“Okay,” laughed Bronwyn. “I’m just saying. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. There is a reason he’s back in your life. I don’t think it’s all about work. And you know it, too. The universe has a way of putting things in your path at the right time—and when you least expect it.”
In addition to being a self-proclaimed witch, was Bron also playing psychic now? Jackie took another sip of her tea as she thought about Bronwyn’s words. At first, Jackie had thought Antonio was just hanging around to steal PJ as a client and get a leg up professionally. But…she wasn’t sure about that anymore. He’d been there when PeeWee got sick. He’d bought her dog a present. He’d calmed her down when she lost her voice. It seemed like he wanted to, at the very least, be her friend. Jackie didn’t let a lot of people into her circle. Making an exception for Antonio seemed like a recipe for disaster.
“Hey Auntie Jackie, here’s your phone!” The chiming voice of Bronwyn’s daughter, Honeysuckle, brought Jackie out of her thoughts. As the middle child of the Carter clan, Honey—as she was affectionately called—was the most level-headed amongst her rowdy siblings. She was also smart as hell, especially when it came to anything tech. When she heard that Jackie had lost her voice, Honey took it upon herself to step in, lacing her with some technology to help her out.
Honey pushed her glasses up on her freckled nose and took a breath. “Auntie, I’ve added one of the apps I’m developing to your phone; it’s customized for you. This app helps people who are non-speaking, whether permanently or temporarily. I’ve tutored a few kids on the spectrum using the app and gotten good feedback. I’m building on some existing code for augmentative and alternative communication apps. It’s in beta testing, but you should be able to type in what you want to say—or even use a picture or emoji to express what you’re feeling. I did a few tweaks to make the voice a little more, uhm, like you. Here, try it out.”
Jackie took the phone, opened the app, and typed in a few words. After reading over what she’d written, she pressed SPEAK.
“Wow, this is amazing, Honey. Thank you for this, you smart, sweet girl,” Jackie said via the app. Wow, it sort of sounded like her. That was kind of scary.
Honeysuckle blushed at the kind words. “Anything for you, Auntie.”
Jackie stood and opened her arms, and Honey hugged her tight. Honey’s massive Afro puff obscured the restaurant and everything else from view. “I hope you get your voice back. Did Thyme’s tea work?”
“We haven’t tested it yet,” Bronwyn answered.
Jackie sat back down and took one last sip of the tea. She let out a calming breath before she inhaled and attempted to speak. And… nothing. She was so mad she was on the verge of tears.
“Oh Jack,” Bronwyn said. “Don’t worry. We’ll think of something. Besides, it’s only been a few days! I’m sure whatever this is will clear up in before the week is through.”
“Yeah, Auntie Jack, and you have my app to help you!” Honeysuckle reminded her.
Thyme stopped what he was doing to join his mother and sister in comforting Jackie. “I’m sorry, Aunt Jackie,” Thyme sighed, leaning against his mother’s chair. “I really thought the tea could help.”
Their love and concern almost made the dam of emotions break, but Jackie refused to cry in front of her best friend and her godchildren. Instead, she went to the app and typed out her frustrations.
“Thanks for your help, Thyme,” Jackie’s app responded. “This ducking sucks.”Ducking?Jackie sighed, then slammed her phone down. She rubbed her throbbing temples. Thanks to autocorrect, she couldn’t even be pissed off effectively.
“About that,” Honeysuckle began sheepishly. “I didn’t factor in a profanity protocol. This is an app intended for kids to use, you know. Maybe I can fix it—”
Jackie turned to Honeysuckle with a smile. She kissed her on the forehead before typing on the app. “It’s okay. Thank you, little genius, for your help! Auntie should probably ease up on the cursing anyway.”
Bronwyn tapped her chin. “I’m still so puzzled at how this happened. It’s as if your throat chakra is completely closed! You know, this type of vocal paralysis could be a manifestation of many things. Are you suppressing emotions? Does some part of you fear speaking and saying the wrong thing?”
Jackie nibbled at her bottom lip.Should I tell Bronwyn about the redheaded lady in the hospital waiting room?Jackie was sure her woo-woo best friend would love the story, but she was not about to get Bronwyn riled up. She’d seen how Bron reacted when Tanika started seeing auras, and she wasn’t ready for all that “spiritual intervention.”
Jackie typed furiously on the app, then pressed SPEAK. “My Chaka Khan is fine, thank you. It’s just bad laryngitis, I’m sure. Or even strep throat. If it gets worse in the next couple of days, I’ll visit the doctor. A real doctor. No offense, Thyme.”
“Totally offensive.” Thyme shook his head with a laugh. “But when Western medicine fails you, remember you can come see me anytime. We’ll figure something out.”
“In the meantime,” Bronwyn said, “I still think you need open up your throat chakra. Let’s do some exercises, shall we?”
Jackie watched as Bronwyn stretched her neck from side to side, held out her long brown arms adorned with bangles, and began a high-pitched hum. At the sound, shoppers in the store stopped and looked around to see what all the commotion was about.
Jackie typed on her phone. “STOP IT! You sound like a wounded chicken!”
“Oh hush.” Bronwyn grabbed Jackie’s free hand and squeezed. “Try it. Cmon on! I heard you grunt, earlier. I know you can at least make a little noise!”
Jackie stared at Bronwyn. Maybe she needed to rethink this whole found family thing, if one of the members included this woman who was now flailing back and forth like a one of those inflatables at a car dealership. Actually, that was pretty fitting since Bronwyn’s extended family owned a ton of dealerships in the city. The Nash name was royalty in Atlanta. Thanks to Bronwyn’s casual yet eclectic demeanor, Jackie often forgot that her friend came from money. A lot of it.
Bronwyn, now joined by Thyme and Honeysuckle, continued through various wild movements and chicken noises. Good lord. Jackie pinched the bridge of her nose as an amused crowd began to gather. She typed “STOP” into the app, but the volume wasn’t loud enough to be heard.
She had to get her voice back ASAP.
