CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“How are you today, Mama Irene?” asked Angel, climbing the tree to speak with her face-to-face.
“I’m fine, baby. Just fine. I got me lots of padding up here to sleep well, and the cool breeze from the river is nice. Besides, Matthew comes and sits with me at night, and Ruby sits with me during the day. I ain’t lonely, that’s for sure.”
“Mama Irene, Snow and his men attempted to burn the tree down last night. It’s a good thing we had someone here, or you could have been hurt.”
“Oh, he wasn’t gonna get to me,” she laughed. Angel just stared at her. “I know y’all think I’m crazy, Angel baby. But I’m as sane as anyone here.”
“That doesn’t really bring me comfort,” he smirked.
“Listen, Mama Irene. I’ve known you for what seems like my whole life.
When my mother passed, you were the one who gave me comfort.
You and my Mary. You’ve always been my ‘other’ mother.
If anything were to happen to you, I won’t be responsible for what I do. ”
“That’s why I’m not worried,” she smiled, touching his cheek. “I know you and all my boys, and my girls, will make sure Snow and his men stay away. Plus, Grover has been keepin’ me company as well. That boy is so sad, it tears at my soul.”
“Is there anything we can do for him?” asked Angel.
“I think we’re doin’ it. Until Snow is gone, he’ll be tortured about his past.”
“Mama? You up there?” called Gabriel.
“She’s up here,” smirked Angel, looking down through the tree limbs. “I’ll come down so you can come up.” Angel kissed her cheek, handing her a basket with some extra food and supplies. As he stepped onto terra firma, Gabriel made his way up the tree like a spider monkey.
“Hi, Mama,” he grinned, kissing his mother’s cheek. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay, baby. How are you?”
“I’m trying to figure all this out, Mama. Please tell me it’s not time yet. It can’t be time. I’m not ready.”
“Gabriel,” she smiled. “Your daddy and I won’t know when it’s time. But you’re ready. All of you are ready. You, Claudette, Gaspar, as much as he avoids it. All of you are ready. We can’t live forever, son.”
“Well, technically, I’m not sure Pops is alive,” he smirked.
“He’s flesh and blood warm,” nodded Irene. “He’s as alive as you and me. I’ve been lucky enough to spend almost a hundred years with that man. If I get my way, it won’t end on this earth or in my heaven. We’ll be together for eternity.”
“I hope that Tory and I have a love that lasts that long,” he said, smiling at his mother.
“You will. You all will. It takes work, Gabriel. You gotta work at it every day. Love one another every day. Hold her hand, hug her, kiss her. Just let her know that you’re there, you appreciate her, cherish her, and want to be by her side all the time.”
“I try to do just that, Mama. We’re going to try and find Snow today. If you have any hints on what we can learn about him, I’d appreciate it.”
“That’s the strange thing,” frowned Irene. “I feel his evil. It’s deep within him, born within him, but I can’t feel his family or who his people are. Snow ain’t his name, that’s for sure. Grover says he looks familiar, but he thinks he’s been here before.”
“Been here to the Square?” asked Gabriel.
“I’m not sure. You should ask Grover,” she said, taking a bite of the banana bread in the basket. She could tell that it was made by Sara and her team. She could taste the love in it.
“Can I bring you anything, Mama?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
“No. Y’all are doin’ what I need you to do. You’re honoring my wishes and helpin’ me to protect this tree and this Square.” Gabriel smiled, nodding his head.
“You didn’t really give us a choice, Mama.”
“You always got a choice, Gabriel. Just because you don’t want to disappoint me, don’t mean you can’t make another choice. You got free will, son. You always have.”
“You say that, Mama, but you’re awfully hard to say no to. And don’t even get me started on Pops. It’s like the word just won’t come out of my mouth. I can’t say no to him.” Irene laughed.
“Well, there’s a reason for that, but we’ll get there later. Go on down now. Tell all the boys I’m just fine for now. I appreciate them watchin’ out for me. Snow ain’t gonna give up so easy. He wants this piece of land for some reason, and we need to know why.”
Gabe started to get down from the tree, then stopped, looking up at his ageless mother. Her skin was still relatively smooth, her whiskey-colored eyes glowing in the light of the shaded tree. Her white hair made her look positively ethereal.
“Mama? I love you so much,” said Gabriel.
“I know, baby,” she smiled. “I love you, too.”
Gabriel jumped from the branch, his brothers standing waiting for him.
“How is she?” asked Alec.
“She’s Mama,” he grinned. “She’s fearless, full of faith, love, and sage advice. But she’s right. Snow wants this property gone for some reason, and we need to know what that reason is.”
“We’re working on it,” said Gaspar. “But we do know that his name is not Snow.”
“Let’s go see if we can catch Mr. Snow at home,” said Nine. “Angel, Trak, and Miller tried yesterday, but there was no one there. I’d like to have a long conversation with him.”