Chapter 8

Cushane's pov

Lord please, don't let me lose this beautiful woman beside me. I pray in my mind, Lamais was an extraordinary woman and I admired her beauty and uniqueness. She was different from all the other women I had met in so many ways and it was comforting to be around her.

"I'm inviting you to our annual church convention," she said and I glance across at her.

"I'm honoured to be invited, I take it it's the church across from where you live?" I told her then ask.

"Yes, there will be a good panel of speakers and the theme is PUSH AND GOD WILL PULL YOU, I guarantee you will enjoy it our conventions are always lit. Pentecostal with a Zionist way of worshipping and offering praises," she explains.

"Who is the pastor for the church?" I ask refilling my glass and then hers.

She chuckled but did not answer, I look at her questioningly and her face became serious. "I am the bishop for the church," she said calmly.

My hand froze with the glass on the way to my lips, she was staring at me and so I took a sip while returning her gaze. Now she is even more unattainable I thought feeling discouraged, a bishop- how am I going to be able to match up to her I definitely don't stand a chance.

I sighed and lean my head against the back of the couch. "Yuh know you can speak your mind," she said.

"Hi hi, like you haven't already read it," I told her closing my eyes.

"I haven't so spill," she says.

"Oh you don't want to know," I told her.

"I really do want to know," her melodic voice tells me and I smile sadly.

I sat up straight and look at her. "I like you, you know I do. I would like us to be good friends but is there a chance for us to be more than just friends?" I told her then ask.

It's now or never so I'm shooting my shot. "I don't know. We aren't good friends yet but I do like you," she said with a small tremor in her voice.

Her eyes were pulling me in and I close minds afraid that she may see how much I really like her. "Can we start by having friends dates?" I ask.

"Ok sure," she reply nodding her head.

I like when she does that, she is so cute.

Lamais's pov

I checked the time then took my leave, it was clear that Cushane didn't want us to part as yet and neither did I but decent conduct of myself prevails. As I lie in bed that night I could not stop thinking about him, what if he did not like our way of worship, will he no longer be interested in pursuing the lasting friendship he wanted with me. I questioned myself until I slept off with a minor headache.

Shanty looked a bit sad as we prepared my reading room to get started for the day, her spirit felt heavy and troubled as I walk by her ironing out my purple and gold robe. I pause and took a deep breath before asking her.

"What is it?"

"Nothing ma'am," she answered.

The scent of the mint in my hand seemed to fill the reading room, I organized the different mints in the vases on the table and then rearranged the twenty potted plants that leads from the front door into the room. The smell of the lavender which grew in abundance at the gateway came through the open windows, I stood and looked through the glass of the door.

The buzzer beeped at the same time I saw a woman standing by the gate. "Just a moment!" Shanty hollered out from the back and I walk to where she had hung up my robe.

I pulled it on over my head, then stood in front of the full length mirror and tied on my headwrap. I took up my bible as I heard Shanty enters and I walk into the reading room to hear what the woman wanted. She looked at me with a sad expression and said.

"She say har neighbor son a duh better dan fi har own and she want di neighbor and har son fi dead."

"Oh!" I exclaimed holding my forward.

Why do people like her always have to come to grieve my spirit especially this early in the morning, I took several deep breaths to calm my spirit. Shanty brought out seven red candles and arranged them, I know she must have told the woman that I did not work obeah or do anything pertaining to evil but as it is they are always persistent in coming to see me.

I emptied a packet of frankenscent and myrrh into a golden burning bowl and lighted it. "Open your hands," I told Shanty.

She did and I poured a small amount of 𝙆𝙀𝙀𝙋 𝘼𝙏 𝘽𝘼𝙔 oil into her palms and mines. "Send her in," I told her and went for my blood red shawl.

I covered my head allowing it to fall freely down to my feet, then began quoting the twenty-fourth psalm. The woman walk in and I was struck by how beautiful she was, she had light brown eyes and an evenly light brown complexion. Her presence gave off a dark aura and I took my seat and ask.

"What can I do for you this morning?"

"Morning mada, yuh disciple tell mi yuh only duh reading. No next door neighbor a work obeah pon mi and mi nuh do had nutn, fi har son and mines yuh do same school and my son always brighta can go had own. All of a sudden since my son start guh over har house yuh duh him homework him start get lower marks dan fi har son, mi want har fi dead everybody sey she a work obeah pon mi-" she explains then stop as she began to cry.

"Dry your eyes and look directly at me," I told her.

Oh Jesus, I mourn in my spirit at what I see. "𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚."

She was in shock and messing up my reading so I pause, when she look back at me I continued. "𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤, 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬."

Some of them truly deserves the raw truth I thought watching her as she place the ten grand in the silver dish.

"Be on your way," I told her calmly.

"Thank you mada," she said and walk
out.

Shanty came in and walk to the window in the hall area to look out, she sighed heavily and turned after I heard the gate click lock from the monitor in the hall.

"Ma'am, yuh couldn't charge har one hundred grand fi a bath?" Shanty ask coming inside the reading room.

I snorted a laugh then said. "I just might upon her return."

"She-" Shanty said but pause as car drive up and parked out at the gate.

"Inspector Gregory for the return visit," she informed without looking.

Her tone sounded sad and when she raise her head and ask if she should remove the red candles her face bore a sad expression again. I told her no and she went to let in the inspector when the buzzer sounded, he came in and dropped two five thousand dollar bills into the silver dish.

"Morning Priestess," he greeted and I return his greeting.

I kept my eyes focus on him and began to hum, Shanty came up and I looked away figuring maybe it was because he had just been talking to her. When I tried to read him again she was there again, I looked down on my bible as his indecent thoughts of her pitched me off course. What was wrong with these men I wondered and began reciting psalm twenty-four.

"Tell mi what a gwane suh far with the two cases yuh have a try now a court?" I ask because Shanty spread out pon him brain and mi caan get fi read him properly.

"Friday a di sentencing fi di two thief dem and next week Tuesday mi a try fi di accident," he said.

"𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

"Not a problem," he said and got up he bowed reverently at me then went out.

Shanty came in after he left and her spirit was so heavy I told her to sit down and look at me. She didn't want to but knew she had to obey me, she begin to cry and I did not bother to read her in fear that she had stole something from me or did something bad. If she had done so I could only forgive her, what did she do now I wondered and brace myself.

To be continued...