Courtin' Jayd

by L. Divine

  “Karma’s a bitch, Mickey, and so are you,” Nellie says, passing us up to get back to the ASB table with the rest of the popular crew. “Good luck saving her from herself, Jayd.” Ignoring both our warnings, Mickey continues with her parade as the warning bell rings above our heads. I shouldn’t even stay. But like everyone else, I’m glued to my spot.

  “How are you feeling, Misty? You and KJ should really take a sick day or maybe two,” Mickey says. Misty looks like a deer caught in a trap: completely helpless. KJ steps in between the two of them, trying to silence Mickey, but he’s too late. “How long does it take for gonorrhea to clear up?” Saying it loud enough for anyone walking past us headed for class to hear, Mickey allows the bombshell to drop from her mouth, sending a wave of shock through the crowd.

  “Damn nigga, she gave you the clap,” Del says to his boy while he and C Money look at a mortified Misty in disgust. Tears begin to fall down Misty’s rosy cheeks as the whispers begin. It’ll take her a long time to live this one down.

  “You should always cover up your little soldier man, especially with girls you ain’t really with, dog,” C Money says. Shae, Tony, and the rest of their crew laugh at the situation while my boys and me look as sorry for Misty as she feels. Like I said before, when you sleep with the wrong people you will get burned one way or another. Unfortunately for Misty, her foul attitude has come back to bite her in the ass and we were all here to witness it.

  “What’s wrong, Misty? I’ve never seen you speechless before,” Mickey says, still antagonizing her prey. Mickey can be real mean when she wants to be.

  “Come on, Mickey, that’s enough,” Nigel says, taking her by the arm and leading her away from the scene. “We’ll catch up with y’all later.”

  “Alright man,” Chance says as he and Jeremy look at me looking at Misty. I feel terrible but even if I did try to help her she wouldn’t let me. Too bad she has no real friends at school.

  “Come on, Jayd. We’d better get to the office and get a late pass to class.” Jeremy’s right. Mrs. Peterson’s going to have a field day with us being tardy again but I’m much more concerned about Misty’s retaliation. Her taking it out on Mickey means taking it out on me too.

  “Misty, do you want us to walk you to class?” I ask, not able to help myself from wanting to help her. She doesn’t answer but looks up at me instead and I notice a shift in her eyes. Instead of being red and swollen from crying they are now cold and hard. She doesn’t even look like herself anymore, just like her and Mama in my dream. I don’t like this feeling at all. I’m going to have to get some feedback from Mama about this one but it will have to wait until tomorrow at Netta’s. Mama’s working at the shelter all week in the evenings, leaving us very little time to chat.

  “Whoever said I had it?” KJ yells loud enough for everyone to hear. I know he’s lying to save face but his word is bond to these followers around here, unlike Misty’s word. And that’s the problem with boys, especially the popular cats like him: they can get away with this shit, leaving the girls to take all the blame. I’m glad I had enough sense to protect my cookies from this monster. My phone vibrates, indicating a text from Rah. I hope it’s good news about the tea. If it is I’m getting right on another amulet for Misty while I work on my protection potion tonight, now that I know she actually wants my help. I’m sure there have to be exceptions for people who want our help but can’t ask for it. No girl should have to go through this type of humiliation alone and I’m sure Mama would agree.

  When I got home I went straight to the spirit room until it was time for bed. Mama spent all day working at the shelter and she also turned in early last night. Rah and I spoke briefly, filling each other in on our days. Unfortunately he didn’t get to test the tea because Trish didn’t come to school yesterday and he hasn’t seen Sandy yet, but I’m sure she’ll pop up. I hope there’s no expiration date on the tea taking effect. I also created a sweet-smelling oil as my protection potion and named it “drama repellent.” We’ll see how this works when I show it to Mama later at the shop. Until I figure out a way to help out my girls and Misty, I’m staying to myself, and I hope this repellent does its job well.

  Noticing me on the bus this morning, Misty turns her head toward the window and pretends not to know me. Normally that would be okay with me, but this morning I feel obligated to speak. Not because I want to be friends with her but to let her know that I don’t think she’s nasty because she caught an STD. I already thought badly of her. I do, however, think the situation is wrong and that she’s getting the raw end of the deal.

  “What’s up, Misty?” I say as I pass by her seat on my way to the back of the bus. It’s crowded and my usual seat at the front is occupied. She doesn’t move an inch or even attempt to acknowledge my greeting. Whatever, I tried. As I take a seat across from the row behind her the bus pulls off. The ride from Compton to Gardena is the longest ride of the three buses I take every day. As I settle in for the journey, Misty turns around in her seat and glares at me. Her eyes are just as cold as they were yesterday and in my dream. What the hell?

  “You did this to me,” Misty whispers in a cryptic voice. If I didn’t know better I’d say the girl was possessed by a demon or something. She’s really gone off the deep end this time if she thinks I gave her gonorrhea.

  “Come again,” I say, pulling out my phone so I can text my boo on the way to school. Rah’s probably not even awake yet but I need a distraction from this trick and reading won’t do. Where’s my repellent? Maybe I need to put on some more oil because this girl is drama central.

  “I know you did this to me for telling everyone your dirty little secret.”

  “First of all my secret wasn’t dirty or little. And even if I did want to get back at you, I didn’t give you a sexually transmitted disease, emphasis on the word ‘sexually.’ We were close, Misty, but never that close,” I respond, turning away from her and looking out my own window. I search my purse for the small vial of the pink potion to rub all over myself because the small amount I put on after my morning shower isn’t helping now. Misty looks at me like I’m her worst enemy when she should be focusing all of her hatred on KJ.

  “Well then, how do you explain me catching gonorrhea when the only guy I’ve ever been with is clean? I know you put a spell on me or something, Jayd.” Did I just hear her right? She really thinks that KJ’s creeping ass isn’t the culprit?

  “Oh come on, Misty,” I say, spinning my head around in disbelief. “Even you can’t be that gullible.” But from the expression on her face, she is. “KJ’s lying to you and you’re stupid enough to take the blame. Oh no, wait. You’re stupid enough to blame me.” This is too much for me this early in the morning. We still have a good half hour left on this ride and I don’t want to spend it arguing with her.

  “I knew I should’ve thrown away that evil charm bag but I was too afraid. And now look what you’ve done to me,” she says, throwing the gris-gris at me. I never thought about what to do with it if someone doesn’t want it. I’ll have to ask Mama about that later. Right now I have to get her to shut up once and for all.

  “Misty, if I really am the one causing the plagues on your ass then do you think it’s smart to throw shit at me?” I don’t mean to use my spiritual lineage to instill fear but the potion ain’t working and I need some peace. I pick up the small charm bag from my lap and put it into my purse along with my oil. Misty backs off for right now but I know she’s already planning her revenge. Hopefully, Mama can give me some pointers on how to make the potion strong enough to repel Misty. Until then, intimidation will have to do. She thinks I’m to blame for her cookies crumbling and that can only mean she’s reached a point of total desperation and a desperate Misty is a dangerous thing.

  I managed to avoid Misty and her drama as well as my girls and theirs for the rest of the day. Nellie’s busy with her ASB duties and Mickey’s busy keeping Nigel wrapped up in their instant family world. What I’d give for a day with no issues to dod
ge.

  When I get to Netta’s shop, the first thing we discuss is Misty’s ridiculous accusations against me. It’s bad enough she thinks I’m trying to harm her, but spreading her nonsense around school and the neighborhood just can’t happen anymore. The girl has gone too far with this one and I have a feeling it’s going to go even further if I don’t check her ass immediately.

  “You need to treat Misty like air Jayd. You know she’s there but you don’t see or hear her.” Mama’s on point with that one. There’s nothing like talking to Mama and Netta at the same time. It’s like getting two different yet equally powerful bits of wisdom about any topic. And banishing Misty and her crazy family is one of their favorites.

  “That’s probably how that child got her name. They knew she was going to be a hot air dispenser and they couldn’t give her a name like steam or vapor, so they chose Misty. And if you think about it, mist is more annoying than hot air, ain’t that right, Lynn Mae?” Netta’s crazy but in a cool way. She says all the things Mama would say if she weren’t trying to set a good example for me. Netta, being outside the mother role for me, can be as real as it gets with me.

  “I think she’d be annoying no matter what we call her. And she threw the gris-gris I made for her back in my face like it was a pair of dirty panties,” I say, taking the pretty gold bag out of my purse. It’s all torn and mangled now, but the sparkly satin fabric is still luminescent of its true intent. “I just wanted to help.”

  “I know you did, baby. But you can only help yourself, Jayd. Clients have to take the first step by asking for the help they need. It’s the initial sacrifice that sets the tone for the blessings to come.” I know Mama’s right as usual but I can’t help feeling a little bit responsible for those around me. Maybe I could’ve called KJ out more for his trifling behavior.

  “But what about people who can’t ask for it. Don’t we have an obligation to help them?” Netta’s eyes meet Mama’s as they stare in the mirror at each other and then at me. Netta sighs deeply and Mama takes a breath. I guess I’m more naïve about this priestess thing than I think.

  “No,” Mama says plain and simple. Netta raises her eyebrows at me and smiles slightly, nodding her head in agreement with Mama. “You have to have faith in your path, Jayd, and that doesn’t include trying to fix the world around you.” She reaches for the charm bag I made and I delicately pass it to her. I remember as a child Mama used to make me little charm bags for my dolls to sleep in. I guess I’ve always been fascinated with Mama’s work. I just never knew how serious it was.

  “Misty thinks my gris-gris caused her gonorrhea.” Saying it aloud sounds even stupider than Misty thinking of it in the first place.

  “Gonorrhea,” they say simultaneously. Mama looks down at the unlucky charm bag and shakes her head. She tucks it between her breasts—like she does her money and other important stuff—and closes her eyes. I hope she’s praying because I could use some of Mama’s influence with the Creator right now.

  “Oh Lord Lynn Mae, that girl’s gone completely mad. Her grandmother dying and her mama going to Esmeralda has made her lose her mind.” Netta throws a clean drape over Mama’s chest before leading her to the washbowl.

  “Exactly. That’s why I want to make up for it.”

  Mama looks at me before submerging her head in the warm water Netta’s gently spraying over her hair. I know she knows what I’m thinking about doing and disapproves.

  “Jayd, you can waste as much time as you want making things for that girl but it’s not your problem. It’s not going to work if you don’t walk in the faith of what you made. That’s like someone making a protection charm to keep them out of harm’s way and then standing in front of a train. It’s not magic, I keep telling you that. It’s plain common sense. You need protection from what you can’t control, like other people. You also need wisdom to help protect yourself from yourself, catch my drift?”

  “Why are you always worried about that girl anyway?” Netta says, scrubbing the effervescent lather through Mama’s scalp. Coming from the shelter, she was late for her appointment today. Since Mama doesn’t drive she’s dependent upon others for rides because she also refuses to take the bus. If she can’t walk to where she needs to go or hitch a ride, she says it’s not meant for her to be there.

  “I’m not worried about her per se,” I say, defending my stance. “It’s just that no girl should have to go through this type of fire by herself. It’s awful what they’re saying about her.” Mama looks up at me in disbelief, almost allowing shampoo to drip down her face and into her eyes before Netta forces her head back into the sink.

  “Jayd, how many times do you have to get burned because of that girl before you’ll see she means you no good? Even I can’t help you if you constantly choose to put yourself directly in the line of fire,” Mama practically shouts at me. “It’s her fire, Jayd. Let her go through it alone.”

  “But she kept the gris-gris. Doesn’t that mean she still wants my help?”

  Netta looks at me from the bowl and rolls her eyes at me. If I did that to her or Mama I’d be seeing stars, and I don’t mean Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

  “Or it could mean she’s setting you up, Jayd. Open your eyes and listen, girl,” Mama says with her head still bent back in the sink. “Enemies are real and they don’t wake up one morning, decide you were actually trying to help them, and want to return the favor by trusting you.”

  “And it could mean that she’s afraid to throw it away because she knows how powerful you really are, no matter what she believes,” Netta adds. She sounds like she’s speaking from experience. “Just leave her alone and concentrate on making sweet charms for you and your loved ones.”

  “Speaking of charms, how’s Rah’s tea working?” Mama asks. Damn, how’d she find out about that? I know she reads my spirit notebook sometimes to check on my progress but I wasn’t specific about my creation this time. She lifts her head slightly and grins at my shocked look.

  “Girl, now you know I measure every single thing in my spirit room. Did you really think you could be in there and I wouldn’t know about it? Just because I don’t tell you everything I know doesn’t mean you’ve gotten away with anything, little girl.” Mama sits up fully as Netta combs the strawberry-scented conditioner through her head. The sweet aroma puts me in a better mood.

  “And that goes for me in this shop too,” Netta adds, waving the comb around the bright place. “I know where everything is and how much of it is there. It’s your job to keep up with it now.” Netta directs me to open the large closet taking up one wall of the quaint shop. I open the sliding door to find a personalized Netta’s Never Nappy Beauty Shop apron for me.

  “Oh Netta, thank you,” I say, running over to give her a hug. “I’ll be the best helper you’ve ever had.”

  “You’ll be the only helper I’ve ever had. And I know you’ll do a good job. You just have to stay clear of all this mess, girl. And we’re going to help you do just that.” I’m glad someone is because I’m not doing a very good job all by myself.

  After meeting with Netta and Mama I decide to walk home early to get a head start on my homework. Because it’s a short week my teachers have piled on extra work and I don’t want to be stuck doing it all over the holiday. When I turn onto Gunlock, I notice a black Monte Carlo parked across the street from our house. As I get closer I see personalized plates revealing it’s Mickey’s man. What the hell is he doing at my house and how did he find out where I live? First Trish and now this fool. Are my addresses listed in the yellow pages or something?

  “Can I help you?” I say walking up to his car. Mama always told me not to have any fear, especially not at home. And this punk doesn’t scare me just for the sake of it.

  “Yes, or so I’ve heard.” He steps out of the driver’s seat and walks around to rest on his hood. I don’t like the sound of this. “Rumor has it you can read the future and shit.”

  “Is this rumor’s name Misty?” I ask, unmoved from my spot
in front of him. I glance at my house and see no one outside but I feel like someone’s watching me.

  “That’s not the point. I want to hire you to tell me if Mickey’s cheating on me and if she’s pregnant.” He looks down at me, smiling a sinister grin while taking a cigarette from behind his ear and lighting it. I hope he chokes on the smoke.

  “That’s the stupidest shit I’ve heard all day and it’s been an extra long day. I don’t have time for this.” I have to get in the house and warn Mickey that her man’s on to her and that Misty’s involved me in it. Misty knew he wouldn’t take her word for it so she directed him my way. That girl’s just asking for my wrath.

  “You’re right. So why don’t you just tell me what I want to know. I know you two talk.” He’s standing so close to me I can smell the beer on his breath along with his stank smokes. He looks down at me like I’m an oversize steak he wants to devour. I’m about to make him a vegetarian though, because this sistah can’t be eaten alive.

  “Why don’t you ask Nellie? They’re closer than we are.” I walk across the street and toward the front porch, trying to get away from him as quickly as I can. When I reach the first step, Esmeralda’s door opens and Misty’s mom steps out and gives me an evil glare before picking up a watering can and going back inside the strange house. I knew I was being watched. Am I going to have to see them next door on a regular basis from now on?

  “Because Nellie’s not as cute as you are,” he says, following me. “And I know you know better than to say no to me, don’t you Jayd?” He licks his lips at me and attempts to take another step forward but I give him a look so intense that it stops him in his path.