Hitta's Tea Maker

by Edwina Fort

  Anyway, so that morning…I woke up to the smell of elderberries. Only one person I knew could make a house smell of elderberries like that.

  “Greatie’s here!” Jessie cried as she hurried past my room and down the stairs.

  With a smile on my face, I climbed off of Hitta’s back and hurried into the bathroom to take care of my morning rituals.

  “Where you going so early?” he grumbled from where he still lay in bed.

  I grinned at him… “You’ll see when you come down.” Then I turned and followed Jessie down. I sure hope he wasn’t the freaking out type because if he was, he was going to completely flip when he realizes that my Greatie can somehow come and go at will and don’t always use doors…

  When I got downstairs, Jessie was sitting at the table with a huge elderberry muffin that had been smothered in butter and honey in front of her. And Greatie was just taking another pan out of the oven. I ran to her and hugged her because I’d missed her so much and it had been nearly two years since I saw her last. I do believe the last time was when she’d given me the idea to go to Ms. Armstrong with the thought of renting the Tea Shop instead of buying it.

  “How is my sweet girl?” she asked as she held me close.

  Oh y’all…I loved hugging Greatie. She always smelled like elderberries…because they were her absolute favorite. She made the best elderberry tea in the whole world.

  “A lot has happened since the last time I saw you,” I told her.

  She smiled warmly at me. “I know, child…Sit down and have a cup of tea.”

  Eagerly I sat…A cup of Greatie’s tea was a treat indeed. As she poured it, I fingered her beautiful multi-colored skirt, just like I did when I was a little girl. Every time I saw her, she wore the same thing. This skirt never got old or worn…or even dirty for that matter.

  “Where was you at, Greatie?” Jessie asked around a mouth full of muffin. “I missed you.”

  The fact that Jessie was about four the last time she saw her goes to show you the effect Greatie’s visits have on a person.

  "Ow…I've been quite a few places, little one.” She sounded tired, but not the kind of tired as in sleepy, but the kind of tired that goes way down to your bones…soul tired.

  I took a sip of my tea and closed my eyes feeling the healing power of the herbs seeping into the soil that is my flesh…Only Greatie can make tea like this. I could only hope that one day I’ll achieve her status, but I doubt that I ever will. Greatie’s knowledge of herbs is too much to learn in one human lifespan.

  Well…One normal human that is…

  Greatie is human, she’s just a human who was granted access to only die once…

  At least…That’s what she told me when I was a little girl. She said the righteous man is only promised death once and that she’d died, but that a great servant of the Master prayed that she would come back and well…She did.

  She eased down into her chair studying me with her ancient gaze. “How have your dreams been of late?”

  I grinned as I took another sip of my tea. “Different.”

  She nodded… “Which is why I’ve come.”

  “I figured that… I’m just wondering if you are bringing good news or bad.”

  “I come with neither good news nor bad, more like a warning.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. “A warning?”

  She reached over and rubbed her hand down Jessie’s braids. “The Master heard your prayers, little one. Things are going to get a bit easier for you.” The smile left her face. “At least… for a little while.”

  Jessie nodded… “Okay.”

  I wondered if she really understood what Greatie was saying because I sure didn’t. I opened my mouth to ask her to explain, but she looked at me and spoke instead.

  “So, you’ve gone and fallen in love with one of the Preacher’s boys, huh?”

  I frowned…She was way off. There were no preachers in Hitta’s family, not even close. Over lunch the other day, Carmen told me that Hitta’s dad was killed by a rival gang when he was just a baby.

  Wow! For the first time since I’ve known Greatie…She was wrong.

  I shook my head. “No, Greatie, Hitta’s father is not a preacher.”

  She inhaled before she gently hit the table in front of me. “Let me tell you a story.”

  Both Jessie and I grinned at each other. Greatie told the best stories in the whole world. You guys out there listening to my tale…settle in, you’re getting ready to get a real treat.

  “When the Master walked the earth in the flesh of a Man, he spoke of a parable. The reign of the heavens is like a man, a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the workers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.” She lifted her teacup and took a sip of her healing brew.

  “And then he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market-place and said to them, ‘You too go into the vineyard and whatever is right I shall give you.’ And they went. Having gone out again about the sixth and the ninth hour, he did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, having gone out, he found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you shall receive.’”

  The oven dinged and she got up and pulled another pan of muffins out of it before she reached up in the cabinet and took down Hitta’s thermos.

  “And when evening came, the Master of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages.” She turned her head and looked me in the eyes. “Beginning with the last to the first.’”

  Turning back, she continued to fill Hitta’s thermos with the tea she had been brewing for him.

  “And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. And when the first came, they thought they would receive more.”

  After filling the thermos, she began to take the muffins out of the pan, stacking them neatly on a plate. I frowned at the number of muffins she made, wondering why there were so many.

  “You’ll see…” She told me before she continued her story. “But they too received each a silver piece. And when they received it, they grumbled against the householder, saying, ‘These last have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’”

  She sat back down and lifted her tea. “Can you two guess what the Master said to them?”

  Both Jessie and I shook our heads.

  “He said, ‘Friend, I do you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take yours and go. But I wish to give to this last man as also to you. Is it not right for me to do what I wish with my own? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ Thus the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

  When she was finished, she sat back in her chair and took another sip of her tea allowing us to digest her words.

  And…Yeah. I had nothing.

  I mean, I know the parable she spoke of, Mathew 20, verses 1-16, but I was completely lost as to what that had to do with Hitta’s father, who was not a preacher.

  Greatie chuckled, shaking her head at me. “Child, one of these days you’re going to listen to yo’ old Greatie and start studying yo’ Word.”

  I took a sip of my tea to hide my guilt. My Greatie gave me a bible when I was eight years old. I still had it, I just never read it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve read bits and pieces, like the MessiYah’s parables…I really like those, but my Greatie wants me to pick it up and start from the beginning and read through to the end. And I am going to do it…I am…I just haven’t gotten around to doing it just yet.

  “That parable will mean different things to different people.” As she spoke, she looked off to the side getting lost in her thoughts. “You see, like me, the Preacher has been out in the vineyard for a long time…in fa
ct, he’s been out there a lot longer than most, including me. But he doesn’t grumble or moan. He just continues to work. It was he that explained that parable to me many years ago. He said, Tabby girl,” she said that in a deep voice with a fond smile on her face, “The Master was called good because he was able to see what we as men cannot. The workers that had worked since morning was not able to see past their own lives. They felt blessed when they were hired on by the Master because they knew at the end of the day, they will receive their reward. But they didn’t think about their fellow brothers, who still waited to be hired, who too wished to be hired on to receive the reward. They also forgot the struggle in waiting and wondering if they’d ever be hired. They forgot that is the hardest part. While one waits outside of the vineyard, there are many things to battle, many things trying to convince you to fall out of line. The Master went out at different intervals throughout the day. Now, keep in mind, 99.9% of man never bothered showing up at all. Some got tired of waiting and left by the third hour, some showed up late, but they came. Others could not take the pressure of waiting and left by the sixth hour. Some showed up late, but they came. Other’s legs gave out on them by the ninth hour. Some showed up late, but they came. And then there were those who could not endure to the end and got tired and left by the eleventh hour. And some who showed up late, but they finally made it. You see, the battle is not how long you’ve been in the field, the battle is getting to the field and enduring to the end. The fact that I know who I am and who I serve makes me have it easier than my brother who is still standing in line, although he has no idea who he serves, only that he heard the voice and is waiting to answer the call.”

  She shook her head. “The Preacher’s wisdom is something to behold, child. And Yah knows I’ve seen many fall by the wayside. But thanks to him, I now understand that those who make it in the vineyard and out to the end of the day, deserve their reward no matter how long they’ve bore the heat of the sun. Because the truth is, it was always easier to bear the heat inside the vineyard than standing there idle waiting for the Master where the heat feels much hotter.”

  “The Preacher carries a strength that many of us don’t have. And it’s that strength that exists in his bloodline. From him come children of battle. His seeds whether for the good or the bad, are people of war. Some of the most vicious crimes ever committed amongst our people were committed by his seed. In the same breath, some of the most valiant heroes are of his lineage.” Her gaze fell to Jessie as she took her little hand.

  “You, my sweet child, is one of his.” Jessie nodded again as if she understood.

  Greatie’s eyes came back to me. “They are not like you, daughter of Sarah…They are not healers. They were created by the Ancient of Days to be a battle-ax of destruction, whether for the good or the bad.”

  “What does that have to do with Hitta?”

  “He’s a son of The Preacher, child. A man of war…and it's too soon yet to tell if it is for the good or the bad. But one thing is for certain, just like the others of his bloodline, he is a weapon and can cause grave destruction if he gets the mind to.”

  “I’ve come to you to warn you because although you are a Daughter of Sarah and like catnip to the Preacher’s seed…You are also one of mine and I don’t want you broken.”

  I bit my lip as I digested her words, like that parable, most of it I didn’t understand. I was clueless as to what a Daughter of Sarah was…But I understood that her warning was about Hitta loud and clear. Although I did a stellar job at ignoring it these days and he was being on his very best behavior…There was a violent nature about him.

  It was that violence in him that made people clear out of his way when he walked or caused some men’s voices to quiver when they spoke to him and even some women for that matter. There was something in Hitta’s eyes that I couldn’t describe because it was foreign to me… But it was deadly. You knew and felt that he would not hesitate to use those big scarred hands of his to destroy if he in any way felt threatened.

  But Greatie’s warning came too late. I’d stolen from him…

  Now thinking back, I remember the moment before I’d made up my mind to take the money, where there was a little voice in the back of my head that said very clearly…for every action, there is an equal or greater reaction.

  And yet, I still moved forward, throwing caution to the wind. And now like he said, I belonged to him…

  And not just because of the money…I’d become a slave to his touch. The man loved my body in a way that caused me to feel as if I was burning and only he could put the fire out. I knew that fact like I knew Greatie was not of this time or this place.

  I’d only just learned pleasure and I’ve become addicted to it. I’d become addicted to the feel of his big warm body protecting me from my nightmares. I’d become addicted to the feel of his big strong hands, hands that are capable of causing great destruction, but when they touch me…they are so gentle, caressing parts of me as if it’s his most precious treasure on the whole earth.

  And his mouth…

  The things he did with his mouth… He took his time with me, kissing me as if there is nothing else in the world he would rather be doing. When he fed from me, he did it like someone who had been starving and just found a delicacy and wanted to take his time and cherish it.

  Mmmmm….

  I had to stop my thoughts there, if I continued and spoke of the way other parts of him made me feel, how other mighty parts of him caused me to separate from myself as it drove me to the point of ravenous hunger before causing my world to combust…

  Yeah…I had to stop there. But as you guys can see, I was hooked on his loving and I didn’t know how not to crave his touch.

  “What should I do?” I asked Greatie…If ever there was a time I needed her help, now was it.

  She reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You need to prepare yourself for a life different from what you’re used to. You have been given as a gift to that slayer. He is a lot rougher than some of his kind. He’s come up in a very hostile environment and I fear that he will not know how to protect your gentle heart.”

  “Protect my heart from what?”

  She nodded toward the stairs. “Him.”

  Chapter 12

  I’ll Do Anything to Keep You…

  Men Aren’t Stupid, and You Don’t Need A Complicated Set of Rules to Find One Who Loves You. Here’s the Only Rule You Need; If A Man Loves You, He Will Do Anything He Can to Keep You Around…ANYTHING!

  --Unknown

  Angel

  Frowning I turned to see who she was speaking of. Hitta came down the stairs and around the corner pulling a t-shirt over his head, his ripped brown stomach flexing as he did.

  Shucks… I nearly licked my lips, remembering how I’d just ran my tongue over those same muscles only a few hours ago.

  With heated cheeks, I turned back to face Greatie, but she was gone. Jessie pointed to the patio door that let out to the back yard.

  “She went that way.”

  That sounds about right… She’d been coming and going like that for as long as I’ve known her. Apparently, she was not ready to let herself be known to Hitta… The only reason she used the door this time was because Jessie was watching her and she didn’t want to freak her out by just disappearing.

  “Baby, I need to go to the gym for a few hours, one of my fighters having some personal issues and taking his aggression out on my staff.” He shook his head. “I swear I think that nigga doing steroids or some sh*t.”

  He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up from the chair so that he could plant one of those kisses on me that was going to have me fantasizing about him for the rest of the day.

  “When I get home, I’m gon’ be hungry, shawty, so make sure there ain’t nothing standing between me and my feast…” he whispered in my ear before he took my lobe into his mouth and sucked on it.

  See what I’m talking about? I had to squee
ze my knees together to soothe the need he caused in my center at his words… As he let me slide back in my chair, he studied my face as if he was trying to commit it to memory.

  “I still can’t believe I got you here with me…” he whispered. He leaned down and gave me one more quick peck on the lips before he stood and headed towards Jessie…

  She watched him with a barely suppressed grin on her face…as if she was waiting for him too— She shrieked as he suddenly charged her, jumping out of her chair as if she had been expecting him to come after her.

  “Where my money? You bet five dollas you was gon’ beat my score in GTO…and you lost, so where my money?”

  “I ain’t got yo’ money!” she screamed before she tried to dash past him to the steps, but he caught her and then held her upside down by one foot and started shaking her as if he was trying to shake change out of her pockets. She was now laughing so hard I could see the veins sticking out her neck.

  I stood and gave him my no-nonsense look. When he and Jessie first hooked up his PlayStation in the living room and she asked him if they could play GTO, he and I talked about how that wasn't a good idea. But apparently, they went behind my back and played anyway…and bet on the game to boot!

  “What?” he asked…Like he had no idea why I was looking at him this way. Jessie was already rough and she didn't need violent video games giving her any more ideas.

  Although he’d stopped shaking her, he still held her upside down by one leg. Of course, Jessie’s crazy butt loved it and was trying to swing at his legs with her little fists.

  See what I mean? Violent…

  I lifted an eyebrow and folded my arms.

  Chuckling, he turned her around and eased her back on her feet. When she saw the look on my face her laughter died down.

  “I thought we agreed that we would not let Jessie play GTO.”

  He shrugged like he was innocent. “I know…I was down here minding my own business, quietly playing a game when this one,” he pointed at Jessie, who was barely holding on to her laughter, “Came down and was like, yo, I bet I can beat yo’ score, sh*t…I got five on it.”