Bad Juju (23 page)

Esther looked drunk with exhilaration as she skipped home from the common area.  As Jake and Henry gathered Lucien’s things, Jake ask
ed
what Mrs.
Muddraker’s
last comments were about. 

“Henry, drop all of this off on my porch.  Your mom will be here any second.”  Henry went ahead of them lugging some of Lucien’s belongings.  Once Lucien and Jake were alone, he somberly looked at the dying fire and picked
Mami
up, putting her around his neck.  “
You told me about a dream you had
. 
T.J. was in it. 
In Haiti
,
we believe the
ti
-bon-
ange
part of your soul travels while you are asleep, allowing you to interact with the
loas
and
even
the dead.  Dreams are really messages from the spirit world. 
That
dream
was a warning
just like
today
is a warning
. 
I’m so sorry. 
You have unfinished business that needs to be dealt with
.
”

Chapter 2
7

Jake left the common area of Chippewa Park confused.  Lucien, his friend and mentor, had just cured Esther
Muddraker
from her disabling arthritis.  He, in fact, had witnessed a miracle. 
W
hat he couldn’t understand was why he did not feel
d
ivine.  I
nstead, his flesh moved like a bucket filled with
frenetic worms.  For the first time in their close relationship,
he
questioned
who
Lucien
Nazaire
really was.

Jake recol
lected Lucien once telling him
Voodoo was both good and evil. 
These two opposing
forces
were, in fact
,
bonded
together
, impossible to separate
.  Was Lucien both good and evil? 
What about himself?  And
Henry? 
His Uncle Pete wasn’t.  He didn’t have a drop of goodness in his body.

As Jake walked home from Lucien’s, he kept hearing the monstrous voice from
Esther’s
lips.  That voice and its words would haunt him indefinitely. 
He knows…both death and
in
life…
All Lucien
did was answer
him
with
ambiguity and silence.  Jake
deserved
better.  He
deserved
an explanation.

As Jake approached his home, he saw his family outside
,
setting up for dinner.  Pete manned the grill while Leah went in and out, preparing the table with condiments and paper plates. 
Rhianna
played with a soccer ball, kicking it to Pete while he
watched
the grill
. 
Father of the year,
Jake bitterly thought.  This happy bunch was quite a performance.

“Hey Jake, happy birthday,” Pete
announced
as Jake approached.  His welcoming appearance made Jake suspicious.  As
Jake
moved in, Pete’s eyes looked sincere.  They were clear for the time being.  There was a beer bottle on the side of the grill which Jake assumed to be his uncle’s first one.

“Leah sho
w
ed me your new car this morning. 
Whewey
!  I’m impressed.  A lot nicer than mine.  Maybe you can take us for spin around the park later on.”  Jake nodded.  “Quite the entrepreneur around here.
  Old fucks must pay you well.
”  Pete smiled again as he kicked
Rhianna
the soccer ball.

Pete’s congeniality made Jake paranoid. 
It wasn’t that long ago he was accusing Jake of stealing from the trailer park’s elderly, and now he was an entrepreneur.  Jake
looked to Leah for answers, but she just shrugged.

Jake went to his room to set down his backpack, hiding the skull cup Lucien
gave
him.  He went to the refrigerator to get a Coke.  Inside the refrigerator was a store-bought birthday cake. 
T
hree
of Jake’s birthdays took place under Pete’s roof,
and he had
never acknowledged
a one. 
Leah
always remembered and made him
a homemade cake
.  She wasn’t much of a cook, but the thought was there.  Looking at the pretty
yellow and blue
cake with roses and his name written with
white
icing made him want to cry.  Could
his uncle have any redeeming qualities?

He sat down on a flimsy lawn chair at the old card table used every summer. 

“See the cake?  Me and
Rhianna
picked it out at Super Target this morning.  And we got you a present, too,” Pete said as he reached into the backseat of his car.  “
Here.
”

Jake opened the plastic Target bag and took out a gift box of Brut cologne.  “Wow.  Thanks.  Much appreciated.”  He opened the bottle and took a whiff.  It smelled appealing, manly.

“
Gotta
smell nice for the ladies.  You have a girlfriend?  She’s welcome to come over.  Do you bring her to Lucien’s?  I see a girl dropping you off there all of the time, you and that boy that you run with,” Pete stated.

“I don’t have a girlfriend.  And that girl you see is Henry’s mom,” Jake explained.

“Pretty little thing.  Don’t look old enough to have a boy in high school.  You like the older ones?  Cougars?  Or MILF
s
? 
Gotta
wish you were tapping that!
 
Just kidding, man-to-man.  Since you’re practically grown, how ‘bout a beer?” Pete suggested as he gently grabbed Jake’s shoulder.

“Pete, he’s in high school.  Not a good…” Leah protested.

“Oh, shut the hell up.  C’mon now.  ‘Member what we were doing when you were his age?  He’s
gotta
car, a license, almost graduated.  Just one round,” insisted Pete.

Pete had never been so kind, even when Jake was little
.  The gifts and attention were a first from his uncle. 
Pretty special moment.  And now he was invited to share a beer and a shot.  His gratitude was plagued with guilt.

“To Jake, my nephew, my foster son, and almost a man,” Pete toasted.  They clanked beer bottles and
each
downed a shot of Early Times.  “Just want you to know that you are family.  And I know your mother would be so proud.  Next year, after you graduate, you don’t have to leave.”  Pete’s heartfelt speech was slightly slurred. 

Leah was getting irritated.  “The food’s
gonna
burn.  We’re starving and it’s
almost
dark out.  I’ve
gotta
work in an hour.”

“Okay, I get the hint.  Get me a platter.  Great.  All of you go ahead.  Me and Jake are going to have one more,” Pete announced.

“You know, Uncle Pete, a hot dog sounds really good about now,” Jake declined.

“
Y
ou promise me one after dinner?” Pete asked.  Jake nodded.

“Then we can sing Happy Birthday,”
Rhianna
squeaked.

Jake was humbled by the dinner and birthday celebrat
ion.  All he ever wanted was a home
where he was loved and wanted, where his family would remember
his birthday.  Tonight he had all of those things.

The food put an end to the dizzy feeling that had crept up after drinking Lucien’s rum mixture and then Uncle Pete’s shot and beer.  He wasn’t a drinker and
lacked a
physical tolerance for alcohol.

After everyone had cake, Leah left for work.  He missed her as she pulled away.  Now it was just him, Pete, and
Rhianna
.  The little girl wasn’t much of a buffer.  Awkward silence filled the air.

“Beautiful night.  Not ready to go inside yet.  How ‘bout that drink you promised me? 
Rhianna’s
playing so nice with her baby dolls.  Let’s sit out here for a while longer,” Pete reminded
as he poured
.

Hesitantly, Jake agreed. 
The food cleared his head. 
He racked his brain for conversation.  Pete’s eyes were glassy and his cheeks
were
reddened. 
Without
eating,
his uncle
continued filling
his coffee cup
with more Early Times.  The new bottle he had opened before dinner was halfway gone.  Unlike some of his drunken outbursts, he had a jovial, talkative way about him
, making
Jake think he was lonely.

Pete poured another cup full of booze for Jake.  They watched
Rhianna
stroll her dollies around the trailer with her toy stroller.  He still could not think of anything to talk about
, realizing that
he barely knew
Pete
.

“Another toast to your birthday, Jake. 
Here.
  I got one more beer left.  You have it.  You seem like you need it to wash
down
the Early Times.  It’s
kinda
harsh until you get used to it.  So…you drink with your friends?  Girls?  Lucien?” Pete asked.

“No.  I don’t smoke pot either,” Jake added, wondering if Pete was trying to set him up.  His answer was
almost a hundred percent true,
only dabbling in alcohol and marijuana a few times throughout his life.

“
Whatta
I look like?  The fucking cops?  You know my stance on them assholes.  I got some weed if you want,” Pete offered.

“No thanks.”

“Jake, you’ve really matured this year.  You’re shaving, much taller, filled out.  I apologize for never having a sex talk with you.  You know, father son type of thing.  Any questions?”  Jake shook his head.  “Okay then.  Let me put
Rhianna
to bed, and you can take me for a quick spin,” Pete said.

While Jake waited for Pete, he played
b
ack the wonderful birthday in his mind, savoring every sweet morsel.  He had never seen Pete’s softer side despite Leah’s claims of its existence.  It all came back to what Lucien had
taught him:  good and evil were one, or as Jake liked to think, they were two sides of the same coin. 
Words to live
by
.

“She’s practically asleep.  Now show me your ride,” Pete said.

As they sat inside of the Dodge Intrepid, Pete went on about how nice the car was, interjecting his own stories about his own first car which paled in comparison.

“I know that you know a lot about cars.  Do you want to drive?  To see how it runs?” Jake politely offered.

“I will, but you first, Jake.”

They cruised around the trailer park like two old pals with Jake showing off every feature the car came with.  Pete flipped through the manual book and assured Jake he had worked on similar
vehicles
.  He even promised to fix the car if something broke down.

“Uncle Pete…”

“You’re a man now.  Call me Pete,” he interrupted.

“Pete, do you think it’s dumb to get
pinstriping
or spinners put on?” Jake asked.

“Well…this is a four door sedan.  Don’t really think this
kinda
ride would look good all pimped out
.”  They were on the second lap of the trailer park by the common area Jake had been to earlier that day.  “Hey, you think I could give it one more spin around
ol
’ Chippewa?” Pete excitedly
asked
.

“Yeah, sure.  The gas pedal is really sensitive,” Jake said as they both got out of the car and walked around the front hood to trade seats.

Just as Jake passed Pete,
his neck was caught between Pete’s hands, and then slammed to the
ground. 
He
could only see the gravel road, but knew
Pete was standing over him. 
His uncle’s foot dug into his back
, yanking
his
arm so hard that it
almost snapp
ed
. 
Jake
lay still on his stomach,
unconcerned with his arm.  It was his life that had him
worried. 
Pete raged. 
Jake could
only process
bits and blurbs of his
rantings
.  What a fool he had been.  The whole night had been nothing but an act, and now Pete had him right where he wanted. 
How could I have been so stupid.