Looking For Trouble (7 page)

Chapter 10

A
lexandria chomped on a triple chocolate-chip cookie as she and her mother sat at the round table near the bay window in her parents' kitchen. She'd always loved having conversations at the kitchen table, and today she knew this talk was going to be life-changing.

She started by telling her mother that she'd never stopped hearing voices or seeing things before they happened. The only reason she'd denied her gift and kept it from her family was because she knew it frightened them, and she didn't want to cause them worry.

“Whenever I saw danger coming,” Alexandria said, “I figured out a way to avoid it without saying anything to anyone, and I kept quiet about the things I saw and heard. This mostly happened in the middle of the night.”

Victoria shook her head. “You've been carrying that burden for far too long. I wish you would've opened up to me before now. You're my child, my baby. There's nothing that could frighten me so badly it would keep me from being there for you, to help protect you and see you through it.”

Alexandria was comforted by her mother's unwavering love, and the fact that she'd been born from one of the strongest, most resilient women she knew. Not only had she inherited her mother's physical beauty, she'd received Victoria's strong constitution and will. Each time she looked into her mother's eyes, Alexandria could see the loss, happiness, pain, and life lessons she'd experienced. And even though her mother had stumbled many times, she always got back up on her feet and never missed a beat in the rhythm of life.

“I know you wanted to help, Mom. But just as you've always wanted to protect me, I wanted to protect you, Dad, and Christian,” Alexandria said, referring to her younger brother, who was a senior at Morehouse College.

“You're a good daughter, Alexandria, and I'm so proud of you. But I still wish you would've shared this with me years ago. I remember watching you grow into young womanhood and thinking to myself that you were going through something . . . something much more serious than puppy love crushes and dating dilemmas.” Victoria let out a tired sigh. “But I also knew you were determined not to let me in. Keeping all that to yourself had to have taken its toll.”

“At times, it did.”

The two sat in silence for a moment, absorbing revelations that had been decades in the making. Victoria slowly leaned forward in her upholstered high-back chair. “Tell me about the voices you're hearing.”

“Actually, it's a single person who's been talking to me now.”

“All right. Do you know who it is?”

Alexandria put her cookie down and wiped her hands on her napkin. “Grandma Allene.”

Victoria's back stiffened harder than stone as she blinked, trying to remain calm. This was her father's grandmother, her great-grandmother, and a woman who had been dead for many decades. She steadied her voice as she spoke. “What has she been saying to you?”

“That she's ready for a fight, and that she's going to protect and guide us.”

“A fight?” Victoria said, concern lacing her voice. “Who is ‘us' and what's she trying to protect you from?”

Alexandria knew she should have started by warning her mother that whenever she heard voices, usually from spirits who had long passed away, they hardly ever came as bearers of good news. “The ‘what,' I don't know. But the ‘who' is Grandpa John . . . and me.”

She watched her mother's brow wrinkle, clearly at a loss for words. Victoria's father, John Small, had passed away five years ago. Alexandria had taken his death hard because he was her last living grandparent. He'd been a tall, strong, and imposing figure, even into his late eighties. But as businesslike as he was, he'd also been loving and kind, always telling her stories about what she called “the olden days.”

Alexandria remembered that her grandfather often reminisced about his formative years growing up in his small town of Nedine, South Carolina, and what life had been like for black folks during that time. “We were Negros back then,” he'd once said. “Then we became colored, before moving on to black. Now we're African American. But, Alexandria, you can be anything you want to be. Always remember who you are and where you came from. If you do that, you'll have the strength to endure whatever this world throws at you.”

Victoria rested her chin in her hand. “I miss Daddy so much. Is he trying to talk to you, too?”

“No, just Grandma Allene.”

“Hmmm.”

“I've been hearing her voice for the past month. It started off as a very faint whisper, mumbles that I could barely understand. But over the last few days, it's gotten stronger, and now I can hear her as clear as I can hear you. I even saw her this afternoon.”

Victoria's eyes widened as big as baseballs. “Oh, sweet Jesus.” She looked around the room, as if expecting to see an apparition appear.

“She didn't physically appear,” Alexandria said. “No one has ever come to me in physical form. But when I close my eyes, I can see them and what they're doing—that is, if they choose to show me.”

“This is so unreal. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were out of your mind. But I understand this, and I know it's possible.”

“You do?” Alexandria asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes, and this is why I said I wish you would've opened up to me about what you've been going through all these years. I remember my mother, your Nana Elizabeth, God rest her soul, used to tell me about Daddy's family. She became very close to them after her own family disowned her for marrying your grandfather.”

“I remember you telling me the stories,” Alexandria said, with a nod. “It's a shame they didn't like grandpa, just because his skin was dark. That's so crazy.”

“Yes, it is, but you know what it's like, even in today's times. We've come a long way, but there are still a lot of ignorant folks out there.” Victoria shook her head and adjusted her hips in her seat as she spoke, getting back to the subject at hand. “I remember when you were a little girl, you used to say and do things that made me think about the stories my mother told me about my great-grandmother, whom I called Grandma Allene, and how it was rumored in their small town that she had the gift of prophesy.”

“ ‘The gift of prophesy,'” Alexandria repeated in a low whisper.

“Yes. Mom said everyone loved and respected Grandma Allene dearly because she was such a sweet woman. But they were also afraid of her because her gift was something that people just couldn't understand. The unknown can be scary.”

“I thought that was how you and Dad felt, too. I remember seeing the look in your eyes when—”

“You said a voice had told you about your aunt Samantha's stillborn baby sister,” Victoria said, finishing her daughter's sentence. She reached out and took hold of Alexandria's hand. “Sweetie, I wasn't afraid. I was
amazed.
Right then and there, I knew you had the gift, just like Grandma Allene. It made me think back to that Saturday morning that I'll never forget.”

“When I knew Dad was going to have a heart attack,” Alexandria said.

“Yes, you were only five, and you didn't understand what you were saying . . . what it meant. Hell, I didn't, but I knew something about the words you spoke and the vibe around them wasn't right. Over the years, I tried so many times to get you to open up to me, but you wouldn't, so I waited. I knew this day would come, and I've been ready for it. I bet you could see the relief on my face when you told me, couldn't you?”

“Yes, I could.” Alexandria smiled, squeezing her mother's hand tightly. “Tell me what you know about Grandma Allene.”

Victoria let out a deep breath and shrugged. “I'm afraid not too much. I only saw her a few times when I was a very small girl. She was up there in age, in her late nineties, I believe. Daddy used to take Mom and me back to Nedine, where Grandma Allene still lived independently until the day she died. I remember she was a beautiful old lady and she always wore long skirts and dresses. She had a lead crystal bowl in her living room filled with lemon drop candies. I loved those things,” Victoria said with a chuckle. “She'd tell me, ‘Baby girl, get as many as you like. You only live once, so you gotta make it count.' Of course, I didn't know what in the world she was talking about, but it made me laugh just the same.”

“She was special.”

“Yes, she was. I've always regretted that I never got a chance to know her the way you and Christian got to know my parents before they passed away.”

“I can tell she's a good person,” Alexandria said, smiling, talking about the dead woman in the present. “I was sitting on my couch, listening to her talk. Then I closed my eyes and concentrated, and that's when I saw her. She was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch of a small house with green shutters. And there were all kinds of flower bushes in the front yard.”

“Yes!” Victoria said with both excitement and astonishment. “I may have been young, but one of the things I distinctly remember about visiting Grandma Allene was the fragrant magnolia shrubs and hydrangea bushes in her front yard. You could smell them as you walked up to her house. What else did you see?” she asked eagerly.

“Like I said, she was sitting in a rocking chair and she was by herself. Her hair was twisted up into a bun on the top of her head. Even though I could see that she was old, her skin was still pretty smooth and very dark, like Grandpa John's. She had long fingers, too. I could tell, because she put her hand up to her face a few times.”

“Yep, that's Grandma Allene.”

“And she was wearing a shawl—blue-and-white–checkered, I think—wrapped around her shoulders. She rocked back and forth in her chair while she looked up into the sky as she spoke. I'm not sure who it was that she was speaking to, since she was alone, and I couldn't hear what she was saying.”

“This is so unreal,” Victoria said, again in awe, as if watching a movie.

“Then I saw her walk to her kitchen and she fixed herself something to eat.” Alexandria paused and smiled. “I can't explain how I know this, but I think she could see me looking at her.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and it's weird because I've spoken with spirits, either in their time or in mine. But until this afternoon, I've never connected with anyone in a way that merged our worlds into the same moment.”

Victoria shook her head, still in awe. “Amazing.”

“I saw all this happen in the short blink of an eye, Mom. Oh, and I heard the sound of a car's engine in the background, and that's when the vision faded and my eyes opened with the realization that it was Grandma Allene I was seeing.”

“Sweetie, by your detailed description, I know without a doubt it was Grandma Allene you saw. But to my knowledge, you've never seen her, so how did you know who she was?”

“That's a good question, Mom.” Alexandria shrugged. “Honestly, I don't know, except to say it was a very strong feeling I got. I don't know how in the world I knew it was her. I just did.”

“Wow” was all Victoria could say. “This news makes your breakup with Peter seem as insignificant as dust.”

Alexandria blinked her eyes. “Who said we're breaking up?”

“Oh, sweetie, you're not the only one who can see things coming.”

“Now I'm in awe.”

“Don't be. The way you can sense things, I know you had to have seen this coming.”

“That's the funny thing about having this ability . . . this gift. I can hear and see what's going to happen for other people. But when it comes to me, I often draw a blank.”

Victoria closed her eyes and shook her head. “Lord, have mercy.”

“I know,” Alexandria said. “If ever there was a time that I needed to know my own fate, it would be now.”

“I'm very worried,” Victoria said in a low voice. “If your Grandma Allene is contacting you, and trying to protect and guide you, that means you're in some type of danger.”

Alexandria nodded, slowly acknowledging her mother's words.

“And if you're in some sort of danger,” Victoria continued, “I can understand why she's reaching out to warn you. But why is she trying to warn Daddy? He's dead.”

Alexandria swallowed hard. “I thought about that on my drive over here. I think he's still alive where she is, which is clearly in the past. I can hear her trying to warn Grandpa John about something that's happening in their present time . . . if that makes any sense.”

“Lord, I don't know what makes sense anymore,” Victoria said.

“Mom, I think . . . No, I
know
that I'm stepping back in time. Usually when someone appears to me, I see them right here in the present day, in my own time. But somehow Grandma Allene has managed to pull me back into her world. And she's doing it because she wants to protect me.”

“From what?”

“I don't know. That's why I came over here to talk to you, so you can help me figure it out.”

Victoria took a deep breath as she tucked her silky, chin-length bob behind her ear. “If she's trying to protect Daddy and you at the same time, it might mean you're both in danger of the same thing—back in time for Daddy, and in the present for you. What exactly did she say again?”

“She kept saying, ‘I'm ready for the fight' and ‘I'm here to protect and guide you, baby.' ”

“I'm not going to pretend that this isn't disturbing, because it is. But I also have faith that Grandma Allene is going to do whatever she can to help you both.”