Looking For Trouble (11 page)

Chapter 15

A
lexandria and her mother stood in a small room that was situated at the back end of her parents' huge basement. It was a room rarely visited and was reserved for items that held deep sentimental value, too precious to throw away. This section of the house was unfamiliar to Alexandria, as she had never had a use or reason to plunder through what she called “Mom and Dad's junk room.” Now she was as curious as a detective to find out what clues her grandparents' old trunk would reveal.

She knelt down beside her mother and watched closely as Victoria slid a gold-colored key into the lock of an old, leather bound storage trunk. When it opened, Alexandria felt a warm breeze tickle her face. “Did you feel that?” she asked her mother.

“No, what is it?”

“A warm breeze. I think it's Grandma Allene.”

Victoria's eyes widened. “She's trying to communicate with you again?”

“Yes, I think so. And I think she's letting me know that I'll find what I'm looking for in this trunk.”

“Thank the Lord. Now I can breathe a little easier.”

Alexandria nodded. “Me too, Mom. I feel a sense of comfort, like I'm safe and everything's going to be all right.”

“Good, now let's go through this trunk and see what we can find.”

Thirty minutes later, Alexandria and Victoria sat side by side on two folding chairs, which Victoria had taken from a small closet down the hall. They were sifting through the contents of the trunk, marveling at each new treasure they found that connected them to the past: trinkets, travel souvenirs, photographs, old jewelry, newspaper clippings, a few old romance novels from Victoria's mother's collection, and important documents, such as birth certificates, a marriage license, and land deeds. All of this had been hidden for decades, and now each item was coming to life, painting a picture of their family's history.

“I never knew Mom and Daddy went to Paris for their honeymoon,” Victoria said as she looked at a picture of her parents sitting at a bistro table outside a Parisian café. Her father's youthful grin and her mother's love-struck eyes told the story of a couple enjoying their newfound happiness. The inscription on the back read,
Our honeymoon in Paris.
“They were so young,” Victoria said, smiling at the photo. “They had a whirlwind courtship.”

“Really? I didn't know that.”

“Yes, it was one of those love at first sight stories that you see in movies and read about in romance novels.”

“Kind of like what dad says about you the first time he saw you.”

Victoria smiled. “Yes, but your father and I didn't date right away and we definitely didn't rush in like your grandparents. They fell in love after only one day and dated for six months before they married.”

Alexandria shook her head. “Wow, that's fast and pretty amazing.”

“Mom said everyone thought they were crazy, but she and Daddy proved them all wrong.”

“Nana and Grandpa John really loved each other,” Alexandria said, peering over at the photo in her mother's hand. “I remember how much fun I used to have when I visited them during the summers in North Carolina. Those were the best times.”

“And they loved having you. It was the highlight of their year.”

“One thing I remember so clearly was that they always held hands whenever they were out walking. Whether it was at the grocery store, the movies, or church, his hand was always on hers. I didn't appreciate the significance of how special that was when I was a child, but I do now. I hope I can find that kind of love one day. It's the kind you and Dad have.”

“You will, sweetie. When the right one comes into your life, you'll know it.”

“Is that how it was with you and Dad, you just knew?”

Victoria paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out the right thing to say. Alexandria knew that her parents' marriage had experienced a bump after her father's heart attack when she was a little girl, and she remembered seeing flashes of hurt and sadness in her mother's eyes, which she instinctively knew had something to do with more than just her father's health.

Alexandria had never ventured to talk to her mother about matters of the heart until now, because much of Alexandria's life had been spent trying to keep things to herself. But now that she'd opened up about the voices she'd always heard, she was ready to talk about other things, too.

“Yes,” Victoria answered. “I knew there was something special about your father when I first met him. But at the time, we were working together. Plus, I'd just met someone who I thought was a more appropriate choice.”

“Why did you think he was a better choice than Dad?”

Victoria hesitated. “Honestly, the main reason was because he was black.”

“Oh.” Alexandria was surprised. “That made a difference?”

“At the time, it did. I'd never dated outside my race, and, quite frankly, I was afraid of the unknown, and of being judged by others. But things happen, people change, and it makes you view life differently. Your father stayed consistent through it all. He showed me what real love was.”

Alexandria could read through the lines. “That guy hurt you.”

“Yes,” Victoria whispered.

“Mom . . .”

“Yes?”

Alexandria knew she shouldn't probe, because deep down she already knew the answer. However, her newfound openness and a gut-gnawing feeling led her to ask, “Did you ever get over him?”

“He was my first real love. I'm not sure if it's possible to ever stop thinking about your first love in some form or fashion. But what I know without a doubt is that real love doesn't make you question a thing. You won't be in doubt—you'll know—and that's what your father and I have.”

“That's beautiful, Mom.”

“Indeed it is.”

They were quiet for a moment, absorbing the fact that this was a first for them. Victoria smiled and reached for her daughter's hand. “I'm glad we're talking like this. It's something I've always wanted. Even though we've always been close, there was a part of yourself that you kept hidden from me. But now that you've opened up, I want you to know that you can ask me anything, talk to me about anything, and count on me for everything.”

Alexandria leaned over and hugged her mother tightly. The two sat holding each other for a few minutes, until Alexandria slowly pulled away. She looked at Victoria and then toward the trunk. “She just spoke to me.”

Victoria clasped her hand across her mouth, looking at her daughter with wonderment. “What did she say?”

“She said, ‘You doin' real good, baby. Trust in yourself and keep lookin' 'cause what you're searchin' for is right around the corner.' ” Alexandria repeated each word in a dialect that mimicked exactly what she'd heard.

“It's amazing how you sounded exactly like I remember Grandma Allene speaking.” Victoria shook her head from side to side. “This is so unreal.”

“I know, and the strange thing about it is that it feels so normal,” Alexandria said, letting out a deep breath of relief. “I've heard voices all my life, but I've never quite gotten used to it, and sometimes the things I would hear really frightened me. But this is different. I feel loved and protected, and unafraid of anything. I know this might sound strange, but it's like I'm truly alive for the first time.”

“Maybe it's because you're embracing what's inside you, instead of running from it.”

Alexandria sat very still and concentrated. She closed her eyes and then opened them again. When she did, her mother was staring at her.

“Are you okay?” Victoria asked.

“I just saw Grandpa John and Nana.”

Victoria's eyes widened. “Did they anything to you?”

“No. They couldn't see me, but I looked back in time and saw them. They were young, Mom, like in this picture,” Alexandria said, looking down at the photo her mother was still holding. “They were at a bar, in a club.”

Victoria burst into laughter. “Mom and Daddy in a club! Oh, I wish I could see what you're seeing.”

“And Uncle Maxx was there, too. They were all so young.”

“Wow. Old Uncle Maxx.”

Alexandria laughed. “And Mom, he was drunk as all get-out, talking to a woman at the bar. I think he was hitting on her.”

Victoria laughed even harder as Alexandria joined in. This was exactly the kind of situation Maxx Sanders would have been in. He was Victoria's mother's older brother and John's best friend. He'd always been full of life and equally as much trouble. It wasn't until Maxx's seventy-fifth birthday that he finally slowed down, swore off alcohol and partying for good, and became a one-woman man. He was now in his nineties, living quietly with his oldest grandson in Dunwoody, a suburb right outside Atlanta.

“Oh, sweetie. I see why you're not afraid. Everything that Grandma Allene is speaking and leading you to is filled with people who love you. She's surrounding you with love.”

“Yes, I see that now.”

Victoria suddenly became quiet as a puzzling look filled her face.

“What's wrong, Mom?” Alexandria asked.

“I just thought about something. You said that Grandma Allene came to you because you and Daddy needed protection from something, and that she wanted or needed your help.”

“Yes, that's right.”

“I don't mean to bring a dark cloud over the good time we're having, but do you think you're still in danger? And what kind of help can you give her if she's the one who's supposed to help you?”

“I'm not sure,” Alexandria replied. “But the one thing I do know is that something's going on in my life that's drawing me to the past and connecting me with Grandpa John.”

“I'm trying to think of things that Daddy shared with me about his past, but nothing dangerous comes to mind. He was a very methodical man, a lot like your father, and he made sure he was careful in all his dealings.”

“Hmmm . . .”

“What?” Victoria asked.

Alexandria ran her hand over the top of her thick mass of curls. “Maybe whatever he was in danger of is no longer a problem.”

“Sweetie, I don't understand.”

“Well, kind of like that movie from the 1980s,
Back to the Future,
when the guy goes back in time and ensures that things work out for his parents. Maybe things have already worked out for Grandpa John.”

Victoria shrugged. “I sure hope you're right. All of this is so new and confusing to me that I don't know what to think.”

“In a way, it's all new to me, too. A lot of what I'm experiencing is a first. I've seen the present, and I've been able to glimpse into the future. But I've never gone back into the past and watched life as it was unfolding. It's like I'm in the middle of two worlds, because I'm still here in this one while I'm there.”

“This is more fascinating by the minute.”

“Yes, it is. But one thing I can say with a fair amount of confidence is that I think whatever danger Grandpa John is in, he's
almost
out of it. I also think that Nana and another woman, whom I can't place, have something to do with it.”

“Another woman?”

“Yes, I don't know who she is. But she's going to help with whatever trouble Grandpa John is in.”

Alexandria could see the puzzled look that remained glued to her mother's face, so she took the liberty of answering one of Victoria's many questions. “I can't explain how I know this, but I can feel it . . . here,” she said softly, holding her hand to her chest.

Victoria shifted in place, adjusting herself on her folding chair. “I'm glad you feel that your Grandpa John is almost out of danger, but what about you? Do you get any feeling about what's going to happen to you?”

“No.”

“How about the diamond ring?” Victoria asked, looking down at the trunk again. “I didn't see any diamond jewelry in there, but the reference Grandma Allene made has to mean something, and it's got to be here in this trunk.”

“Let's look again.”

Alexandria and Victoria started over again, shifting through old pictures and items that John and Elizabeth Small obviously had thought were too precious to throw away. But rechecking with a fresh pair of eyes didn't shed any new light on the answers that Alexandria was looking for.

“I guess we need to call it quits,” Victoria said as she handed Alexandria one of her mother's old romance novels to put back in the trunk for safekeeping.

Just as Alexandria was about to lay the book inside, a small photograph fell out. “What's this?” she said, looking at the aged picture. When she studied it closely, a warm rush came over her body that made her tingle. “Look what I found!” she said, turning to her mother.

Victoria looked at the picture in her daughter's hand and shook her head. “Oh, my goodness.”

Alexandria and a little boy, who looked like he could be her twin brother, were sitting, side by side, in small chairs in a colorfully decorated classroom. Their arms were draped around each other as they grinned for the camera.

“I still remember the day you took this picture of PJ and me,” Alexandria said, referring to her childhood friend. “We were in kindergarten, in Mrs. Baldwin's class. Well, she was Ms. Snow back then.” She smiled, remembering her kindhearted teacher. “He was my best friend. I used to love that boy.”

Victoria shifted in her chair.

“I wonder whatever happened to him. We lost touch after I transferred schools that next year.” She held the picture close, studying it in detail. “Mom, do you mind if I keep this?”