Collards & Cauldrons

by Bella Falls

  I raised my hand, and both women stopped talking about me long enough for me to get in a word. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with me?”

  Mama Lee patted my cheek and let me go. “Nothin’s wrong with you that can’t a little lovin’ and some of my remedies fix. Now go enjoy the beautiful sunshine and see me tonight after we break bread together.”

  I walked away with Nana, confusion slowing my steps. “What’s going on?”

  “Remember when I told you that I’d consulted with some of my Gullah friends about finding your biological family before? Mama Lee is the matriarch of that family line, and I filled her in on some of your recent troubles,” my grandmother admitted.

  I stopped walking and waited for her to notice. She returned to me and I hissed in agitation, “Why are you telling people my business?”

  Nana hooked her arm through mine and dragged me forward. “Because you’re mine to protect, and I will invoke whatever help I can to protect you.”

  It took a great deal of effort not to yell at her. “And what help can Mama Lee provide?”

  “This is the home of Hoodoo, Birdy.” Nana’s lips curled into a grin. “You might not remember learning about it when you were little, but tonight, you’re gonna get to experience it firsthand.”

  I could have fed myself for a week with all the food I ate at the Gullah Roots restaurant. Despite my head telling me not to stuff myself, I’d loaded my plate with a small portion of shrimp and grits, crispy fried goodies like chicken, catfish, and okra, and a helping of dirty rice. My stomach threatened to burst, but I still finished up the last of the ox tail stew over collards.

  “Ms. Retta, I usually put a little vinegar over my collards, but yours are too delicious without that tang.” I soaked up the last drop of pot likker with a piece of golden crumbly cornbread. “What type of meat do you use when you’re cooking the greens down?”

  Titia hung her head with a smile while a few of the other family members whistled. “You’re gonna start an argument with that question.”

  “No, she won’t because my lovin’ husband ain’t gonna talk out of turn since he wasn’t the one she asked.” Ms. Retta put a hand on John D’s shoulder. “In my restaurant, we use smoked ham hocks with our collards. Now, my husband could talk the rest of the night how he thinks smoked turkey necks give a better flavor, but since your behinds are sittin’ in my place of business, I think I’m the expert here.”

  The young man introduced to me as James, Titia’s brother, cast a sly glance at his grandmother. “I agree with Pops. Turkey necks are better.”

  John D whooped with glee and leaned across the table to high-five his grandson. I watched the familial bickering with amusement and realized how much I wished Matt hadn’t lost the coin toss between Mason and him to stay behind at the warden station. I’d have to text my brother tonight before I fell asleep and fill him and TJ in.

  Mama Lee stared her great-grandson down. “I thought I was training you better, boy. You might become a fine root healer, but you don’t know nothin’ about when to keep your mouth shut, especially when it comes to women.”

  “That’s why he can’t keep a girlfriend, Granny,” joked Titia, earning her a punch in the arm from her brother.

  Mama Lee pushed her chair away from the table. “They’re gonna be all night with their foolishness.” She patted me on my shoulder and walked toward the kitchen.

  Nana and I followed behind her, pushing through the swinging door into the room full of hot stoves and bustling workers.

  “Y’all clear out,” our host commanded. Without saying a word, the kitchen staff turned off the burners, took dishes out of the oven, and left.

  Mama Lee went over to a group of grocery bags sitting on a far counter. She dug through them with crinkling haste, pulling out items and placing them in order on the counter. Grabbing a mason jar full of clear liquid, she approached the stove and dumped the contents into a clean pot. Clicking on a burner, she left it to heat.

  “Now,” she started while still organizing, “this would be much better if you had the time to come visit me at my place on Mosquito Beach. But I see my great-grandson did bring me everything we need. Here, Vivi, I already had this prepared for you.”

  She handed Nana a bright red small pouch hanging from the end of a leather cord. My grandmother cradled it in her hand like a precious gemstone.

  “Since you’re determined to face the dragon head on, I made you a mojo bag of protection. In this flannel, I’ve placed a mercury dime, some High John the Conqueror root and Queen Elizabeth root powder, the needle I used to sew it up, and for good measure, some goofer dust. Wear it around your neck and against your skin, and it will offer you a shield of protection for as long as you’re here,” she instructed.

  “What’s goofer dust?” I asked, unsure if I wanted to know the answer.

  Mama Lee hummed as she pinched a bunch of dried things from a small pouch and added them to the steaming liquid on the stove. “I come from a long line of healers and my husband was known as one of the area’s most powerful root doctors. I keep jars of gathered dirt from where he’s buried to use for extreme cases. Something dark shadows your grandmother’s time here, so I added goofer dust collected before midnight. She will need some positive energy to protect her.”

  Nana didn’t hesitate putting the necklace over her head and settling it against her chest underneath her shirt. “Thank you, Letitia.”

  The lady grunted once and busied herself pouring the contents of the pot into a mug. She brought the steaming drink back to us, taking out a small vial and pouring it into the mix. “Here, drink this down.”

  “Who, me?” I questioned, my full stomach knotting.

  “Is there anyone else in this room who’s had her power stripped from her and lost not one but two loves?” Mama Lee challenged.

  Nana rubbed my back for reassurance, shrugging her apology. “I figured you could use all the help you can get.”

  “Besides, child, it’s just nettle tea sweetened with some honeysuckle syrup. I promise, you won’t hate it.” The kind sparkle in the older lady’s eyes assuaged my fear.

  I accepted the mug with a forced grin and a thank you. When I lifted it to my mouth, the familiar sweet scent calmed me further. Taking a small sip, I waited for something to happen. When nothing did, I worked on finishing the whole thing.

  The experienced root healer took more items out and laid them in front of us. “The nettle tea does many things, but for your purposes, let’s say it’ll help protect your heart while its cleansed. Nettle’s also good for breaking hexes and spells.”

  “I’m not hexed,” I countered.

  Mama Lee stopped what she was working on and faced me, one hand on her hip. “Maybe not by someone else, but you’ve done a number on yourself. You’re so tangled up in your own grief and guilt that nothin’s gonna break through without a little push. So, drink your tea while you stand here by me and listen.”

  Protests bubbled up inside of me, but they felt empty of truth. I had caused my situation and was having a hard time moving forward. In silent obedience, I opened myself to the possibility that maybe I needed more than just determination to fix my life.

  “Your grandmother told me enough details to get me started, but I want to ask you a couple of things for clarity. You do have a void in you, which must be from givin’ away your powers, even if it was for a good reason. Do you want them back? I can always help fill that void so it don’t hurt no more, and you can live a more normal life with what you have right now.” She held me in her gaze while she waited for my response.

  The answer burst out of me. “Yes. Of course, I want my talents back.” I still possessed basic magic, but losing my own powers made me realize how lucky I’d been to possess them in the first place. More than anything, I wanted them back.

  “Okay. You may have times where you regret that decision, but I understand. My second question has to do with love, and I want you to think hard about your
answer.” She took my hand in hers. “Are you willing to accept someone into your life as your partner? No matter who that person ends up being?”

  I concentrated on finishing the hot drink to give myself a moment to decide a question that had plagued me for months. If I could rewind time to have the two men in my life standing in front of me healthy and whole and have to make a decision, would I be able to choose? But that wasn’t how life worked, and circumstances of our situations got in the way. Still, I didn’t want to go through the rest of my life alone. I was brought up with people who loved others who supported them no matter what. I craved that above all else.

  “I don’t know who I would pick,” I admitted. “But I still choose to love someone and be loved back.”

  Mama Lee’s face relaxed into a big smile. “Good. That’s a brave choice.”

  “I’m not brave,” I uttered.

  She squeezed my hand and let it go. “Love is very powerful, and choosing to wield its magic even for a short while takes courage. Now, we’re goin’ to put together your own mojo bag. I’ve got two lodestones here, male and female, to attract love to you as well as to strengthen the effectiveness of the work we do. Now these plants here might look like something you’d put into a stew, and maybe that’s what we’re doin’. Creatin’ a stew of power just for you.”

  Goosebumps broke out over my skin at her willingness to help. “I truly appreciate you taking your time to do this, Mama Lee.”

  “Vivi has been a good friend. So much unlike her counterparts here in Charleston who treat us like we don’t matter unless one of their kind gets desperate and comes to me to work the root for their needs. Only then do we exist in their eyes, yet they will never admit it.” She gathered a bunch of the plants in her hand as she talked. “You come from an extraordinary family, Charli.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at my grandmother. My heart filled with absolute devotion to the woman who winked back at me.

  Wiping a rogue tear away, I nodded. “I do.”

  “Now, pay attention. This is abre camino or road opener. Your stress about your situation has been blocking you from receiving anything. We gotta break you open. These are dried marigolds for love. I heard you’ve opened your own business. I’ll add some bay leaves and sassafras to add to the luck in love, money, and success. A knot made from sweetgrass like I was usin’ today will replace all negative energy with positive.” Mama Lee placed all the items in the center of the fabric square before choosing a small vial full of blood red liquid. She popped it open and poured delicate droplets of its contents over all the items.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “It’s oil made from the St. John’s Wort flower. When the yellow petals are soaked in the oil, it turns the liquid red. Although it can be used to boost your luck, like if you wanted to win money at gamblin’, we’re usin’ it to help you break through and solve your blocked condition. I’ll let you have the rest of this to take with you and charge your mojo bag after you leave. Now to sew it up.”

  She handed me a needle threaded with white thread and had me stitch the fabric together to make a pouch. Before I finished, Mama Lee took it back and finished it, sewing the fabric closed tight and tying it to a long leather cord.

  “There.” She cut the thread with her teeth. “Wear it as close to your heart as possible at all times. And take these bottles with you.”

  I accepted the bottle of St. John’s Wort oil but held up the larger of the two. “What do I do with this one?”

  Mama Lee cleaned up after us and put the items back in the grocery bags. “That’s simple rose water. You can sprinkle it on your bedsheets or add it to a bath. I like to dab a little behind my ears and on my neck. The fellas won’t be able to resist you.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me while cackling.

  “What do we owe you, Letitia?” Nana asked.

  “Now, that hurts my heart, Vivi. You know your money ain’t no good with me. We help whenever asked. I’ve requested your assistance in the past and you’ve come through. You asked now and I’ve given what I can. It’s the flow of life between us, and I refuse to break it.”

  My grandmother sighed but didn’t push. “The fact you think I need some help doesn’t make me feel good.”

  Mama Lee stopped putting her stuff away and held my grandmother in her gaze. “You shouldn’t. I’m no psychic, but you both have shadows hangin’ over you. There are challenges comin’ and it will take great strength to make it through into the light.”

  When Nana and I left the restaurant, we walked back to the hotel wrapped up in silent thoughts. It had grown dark, and I glanced into the large houses, wondering what my night would be like if I traded lives with whoever lived in them.

  “I don’t feel any different,” I confessed to my grandmother.

  She placed a hand over the place her mojo bag rested. “Hoodoo root work doesn’t feel the same as what you’re used to. In fact, it can be completely ineffectual unless you believe in it.”

  “Do you?” The question came out of a need for reassurance.

  We arrived at the hotel entrance, and the light from inside shone on her face. One of the hotel busboys opened a door for us, but Nana waved him off. “Letitia isn’t wrong. I’ve felt it down to my bones that a challenge is brewing for me, and I’ve been concerned about you for a while.” She cradled my chin again. “I believe in whatever help we can get, and I suggest you do the same.”

  Chapter Four

  Even though the girls grilled me about what went on at the restaurant last night, I kept most of what Mama Lee had said and done a secret. A part of me still questioned whether or not to wear the pouch all the time. I couldn’t understand how the individual items would combine to do anything other than get a little oily inside the pouch.

  Before we went down for the welcome brunch, I grabbed the leather cord, slipping it over my head and placing the bag under my shirt. Spotting the taller bottle, I unscrewed the cap and blotted a little rose water behind my ears, on each side of my neck, and on the skin of my chest that dipped below the V of my neckline.

  We joined the rest of our group from Honeysuckle once we got our plates of food from the buffet. The noise in the room rose from a dull buzz to loud cacophony of voices. I scanned the area, wondering if Abigail was seated somewhere in here.

  I got up to get more juice and a deep voice interrupted me. “Where’s your badge?”

  “Am I under arrest, detective?” I turned to face Mason who stood closer to me than we’d been since our dance together at the wedding or before he lost his memories.

  It took great effort not to swoon. My fingers itched to push back the little bit of curl in the front of his still-damp hair or to feel the bristle of the stubble on his cheeks.

  “If I were going to place you under my hold, it would be for more serious infractions than not wearing your name tag this morning.” The left corner of his lip curled up.

  How long had it been since I’d seen this playful side of him? Swallowing my surprise, I chose to play the game. “Challenge accepted.”

  Thu-thump. Time stopped on a heartbeat. His eyes met mine, and a familiar warmth flooded my veins, melting my insides. Thu-thump. He said something, but his words were lost on me as I stared at his lips. Thu-thump. The scent of soap on his skin filled me up, and I forgot the past months of pain.

  His warm hand touched my arm. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

  “Hmm? What?” I cleared my throat and shook myself out of my momentary lapse. “Yes. No. Maybe?”

  Mason chuckled. “Well, that’s clear as mud. I was saying that you might want to go get your badge. I heard they’re being sticklers about it to make sure that only registered attendants get into the panels.”

  “Plus, how else is Abigail going to find me?” I added.

  His eyes widened. “Right. I forgot you were meeting her here. I think it’s smart that you chose neutral ground for the first face-to-face.”

  “Spoken like a true warden,” I
teased. “But I wasn’t ready to have her meet me in Honeysuckle.” Worry and doubt coursed through me. “I wish Matt were here.”

  Mason’s face dropped. “I’m sorry he didn’t win the coin toss. If I had thought about it, I would have stayed behind.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I can handle it.” If I said the words, maybe they’d come true. My hand touched the mojo bag resting on my chest through my shirt.

  His eyes flitted down and popped back up to mine, his cheeks reddening at getting caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar. “I’m learning that.”

  Mason’s short statement reminded me that he wasn’t the same person I used to know. I took a step back.

  “Still, if you need back up, I’ll be there for you. By the way,” he leaned in even closer so only I could hear him, “you smell amazing.” He winked at me and returned to his seat.

  Confusion killed any appetite I had left. Just like that, the same guy I’d grown to care for returned in a simple promise and a flirtatious comment. How was I supposed to move forward when our crazy dance together whirled me around and around in circles?

  Blythe promised to save me a seat for the first panel. I barely managed to make it to our room and back before the presentation started, taking my seat in between my best friend and Clementine. My cousin greeted me with a warm smile and nudged Tucker to say hi, who leaned forward and offered me a weak nod.

  “They sat down before I could tell them not to,” whispered Blythe on my left. “Sorry.”

  I didn’t mind sitting next to Clem. She and I continued to build on our burgeoning friendship, and after the dishonor her mother brought on herself with the Charleston witch council members, the poor girl needed as many friends as she could get.

  Settling into my seat, I glanced around and wondered if Abigail occupied one of them. I tried to guess which person might be her until I caught sight of my grandmother.

  Nana sat amongst the presenters at the front. She hadn’t told me she was participating when we were together last night, and by the looks of her fidgeting body language, she wasn’t too pleased to be there.