Chapter 6

Sleep held me hostage. I knew Sunday was the Lord’s day. Second Sunday, in fact. My day to usher. I couldn’t wait to enter Missionary Baptist Church, because after finding Mary the day before, I definitely needed a word from the Lord.

A sweet, sweet spirit hovered around me. I inhaled and began my morning session with Jesus. It had taken me a long time to learn that going to church wasn’t all about what I could get from the Lord. Prayer was a time to bless the Lord. Praise Him.

I hummed, “Oh how I love Jesus, Oh…”

A baby howled from somewhere deep in the house. I almost called out Ralph’s name, but then I remembered he hadn’t lain in that bed in years. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Whose baby was that? Wide awake, my brain started to assemble facts.

Ralph, Jr. and his wife would be visiting with the twins soon. My other son, Cedric, had no grandkids yet. Neither was he married. He worried me sometime.

A creature scrambled up the side of my bed. I jolted at seeing black button eyes. Now it all dawned on me. “Porgy, who told you to be on my bed?”  I know for sure I’d put that dog in the other room.

The discovery of Mary’s body came tumbling back into my memory. The last time I saw Mary alive was Mother’s Day weekend. I ushered that Sunday too. I couldn’t help but notice the sadness in her eyes. Who would’ve known I would never see her again?

I still couldn’t get over that furry creature sneaking in my bed. He must’ve slept beside Mary.

 I ain’t that lonesome.

As I pushed my feet into my bunny slippers, I remembered I needed to talk to my daughter.  Her little booger interrupted my talk time with Jesus, which I really needed. Surely, I can get an explanation about my new grandchild.

Porgy started barking.

“Don’t you start that mess. One howling baby is all I can’t take right now.”

“Leesa.” I grabbed my robe and wrapped it around my frame. The terry robe was old and tattered. The belt fit a tad bit better around my waist than it used to. That was encouraging since it wasn’t too long ago I couldn’t close the robe over my gut.

It was one of the few things left that Ralph purchased for me. It was one of my favorite pieces of clothing. That man had brought me a lot of pain, but thankfully God brought Ralph to his senses. I will always be grateful for the last few years we had together before another heart attack took his life. I treasured my three children and grandchildren even more.

“Leesa, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?” Before I traveled down the hallway good, a small body collided into me. “Kisha, what’s wrong?” The little girl had tears streaming down her face. She clung to my robe, unloosening my neatly tied belt. “Girl, you can’t hang onto me like that. You and me are going to hit this floor.” Porgy jumped up and down, circling both of us.

Can you say catastrophe in progress?

I pried away the tiny fingers wedged into my waist and gazed down at the tear-stained face. “Honey, what’s wrong with you? Where’s your mama?”

“I …I …I don’t know…Grandma,” Kisha wailed louder.

I reached down and picked up the distraught child. Making my way down the hall, I heard the baby screaming at the top of his little lungs.

This didn’t feel right to me. Not at all. Maybe Leesa stepped out for a few minutes.

I placed Kisha on the bed next to her brother. Little Tyric pumped his little legs up and down.

“Alright, little mister. No need to have a temper tantrum.” He certainly acted like a Patterson. I picked up the crying baby. “Kisha, did your mama say where she was going?”

No response.

With her head hanging down, the little girl sucked on her finger and sniffled. I placed my hand on her forehead. It was warm to the touch. “Did mama say she was going to the store?”

No answer.

My stomach started to flutter and it wasn’t because I craved my morning baked cheese grits. Now that recipe was worth finding. I’ve had a love affair with cheese all my life. Cheese crackers, cheese doodles, cheeseburgers… well at least my new food plan wasn’t turning out to be such a tragedy.

I rubbed my hands over Kisha’s ratty braids. We needed to do something about that hair. A good shampooing was in the works, but for now, I needed to know where my daughter took off. “Kisha, baby you feeling okay? What did mama say?”

“Don’t know.”

“You don’t know. Well, did you see her when she left?” Now this child had to know something.

“No.”

I wasn’t feeling too good about this situation. Leesa had the nerve to get up and leave these children. She did say she needed to stay a few days. What was it that she said last night? I’m so tired of everything.

Then, it dawned on me. Was she talking about her and the kids or just the kids? Now wait a minute, that girl promised me we would talk in the morning. Well, it was morning. Where was she?

Panic started to rise up in my stomach. Sweat popped out from body.  Did they have bags?  Over in the corner sat a pink Dora the Explorer bookbag.

“Kisha, you want a bubble bath?”

Her eyes lit up. “Lots of bubbles.”

“Yes, lots of bubbles. Show me where your clothes are. Let’s pick out an outfit.”

Children. One minute they were crying, the next, they were running around happy as a skunk. Kisha raced ahead of me. Tyric looking around at the walls and seemed to have quieted down, now that he was being held.

I glanced at the clock. Already ten o’clock. Where did the time go? I needed to get myself ready for church this morning. Leesa, you better get back here soon. I certainly couldn’t usher and keep up with these two today.

When I arrived in the Leesa’s bedroom, Kisha was bent over a large blue duffel bag. I recognized the bag being on Leesa’s shoulder last night. Kisha pulled out several clothes entwined together in a ball. Either Leesa was in a hurry or never learned how to fold clothes.

Kisha pulled out clothes that appeared to be her size, leaving others in a pile on the floor. It didn’t look like any of those clothes on the floor fit an adult.

I walked over and reached my hand into the bag while balancing little Tyric on my hip, I searched. And searched.

“That girl, I know she didn’t.”

“Grandma, I didn’t do anything.”

“Honey, I was just talking out loud.” About your sorry mama.

I picked the bag off the floor and sat it on the bed. I decided to unpack the clothes so they wouldn’t be wrinkled to death. My hope was that she had some diapers for the little one in the diaper bag over in the corner.

When I get my hands on that girl.

I tell you there’s nothing like being bamboozled by your own child. I always said I was not going to be one of those grandmothers caught raising their grandkids.

I picked up the diaper bag. There were diapers. A pacifier. Bibs.

“Grandma, I want to wear this?”

I glanced at a bright pair of yellow pants and a pink top. “That looks good, baby.”

I pulled out a half a dozen diapers from the bag.

“What in the world?”

Were my eyes playing tricks on me?

My daughter better get back here soon. That girl had some serious explaining to do about the contents of that diaper bag.