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in our daydream and in real time. “The white man’s gotten bold coming to our home, or has he been here before?” Jon Paul looks out of the glass windows lining the wooden door, still holding on to his prey. The guest beats on the door, desperately trying to get in. Baby Lynn and Maman continue to stare at Jon Paul and finally he lets go. He opens the door, pulling Maman’s lover in before he has a chance to defend himself.
    â€œMarie, are you okay?” her lover asks, but she’s too choked up to say much. Baby Lynn crawls to her mother, still terrified from the traumatic scene we all just witnessed.
    â€œNow she is, ain’t that right, Marie?” Jon Paul says sourly before going back into the bedroom.
    â€œLet’s go,” Maman says. But instead of looking at her lover, she looks dead at Mama and me, snapping us out of her world and back into ours.
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    â€œDamn,” I whisper under my breath. My head is banging and it’s not from my tight ponytail. “What the hell was that?”
    â€œIt was a psychic message, Jayd. And your sight must be improving quickly if you were pulled in, too.” Mama says. Neither of us moves from our spot on the couch, quietly acclimating ourselves back into the Christmas Eve celebration going on around us.
    â€œDid anyone else notice?” I ask Mama.
    â€œI doubt it. We may feel like we’ve been gone forever when actually we were probably out for only a few seconds. You saw what I saw, so you know who this dress originally belonged to, right?”
    â€œMaman Marie.”
    â€œYes, Jayd. And for some reason it came back to you as a Christmas gift. It’s up to you to find out why.” Before we can continue, I notice Jeremy’s voice coming from outside. That must’ve been him knocking at the door. He’s earlier than I expected, but it’s all good. The time was bound to come sooner or later that my white boy would come to dinner.
    â€œWho’s that outside talking to Bryan?” Mama asks, looking out of the window behind our heads at the men outside on the porch, smoking and drinking as usual. Jeremy has made himself comfortable already. Maybe I don’t have as much to worry about as I thought.
    â€œThat’s Jeremy. He’s picking me up and we’re going to hang out after dinner.”
    â€œWhat happened to Rah? I thought he was bringing the baby by.”
    â€œHe got caught up with Sandy,” I say. Just the thought of them together makes my butt itch.
    â€œYou know what happened to Maman when she chose to be with her white lover over my daddy, even if my daddy was the crazier of the two. Be careful, Jayd. Ex men can be more jealous than the current ones.” And don’t I know it. Rah acted crazy when I started braiding another dude’s hair. I can only imagine how crazy he would act if I fell in love with another boy, especially Jeremy. He would probably go ballistic on a sistah and I can’t have that.
    â€œI know, Mama. I’ll be careful,” I say, ready to step outside and join my guest. “Would you like to meet my white boy?” I offer Mama my hand on my way up from the couch. We both could use the spiritual and physical support. That vision took a lot out of us both.
    â€œOf course. I think I may have one more bottle of cologne unclaimed under the tree. You could put his name on it,” Mama offers. She always has extra generic gifts for anyone who may happen to drop by.
    â€œI think he’s good,” I say, looping my right arm through Mama’s left and escorting her out of the front door.
    â€œThere she is,” Daddy says, waving his cigar toward Mama and me. The smell of the various types of smoke present is making my already painful headache pound harder.
    â€œHey Jayd,” Jeremy says. He seems to be enjoying himself already. “Your grandfather was just showing me how to play spades.” Oh, this should be