Street Metals

Magnolia was forever sucking her teeth at her younger sister Jasmine. And it wasn’t always in disdain because more often than not Jasmine was the level headed one. Maybe it had something to do with her being the middle sister. All the Thibodeaux sisters were exceptionally intelligent. Magnolia’s IQ was labeled genius level at a relatively young age. No one questioned her becoming an obstetrician.

Her parents, however, were a little put off by her side hustle as a natural birth consultant.

Jasmine thought Mag’s decision was some sort of spiritual alignment.

Camilla constantly questioned why people continued to procreate when the world was such a hot mess.

So when Mag’s sucked her teeth at Jasmine this time, Jasmine was ready with the comeback.

“Oh c’mon now, you know good and damn well he ain’t call Meela no demon. That girl always so extra and melodramatic.”

“I’m not saying you wrong, Jazz, but what I am sayin is you ain’t see the way his eyes went dark when he said what he said.”

“Whatever, Meela don’t strike me like she the type to be shook. The way she let the homeless escort her home & shit. I’ve seen the neighborhood where she stay.”

“It’s different when it’s yo kin,tho. For all we know Daddy sensin Meela bout to do some foul shit.”

“Cmon Doc, you know better.” Jasmine pleaded for Magnolia to squash this imaginary family tragedy that took place between their baby sister and their father. “He just ain’t want her to leave.”

“Yeah but he ain’t have to say Meela was a demon cuz she ain’t wanna meet his friend.”

The sisters starting laughing again which seemed to alleviate any remaining tension while proving the situation wasn’t that serious.

“Dat man old as hell Maggie May!” Jasmine chuckled as she took another hit off of her medicine. “What was his damn name again?”

“Mothafuckin Buford chile,!” Magnolia shouted punctuating her amusement by slapping her knee.

Jasmine hollered and coughed, “Honey Meela’s eyes done got so wide when Daddy brought him up you woulda thought someone tugged on her nether hairs”

The sisters laughed for a minute until they had to address the elephant in the room. Jasmine took a deep breath and asked the question she was avoiding.

Yuh think she can put huh pride aside and come home for a spell, at least until…”

Magnolia snapped her retort, “Jasmine Clare!”

“T’aint got no debts tween us Magnolia May, and I know Daddy will start talkin bout headdresses and stitchin soon enough round here. Especially if what you mentioned earlier was true?” Jasmine left the words dangling in the air like brazen jazz notes.

“Bout him and the church?” Magnolia acknowledged through a sigh. “Yeah gurl, he’s had enough and his mind clear as a bell when it’s brought up. So I just let him say his peace.”

She tilted her head back so that she could swallow the last of her tea as she passed back through the breezeway into the kitchen. She placed the cup and saucer in the sink before opening the freezer door.

“You know we ain’t got no mussels in the freezer.” She told Jasmine as if she were tattling on her parents.

“Good, bout damn time Mama came to her senses and went back to the piers.”

“Unt uh Jazzy you ain’t hearin me. Mama ain’t made a seafood boil, pot of gumbo, damn salmon patty since you left on outta here with Camilla the wop.”

“Magnolia! That’s not what that means!” Jasmine squealed in laughter.

Magnolia was laughing too while still poking her head around the freezer as if she would recognize something.

“I know gurl I dunno what tickled me more. Was Daddy sayin it to Meela? Or Meela taking offense to the shit.”

“Hmmmph,” Jasmine grunted to the speaker in the dashboard, “That gul wasn’t hardly offended she was just lookin fuh a way outta there.”