“I can’t believe you still use all this stuff,” she said to Jenna.
She had known of Jenna for years before Judgement Day, but they weren’t friends. She was almost too much of a girly girl for Maia. In fact, they’d never spoken to each other before meeting up at Allen’s the first time after the flood.
Once they were formally introduced, it was if though they’d been BFFs forever. This was rare for her since she preferred to be friends with guys. But, Jenna was different. She may have looked the part of a high-maintenance girl, but she wasn’t emotionally needy, and she loved a good debate as much as Maia did. The best part was that she didn’t get offended if it got heated. It took the near end of the world for Maia to realize she’d been all wrong about her.
“There is a ton of make-up still out there, and there aren’t that many women left to use it. I figured I might as well, especially since the guys bring it back for us. It’s not like we have much else to feel girly about around here, you know?” She pointed the makeup brush at Maia. “You should let me put some on you.”
“No,” she snickered.
“Oh, come on. Don’t you have dates tonight? Don’t you wanna look good?”
“You know I don’t do anything with them so quit playing.”
“Yeah, but I also know you want to make Jason pay dearly, and this is one way to do it.” Jenna warmed the concealer on the inside of her wrist.
“I could care less about Jason,” she replied.
“Mmm, hmm. Tilt your head back.”
“Fine,” she huffed. “Do you even have a foundation in my shade?”
Jenna stopped dabbing the concealer under Maia’s eyes and pulled back in a defensive stance like she was offended. But she wasn’t. This was their vibe.
“Know who you are talking to. I can mix anything with this kit. Besides, your shade isn’t that far off from mine. I’ll just add a touch of pink to this and voilà.” She continued, “See, It’s perfect!”
Foundation was like the gateway drug for a full-blown makeover. Before Maia realized it, she had smoky eyes, pale pink lips, blushed cheeks, her hair was pinned up with a couple of pieces dangling in the right places, and she had a sexy outfit on courtesy of Jenna.
Looking in the mirror, she was excited about what she saw. She’d borrowed a pair of ripped skinny jeans, a fitted, long sleeve turquoise and cream baseball tee with a shimmering pocket that layered perfectly with her brown tank top underneath. She tucked in the shirt and tank only at the front.
She accessorized with a chunky brown leather belt and brown boots that were supposed to be knee-high, but because she was short, they reached just above her knee. She happened to love the way that looked on her. She would just have to be careful of the way they rubbed her feet. The last thing she wanted was to irritate those blisters even more.
“Whoa, look at you, hot mama,” Tobi said peeking in the door. “Jason and Tony are here whenever you’re ready.”
Maia rushed into the living area of the trailer. “It took y’all long enough.” Both Jason and Tony couldn’t help giving her the once over. “So…tell me what you’ve got.”
“Girl!” Jason’s eyes got bigger. “I’ll tell you exactly—“
“Jason put your tongue back in your mouth,” Tony said.
“What I mean is, you look great. Um, here, take a look at these.” Jason handed her three handwritten flyers without ever taking his eyes off her.
As she was taking the flyers from him, Jenna walked by her ever so casually just to bump her on the back as if to say, “I told you so.”
Maia ignored her and focused on the flyers. Hand drawn on all of them was their family name’s crest; a sheaf of five arrows pointing upwards and tied with a band. It also included the line, “The moon has arisen, it shines on the path, Now tread by the gallant and true.” It was verses from their clan song, March of the Cameron Men.
Underneath was the message, “Gie 'im an inch, an he'll tak an ell, piuthar. Face it, Uncle Pitou had one 2.3 away. Keep the heid. Love me, Rob C.” Each one was dated and underneath it said that it would expire in one week. The dates on two of them were from three weeks prior: June 17, 2013.
She studied them. It took her a few minutes, but she figured out what he was telling her. They’d heard the Cameron clan song so many times as kids that it was ingrained in them. And the Scots phrases her dad and grandpa would use over and over. They didn’t know what they meant until Google came around and by then they were married with their own kids. It was awe inspiring to see their family’s legacy being carried on so far removed from the country of origin.
She couldn’t believe she finally had proof that one of her brothers was alive. She kept fumbling through the papers as though at any moment he would pop out of them. In five months this was the closest she’d been to any member of her family except for her husband and children.
“That’s him, right? That’s the song your dad and grandpa always sang when they were drinking and that phrase, I remember them saying that a lot,” Tony said.
“Yeah, this is him. The fool always signs everything like that too. I can’t believe this. Rob is alive!” she said jumping up to hug Tony.
“So what does this mean? Where is he?” Tony asked squeezing her back.
She looked at both of them sternly, “I’m not telling you because I know you’ll go after him. I know what happens when Allen sends out search parties. He’ll make Rob owe him, and then he’ll get stuck here. We’ll get him. Besides, they’re only good for one week after the date he leaves them. Where’d you find these? I want to leave him a note, and then we’ll have to wait for him to leave another one.”
“Tony found the first one at Bottleneck. I found the other two about a week ago; one at the round Pentecostal church on Millerville and the other one was at the three big Bethany crosses off the interstate,” Jason said. “And why would they expire?”
“He’s replacing them each month and giving them an expiration because, think about it, he has to hunt and scavenge and who knows what else. He’s only guaranteeing me that for that one week that he’ll for sure be there,” she explained.
“Make some flyers to let him know that you’re okay, and we’ll put them out over the next couple of days,” Tony said.
She was still shaking her head in disbelief. She finally knew where her big brother was. Hopefully, they’d be able to get to him, soon.
Chapter Twenty
Maia walked into the community area with Jenna and Tobi. Everyone was staring at her, especially Caleb and Tye. She flashed a smile their way and sashayed to the other side of the building. Amongst the catcalls, the smell of beer and cigars, and the constant tapping of balls on the ping pong table, this was her people.
Though she knew only a dozen or so personally before the flood, they were familiar to her. They’d grown up, got in trouble, and graduated; together. These were the people she’d see out on a Saturday night. Their kids were in little league together. They were the ones she’d see at weddings and funerals. When you come from a small town, everybody knows everybody even if they don’t exactly remember their name.
This is why one of the first questions asked upon meeting someone from the area is, “Who’s ya mama and ‘em?” When translated, it means, “Let’s figure out how we’re connected.” While the person you’re meeting may not be someone you immediately recognize, chances are you’ve met their parents, siblings, friends, or spouse. That’s how they make connections. And these people here, somehow she was connected to nearly all of them.
“Maia, Maia, the girl’s on fiya! Come hook it up for me, girl. Show these fools how to do this.”
She rushed over to Sean to give him a hug. He was a friend of her younger brother, Mark. She’d known him for a long time. In fact, most of the guys she knew had been the friend of one or more of her brothers, and by extension, friends of hers.
“What did my wife and Jenna do to you?”
“Oh, you know how Jenna is. Tobi is innocen
t this time.”
“Well, it looks good on you, bae,” he said. “Wanta play? I need you to show these fools how to do this.”
She was no stranger to the pool table. Growing up they had a table in the garage, and her brothers and their friends were continually hosting tournaments. One night, one of her brother’s friends asked her to play against him. This guy had a massive crush on her so what he was really looking to do was teach her how to play, which meant getting up close and personal. It worked. Not only did she learn to shoot pool but Brent became her first love.
“I’d hate to show you up. You should let one of these other guys play,” she said egging him on.
“Ooooh,” Sean said in sync with the onlookers. “That sounds like a challenge. Rack ‘em.”
“Okay but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” she replied, pulling a nineteen weight stick from the wall rack. She held it out in front of her to see if it was straight then rolled it on the table to be sure.
She grabbed the triangle and put it on the table. Pulling the stripes and solids from the pockets, she secured them inside. She had her own way of doing things and racking balls for the pool table was no exception.
Roy G. Biv was her preferred method. Red solid at the top, red stripe and orange solid on row two, orange stripe, eight ball in the center, and yellow solid, then she kept swapping them out until she had completed the pattern. Of course, there was no indigo, so maroon was a stand-in.
Before she tightened them, she made sure the bottom corners were opposites, one stripe and one solid. She thrust the balls forward to the tip then put her fingers in the rack and up against them to secure them. She removed one hand, tapped the eight ball in the center, carefully lifted the rack then flipped it off.
“Y’all saw that? She put the gris-gris on it,” Tony said. “That’s how she wins.”
“Go ahead. Blame it on the gris-gris if that helps you maintain your ego,” Tobi chimed in.
Maia didn’t even remember when she started racking that way, but it quickly became her signature. No one taught it to her. She never saw anyone else do it. In her mind, it was easier to have a method committed to memory so she could do it without even thinking once it became a habit.
The tap on the eight ball wasn’t random either. When she first started doing it this way she would put her finger on the eight ball then with her eyes, work around double checking to make sure she’d placed the other balls in their proper positions. Once it became second nature to her and she knew she’d have it right without checking again, the finger on the eight ball became a tap. Once something was settled in her mind there was no point in changing it up.
He studied the rack and put the cue ball in place. “I’m calling it. Right center pocket,” Sean said.
She didn’t even respond. She only looked at him and laughed. He always called the same shot off the break and to date he never made it. He had a theory that this was like the lottery. If he kept playing the same thing over and over again then eventually it would hit. Or would it?
While he was talking smack, she grabbed some talc for her hands.
He broke. Gosh, she loved that sound it. He didn’t put the eight ball in, but he did sink a solid. That meant she had stripes.
“What’s this? You shoot pool too?” Tye asked, more so to establish his presence than to have the question answered.
She looked up and noticed he was clean shaven and his hair had been cut. She realized she hadn't even looked at him earlier to see it. Ugh, Kat, she thought to herself. “Well, I’m not painting my nails,” she replied sarcastically.
“Whoa, your boys don’t know?” Tony laughed. “Good ol’, Yaya. Y’all just don’t know about her,” he said while patting Tye on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ll teach you.”
Sean missed his second shot and left her little to work with. There were still too many balls on the table, and the cue ball was stuck behind two solids. Her only choice was to bank it, something she’d never been great at. Brent would always point to the exact place on the table where she should aim the cue ball, and he’d tell her what English to use. They must’ve played hundreds of games together. You’d think she’d know how to do this by now, but he always did it for her, so there was never a reason to figure it out.
Sensing her hesitation and knowing the reason, Jason walked over and examined the shot. She watched as he placed his finger on the table, looked at her and said, “Left.”
She felt her face tense up. The negative energy rose to her eyes and mouth. She couldn’t help but wear her emotions on her sleeve. She was livid, and everyone knew it. She placed her fingers in position to steady the stick then she pulled back and rammed the cue ball. She didn’t care where it went as long as it didn’t go near the spot Jason pointed to.
“What is the deal between those two?” Tye asked Tony. Hearing the question, Caleb stepped into their space wanting to get final clarification on the situation too.
“Maia dated this guy, Brent. They were like fifteen or sixteen, but they were still young, you know, they needed to experience life, well Brent mostly. So they became those friends, you understand what I'm sayin'?” he said laughing and gesturing.
“I know what you mean,” Caleb said, “friends with benefits.”
Tony replied, “It was more than that though. They were best friends, and they were always together. They loved each other. They were just too young to make a real commitment.”
“What does that have to do with Jason?” Caleb asked.
Tony continued, “Brent started kickin’ it with some shady people from New Orleans, and he pulled some crap that got him in trouble. And that’s where Jason comes in. He was nineteen, fresh out of the academy, third-generation cop and he had something to prove; started working cases while he was still on patrol. He was out to get Brent, and he found out Maia was the key. So, he threatened to send her to juvie for hustling if she didn’t flip on him.”
“Hustling for what?” Tye asked.
He pointed to the pool table with the tip of his beer, and said, “At sixteen she was earning almost 2k a month shooting pool. Like I said, y’all don’t know about her.”
“Obviously not…” Tye said, his eyes lingering a lot longer than they should as she bent over to examine the angles.
She had two balls left. If she lined this up right, she could run the table and win the game. Sean still had four balls left.
She found the place where the eleven ball would have to be hit to go in the corner pocket. Keeping it in her sight, she backed up the stick behind the cue ball to set up the shot.
It sunk. And she set herself up for the next shot then the next shot.
“Eight ball, right corner,” she said.
It was quiet. Everyone was looking and listening to see if she’d make the shot. She eyed the spot on the eight ball and backed up to put her stick behind the cue ball. She struck it.
For a second she thought she might have hit it too hard. The cue ball almost looked like it might roll right in. She watched, hoping she didn’t scratch. Nothing was worse than scratching on the eight ball.
But, it stopped. Cheers erupted. Sean’s face bore a frown, but the sparkle in his eyes showed that he was proud. She was like a sister to him after all.
Sean hugged her. “Good job, bae. Your boy called next. Whoop him or Ima hunt you down.”
She turned to see Tye racking the balls. It was on now. “You think you can beat me?”
“Oh, I know I can.” He smiled. He always got a kick out of how competitive she was. She had to win.
Kat ran up to him and threw her arms around him. “You’re playin’? We should play partners. Tony, you play with Maia.”
“Um, was that a question? Last I checked I won the table,” she said, in case Kat had forgotten the rules somehow. But she paid no attention to Maia. She pulled a stick down for Tony and grabbed one for herself.
Tony looked over and winked at her then shook his head, yes. She hated when they did that. Li
ke they knew something she didn’t.
“Fine. You want to break, T?” she asked him.
“You’re not gonna break?” Tye asked her.
“No, I like to play after the fact. There’s no strategy involved in breaking. There are too many variables to narrow anything down. I’d rather clean up the mess.”
His eyes lit up, and he nodded his head as though her answer intrigued him. It did.
Tony pushed his stick into the cue ball and followed through. He made two stripes in the pocket.
“I need to ask the bullet point girl a question,” Tye said.
She looked at him strangely, “Go ahead.”
“Are you mad at me?”
She took a deep breath and exhaled, “Yes and no.”
Now he was the one looking strange, but it was their turn.
“Go ahead, Kat. I’ll go next,” he said.
Kat bounced around the pool table looking for a shot. It was funny to see a hardcore chick look that silly. It reminded Maia of why she liked her. Noticing that the two of them were talking, Tony stepped in to help her find a shot.
“What do you mean yes and no?”
“I mean, I am upset, but I fully realize that I have no rational reason to be.”
“Can you translate that?”
“Yeah, but I need to take my shot. Your girl just did a bang-up job and y’all are about to lose.”
Tony sunk two in on the break and made two more after that. That left Maia with three. She jumped the solid and knocked her stripe into the pocket. Lined up for the next shot, she made it in too. Only one ball left before the eight ball. She scratched. She got too cocky.
Tye walked over to the table and started cleaning it up; one, two, three, four balls driven into the pockets. He turned to look at Maia.
“Even though you’re gonna lose, you still play better than your ol’ man,” Tye laughed. “I almost feel bad that I have to do this.”
Then he pulled one of those, “I’m not going to look when I hit this, and I’ll pray it goes in so I can look good” shots.
Amitola: The Making of a Tribe Page 19
