Chapter 11

Standing in front of what appeared to be a tin wash bucket was a young girl that looked to be no older than thirteen. Her mouth dropped open and she immediately ran to Kaye and embraced her, totally ignoring the fact that Kaye was covered with mud and slop. Kaye kissed her and would step back and engulf the young woman again with a shower of kisses on her forehead and face. You could tell watching the exchange that they had some catching up to do. There were a lot of talking-like-yelps, crying and laughing as if there was just too much to say and not a language with which to say it. Violet just took the time to gather herself, as soon as there was a descent pause in all the excitement she interrupted ever so gently, “Kaye, I really need to clean-up and get going.”

“Oh my gosh, I sure am rude, dis’ here is my daughta, she big, ain’t seen ‘er in leas a decade. Baby dis is…” Kaye paused and thought about all that had transpired between the two of them and decided to keep it low-key. “Ms. V to you.” Violet smiled at the discretion Kaye exercised, even though she was not certain of her true identity at this point. There were so many layers to who she really was. So much that she had to reinvent and recreate. “We’s a mess gurl, who here whicha?” Kaye said holding on to her daughter’s face.

Interesting enough Kaye’s daughter was very pretty, but simple. She had on a very loose dress that was a grayish blue hue, like it had been washed too much. The sleeves covered her shoulders and hung down halfway above her elbow. It really looked like a bed gown from Little House on the Prairie. Nowhere did it fit her tight and it stopped just above her knee. She was barefoot and her feet looked as though they were dusty with dried up mud stains from the murky waters. Her hair was pulled back and bunched-up in an uncombed bun. It looked like a good shampoo and conditioner was long overdue. From somewhere in the house a baby started crying, the young woman snapped out of her trance and ran to see about the whaling. Kaye realized what could be happening here and at first a smile and then a solemn look came over her face as she inquired “who baby is dat?”

“Mine Ma, he 8 months old. Dis here is Jacob Elisiah. He named part after his Dad and part afta Pa.”
“You only 16 gurl, why you go and get a baby? I sure wanted you to get out of here, seein’ how you can sing and all. Specially with that head on your shouldas.” Kaye paused and began taking the baby from the girl, “but I’m here now. Can’t believe Ima a MiMa. Dis here is by firs granchile V. He sure is a pretty boy.” Turning toward her daughter she continued, “I’m not goin’ nowhere dis time, willin’ or not. Don’t you worry. Ma’s here to stay and help.” Kaye put one arm around her daughter while holding the baby in the other. “There’s much to say, but not right na. We can start fresh, but one thing fo sure, I didn’t plan to not be wit ya. I didn’t go away on my own will. However, nothin’ will eva happen now, I’m home and things different na.” Looking over at Violet, Kaye refocused “get Ms. V sometin’ ta put on and draw ‘er a bath.”

Violet chimed in, “Kaye, after I clean up I need to make my way to town and use a phone. You’ve been away too long so I don’t want to make a scene going into town with you. I can go by myself; it’s not even high noon yet. If I reach who I intend, I don’t expect to make it back this way. I will send word that I am fine, but you know me, I am a big girl.” Violet was ready to get out of her wet, sticky clothes; she didn’t care if she was given a sackcloth to wear.

Kaye was back in step as though she hadn’t been away for what Violet gathered was over a decade. “I understand. We gon make certain you eat and have energy. I think ya need ta rest tho, but that’s jus me.” Turning to her daughter, Kaye had another set of instructions “Sarafeen, I got dis’ here pretty baby; he’ll be sleep again in no time foolin’ with me. Start dem pots up, I’ll be right in der.” Violet could tell that Kaye was back in her comfort zone and didn’t want to push against her request to stay for a meal. Kaye was noticeably resilient and fit right back in as though she hadn’t missed a beat. Violet followed Sarafina, who Kaye called Sarafeen, back to the bathroom. She also realized Kaye’s daughter was older than she looked.

Violet noticed that the house was surprisingly neat despite the tattered outside of the shanty home and the looks of Sarafina’s clothing. It still seemed as though Violet had stepped back in time, but it was a welcomed change to the torture chambers that had just been her prison. As they entered the washroom there was some sort of makeshift version of running water and plumbing that appeared to be more like a supped up water pump, dumping into an old free standing tub. It looked as if somewhere there was a pilot boiling the water to make it hot. Violet thanked her young host, closing and locking the door after she exited.

Violet disrobed, peeling the sticky clothes off like a layer of dead skin; she found the oversized waste basket and happily dropped them in. She examined her breast and upper body in the stained mirror above the sink. She could see the wear-and-tear of the last week and the weight she had lost. Running her hand through her now stringy hair and pulling it back she just exhaled. Although she would have preferred a hot shower, this bath in even a strange place would wash away some of the dirt inside and out.

Inching her way into the water, the steam rose up between her thighs sending beads of sweat down her legs. The water had a clean scent and her tense muscles began to weaken as the water opened up and closed in around her body. She took the hand towel emerged it in the water, rung it out and just laid it over her eyes. Wow, when was the last time I meditated, she quizzed herself. She was so wound up her mind was racing. She began her breathing exercise and honed in on the sounds of her own heart. It was amazingly calm; beating, beating, beating. Her breathing became more steady and she actually let her self slide down into the water. Her mind began to loosen; she could feel her brain actually release like a muscle and her face softened. She pictured Toby’s smile, but she could hear Nahmie’s voice. It was as though her conscience was Nahmie. “Lillian focus, focus on where you want to be right this moment. Take yourself exactly to that place, see every detail. See the walls, see the floor, smell the air, feel the environment, taste it.” Yep, Nahmie would say when you got real in tune with your senses you could taste a place. Like now, the bayou was salty, sticky and very thick. “See yourself in the room Lillian, see what you are doing in that room, tell Nahmie what you are doing.”

Violet began to sink down into the tub, it was as though she was slipping into a comatose state. Her lips were submerged under water and the wet was inching up to the tip of her nose, soon her entire head would be under. She began to feel a dropping sensation in her entire body, like an immense gravitational pull. Almost as if the tub drain was sucking her under, she began coughing and gasping as she sucked in a lung of bath water. She reached for the sides of the tub to pull her up, but her grasp was weak compared to the force.

She pulled up one last time letting out a raspy yelp before becoming completely unconscious. “Get me some towels, lift her out quick, be careful not to hurt her!” Violet was sure she was in a twilight state of unconscious awareness. She smelled lavender all around her. "Put her own her side," the voice demanded as firm hands guided her body into safety. “Wake up child, wake up. You did it baby, you did it.” She heard the voice clearer this time “pass me the hot tea Toby quick.” Violet was very weak, she felt like fever and flu all over, she was chilled to the bone but hot at the same time. “She opened her eyes slowly, but it felt like 10 tons had fallen on her. Was she hallucinating? As though her mind was being read, Nahmie wiped Violet's forehead and turned her face to really make her focus. “Baby you’re here, you did it. I haven’t seen you do that in a long time. I thought you had lost the gift, but deep down I knew you had it in you; I gave you my strength and wouldn’t let go of the fact that I knew you were alive. We both knew, didn’t we Toby?” Nahmie was half laughing and half crying looking over at Toby. “Ha, can you believe this? You’re in Oxford baby, you did it. No, no don’t move too fast you took a lot out of yourself. You’ll need to rest.” That was the last thing Violet heard as everything faded back to black around her.

Chapter 10

The helicopter floated along the Mississippi the blades and the engine performing a perfect duet. Kaye looked out the window enjoying the peace within this moment, while still savoring her newfound freedom. There is just something about the rumblings of engines that can create an overwhelming sense of peace over time. Violet found herself succumbing to the purr of the engine and the humming of the blades overhead. The two women sat in silence.
Violet knew the silence would be short lived. Since she was unsure of which side of the Mississippi they were actually traveling she didn’t want to risk being in the air for too long. The goal was to get away from the house of horrors and they had successfully done that, well two of them at least. But Violet couldn’t allow her thoughts to linger to long on Rose, beautiful little Rose.
Finally they approached a clearing large enough to land the Helicopter safely. Once on the ground both ladies sat inside their new sanctuary, still in silence. It was as if nobody wanted to be the one to disrupt the peace they had found traveling in that helicopter for the last two hours. But eventually the moment would have to come to an end and for Violet there was no time like the present. She had been taken so far off her original course she was starting to doubt the possibility of ever getting back on track.
Before Violet could speak…
“Should we destroy the copter before we split up?” Kaye asked in an eerily calm voice.
“Right now the priority is figuring out where we are and then we can deal with the rest. But yeah we are going to have to do something about this helicopter.”
“Figuring out where we are is the easy part. I know where we are. I grew up in these parts; we’re in Slidel not to far from New Orleans. So, what do we do about this here copter?”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure as I can be. I don’t know much but I know home when I see it and… I am finally home.”
Kaye was having a hard time containing her joy and it slowly began to run down her cheek in the form of the most delicate tears. She sat there with her hands over her chest, eyes closed just taking the moment in. Kaye’s joy became contagious and Violet began to silently cry in solidarity with her new friend.
“Violet… we better get while the gettin’s still good.” Kaye says in barely a whisper.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
Without another word the two ladies move in perfect concert with one another… They gather dried, dead foliage surrounding the clearing; coupled with the fuel reserves from the helicopter as an accelerate they set the helicopter on fire. The blaze grows gradually burning from the inside cab and eventually engulfing the base of the structure. The ladies quickly run to the edge of the clearing, their exit being punctuated by the sudden explosion of the helicopter as the flames make their way to the fuel tank.
As the two ladies journey through the trees towards the road Violet couldn’t help giggling to herself. This was the second fire she'd started in two days. What would her mother say if she could see her now? She always told her never to play with fire.
“Kaye, … Kaye, we’ve been walking for hours. Are you sure you know where we are going?”
“Just keep moving and don’t fall to far behind. It’ll be dark soon and we are approaching the bayou. All sorts of creatures live out that way and we gotta make sure we keep surefooted.”
“Why can’t we just go a different way then?”
“Ain’t no other way to get where we need to go sept through the bayou. You know they shot a real live movie out here once. I never did get to see it but folks around here were real excited about it.”
“Thanks for the bit of random trivia.”
“I was just tryin to make conversation”
“Well don’t!”
“I was just tryin to ease the tension but no need no more, see that house… We’re here.”
Violet was none to happy about having to wade in water up to her waist to what appeared to be nothing more than a dilapidated old shack nestled between a bunch of dead old trees. As she approached the house she could see that it was resting on several wide stilts holding it above the water.
Violet was surprised at the ease of which Kaye was able to pull her body up onto the front porch of the old house. She figured if Kaye could do it this shouldn't be too much of a stretch for her, after all she had been working out with a trainer 3 times a week up until about a week ago. Violet planted both hands firmly onto the edge of the porch and tried to pull herself up. Just then she realized that this was going to be more of a challenge than initially anticipated. The ground was too soft making it impossible for her to gain her footing.
Kaye reached down to give Violet a hand up, pulling her onto the makeshift porch with ease. Once Violet had both feet on solid ground she found herself breathing a deep sigh of relief and a little embarrassment. She followed Kaye into the main room of the little shack on the bayou. Once Violet crossed the threshold she was bathed in light, bright light and warmth. The smell of cedar and fresh jasmine filled her nostrils filling her with an overwhelming sense of calm and peace. She immediately felt safe. Until that moment Violet hadn’t realized how long it had been since she felt at ease, how long it had been since she had taken a deep breath. Tentatively she entered the shack, in front of her standing in front of what appeared to be a tin wash bucket was…