by April Nicole
“Ma, you want to sit down?” Malachi offered.
“No, I need some time to process this in my—my mind,” Kairo said, glancing over her shoulders, startled by the Voodoo queen talking to someone who was not even in the room. “What the hell?” Kairo and everyone else in the room shared the same expression.
“Papa Legba, oh how I failed you!” the Voodoo queen said plainly before she began speaking in tongues as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The only thing you could see was the white part of her eyes as she lifted her head and arms up to the ceiling. Kairo tried to decipher and see what she was saying, but she could not understand. Then she suddenly vanished into a thick, dark cloud of smoke. It was like magic being performed right in front of them.
“Well that was weird—AHH,” Kairo screamed again, because the pain she felt in her lower abdomen was unbearable. She sat down and began panting like a female dog in heat. She took small choppy breaths in between while rubbing on her stomach. “EEEEW! This can’t be happening right now,” Kairo said as the tears began to stream down her face.
“Oh, it’s happening,” Malachi said, running over to hand Kairo a Kleenex. The rain outside began to pour extremely hard, pelting against the roof and the windows. “Do you mind if I let my friend come in? I just don’t want her out there alone in the storm.”
“Yea, yea,” Kairo said, fanning Malachi the approval.
“Would you like to lay down Miss Kairo?” Shepard asked.
“No, no I’m fi—” Kairo was going to say no, I’m fine, but got distracted when Jackie entered the room holding hands with Malachi. “Malachi, hold up, how old is this woman?”
“She is, um,” he choked on giving the answer. Knowing damn well this woman was about to get her ass handed to her.
“She is what!!!” Kairo hollered with anger in her voice on top of the annoyance from the contractions.
“I’m in my fifties, that’s all you need to know,” Jackie responded with a smart tone. She was annoyed by Kairo’s judgmental ways, but she had every right to be. Malachi was technically still a minor, just tall for his age like his father. This was considered statutory rape, but Jackie didn’t give a damn. She was sick in the head.
“Fifties!!!” Shepard screamed in a high-pitched tone, holding his hand across his chest.
“Not only is she old enough to be my mother, but you got a smart mouth, bitch. Malachi really?” Kairo smirked, giving off the vibe she was not too happy to see this old hag with her stepson. Whether he was fucking like a grown man or not, he was still only 15.
“Excuse me! Come again?” Jackie said, poking her chest out.
“Bitch, what? Excuse you? Oh you can let his fucking hand go,” Kairo said, jumping to break their union up.
“Ma, don’t be like that,” Malachi whined like a kid would normally do when shit was going sour.
“Oh, you thought shit was sweet?”
“Ma—”
“Aht, aht shut the fuck up. What is you doing with this old ass bitch?” Kairo said, not hiding the fact she was upset. Between the contractions, the Voodoo queen’s attitude, and this skank bitch that just walked in the room, Kairo was sure she was going into active labor, but it wasn’t time.
“Ma, please don’t be like that!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what the fuck I just walked into, but I will go back to the car,” Jackie said.
“I think that is best for you. I bet not catch you fucking on my son ever again bitch!” She waved her hands backwards signaling Jackie to get the fuck on. “Son, what the fuck was you thinking?”
“Ma please—”
“You know what, we got bigger fish to fry. I’ll deal with yo’ ass later,” Kairo said, cutting him the evil eye and pointing her finger in Malachi’s direction. Suddenly, there was an electric surge through the entire house ZZZzzip! The lights went out. BOOOMMM BOOOMM BOOM! The sound of thunder roared through the sky, shaking entire house. “Awwe shit! Shepard, can you check the fuse box?” Kairo asked, thinking the lights were just struck by lightning.
“It’s no need, just light some candles or something. The gods are mourning the death of Delano. He should have his funeral down here in the bayou, along with his ancestors,” the Voodoo queen suggested as she entered back into the room. Like she just didn’t disappear in a thick cloud of smoke.
“Whoa! What—the—fuck!” Kairo screamed, startled by her presence. “Wait, you want to bury my husband in some damn swamps with alligators and stinking ass frogs?”
“This is not up for debate. The gods decided he will be buried with his ancestors right here in New Orleans, Louisiana, down in the bayou.”
“Well let me talk to y’all gods.”
“What do you have to offer besides your life?”
“I have nothing.”
“My point exactly. You don’t have nothing but the breath in your body. They are not going to waste time and to talk to you, a mortal,” the Voodoo queen spoke with such arrogance in her voice. “Whatever you have to say, you can say it through me or don’t trust me at all.”
“You know what, fuck you and yo’ gods. I don’t have time for your pissy ass attitude tonight,” Kairo said, standing in the dark, striking a match to light the candles that were on the dining room table.
“Take that back right now!” the Voodoo queen yelled.
“No, fuck y’all! I meant it!” Kairo said.
“OO chile, you really have no clue of what’s to come, but I will let you have your moment ‘cause your husband died,” the Voodoo queen said as she left the house for the night.
“Kairo, are you ok?” Shepard asked, returning from the basement with more candles in his hands. He lit each candle and posted them around the room as he waited on a response from her. She sat there mourning the death of her husband.
“Ma, can I be excused from your presence?”
“Boy, go ahead, and tell that old hag she can come back in just for tonight. Shepard will show you to your room. Make that separately, I don’t want that old bitch near my son.”
“Aight,” Malachi said as he turned to leave to get Jackie from outside. Shepard and Kairo were left in the living room as she sat there contemplating on how she was going to get revenge for Delano’s death.
“You thinking about hurting a nigga?” Shepard said, interrupting Kairo from her thoughts.
“Huh?”
“You over there thinking hard as hell. I guess I’ll let you finish thinking of your grand master plan.”
“No, I just wanted to know what the fuck got into the Voodoo queen tonight?”
“Oh don’t worry, she can be salty when it comes to death in the family. Do you need any help?”
“No, thanks. I think I will be fine once this storm passes and I get my husband down south. Can you see if you could arrange for a chopper to transport his body down here first thing in the morning?”
“Yea, I sure can,” Shepard said.
“Ma, you know you didn’t have to be mean to Jackie,” Malachi said as he came back into the room. This angered Kairo because that grown ass woman had no business touching a child that was under the age of 18.
“Son, I can’t blame you; you had a tough childhood. But that old hag should know better!” Kairo yelled so loud that her veins were popping out her neck. “Why did you bring her here anyway? What happened to Olivia?”
“She back in Detroit, and pregnant,” Malachi confessed, knowing this would make Kairo even more upset.
“What!!”
“Yea. I don’t know how it happened, it just happened.”
“How far along is she?”
“I don’t know, but she is bigger than a Waffle House. I think it may be a boy.”
“Hmm,” Kairo sighed, giving Malachi the side eye. Then Shepard came rushing in with the results he was able to get.
“Delano’s body will be transported here overnight. He should be here in the morning.”
“Thank you, Shepard. How can I ever reward you for all
the hard work you do?”
“Oh, Miss, you don’t have to. I only live to serve those who are good to me. I am sorry for your loss and hope that you find the closure you need.”
“I need rest,” Kairo said, taking a deep breath, and sighed. She was yet not able to properly grieve for her husband the way she ought to. So, she headed towards her room and cried herself to sleep. Even though Delano switched up on her, she still loved that man. No matter how bad he treated her, she stayed with him. Crazy how much shit she had to endure to be with someone she thought was in love with her.
That next morning, Kairo awoke to the Voodoo queen and others dressed up in warrior clothes standing over her. She jumped soon as she opened her eyes, because she was afraid they might have done some kind of curse while she was asleep.
“Relax, it’s time to come see Delano for the last time,” the Voodoo queen said, extending her hand out for Kairo to grab.
“Wh-what?” she stammered on her words. She was now confused. “When did he get here?”
“His body arrived at 9:22 this morning,” Shepard said.
“Wait, what time is it?”
“It’s one in the afternoon,” the Voodoo queen replied, taking her hand back because Kairo was not going to grab it after all.
“Wait, you let me sleep that late? And who are these strange looking people? They starting to creep me out.”
“Listen, you don’t have to worry about these people. They were put in place to protect you and the babies during the day of burial.”
Kairo sighed and placed both of her swollen feet onto the ground. “Alright, take me to him.”
“Before we go, I need you to get dressed in this.” The Voodoo queen pulled out a long black dress that had sequin embroidery and feathers. Kairo absolutely hated the ugly piece of shit and refused to put it on.
“I’m not wearing that ugly shit nowhere,” she protested.
“It’s a custom to wear black as the widow, to the funeral.”
“Yea, I know, but that shit is ugly.”
“It is not that bad.”
“You wear it then,” Kairo said, walking over to her closet to find something else to wear.
“Why everything got to be a fight with you?!” the Voodoo queen yelled. She was highly irritated Kairo wasn’t going along with her plan.
“Because you trying to control shit. That’s my husband, not yours.”
“Leave the room,” the Voodoo queen said, walking closer to Kairo, with anger in her voice. “Don’t you forget who was there for you after all this time, when that husband of yours beat you. Hell, it was me who even crowned you as the queen of the south. I gave you life and I can surely take it away.”
“You threatening me? Well I’d like to see you try,” Kairo said, turning around with the plain, black leather Versace dress in her hand.
“If the shoe fit, lace it up and wear it. You gone regret every word you said to me in the last 24 hours,” the Voodoo queen said and left the room before Kairo could really respond. This fucked Kairo up, and she didn’t understand why she switched up on her all of a sudden. She shook her head and proceeded to take a hot shower. She couldn’t even get her ass in the shower fast enough before Malachi came bursting in her room.
“Ma, Johnny coming to the funeral.”
“What?”
“Jackie just informed me that Johnny knows I’m here and is on his way to kill me.”
“Let him come, I got something for him,” Kairo said, stepping into the shower and closing the door behind her so Malachi couldn’t see her nakedness.
“Ok,” Malachi said and left the room.
Ten minutes later, Kairo stepped out the shower and got dressed. She put on her clothes and walked into the living room where Malachi, Jackie, and Shepard waited on her.
“You ready to go to the funeral?” Shepard asked, getting up to open the door.
“Ready as I’m ever going to be,” Kairo replied.
“You looking very stunning, ma’am,” Jackie brought it upon herself to compliment her, on her black dress and oversized black hat. Kairo cut her the eye. She knew she was trying to kiss her ass, but whatever.
“Thank you, but I still don’t like you,” Kairo said. She had no problem telling a bitch how she felt. That was one thing Kairo was not afraid to do.
“After you, Miss Kairo,” Shepard said, helping her step into the black horse carriage that was outside her house.
“Um, where she thinks she going?” Kairo spoke. She just knew Jackie was not riding with her and Malachi in the horse carriage.
“Ma, come on, how else is she going to get there?”
“The bitch got two feet. Her fat ass can walk!”
“Now, that’s just rude and uncalled for! What the fuck have I ever done to you?” Jackie said, now offended. She just complimented this woman on her clothes and she still was coming for her.
“You can go to hell, you child molester.”
“Ma, I’m not fucking her alright!” Malachi lied. “Even if I was, it’s my choice. Now can we just go to the funeral? We already late.”
Kairo scoffed and allowed Jackie to get inside the carriage with them. She was still mad this woman had the audacity to come along to a funeral that didn’t have shit to do with her. They sat in complete silence while they rode to the bayou. No one said a mumbling word, just hot and irritated because the sun beamed onto their faces. The temperature was reaching a scorching 107 degrees. It was one hot Saturday in Louisiana.
“Fuck, it’s hot today,” Kairo said, snatching her oversized, straw black hat off her head. She instantly regretted having to wear all black, and she was pregnant on top of that.
“Damn, that place sure does look crowded,” Malachi whined, looking at the funeral in the distance. The tribal music began playing as they made an appearance. BUM BUM TA-TA TA! The snare drums pounded as Kairo stepped out the carriage.
Kairo approached the casket with tears filling up in her eyes. They were so heavy that it consumed her eyesight. Her legs began to quiver as if her knees were ready to go out on her any moment now.
“Don’t worry Ma. I got you,” Malachi said as he held onto a very trembling Kairo. She was feeling all the emotions as she got closer to the casket. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry, laugh, or yell.
“DAMN YOU! WHY YOU HAD TO LEAVE ME?!!” Kairo ended up yelling. She just couldn’t believe her man was in this casket. “LORD WHY!!! FIRST YOU TAKE MY FAMILY, NOW MY HUSBAND!!!” She fell onto the ground getting mud on her dress and knee caps.
“Ma, get up. You’re getting mud all over your dress and knees.”
“Fuck this mud, fuck you, fuck God, fuck this funeral!” Kairo screamed, getting up from the ground.
From a distance, Johnny watched Malachi and Jackie follow behind Kairo to the casket. He inched his way closer and closer, trying not to draw attention to himself. His men were disguised amongst the crowd, so neither Kairo nor Malachi could escape. He withdrew his gun and a woman saw him. She screamed, “Run, he got a gun!”
POW! POW!
The gun went off and the crowd went crazy. Everyone was running in multiple directions, but Johnny was still able to hit his target. Kairo turned around, feeling the burning sensation rip through her chest. Her eyes locked with Johnny as he fired another shot towards Malachi, but he grabbed Jackie and used her as a human shield. Her dead body went thud into the swamps along with Delano’s casket, because Malachi pushed it into the swamps trying to dodge Johnny.
Kairo kicked off her black Louboutin’s and ran so fast, snatching the machete off the warrior’s hip. Johnny ran out of bullets because he used what was left killing the wrong person.
“AGHHH, YOU BITCH!” Kairo leapt and swiped the machete across Johnny’s face. Blood began to pour immediately onto the ground. His face was cut so deep, he would need over one hundred stitches. Johnny’s men were so distraught from the gruesome sight, they stopped pursuing Kairo and rushed to Johnny.
“What the fuck did
you do?” Johnny yelled, watching a massive bloody clump fall onto the palm of his hands.
“It’s called revenge, bitch!” Kairo was about to finish him by decapitating him, but Shepard grabbed her arms.
“Come Miss Kairo, you have been shot. We have to rush you to the hospital,” Shepard said.
“Let me go!!! I want to kill him! AGGHHHHHHH!” Kairo felt moistness between her legs. She looked down and saw the blood trickling like piss down her legs. “NOOOO! NOT AGAIN!”
Jack of All Trades
After a long flight from Louisiana back to Detroit, Johnny was high off Vicodin. Although he was high, he was still able to feel the pain from the scar that would be permanent on his face forever. No amount of surgery was going to fix that scar. It ran so deep across his face, from his right cheek to top of his forehead. “Damn that bitch!” Johnny yelled as he looked at himself in the mirror. He was sure that he killed her this time. The way that bullet pierced her chest, he was certain it hit her heart, but if not, a main artery at least. As he continued to look at his scar, he heard his name being called, but there was no one in the house with him. He turned around and no one was there.
“Johnny!” the soft, woman’s voice called out again. This time it was clear someone called him.
“Huh? Who’s there?”
“Johnny!” the woman’s voice called again.
“What the fuck!” He frantically looked around the bathroom, pulling the shower curtains back. Still there was no sign of this woman that appeared to know his name. Then all of a sudden, the lights went out and the Voodoo queen appeared in a white light in the mirror.
“Johnny, be not afraid,” she said, but she knew he was going to be afraid and run anyway.
“What the fuck. I know I ain’t going crazy,” Johnny said out loud, running from the bathroom, and headed back to his bedroom. Then he heard two knocks on his bedroom door that frightened him, and he grabbed his heat from his back pocket. “Come in.”
