As Above and So Below

9: Carmelite

Today, a warm September day we sat out on the porch smoking a blunt, passing it around to relieve the stress of school. Yeah, it's super interesting and my practices is my passion, but, there's so much pressure to be like my momi. It makes me feel like I'm sinking.

"So, you born and raised here?" Asked Cachiche, resting her head in the palm of her own hand.

I nodded, scanning over the neighbourhood. After Katrina it's never been the same, you'd think since we're one of those neighbourhoods that tourists are told not to wander into outside the French Quarter, but it affected us bad. The houses weren't in the best shape, we lucky we got a decent one, but it's not like them rich white peoples houses. We got a skinny house but it has two floors and a basement. The sidewalks were a little messed up, the houses around us weren't in good condition.

"You know," I looked towards Cachiche, "it wasn't always this... unkempt," I stopped, "dangerous," I said making finger quotations.

Cachiche frowned, "we aren't gonna judge you over where you live, you know that right?"

I shrugged my dainty shoulders, "who wouldn't, like, you don't gotta lie to me, Dali..."

Giovanni shook his head, "nah, nah, listen, you got this all wrong, we wouldn't lie to you, I know we haven't known you long, but we your friends, man I came from one of the poorest parts of my country, I don't have no reason to judge..." he told me with so much honesty in his eyes, it was hard not to believe him.

"I ain't saying you aren't my friends, I- I just worry when someone outside the neighbourhood come over..." I sighed.

Koza shook her head, "listen, I'm from a village, dude, I don't care if you live in a poorer neighbourhood or the suburbs, it don't matter, your character is what matters in my book,"

I smiled a little as Koza passed the blunt, "y'all mean it?" I asked.

They all nodded in unison as the sun beamed down on us. We were all dressed right warm. I wore a white crochet romper my grandmaman and I made together. It hugged my curves perfectly and made my coffee brown skin tone pop perfectly. My hair was in black to white ombré box-braids and I wore brown-nude strappy sandals that went up to my calves. I glanced towards the sidewalk, taking a deep breath.

"We should go on a walk," I say, glancing towards Vanni, Cachiche and Koza. A small grin forming on my face. "I can show y'all around, we just gotta be home by dark,"

They all nodded, except for Cachiche, "I'm tired but I'll come anyway," she said in a way that was honestly a little bratty, but whatever, it ain't that deep.

We walked down the sidewalk as I showed them around. I pointed to a bungalow on the left side of the street a few houses down from mine. It was lookin' pretty run down despite the perfectly vibrant burning bush in front of the porch.

"That's Ms. Mercier's house, she was one of the witches in my mother's coven. They grew up together once momi moved here from Haiti," I told them, my palms getting sweaty as I walked by. I don't know why, but whenever I passed the busted up bungalow I got nervous. The energy was off.

Koza raised her brows, "wow, so, are there allot of vodouisants in your neighbourhood?" She asked, scanning her surroundings curiously.

I shrugged, "a couple, there's me, Destin, Grandmaman, Ms.Mercier. There's a white lady, Rebecca, who thinks she know Vodou but she don't have that heritage like my family or Mercier's do. She dabble in it for fun and gotta let everyone know," I say rolling my eyes pointing in the direction down the street of the lady house.

Cachiche snorted, "she has to be careful, if she dabbles in the wrong shit, she'll be in trouble,"

Vanni nodded in agreement, "she don't know what she's getting into, forreal."