Hoodwinked

by Desiree Granger

  “Yall two look so good together! Like a good ol fashion black southern couple! I love it!”

  “Thank you Auntie!” I waved, feeling the truck bed bounce a little as Ben, and I looked to the side to see Michael climb on with his plate, and sit on the edge of the truck. Gold rimmed glasses practically hanging on his nose, smelling fresh like he just took a shower in his crisp white shirt, I smiled.

  “Where you been?” I asked curiously. It wasn’t like Michael to disappear from family gatherings for hours at a time.

  “None of ya business gal, Homer ready or nah?” He asked as I looked up seeing my cousin begin to strut across the road, cupping his mouth as he let out a loud barking howl. Grabbing everyone’s attention.

  “He’s about to start it now,” sitting up as I adjusted the blanket in my lap. I could see the row of young boys taking their place in line, ready and waiting. Their faces each had a different color wolf painted on different lines, and tribal markings to distinguish themselves from one another.

  “HAUU! HAAU! HAAU!” Homer bit at the air before listening as a single lone dog howled back. Stretching back as far as the woods that lined the field.

  “Everybody listen up!” He yelled, clasping his hands together as the music turned down. Loudest thing you could hear was Ben smacking his teeth. “On certain nights of a full moon!” He pointed up to the swollen mass that sat in the night sky, hovering just over the fields. “She is what gives us the strength!” He stated as he slowly began to walk, ready to teach. “Our energy! Our moods, and our spirits! All before, Yuma used to teach us about the land, the sea, the earth, and trees! All of that is good shit! Scuze’ my language,” he waved off as a few people laughed. “But we’re under a new age, new generation. The new become the young, the grown becomes the old! I want you all to respect the African mother that birthed you, and the Native land that raised you! Every new Moon Run, a tribe will be born,” facing the boys who looked up at him with pride, and admiration. “Yall know why yall running?”

  “To get our names!”

  “To get the flag first!”

  “It ain’t a race!”

  “I just want the name! I’on care bout nothing else!”

  “I want yall to pay close attention to what you see, hear, smell, and feel tonight when you go in those fields,” he said, speaking in a low voice. “Everything that happens tonight has a purpose, and I am living proof. Understand that your visions will go as far as your imagination is willing to take it! Listen to your totem, and pay attention to all five senses! When you come back out?! Do NOT! Repeat a word of what you saw! Not to anyone, not to each other unless you want it to come true, and believe me,” he said with a menacing stare at the boys. “It always comes true.”

  I looked at Michael who shrugged, just as thrown off by the sudden change in energy before Homer backed up with a flirtatious grin.

  “Yall ladies look beautiful tonight,” he said as the women in the family hollered, and hushed him off with a few laughs. “I’m serious! Yall seen my baby girl? Where’s my daughter? The only reason I’m able to stand here now in Yuma’s place, where she at?”

  Everyone looked around before I smiled so hard, watching Pia nervously who sat by herself, get up. Tallulah might have been bat shit crazy, and took this Moon Run a little too seriously but she outdid herself when Pia stood in her red maxi skirt that hugged her legs to the ankles with a white long sleeved wrap around cropped top to match. A large Indian headdress with a colorful headband that went all the way back into feathers that hung halfway down her back. Black tribal marks on one side of her face with her makeup done to perfection as she clumsily took the headpiece off, and smoothed her ponytail back with her bangs teasing her eyelids. She tried to get Violet to run to Homer as everyone watched in awe when the two year old decided she wanted to eat instead, but she picked her up, and placed the little one on her hip, and walked over.

  “All dat body Pia! Gaaah lee! Gah damn! Dat boonkey tho!” I hollered, watching her almost trip in embarrassment as she looked back.

  “You ain’t neva lied!” Another man yelled as I nearly fell out.

  “Stop playing with that girl,” Ben laughed.

  I watched the missing piece come up to the rest of the puzzle as Homer grabbed Violet from Pia’s arms with a smile, almost like he didn’t even see his daughter because he was too busy grinning at Pia, and it was obvious.

  “Hey Grandma’s baby! Hey peanut!” Aunt Carol yelled. “My Peanut so pretty! Wish yall would put a damn shirt on her!”

  “Look just like you!” Another yelled as Homer placed Violet on his shoulders to sit as she held on, still trying to eat, but their identical face paint couldn’t be missed.

  “The name that was given to my tribe was called Children of the Moon!” He explained, keeping close to Pia. “The name given to me will forever be Young Moon! I now go by, Chief Young Moon! I’m grateful for the teachings, and blessings Yuma taught us, but it's my time now! Yall goal tonight! Bring the moon back!” Pointing to the sky when speaking about the white cloths. “Bring the moon back, and you will have your tribe name! Yall ready!?”

  The boys all began to kick dirt up, talk their trash while the girls stood on the sides, clearly pissed they couldn’t participate when Homer suddenly leaned in towards Pia against her ear. She shook her head with wide eyes before he nodded.

  “On your mark?” She sputtered out nervously as Homer stepped to the side. “ON YOUR MARK!”

  “If it gets to be too much, scream!” Homer yelled. “I, Tallulah, we all will run in for you! You may cry!? You may fear for your life, but remember it's not real unless you tell it! GET SE--!”

  “GOOOO!” Violet cut in suddenly as the boys took off with everyone screaming, and cheering them on. Homer moved Pia out the way with one hand while holding his daughter’s foot against his shoulder with the other.

  And so it began. Music was back up, card tables were started as we waited for heads to emerge from the grass. I kept my place on the pickup truck with Ben, and Michael as we watched the love affair play out. Not so much from Pia’s end, but Homer and the way he stared her down. Watching her walk, and occasionally talk to people who spoke to her, it was obvious he was hoping she would come sit with him, and when her attention got pulled elsewhere, he suddenly looked away, and smiled at his daughter in his arms.

  “Have yall seen Percy?” Francesca asked tiredly as we looked down at her from the back of the truck. “He just kind of stormed off, and forgot his damn keys to the car. I don’t know what’s going on with him.”

  I shook my head as she groaned before pulling away to ask another table. I looked around for Jasmine seeing she was grinning in the face of some local nigga who didn’t belong while his friend was trying to talk to a done up Indigo. In her moment, Indigo could out shine all of these girls, but her personality never called for that. Her two long white french braids that ended at the tip of her waist complimented her made up face with the smokey eyes, she started to look off. Mind wandering like it normally does when a man she wasn’t interested in attempted to talk to her.

  “You know some bullshit finna go off after tonight right? Won’t shit ever be the same,” Michael said in a low voice. “None of us will be the same.”

  “I have nothing to do with that anymore. Not even allowed to be apart of it.”

  “Mannn you been apart of it, and yo ass finna be the first one to witness some shit. You can’t throw a bomb then take off running.”

  “Why did you let them put a root on that child?”

  “I ain’t had shit to do with it. I swear on my life, I tried to stop it. Nigga probably deserved more than a hit upside the head. I would have beat his ass to the ground for it.”

  “Yeah well,” sitting back in my chair as I watched Homer watch Pia. Fucked up eye, and all, he watched her like a hawk.

  “You know why he brought her up there, and made her stay up there with him,” he continued. I smirked. “Nigga tryna claim her without tryna be
obvious. He don’t want nobody else fucking with her.”

  “I heard through the grapevine you had a lil secret girlfriend,” I said, changing the subject as Michael picked and shuffled his rice from one side of the plate to another. “Does she know you’ve been sleeping around on her---.”

  “Look,” he cut in. “On everything I love. She’s the best thing that happened to me. I don’t want you or anybody else in this family to fuck that up or all that anger management shit goes out that window.”

  “I’m happy for you Money Mike,” I teased with a smile. “You accomplished what Homer so desperately tried to put on for his life. When are you proposing?”

  “Tomorrow, next weekend… I’on know. I’m ready to do it now, but I don’t wanna take the attention away from Homer so I’ma wait,” he smiled before looking at me. Epitome of hood love was Michael Skye. “She bad though… I mean like… I don’t deserve her bad. She’s been putting up with my shit for years now.”

  “When are you going to introduce her to the family or have you talked her out of meeting us? It’s cute that you tryna keep her a secret.”

  “Nah, not even that. My biggest fear is that I’ma lose her because of yall,” he said, looking at his plate. “Pops is the only one to meet her but I’ma let my mama meet her tomorrow since I feel bad, but you know me and her don’t…”

  “I know,” thinking about his relationship with Aunt Carol. That entire household was split with favoritism.

  “Love my mama, but I’m not Homer, and I’m good with that. Besides, what you know about proposing, and marriage anyway? Yeen’ even tryna get married---.”

  “Actually…” I let out with a small laugh. “I’ve been married for a while. We went to a court house last year, and did it.”

  Michael’s mouth dropped before he looked around hoping nobody could hear us.

  “Delilah you stay playing games man… I don’t even know if I believe you. That’s how good of a liar you are,” he laughed. “Yo mama would skin you alive if you did that.”

  “Dropped the last name, and all. I’m Delilah Camille Moore. I do what I do, when I do when it's for me. My life. Nobody else matters. Same with you and your secret lover. Keep her close because the last thing you want is for her to get caught up in this family’s shit, and tonight ain’t no exception.”

  “And yo ass better be staying for the entire night to pick up the mess you done started. You started all of this so you better be----.”

  “Ohhhh!” I suddenly shrieked in pain, grabbing my stomach as I kneeled over. Ben who was already on the ground suddenly hopped back on the truck, and rushed over to me with concern.

  “Baby? What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Talk to me,” he quickly said, trying to hold my hand down where I gripped my stomach. Everyone started to turn their attention towards us as I shook my head.

  “I… I need to lay down. I can’t be out here,” I said in a feeble voice.

  “I told her pregnant behind not to be out here!” Another yelled as Ben ushered me down from the truck, I turned to look at Michael with a sudden smile as his mouth dropped.

  “The energy… I don’t know what it is but it's not…” I continued in my fake voice as I looked at Michael. “My son doesn’t like the energy out here.”

  “Energy my fucking ass bruh, she’s faking it!” He hollered with everyone shooting back at him to shut up.

  “Baby hold me,” I pouted, trying my hardest not to laugh as my arms swooped around Ben’s neck like I was trying to block out the pain.

  “Aye, go find my keys so I can get her home, and wrap me a plate to go.”

  I got the chance to soak up the comfort my man was giving me while seeing my way out of the Moon Run, and away from whatever happens tonight. I wanted no parts until tomorrow when the phone call happens.

  Moon Child

  Pia Milton

  I looked across the table at Trinity Skye who studied her hand. Everyone around us quiet for the first time as I glanced at Carol and her husband. Trinity chucked her chin up at me with her wild bushy brown curls surrounding her face like clouds.

  “You see where I’m at partna?” She asked, flicking a card on the table as I followed right behind with a nod for the book. “Let’s go! Let’s do this! You might just be my true spade partna P! I’on know!”

  “Yall talk too much,” Carol said with a roll of her eyes as I laughed. To my surprise, Trinity was the first sister outside of Nevaeh to speak to me. Waving for me to come over to the table asking if I knew how to play spades. Out of respect for her mother being there, I agreed to sit down, but under any other circumstances, Homer’s sisters and I had nothing further to talk about outside of Violet’s well being. What they did was unforgivable, and although I didn’t expect an apology from her, she was the first to give it. In a casual way before the game started.

  “I know we all got off to a rough start,” she said without looking at me as she flipped her hair back. “I have a hard personality to get along with. Ask my nigga. Ask him,” pointing to her dad who nodded tiredly. “I can’t speak for my sisters, but I know the last person I wanna piss off is my ol’ lady,” looking at her mom. “We shouldn’t have done that to your daughter, and we had no right to put our hands on you. I mean,” she let out. “We did, but you know? We shouldn’t have done it so for that? I’m sorry. I see Violet don’t really fuck with us like that, and it's obvious since the mama don’t.”

  I smiled, silently praising my daughter for her loyalty. Only person she liked was Nevaeh. Everyone else got the cold shoulder or stubborn two-year-old.

  “I don’t want to put you on the spot like that,” Carol said, leaning in. “But Trinity, and I had a long talk and she knows my history with this family, and how I don’t want her to repeat it. Especially how they treated her growing up. She should be the last person to get on anybody.”

  “Yall ready to play this damn game or not?” Kenneth let out irritably. “Pia forgave Trinity, now let’s move on.”

  I didn’t, but for the sake of being in South Carolina, surrounded by people who could beat my ass? I wasn’t going to argue it. Now we were three rounds in, and my books were sitting pretty on my side as I counted. Of course, it was never a true spades game unless all hell broke loose as Trinity stood up arguing the cards against her dad while I shook my head in agreeance with her until all four of us were screaming, and laughing with me almost spilling a cup over.

  “I can’t play with this nigga! He thinks and moves slow! HOMER?!” Carol shouted. “Come take ya father’s place!”

  “Why I gotta be the one to get up?!” Kenneth hollered. “You get up!”

  “How about yall both get yall asses up?” Trinity said as I laughed before putting my cards down.

  “I’ll get up, and let somebody else take my place,” I said, pushing the chair back as I stood up.

  “Hold up!? We had a good thing P?!” Trinity complained before instantly talking trash to the next cousin that sat in my place. “Oh nah, get cho ass up bruh! You know you can’t be my partna!”

  I started to walk towards the grills, seeing people cheering and clapping for the first boy that ran out of the fields in tears with the white flag around his wrist. Don’t know what possessed me to holler out for him like I was apart of this family, but I did before coming up on Violet who stood by Homer’s empty chair, attempting to mess with the table full of grown men. I didn’t care for her not having on a shirt until I felt how warm her skin was. She was running hot again, and clothes would only irritate her further so I let it be.

  “Aye?” One of them asked as he leaned forward. Thick beard sprinkled with a few curly grays, dark brown eyes and a full husky body with sparse chest hairs. He smiled at me while adjusting his fitted hat. “You wanna take Homer’s place real quick for this game of spades?”

  “I was just coming over to get a drink,” I laughed nervously, trying not to eye his body. I knew he was older, but he was fine. Black wolverine fine. He reached down in a cooler beside hi
m and pulled out a brown bottle.

  “You drink beer or water?”

  “I’ll take the beer,” I said shyly before picking my daughter up to sit in the seat. “I just finished whooping Mrs. Carol, and her husband’s tail so,” popping the bottle open with my mouth as the men watched. “I’m hoping my partner is as good as Trinity.”

  “And we got a shit talker,” the man said with a laugh as he shuffled the cards. “My name is Malone, that’s Walik,” pointing to the chubby dark skinned man with glasses across from me. “And that’s JB across from me. We were just asking Homer if all the girls in Atlanta look like you.”

  “I don’t look like half the girls in Atlanta,” I corrected with a laugh as more clapping started to happen around us. We all looked back seeing three more boys running out as Malone shot up, body like a God and began to clap to where I was eye level with his waist.

  What was he? Forty? Forty five? Couldn’t have been no more than forty five.

  “That’s right! That’s my boy right there!” He yelled. “MAN UP! MAN UP! CHEST OUT! LET EM KNOW!”

  He sat back down with a nod, and proud smile before winking at me.

  “A girl who drinks beer,” he noted as I laughed.

  “Not all the time. I can’t really stand the smell but I’m not really in the mood for water,” I said as I adjusted Violet in my lap. She was getting sleepy so I quietly laid her on my chest with one hand already shoved in my shirt to hold a boob as I held her back side close.

  “What yall ova here doing?” Homer’s brother let out as he came up to the table, edging the man across from me to get up. “Move so I can play---.”