Chapter 11
Noa
There were no words to describe how amazing it felt to be back in Julian’s arms. When we were together before I came to Magnolia Graves the focus was getting me through my moms death and packing up her place. I missed being in his arms so this alone time was so long overdue.
After I showered and changed, which was a must because the Georgia heat was no joke, we decided to go to a local restaurant that was located in a historical building for dinner.
The atmosphere was comfy and the food was southern soul food at its finest and it was amazing.
Now we were laying in bed with my head on his chest while he rubbed my back.
“How long you staying?”
“Just a burn and turn… You have me all day tomorrow then I have to leave first thing the following morning…I have to get back for court.” Julian responded as he moved the braids that were on my face and tucked them behind my ear.
“There was something in your tone the last few times we talked that didn’t sit well with me.
I respect what you’re doing, and I don’t want to seem like I’m imposing but it sounded like you needed a reset. I needed to come check on my sunshine.”
“You’re definitely not imposing and I absolutely need a reset. I can’t quite put into words how I’ve been feeling, the best way for you to understand is for me to show you. I’ma take you on a tour in the morning. I have a few places I want you to see.”
“That sounds great, but for right now, let me show you how much I’ve missed you. I been waiting to get my hands on all of this.” Julian softly said as he lifted my chin so that I was now looking at him.
When he looked down at my lips, I brought my face to his until our lips locked in the most sensual kiss I’d had in a long time. Julian, being my first, always had this way of making my body respond to his touch in ways that would send me into a sensual zone.
My hand naturally went to his manhood, and I slipped it into his boxer briefs.
Since we were laying in our underclothes, I didn’t have to remove much to get to it.
As I softly stroked him, he caressed my nipples as his dick hardened in my hands.
When I felt his tip get moist, I broke our embrace and took him into my mouth.
I remember the first time I gave him fellatio; I was so nervous, afraid that I would scratch him with my teeth, but he coached me on how he liked it and now, I knew exactly what to do to get him right where I needed him to be.
“Damn baby, I missed this shit so much.” Julian groaned sending me into a dick sucking zone. “Ion wanna nut quick. Let me taste it.”
Changing positions, I laid on my back as he took control and dived headfirst in between my legs.
As he feasted on my lower lips, I fell into a state of ecstasy.
A hundred percent invested in our lovemaking, no thoughts of the cemetery, church archives or files were on my mind.
The only thing I was focused on was making love to my man.
“Unnnhhh, babe, right there,” I all but cried as I creamed in his mouth.
Before I could catch my breath, Julian thrusted his thick dick into me and for the rest of the night he made love to my body until he put us both to sleep.
The smell of breakfast woke me from the deep sleep that I was in. I hadn’t slept that hard without any lucid dreams in months. As I rubbed my eyes trying to focus and saw Julian sitting at the table in the room, with a full breakfast spread laid out.
“Good morning, my sunshine,” he beamed when he noticed I was up. “I ordered room serve…I couldn’t decide on what to get so I just got a little of everything.”
“Thank you babe. I’m starving.” I smiled as I got out of bed then headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
After freshening up, I slipped on my silk robe then went back out into the room and enjoyed one of the best southern-made breakfasts I’d ever had.
“This food is a game changer.” Julian smiled as he stuffed his mouth with some shrimp and cheesy grits.
“I agree…reminds me of the breakfasts my mom used to make.” I could feel a wave of emotion hit, as I tried my best to not cry.
“Aww baby, I didn’t mean to trigger any old memories.” Julian got up then moved his chair closer to mine as he consoled me.
“You good. The memories just hit me out of nowhere and at any time. I’ll be good.”
“Well let’s do something fun today. Since you’ve been here exploring already, what do you recommend?”
“I wanted to take you to the church and a few other spots I’ve grown to love.”
“I’d love to go to the church and help with your investigation,” Julian chuckled causing me to laugh.
“Investigation is insane but honestly, it’s beginning to feel like one. Everything I find ends up leading me to dig further and find more.”
We finished eating as much as we could, then Julian placed the food try outside of the room door so that room service could come and get what we couldn’t finish. We showered together and the first stop on our adventure was the church.
When we got to the church, the old lady at the desk had gotten so used to me coming that she just greeted me with a head nod and went back to her sudoku book.
This time while I searched through records, I felt much more familiar with the room.
All I could think about was Ezekiel telling me that I wouldn’t find what I was looking for, but that just fueled my desire to prove him wrong.
Periodically I glanced over at Julian who was just as engulfed in all the records.
Then he found a file that had been signed out numerous times by my dad and even several times by Vivienne Baptiste.
I wasn’t surprised that his instincts would lead him right to financial files that contained documents on land deeds and all kinds of financial ledgers.
Finance was more of his thing then mine, so I let him take the lead on that while I continued to look for records on my dad’s death.
“Check this out…a whole ledger is missing.” Julian said as he slid the file over to me. “I’ve double, and tripled checked, and every single missing document references land ownership.”
“What do you think that means? Why would those documents be missing?”
“My guess is someone doesn’t want the truth out about land ownership and property.”
Even though Julian wasn’t as invested in all of this as much as I was, I felt like what he had discovered was huge and very important. Being that my dad and Vivienne had gone into this very file multiple times this was definitely something that I needed to dig into further.
Taking a few pictures of the documents and the ledgers, I made a note to come back and try to find more on it.
I didn’t want to spend too much time at the church, especially since I was well aware of how fast time would slip by whenever I came.
I still had a few more places to take him before we went back to the hotel for another nightcap.
“The countryside is a beautiful place, I just can’t see myself ever living out here.”
“That’s because you’re a city boy at heart.” I said as I headed to Dessa Mae’s. “Just wait til you see where we’re going. This by far is my favorite place here thus far.”
As we pulled up to Dessa Mae’s herbal shop, I could feel the tension exuding from Julian. “What is this place? Is that root work as in voodoo?”
“I wouldn’t say allat,” I laughed. “Just be open minded.”
Just as the first time I visited, the bells jingled as we walked up the porch steps and before I could open the front door, Dessa Mae was standing there, this time with two honey biscuits in hand.
How she knew to have two of them ready was beyond me, but I didn’t question it.
I introduced her to Julian and immediately she welcomed him with a big hug.
When she turned her back, he looked at me then down at the biscuit in his hand. “Is this safe to eat?”
“Of course,” I laughed.
“Ion want to leave clucking like no damn chicken.”
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his antics. “I promise it’s gonna be the best tasting biscuit you’ve ever had.”
“Eh, ion know, the biscuits from this morning were pretty tasty.”
“Can’t no one make ‘em as good as me.” Dessa Mae walked up behind us with two steaming hot cups of tea. “These here will ease up all that tension you got. It’s lavender, lemongrass tea with a drop of home-grown honey.”
Julian had at least a million questions about all the herbals and crystals that were throughout the shop and Dessa Mae smiled as she answered them all.
By the time we were done with our tea, I could tell that Julian was just as comfortable with Dessa Mae as I was.
It was hard to not feel comfortable around her considering how overwhelming the visual of everything surrounding her was.
He looked out the window at the river, then over to the Magnolia tree. “So peaceful.” Dessa Mae said as she noticed him looking over at her family member’s grave.
I didn’t want to tell him that he was looking at a grave, I felt like that would scare him off and kill the mood. I gave Dessa Mae a look, but she was already looking at me as if she was reading my thoughts without me saying to express them.
“Come, let’s sit outside. I gots a story to tell ya.”
We followed her outside and walked around to the back of the shop that faced the Magnolia River. There was a small black metal table set, the chairs had worn cushions. Soon as we sat at the table, Dessa Mae set the tone telling with a story about the town.
“Ya know, every town gots a house that folks won’t talk bout but I think it’s something that you’d enjoy hearing.”
“Is this a story bout a haunted house?” Julian asked, causing me to softly chuckle.
“No baby…not at all if you askin’ me. Now them other folks just might say different. They calls it the weeping house…they says at night the walls cry.”
“Wait, this sounds pretty haunted to me,” Julian interrupted. “Walls crying is kinda creepy.”
Dessa Mae chuckled softly then continued. “They says you can hear women weeping through the bricks. The house is far out in the marsh, a part of the country you don’t travel to unless you know where you going.”
“Or unless you’re Noa. This right up her alley.” Julian said then looked over at me.
And he told no lie cause I was already making mental notes to find out more about this weeping house and where exactly it was located.
“Most of the folks in town that would be familiar with its land no longer are among the living. The truth bout it is it ain’t the house that’s cryin’ out.”
“Does anyone live there now?” Julian asked.
“Depends on how you look at it. Living and dwelling can be two different things depending on who you talking to.”
“What would you say it is?” I asked finally joining in the conversation.
“Memories. Pain.”
“The river is a sight. It’s so hot out here it makes you want to run and jump in it. But being that we’re in the heart of the country, I know it has to be full of water snakes and gators.” Julian said, changing the subject.
“The Magnolia River isn’t full of nothing but truths that eventually wash back to shore.” Dessa Mae responded. “Folks say it’s haunted and not smart to swim in. They says those that go for a swim never are to be heard from again, but I swims in it all the time.”
I was sopping up every minute of her story time because it felt like she was talking in riddles yet telling a bit more than she did the first time I was here.
“I’ll leave you with one last story…the black funeral. Every town and every generation has one. Folks just rarely speak on them.”
“Why is it called the black funeral?” Julian asked before I could.
“Issa funeral where ain’t nobody doing any cryin’. Cause everybody knows what gon’ happen b’fore hand.”
Something shifts in Dessa Mae’s disposition, and her face becomes less relaxed and more serious.
She looks at me then stares into my eyes for a few minutes before she says anything.
I was expecting her to finish telling us about the black funerals but instead she nearly took my breath away with what she said next.
“Ya know ya father wasn’t looking for trouble, but it found him. Can’t find nothing on his death cause his was a black funeral death. Vivienne’s death led him to start askin’ questions that got him buried.”
“Wait, are you saying my dad was killed?”
“The folks in town gon’ say car accident. But after receiving black roses on his stoop, I knew what it really was and it wasn’t no accident.”
“So, you’re saying you know what happened to her father? He was murdered?”
“I’m saying keep looking and you’ll find out the truth eventually. I’s bout reached my limit for today. Yall come back soon to see me, hear. Come on in the shop, I gots a small gift for you.”
Julian looked at me like he wanted to haul ass to the car, but instead he followed inside the shop. Dessa Mae walked to the back of the shop, then came back and handed me a black stone.
“It’s called black tourmaline. Strongest amongst all others for protecting against evil energies. You need its shield while you continue to search.”
I looked at the stone that was in the palm of my hand then back up to Dessa Mae. “Where should I keep it?”
“On your body at all times.”
She walked us to the door and just as she opened it, I noticed in my peripheral that she handed something to Julian as she gave him a hug.
“When the load gets too heavy for her to carry…you make sho to carry it for her.”
Julian nodded then Dessa Mae hugged me and sent us on our way.