Chapter 15
Jeannie
The Hair Ties that Bind
“Olivia, hand me one of those cloth hair ties I got sittin’ on the table, would you?” Jahmoni asked. I leaned forward from where I was sitting on the ground between her thick and very comfortable thighs, allowing her more room to move.
“Here you go!” Olivia said, handing over the baggie of ties that had been knocked forward a little, most likely when a couple of the kids had come in and asked one of their aunties to reach a book they weren’t tall enough to get. “Do you see the difference they make with really fine hair?”
“Ay, no need for the I-told-you-so,” Jahmoni chided good-naturedly. “Maybe if you let me play with your hair more, I woulda known how helpful they are.”
I got the sense that we were about to launch into a very familiar argument between the two, so I closed my eyes and leaned back into my previous position, basking in the utter sense of community surrounding me.
I wasn’t quite sure how I found myself sitting in a lounge area attached to the dining hall in the main cabin, but there was a very specific set of events that had led me to sitting on the floor while my new acquaintances gave me a new ’do.
It wasn’t a protective style, because my hair wasn’t the right texture or thickness, but it felt very similar to French braids, just with some fun extra bends in them. I wished I had a mirror so I could see, because the anticipation was most certainly rising.
It was a bit nerve-racking, because what if I had dandruff? Or what if I hadn’t washed my scalp properly? But those voices only popped up once every twenty minutes or so. Mostly, I was having a great time just being included.
A teenage boy was on the floor across from me.
His mother was putting a complicated and frankly beautiful design into his hair.
Two young girls were to my right getting their own styles, and then a gaggle of kids were in a loose formation on the ground in the other direction, playing with a mix of action figures, stuffed animals, and dolls.
Was this what it was like to have a family? For some reason, I’d never pictured it this way. Maybe because my own had been less than stellar. But man, I could easily get used to this.
Which was a dangerous thought to have.
It was one thing not to know about something so I could never miss it. But how was I supposed to go back to my life now that I knew how warm, exciting, and even overwhelming having so many living, loving relatives could be?
Whoa, that was way too complicated a thought to have at the moment. Besides, I would always be okay as long as Max was happy and healthy. That was what truly mattered in life.
“Eva, dearie, did you forget you had some toys over here, tite fille?” another lady beside me asked. She was a bit older than the rest of us, with hair just beginning to gray at her temples.
“No,” Eva said calmly.
“Are you sure, cher? You don’t wanna include the nounours?” the woman pressed, pointing at the teddy bear. I wished I could remember her name, but I’d met so many people so quickly.
“No, Mr. Booty claimed sovereign citizenship and ran afoul of the new ruler of Toyland, Belle Savannah Caroline Scarlett Genevieve the Third, and was exiled to the death pit. But, since there’s no death pit here, he gets the floor.”
Sometimes my son said strange things, sure, and he often used slang I didn’t understand, but man, Eva said the wildest things. And it seemed like she truly comprehended what she was actually saying. It was always the quiet ones.
“Death pit?” the auntie repeated with genuine concern.
Strangely enough, it kind of made me feel better.
It was clear some family members were closer than others, and some were little more than friendly acquaintances because of the distance between where they lived, which made me feel less like I stuck out like a sore thumb.
“It’s a small laundry basket underneath our crafting desk at home,” Addy answered without even looking up from her book. “It’s basically her jail for toys in trouble.”
“But why a death pit?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I see...”
I didn’t know why, but something about the way the woman said that had me jumping to the girl’s defense. Eva was shy, and I didn’t want an off-handed comment to make her feel uncomfortable with how she played.
“You know,” I said cautiously, trying to keep my tone light. “I remember back when I used to play with dolls, I used to toss the Barbies who were in trouble under my bed. They would have to do a very specific set of ritual tasks to be granted freedom back to the rest of my room.”
Eva nodded sagely, but even though I tried to be very casual with my tone, the auntie got up with a slight bit of a huff.
“I don’t know, sounds to me like some of y’all have been ’round Peepaw and his political radio shows too much.”
With that, she left. There was a bit of awkwardness before Addy shrugged and went back to her book.
“Don’t you pay her no mind,” Jahmoni said. “You know how some of those old folks be. Just so sure the world’s gotta be one way and that’s the only way to live in it.”
“She sounds like she doesn’t play with enough dolls,” Eva said matter-of-factly.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I said. “Maybe later, you and I could play together? You could introduce me to Miss… Miss Belle…”
“Miss Belle Savannah Caroline Scarlett Genevieve the Third. And actually, I dunno. I’m thinking maybe I need to stretch my legs later. Take a walk.”
“Oh, well we can do that too.” I resisted the ingrained urge to say something about burning off the extra calories that I didn’t need from all the holiday food.
Although I had some lingering body issues from my childhood, I had no business passing any of that onto Remy’s children.
They had a great relationship with food, and I didn’t want to spoil that.
“Awesome.”
“Once I’m done with this last braid, you’ll be good to go,” Jahmoni said, sounding pleased as punch, which made me that much more excited to see the braids.
In addition to the two main ones that I could feel curving slightly, she’d done one around the edge of my hairline almost like a crown.
Honestly, I didn’t even know I had enough hair for that.
“Thank you,” I said, “but there’s no rush. Right, Eva?”
“Honey, trust me. There is no rushing art. I take exactly as long as I mean to, and I mean to take exactly as long as I do.”
“Understood,” I said, giving a little salute that made several of the people around me chuckle. Even the teen across from me cracked a tiny smile, which was probably the equivalent of a standing ovation.
True to Jahmoni’s word, she was done in a few minutes, and when I stood to get some circulation back into my legs, she handed me a mirror.
Wow! I had been a bit self-conscious that my round head and soft features would make me look like a lightbulb with my hair so tightly pulled back, but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, it emphasized my cheekbones and made my chin look a bit more proportional to the rest of my face.
“What do you think?” Jahmoni asked, the tiniest hint of self-consciousness in her voice.
“I love it.” I whirled and threw my arms open. It wasn’t exactly normal for me to hug strangers, but after she’d played with my hair for a little over an hour, we weren’t strangers anymore. “Thank you so much.”
Jahmoni got up and embraced me. It was such a warm, simple gesture, but it filled me with a wave of emotion that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Goodness, was I really that touch-starved? Or was it more than that? Was it that feeling of belonging that I was so worried about getting used to?
“I’m so glad you like it. Since you can’t really keep styles in that long with your hair type, maybe I could do one more before you leave?”
Ugh. The thought of leaving was like being doused with icy water, but I tried not to let it show, in case Jahmoni got the wrong idea. “Sure! I’d love that!”
“Then it’s a plan. And certainly not a way for me to hog you all to myself and suck out all your writing knowledge.”
“Editing,” I corrected her gently. “But trust me, it’ll take you a whole lot of time to do that.”
“Challenge accepted then, mon cheri!”
“Oh hey there, looking good!”
I turned at the sound of Ana’s voice. She looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with a fitted, olive jumpsuit and a simple black pea coat over it. I had no idea how she was warm enough with just that and no gloves, but some people just ran hotter than others.
“Isn’t it great?” I said, giving a little twirl.
I expected to be gassed up a little by Ana given her nature, but what I didn’t expect was for several of the kids to clap and even for Addy to reach her hand up and snap enthusiastically—although, she still didn’t look up from her book. “Aw, thanks guys!”
“It’s fantastic,” Ana said, practically bounding over to me. “Maybe I should get mine to match.”
“If you think anybody here is taking out those goddess braids you have in, you’re insane,” Olivia chided. “Besides, it’s not like any of us brought bundles.”
“Speak for yourself,” Jahmoni interrupted.
“Of course, you would.”
The two went off on a tangent again. Although they weren’t siblings, Olivia must have been raised in close proximity to the older woman because they absolutely had that energy.
Ana actually wrapped her arm through mine and pulled me away a little. “I see the girls here, but where’s your little man?”
“He’s taking a nap in the corner,” I said, pointing at one of the couches where Max was all bundled up like a caterpillar.
“What a cutie patootie. Aren’t you worried about him ruining his bedtime?”
“He’s been so excited and active, I’m not surprised his body has caught up with him. He really loves hanging out with the other kids, but he has to pace himself.”