Page 98 of Something Tangled Something True
After talking to Zeke about Lemmon, clearing the air, and discussing some thoughts he’s had about this whole mess, wehave a more solid plan for how to tackle this situation. I can thank Lemmon for something positive for once: acting as the catalyst that helped my brother and me start healing our fractured relationship, even if she may have been the one to break us in the first place.
Chapter Sixty-Four
LET’S TRY THIS AGAIN
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
My thighs stickto the leather seats, sweat coating my skin as anxiety fills the well inside my chest.
The air in the living room at the main house is filled with every negative emotion imaginable as we gather together for a family meeting. The only saving grace is the two-story great room, which adds the extra ceiling height needed to prevent the roof from bursting off from all the pent-up unease in here. This much negativity shouldnotbe all in one place.
“Have you tried cleansing your home and yourselves,mija? Maybe Russ’s bad energy has been walking around with you.”Mamiis emphatic, clearly holding on to hope that we can sweep this whole ordeal under the rug.
“I already mopped withagua de Florida, Mami,” I tell her, my shoulders sagging.
“Andlimpieza con huevo,” Mayte adds from her seat beside me on the sectional sofa.
“I didn’t get to finish that, actually,” I admit, my stomach churning. I’d been so upset that day, I’d completely forgotten tomention it to her.
“What? What happened?” she asks, her honey-brown eyes wide with concern.
I swallow around the lump in my throat, my shoulders growing heavy as I blow out a breath.“I broke it.”
The room goes eerily silent, and I bristle under the boring gazes of my parents and Mayte. Even Harlan has the good sense to tug at his salt-and-pepper roots.
“Please stop staring at me like that,” I whisper, discomfort soaring through my body, trying to break free of my skin. They still don’t answer, and I catchMamiclutching her necklace, rubbing her thumb over the pendant ofLa Virgen de Guadalupe,a powerful protector and guide. “I was having a bad RA flare that day. My whole body ached, and after cleaning the floors, I was barely standing upright. I was so scared, I just wanted to get it over with,” I admit, tears pooling in my eyes, my lip quivering.
Ryder slides closer to me, hoisting me into his lap, pressing reassuring kisses to my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, baby. I hadn’t realized what you were doing was so important when I found you that day.” Bless this sweet man. These rituals are an important part of my community, something I’m honored to get to share with my parents and my best friend, but it means the world to me that he’s so understanding of its significance.
“It’s okay, Ry. I’d forgotten about it after you helped me clean up. I should’ve told Mayte orMamiand had one of them help me.”
“It’s okay,mija,”Mamisays, sounding much more understanding now than her earlier reaction would have suggested. “Bee, do you have any room temperature eggs we can use?” she asks, standing from the couch and beckoning me to follow her to the kitchen, not bothering to wait for Bee’s reply.
I follow her with Mayte in tow, but I shake my head when Ryder tries to follow me. I’m not sure what this egg is going to reveal, and I don’t need him to worry more than he already is. Plus, as much as he respects my family’s spirituality, I don’tknow if he actuallybelievesany of it, and I can’t have him bringing any additional negativity into that space.
“Any chance Bee hasagua de Floridalying around?” Mayte asksMami, who rolls her eyes.
“Use water with salt to cleanse the egg. Make sure it’s cold water.”
Turns out, I was right. I had misseda lotof steps when I’d done this last time. I suppose that’s what happens when you let a man keep you from your friends and family: you forget a lot of the things that make you who you are.
Mamilights a white candle by the kitchen window while Mayte does as instructed, returning the egg toMami, who has me stand in the center of the kitchen after cleansing my hands. “Now, hold it to your heart and give gratitude for its assistance.”
I do as she says, praying over the egg, thanking it for helping me rid themal de ojoand for protection against more evil. When I’m finished, she starts from my head, winding the egg around me much more thoroughly and skillfully than I had. I’d also forgotten to cleanse the egg and pray over it the first time, which had done me no favors.
She and Mayte each recite prayers for my well-being as she makes her way to my feet, repeating the process several times, ensuring they start at the crown of my head each time.
A physical weight starts to lift from my shoulders as they continue the process, sending good intentions and hope into my very being. When complete,Mamibreaks the egg into a glass of water. If I thought the silence was deafening before, it’s nothing compared toMami’ssickly pale complexion as we stare into the clear glass, now tainted with a bubbly, stringy, cloudy egg.
Nausea rips through me, threatening to bubble over. As I watch the yolk sink to the bottom of the glass, my stomach rages against me,Mamiand Mayte rushing to my side with panicked prayers falling past their lips.
Chapter Sixty-Five
NEW REVELATIONS
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
“Lola!”I shout, unable to stay silent any longer as I tear through the living room in search of my wife. They’ve been gone for entirely too long, and after hearing Mayte’s anxious pleas for Lola not to throw up, becauseshewill return the favor, I can’t sit still for a second longer.
