Voodoo Queens of New Orleans - Vol. I | ✓

Chapter 37: Have We Met Before?

**

I struggled with sleep for the rest of the night. I was a fool to believe that sleep would be easily achievable after what happened between Hezekiah and I in the kitchen.

I laid awake in the darkness, my body tense next to Esther's on the blow-up mattress. Hezekiah had left into the night then, but his presence still loomed over me; his influence still lingered. I felt like he was still inside me; I felt his lips on mine. The taste of them. I heard the sounds of his moaning, and I saw his eyes, so bright and fluorescent like hellfire, but dark in intention and motive. All of my senses were overtaken by him completely no matter how hard I fought against them.

It was just sex, I assured myself - a meaningless encounter between two bodies that meant nothing beyond this. We both let lust overcome us in a moment of poor judgment. I told myself this over and over again until I somewhat believed it.

It was just sex...it was just sex...

These thoughts danced around in my mind until I finally managed to fall asleep. But that night, I dreamed of him.

**

When I woke up, I felt the heat first. It was like a blanket made of the thickest wool was draped over my body, covering me in sweat. I opened my eyes, looking around the living room to find it empty, thin sheets sprawled on the floor and over the couch.

"How you like your eggs, baby?" I heard Aza ask in the kitchen.

"Scrambled, please," Esther replied.

I slowly got up, felt around for my glasses and put them on carefully; I had a headache. And my hips hurt; my inner thighs were tender and sensitive. I walked out of the living room and into the sunlit kitchen, where Kizzy, Esther, Imani and Rocio were sitting around the dining room table. Aza was by the stove, cooking a large pot of eggs - scrambled. There was a pan of bacon sizzling right next to it, and a pot of grits right behind it. Her eyebrows were drawn in. Focused. She was deep in thought but hiding it well. Not well enough, however; I saw through her.

When Aza saw me enter the kitchen, she smiled faintly. "Morning, sleepy head." She poked the eggs. "You hungry? Everybody want them scrambled, but I'll make some over easy if you want."

I shook my head. "No, scrambled is fine. Thank you."

No one could know. No one would know. Last night would remain a secret; I would never say a word about what Hezekiah and I did. My lips were sealed, but I couldn't help but wonder if they had an idea already. What if they heard us? What if Esther, somehow, got into my mind? What if Aza got into my mind?

I walked over to the dining room table and sat down next to Imani. Everyone was looking down at the table surface, looking out the window, sipping coffee or orange juice, deep in thought. I sat still, my mouth pressed in a firm line.

After about five minutes, Aza told us to come make ourselves a plate. We all stood up and made a single file line, Esther first. Aza had made herself some toast with butter and a cup of coffee, carrying it to the table where she sat at the head of it. She tightened her purple silk robe, poured some creamer into her mug and sighed like she was gathering her words; a discussion was coming.

I grabbed a plate and loaded it with as much as I respectfully could. I was suddenly starving; Kizzy stared at me make my plate like I was crazy, grabbing three pieces of bacon because Imani, thankfully, didn't want any. I dolloped a large spoonful of grits on my plate and poured some sugar over it.

"Damn, Lisa," Kizzy said, laughing. "You eating for two?"

It was a joke - everyone was laughing. But once the words left Kizzy's mouth, I suddenly became paranoid. I thought she knew that Hezekiah and I had sex. Was she insinuating that I was pregnant? That was impossible; he didn't come inside me. He couldn't - it was impossible -