Queen of Heaven

Chapter 1 The Daughter

     "I'm sorry Miss Jeffries. Your daughter passed last night," the doctor told Tamela in the waiting room. She felt like her heart stopped. Tonya, her only-born child, had been in a coma for a couple of years after a prom accident. Her situation was just getting worse but she kept her hopes that she would get better.

"She had a lot of internal damage and she started hemorrhaging again. I'm sorry." The doctor walked off. She shook her head and her head swam with past thoughts off all that transpired. She felt like her life was cursed.

Tears rolled down her cheek. "A week before Christmas, it was that damn Turner family. I know it." She blamed the neighborhood Turner twins for all the chaos that happened since one of them was interested in Tonya. The little girl holding her hand rested her cheek on her hip.

"It's okay Queenie. Mama will be okay." Tamela picked her up and grunted a bit trying to hold her in her arms. Queenie looked two but felt like she was growing every day. Her wavy fro was even hard to maintain so Tamela would braid it down in four locks. Tamela smiled looking into her bright hazel. Queenie gave her hope but she still wouldn't replace Tonya.

"You're my little angel; my blessing from Heaven," Tamela whispered in her ear. Heaven was not only the name of their town but Queenie's origin was far from normal. But nothing normal happened in Heaven, Texas population 6,065 now that Tonya was gone. As Tamela drove home with Queenie in the backseat of the car, she was trapped in thought of all that progressed in the past few days. Donyel had arrived at her door one night. He was mysterious as always; his long black hair casting shadows over his eyes but they still could be eerily felt. He was as pale and alabaster as a vampire and always wore a long trench no matter the weather. What he had underneath the trench was always the mystery.

Tamela had summoned Donyel into her life because she wanted what he could offer. She was a witch after all. She consciously attracted things into her life. But with Donyel, there was always a price. Tamela practiced African magick and kept a little shop in her town. Many people avoided her in public because Heaven, Texas was rather a religious town. But every now and then, some poor wife would need to know if her husband was cheating. She would secretly call Tamela for a tarot reading or some spell and Tamela would comply. She knew everyone's secrets and told no one. Now she would be dealing with the biggest secret she had ever confronted.

"I need you to watch her," Donyel told her opening his large overcoat to reveal the girl. Where did he get this child from? Was this baby his? Did he kidnap her? She didn't want to ask a lot of questions because Donyel was pretty powerful and had connections. She didn't want to get on his bad sad. "She's the key," he said and left it at that. Tamela needed his help to make sure Tonya got better but now things were different. Tonya Jeffries was dead and now she was stuck with this child. She named her Queenie because of her beautiful eyes. The child looked royal and princess would not give her credit.

Queenie was very quiet than most children Tamela had run across. She ate a lot and slept even more. As Tamela checked the rearview mirror to check on her, Queenie was just peering out the window into the night sky. Tamela remembered when Tonya was that little. She felt the tears welling up again. She wanted to compose herself and not breakdown in front of the child. She needed to be strong. She had been strong all her life. Now was not the time.

"What am I going to get you for Christmas," Tamela asked Queenie when that got home. Her home also acted at her shop and adorned all types of Afrocentric paintings and statues. She had several large candles lit in several corners of the room to get ready for the Winter Solstice, a very important spiritual time. Queenie didn't speak and just smiled with her eyes.

Tamela smiled back and picked her up, "Okay little one, time for bed." She carried her to Tonya's old room. She used one of Tonya's t-shirts as a nightgown. It covered Queenie's feet and looked like a gown. Tonya's old pictures were still up. She had pics with her friends stuck to the mirror. Posters of shirtless rappers Tamela had never heard of decorated the wall. Tamela thought she would have to take time to clean up the room but later. Tonya's old bed was quilted with a fluffy white comforter with a dream catcher above it. Tamela had bought her that on her last birthday. She remembered how Tonya would roll her eyes at her mother's spiritual ways. Always blessing her and sage smudging her before and after school. "Mama, you don't have to do that...ugh," Tonya would say. Tamela put Queenie to bed, tucked her in, and opened the curtains the allow the moonlight into the room. She kissed her forehead and went back to the living room.

She took a picture of Tonya off the mantel of the fireplace. She was so beautiful. She looked like a model with flawless brown skin and long black hair flipped to one side. She should have been a model. She should have been more. Tamela thought that maybe, just maybe she had taught her more of her magick maybe things would have been different. Maybe she could have protected her better. That's what mothers are supposed to do. Then it happened. She broke. She couldn't hold it in. Tamela tried to hold her scream with her hand but she felt the cry rising from her heart into her throat.

She closed her eyes to stop the tears but they continued to flow. She sniffed to keep them from dropping through her nose. A quiet whine eased out her mouth wondering why she was going through this. What type of karma made her deserving of this? She placed the picture of Tonya on her altar where she would meditate daily. She grabbed a new white candle from her drawer, anointed it, and lit it.

"Tonya, I now release into the arms of our ancestors. May they take care of you my love. May you watch over me from above," Tamela chanted as she placed the candle next to the picture. She burned some more sage and knelt at her altar and just let the tears flow down. She felt like Tonya was there hugging her. Maybe she was. She wasn't sure how long she was there but she cried herself to sleep in front of the altar.

Tamela heard a voice, "Mama?" She opened her eyes. What time was it? The sun was shining through the windows and her eyes were dry from crying all night. She could see the silhouette of a girl standing above her with the light of the window behind her. Tamela wiped her eyes and sat up. A little girl about the age of five stood next to her. Tamela felt confused. She had on Tonya's t-shirt but it came to her knees. She touched her hair and looked in her eyes. It was Queenie.