Chapter 13
Chapter
After church on Sunday, Devon and the kids joined the adults to help plan the activities for the August First celebration. He’d been unaware of the meeting until Zoey sent him a text about it the night before. She said she wanted his ideas, and that made him happy.
Mayor Sheila opened the meeting by talking about what she’d done so far. There’d be six food trucks, a Ferris wheel, fifteen crafters, and she wanted to show a movie after dark.
Wyatt asked, “What about fireworks after the movie?”
“I couldn’t find a company out this way that had our date open. Maybe next year.”
Amari asked, “What about drones? All the big cities are using them.”
“They cost big-city money too,” she replied. “Sadly, we don’t have enough in the budget.”
All the kids turned to Bernadine.
She chuckled. “Why are y’all looking at me?”
They smiled.
She knew the answer—because they knew how much she loved making them happy. “Okay. Tina and I will spring for the drones if we can find a company that can accommodate us.”
The kids cheered.
Mal said, “You are such an easy Auntie Money Bags.”
Mayor Sheila said, “Thanks, Bernadine.”
She talked next about parking. Dads Inc. would be riding point on that. Trent and Luis promised to submit a plan for her approval by the end of the week.
“Now,” she said, “since I know nothing about entertainment, I’ll let the Supremes present their ideas.”
Wyatt asked, sounding offended, “Why them?”
“Because we asked if we could,” Maria replied drolly. “That okay with you?”
“Yikes!” Amari said, sounding amused. “Crystal would be so proud of you, Maria.”
Luis said, “Speak your piece, baby girl.”
She blushed a bit. “Thanks, Papa.”
Bernadine glanced over at Anna, who was viewing her granddaughter with pride.
Zoey said, “You first, Jasmine.”
“I want to have a catwalk.”
“Which is?” Gemma, her adoptive mom, asked.
“It’s where the cats dress up and walk down the street like models. It’ll be during the parade. They’ll have to be on leashes, though.”
The adults seemed confused. Devon waited for someone to shoot down the idea, but no one did.
Sheila said, “Okay, sounds interesting. Submit me a plan, and we’ll add it. Next?”
Zoey said, “I want the boys to sing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ and have Alfonso accompany them on his violin.”
Alfonso’s surprise was plain. “Really?”
She nodded. “I think the voices and the violin will go good together.”
He smiled. “Then let’s do it.”
Sheila asked, “What do you think, gentlemen?”
Preston said, “I’m no Bruno Mars, but I like that idea.”
Zoey asked, “Devon? What do you think?”
“I’m good with it too. I don’t think we’ve ever done anything like that before.”
Zoey looked to Amari and Wyatt. Both voiced support.
“Anything else?” Sheila asked.
Zoey said, “Leah.”
Leah replied, “Since the boys are going to sing, I think the girls should recite ‘Bury Me in a Free Land.’ There are enough of us to take a verse apiece, and we can do what’s left in unison.”
Sheila asked, “Zoey, when do you want to do all this?”
“Right before the parade starts. Devon should be the MC. We all know how good he is at that.”
He perked up. “Thanks, Zoey.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lily said, smiling, “Why are we adults even here? We should be at home with our feet propped up letting them handle everything. Great plans, ladies and gentlemen.”
They spent the rest of the meeting talking about posters being created and placing notices in the newspapers and more of the ins and outs to make the event special. When Sheila closed the meeting, everyone was excited to get the plans underway.
As Devon and the family were leaving, Trent said, “Tamar told me she’d be here today, but she didn’t show up. I want to go by and check on her before we come back to the Dog to eat, because she hasn’t texted me back or answered her phone when I called just now.”
“Okay,” Lily replied.
They drove over. The door was closed. Trent rang the bell. When she didn’t appear, he knocked.
Lily said, “Maybe she’s out back. Amari and Devon, can you go look, please?”
They complied and returned. No Tamar.
Trent used his key and when they entered, he called, “Tamar!”
They found her on the floor in the kitchen. They rushed to her side, and Trent placed his ear against her chest. “She’s breathing, but barely.”
Lily called 911 and then Reggie.
Devon was scared. He never imagined seeing Tamar this way, and he felt like he’d been turned to stone.
A part of him kept expecting her to get up, but she didn’t.
He had no idea how long it took Doc Reg to arrive, but he was suddenly there kneeling beside her and giving her a shot.
OG came in at some point too. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, and what was being said sounded long and drawn out, as if the words were coming through a tunnel.
The helicopter landed in the open field behind Tamar’s house.
A man and a woman in uniforms rushed in with a gurney and gently placed her on it.
OG and his dad followed them outside. Then Devon was watching the chopper take to the sky.
He saw tears in his mom’s eyes and in Amari’s, too, so he let his own flow down his cheeks.
At home, Devon was in his room when his brother came in. Amari’s eyes were red from his tears.
“Came to check on you. How’re you doing?”
“Scared she’s going to die.”
“I think everybody is. I know I am.”
Devon was glad to learn he wasn’t alone in that. “Do you think they’ll let us go to the hospital to see her?”
Amari shrugged. “I don’t know. I can ask if you want me to.”
“Will you? My grandma died without me getting to tell her goodbye, and I don’t want that to happen with Tamar too.”
“I understand.”
“What’s Mom doing?”
“She’s on the phone talking to the family in Oklahoma. Thad and Griffin will be coming tomorrow.”
Devon looked at him. “How are you doing?”
“Trying not to lose it. I love her a lot. Can’t imagine her not being in my life.”
Devon knew Amari was closer to Tamar than he’d probably ever be, but although he was still a bit afraid of her, he loved her too.
Their mom joined them. “Dad just called. They’ll be doing surgery first thing in the morning. There’s a blockage in the main artery in her heart.”
Devon asked, “Will surgery fix it?”
“The doctors are hoping so, but at her age it might be risky, so we’ll pray everything will be okay.”
Amari asked, “Can we go see her?”
“Not right now. She’s in the ICU, and they limit visitors. Your dad and Mal are already there so no one else will be allowed. At least for the time being. Your dad will keep us posted, and what I know, you’ll know too. Promise.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve talked to everyone I need to talk to for now. You guys need anything?”
They shook their heads.
“How about a couple of hugs? I could certainly use one.”
She hugged them. They hugged her fiercely in return.
“Thanks. I’ll probably be up for a while, so if you need me, let me know. And don’t forget, tomorrow’s Monday. You have school. Sticking to your routine sometimes helps with things like this, so don’t stay up too late.”
They nodded.
She left them, and Amari said to Devon, “Like Mom said, if you need anything just come get me, okay?”
“Same here.”
Amari smiled. “Thanks.”
TAMAR MADE HER way through the thick tropical forest with its towering palm trees and waist-high grasses, and knew exactly where she was.
She’d visited this place a few years ago in the dreams leading up to her cousin Eula’s death.
She was walking on a narrow dirt path littered with stones and bisected by thick tree roots.
Although she was without shoes, she felt nothing on the bare soles of her feet.
Was she dreaming again? Dead? She didn’t know.
Off in the distance, she heard the faint sounds of drumming accompanied by voices chanting in the Old Tongues but was unable to pinpoint the source or the location.
In the Eula dream she’d been urged forward by a large harpy eagle that became her ancestor, First Tamar, the July clan’s matriarch. Now, she journeyed alone.
The tropical jungle soon gave way to a wide-open plain of rocks and boulders, and ahead of her gray mountains loomed.
They had been in the previous dream too.
As she journeyed toward them, the drumming and chanting grew louder and more distinct, as did the scent of cook fires.
A lone tree, its bare branches resembling bones, stood on the plains like a sentry.
On it perched the owl from her shed. It eyed her silently as she neared.
After a long moment, it raised its wings and took flight.
It circled high above, then flew toward the mountain. She instinctively knew to follow.
When she reached her destination, night had fallen.
Unlike last time, there was no cave filled with raptors.
Instead, at the base of the mountain, a woman dressed in outlaw leathers knelt in the darkness beside a cook fire.
She was tending a rabbit on a spit. The scent of the meat evoked memories of Tamar’s childhood and cooking rabbits over an open fire with her mother.
The woman looked up at her from behind the wavering flames.
Her eyes were the shape and color of the owl’s.
“Hello, Little T. What are you doing here?”
Tamar immediately knew her identity. “I’m not sure, Aunt Teresa. Am I dead?”
“No. At least, not yet.”
She wasn’t sure how to interpret that.
“It’s not your time. You must go back. The longer you stay here, the harder it will be to reclaim the you who walks the earth. Time moves differently on this plane.”
“Are you my owl?”
Teresa smiled. “You always were a curious child, and I see that hasn’t changed.”
Tamar noted that she hadn’t answered the question.
“You must go back and remove the stone that is in your heart.”
“What stone?”
“The one you placed there because of Joel Newton. Its presence blocks the flow of your love to your son Malachi.”
Tamar stilled.