” Bernice said. “Princely.”
“He is a prince — that is true,” Sandy said wryly.
“Aren’t they all?” Bernice said, with a laugh. “Now I don’t want to miss this. What did he do?”
“He chased her off,” Sandy said. “It was weird because she saw him and kind of squealed. She ran off. Aden saw her too. He couldn’t believe a woman could move that fast in those heels.”
“Good for Fin,” Bernice said.
“What’s a Voodoo Queen?” Sandy asked.
“Someone you do not want to know,” Bernice said. “Now, hang on, Sandy. I have to update everybody.”
Sandy waited while Bernice told them that Wilma didn’t actually speak to Sandy. Sandy was surprised when Bernice said that this woman was attempting to put a spell over Sandy. Everyone in the room gasped. Bernice soothed them by saying her friend Fin had chased Wilma off.
“Wilma’s a voodoo priestess?” Seth asked.
“Her mother was,” Bernice said. “Or that’s what Bud used to say. He couldn’t have children, but, somehow, this woman got a child out of him.”
“Are you sure Wilma is his child?” Seth asked.
“Good question,” Bernice said to the room. “Who knows? I can only tell you that Bud thought she was. He didn’t like it, either. If he could have had a child, he would have had it with Di. She was his everything.”
Bernice nodded.
“Did you hear that?” Bernice asked Sandy.
“I did,” Sandy said.
“Honey, can you see this Fin and make sure that woman didn’t put any spells on you?” Bernice asked.
“Oh, people can’t put spells on me,” Sandy said. “Seth, either.”
“Really?” Bernice asked.
“My friend Heather has already guarded us from all of that,” Sandy said. “If someone tries, it will rebound onto them.”
“Now how did she do that?” Bernice asked.<
br />
“Oh, Heather,” Sandy said. “She has her ways. I’m sure she’d do it for you.”
“Well, promise me you’ll ask Fin,” Bernice said.
“I will do it,” Sandy said. “I’ll also ask him about this ‘Wilma.’”
“Good idea,” Bernice said.
Aden opened the door to the apartment and leaned in.
“Okay, I have to go,” Sandy said.
“Okay, honey,” Bernice said. “You want to speak with your dad?”
“Tell my dad that I love him,” Sandy said with a grin. “Nice to talk to you, Bernice. You’re in our thoughts.”
“Thank you, dear,” Bernice said and hung up the phone.
Sandy hung up. She gave Aden a tired look.
“You don’t have to go,” Aden said.
“Oh, I know,” Sandy said.
She went to him and kissed his lips.
“Good morning,” Sandy said.
To entice him, she passed a little too close to him. Grinning, he followed her down the stairs.
~~~~~~~~
Tuesday morning — 8:15 a.m.
Denver, Colorado
“You look good, brother,” Tink said.
Chet was standing in the full-length mirror in the living room of Sandy and Aden’s apartment. He was straightening the Marlowe School blue shirt that he’d borrowed from Nash. Chet used his index finger and thumb to pluck the shirt away from him.
“Uniforms?” Chet asked, with his eyebrows raised.
“It’s not that bad,” Tink said. “There aren’t that many of us older kids.”
“I like it,” Noelle said as she passed through the room. “I don’t have to worry about what I have to wear on any day. We all wear the same thing.”
Sissy came into the living room from the hallway.
“Wanda’s just gone into surgery,” Sissy said.
Tink and Noelle stopped moving. Charlie came in from the kitchen.
“That’s all I know,” Sissy said. “Do you want to talk to her mom?”
Sissy held out the phone, and Tink took it from her.
“You think she’s going to be okay?” Charlie asked.
Sissy gave a strong nod and then paused. After a moment, she shrugged.
“I don’t think there’s any way to know,” Sissy said.
“Who’s ‘Wanda’?” Chet asked.
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