Chapter 31 The Fangs #2
Meanwhile, I could hear Satoshi scratching as we moved down the hallway. The sound was constant. A soft scraping that made my skin crawl in sympathy.
I glanced back at Satoshi.
His hand was at his neck now, fingers dragging over the skin under his chin. His face was tight with discomfort, and I could see more angry red bumps breaking out across his throat.
Ugh.
The skin looked inflamed and furious, like it was fighting itself.
I shivered just looking at it.
Right now, that water allergy was clearly flaring up badly.
Naw. We have to figure something out. I can’t sit with him all day and watch him go through pain in silence.
I pulled out my phone and typed quickly as we walked.
Me: Grandma, do you know anything that's good for skin allergies? I have a friend that's allergic to water. He can’t stop scratching his neck.
I hit send and slipped it back into my pocket.
We reached the staircase and started descending. Three flights down to the theater level.
Yoichi spoke as we walked. "Your friends are in the movie theater. They're ready to go. The majority of the island is getting seated. The chef has provided snacks, popcorn, and drinks."
“Good.” I nodded. "What movie are we watching?"
"The Magic Garden," Yoichi said. "It's a new animated film."
I smiled despite everything. Zo loved animation. He was probably already geeking out over it.
"Since we're going for extra precaution," Kaoru said, "you're going to go in the box that looks over the theater room."
I looked at him. "The box?"
"Yeah. It's at the top where the projector and all that is."
"Oh." I frowned. "So I'm not going to be with Kenji’s people?"
"No."
"I think I should, maybe, so they can see that everything's okay."
Behind me, Satoshi's voice cut in. He was still scratching his neck, and his tone was firm. "No. We won't risk it. Let's keep you up in the box for safety reasons. Your friends are in the box with you. And they seem to be happy. They're playing music."
I sighed. "Alright. I’ll trust your guidance."
Kaoru chuckled. "By the way, the hairstylist. . .is she single?"
“You already have two girlfriends.”
“I’m always open for a third.”
“Deja as somebody’s third?” I blinked. Then I laughed.
Actually laughed.
For the first time since Kenji left, I felt something other than terror. The sound came out of me unexpectedly, and I realized how much I needed it.
Once I finished laughing, I grinned. "She’s single but listen. . .you don't want to mess with Deja. You're quite the playboy, but she is a playboy's kryptonite."
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “Hmmm.”
"In fact," I continued, "that's Deja's pastime hobby—to break the hearts of players. Make them go crazy for her and want to settle down, then she just gets rid of them. She thinks it's much-needed karma for the world."
Kaoru laughed. A real laugh that echoed in the stairwell.
I thought about Deja. My stylist who was about to turn forty but looked like she could still be twenty-six.
Deja was a Black baddie in every sense of the word. Big ass. Big breasts. Tiny waist. Full lips that she'd enhanced with fillers, but they looked so good on her you'd never know they weren't natural.
Her hair was always perfect.
Always styled.
Always laid.
She was into look-maxing before it even had a name.
That's how she'd gotten into braiding hair in the first place.
She'd wanted her hair in different styles all the time, but she couldn't afford those New York prices.
So she ended up learning how to braid hair, how to do wigs, how to do weave, how to do it all.
Next thing she knew, people started asking her to do theirs, and she made a whole business out of it.
Deja was one of those people I always wanted to write a book about. Anytime I got my hair braided by her, I would ask questions about her life. I was just so intrigued.
Was she single?
Definitely.
But that didn't mean she didn't have a couple of studs in her stable. Deja liked to call them studs.
Women studs.
Guy studs.
She saw them all as horses to get on and ride every now and then. Someone to treat her right, buy her things, take her out.
All of that, but nothing more.
I believed Deja was the sort of woman who didn't care about getting married. Didn't care about having kids. All she cared about was being absolutely happy, free, and financially independent for the rest of her life.
It was pretty much impossible for most people to really lock her down.
Kaoru grabbed my attention. “What about the hairstylist’s cousin? She’s cute too.”
"Nika likes women. She’s not interested in guys at all."
Kaoru's face fell, but he was still smiling.
"But there's always Zo." I shrugged. "Zo likes men and women, if you want an adventure."
All the Fangs laughed. Even Rin had a half-smile on his face before it slipped back into his usual bored expression.
My phone rang.
Heading down the stairs, I pulled out my phone and looked down at the screen.
Grandma.
I stopped walking.
The Fangs stopped with me.
I looked at them. "Does anybody have a pen and paper?"
Yoichi reached into his jacket and pulled out a small notebook and pen. "Yes. I have one."
I looked at him. "Write everything down that my grandmother says."
They all looked at me like I'd lost my mind.
Behind me, Satoshi was still scratching his neck. I could hear the scrape of his nails against inflamed skin.
Jesus. That has to hurt.
I turned on the phone and put it on speaker. "Hey, Grandma."
Her warm, loving voice came through loud and clear. "Allergic to water? Now that ain't right. That ain't nothing but the devil right there."
I saw Satoshi's eyes widen.
Grandma kept going. "Is that baby around?”
“Yes, Grandma. He’s a man—”
“Tell that poor baby to come here and listen close, because we not about to let that baby scratch himself into misery."
Satoshi went completely still. His hand stopped mid-scratch, and he just stared at my phone like it was a lifeline.
"First thing," Grandma said, "get you some plain oats and grind them up fine. I'm talking powder.”
I gestured for Yoichi to write.
He blinked, but began taking the notes.
Grandma went on. “Them oats got those avenanthramides in 'em. I think that’s how you say it. Anyway, that's what calms inflammation and settles that histamine fussing in the skin. That's the base."
Yoichi was writing furiously.
Satoshi leaned forward.
"Now stir in a good spoon of raw honey. Got to be raw. Honey's antimicrobial, keeps the skin from getting angry or infected while it's irritated. It soothes and protects at the same time."
“Okay.” I looked at Yoichi. “Did you get that?”
He nodded.
Satoshi's eyes flicked to Yoichi. Then back to the phone.
"Then add you some pure aloe vera—not that green perfume mess, real aloe. That's going to cool the skin down and reduce that itching. Aloe is like laying a cool cloth over a fevered patch."
I could see Satoshi mouthing the words, trying to remember.
"If the skin is still acting up, put just a small splash of apple cider vinegar in there, but dilute it. That'll help restore the skin's pH and bring it back to balance. Don't you pour it straight, now. We healing, not burning."
“Got it, Grandma.”
Yoichi's pen scratched across the paper.
"Mix all that together into a thick paste and spread it over the itchy places. Tell that baby to sit still with it on for about forty minutes. Let it do its work."
Satoshi was holding his breath.
"After that, rinse it off gentle with lukewarm water. Then, pat dry. Don't rub. Be nice to your skin now."
I watched Satoshi's face. He looked like he was trying not to hope too much.
"And then?" Grandma's voice went softer. "Grease that baby up. I mean it. Take some petroleum jelly and seal that skin good. Lock in the calm. Protect it from the air and the water and whatever else trying to stir it up."
Yoichi was still writing.
"And after all that's done," Grandma said, and I could hear the smile in her voice, "tell that baby to go on to church and pray about it because that ain’t nothing but the devil. The Lord will do all the soothing."
Silence filled the stairwell.
"Thank you, Grandma."
“Now I’m tired. It’s late over here and my friends and me are going to play Bingo at Miriam’s tomorrow. It’s a pot luck. They said they’re bringing some of those Japanese dishes so the whole neighborhood excited. You know we don’t travel like you. Got to get our culture how we can get it.”
I chuckled. "Have fun at Bingo with your friends, Grandma. I love you."
“Love you too. Goodnight.”
Yoichi frowned. “Her detail shouldn’t be cooking and playing Bingo. They’re supposed to be focused.”
“Well, I feel like part of their job should be making my grandma happy too.” I placed the phone in my pocket.
Satoshi looked at Yoichi. "We're going to try it later tonight. She sounds like she knows what she's talking about."
“Here’s everything.” Yoichi tore the page out of his notebook.
“I say let’s not wait until tonight.” I stepped forward, checked out all those red bumps on his neck, and did my best to not flinch. "Why don't we go ahead and make the paste and everything now, so Satoshi can do that immediately. He needs to be relieved."
Kaoru shook his head gently. "We need to stay close to you."
"One person going to the chef to get this done and then the team coming in to help him out is not going to keep me unprotected," I said. "I'll still be safe. We're going straight to the theater box, so just come back."
“No. The Fangs stay close to you.” Yoichi turned and handed the paper to one of the five men standing behind us. "Give this to the chef and tell him to follow the instructions."
I cut in. "And make sure the chef does it now, and have it up in the theater box immediately."
The man nodded and took off at a jog.
I looked back at Satoshi and winked at him. “I hope it works.”
His shoulders dropped slightly, and for the first time since I'd met him, he looked like he could breathe. “I hope so too.”