Page 18 of The Wrong Reciprocation

Well that was an ominous warning if Twyla had ever heard one. "What happens if I mess up the order?"

Zing leveled Twyla with a knowing gaze. "If you were to complete the steps out of the order that I give to you then it would not matter if you had completed them correctly, for that which you wish to eradicate would not lend you peace."

Frowning, Twyla tried to understand what the other woman was saying. "And this will make me not love him?"

"No. I have told you that cannot be done. This will suppress your mental desire for the one your heart is fixated on."

Hm. Things began to make more sense. "So, if I do this wrong then it will make my desire even stronger?"

Zing offered her a small smile and pride surged through Twyla. Had she guessed correctly?

"That is a possibility, sistah."

Twyla nodded. Okay, that was the sort of side-effect that she could handle—although she didn't want to. All she had to do was follow the steps and the next ten days would be marginally bearable. Piece of cake.

She listened intently as Zing detailed the steps for her to follow, and as soon as she got home she quickly showered and settled in at the dining table with the truffle in her hand, still wrapped in the tissue. Setting the truffle on the table, she carefully unwrapped the tissue and laid it flat. She then grabbed a knife from the kitchen and cut the truffle in half.

The decadent scent of chocolate and hazelnut wafted in the air and Twyla was grateful that she wouldn't have to suffer through something that tasted like dirt to achieve her goal. She placed one of the halves into her mouth with the cut side on tongue and then closed her mouth, lifting the truffle to the roof of her mouth, allowing her body heat to began melting the chocolate.

She was to recite the first part of the chant while half of the truffle melted in her mouth, and then when the last of the chocolate melted away she was to recite the second part of the chant while chewing the second half of the truffle. The steps were simple and easy to remember. Just as Twyla began to chant, her phone rang, startling her. She'd placed the device on do-not-disturb so for any call to come through it must have been an emergency. Picking up the device, she saw it was Vanessa on the display and panicked a little.

Vanessa was supposed to be joining them on the trip to Tennessee, and Twyla hoped that nothing had happened that would change those plans. She quickly swiped to answer the call and brought the phone to her face, pushing the truffle into her cheek so that she could speak without choking.

"Hello? Vanessa, what's wrong?"

"I've been trying to decide on swimsuits and I need to know if I should bring the sexy thong bikini or not? I know you said you don't mind if I get with one of your cousins but I'm not tryna give one of your geriatric aunties a heart attack."

Twyla burst out laughing and the truffle popped out of her cheek and rolled toward her throat. She coughed and reflexively gnashed at the offending thing, breaking the big piece of food into smaller pieces with her teeth.

"Girl, this is not an emergency! Why did you call me back-to-back like that? I really thought something might be wrong."

Vanessa sucked her teeth. "The flight leaves in less than two hours and I'm not finished packing. This is absolutely an emergency."

"Ma'am, I was in the middle of—" Twyla's eyes widened and her breath caught as she realized what she had done. "Oh, shit."

7

DAY ONE

The next day Twyla, Linda, and Vanessa met two of Twyla's aunts, their spouses, and five of her cousins at the airport once they landed in Tennessee, and they all rode in a fifteen-passenger shuttle to the cabin. The group was the first to arrive, and received a guided tour from the property manager before the man left them to enjoy their stay. Since they were early birds, the group got first dibs on their bedrooms. Twyla and Vanessa chose a room with two queen beds and an attached bath that had both a tiled shower stall and a clawfoot tub that sat beneath a picture window and gave a beautiful view of the wooded property on the side of the cabin.

The cabin boasted enough beds to sleep twenty-five people comfortably, with ten bedrooms and twelve bathrooms. There was a theater complete with dozens of movies, a hot tub, a game room with pool table and air hockey, a pool, and a man-made lake. There were jet skis and canoes for use on the lake, and pool floaties and a water volleyball net. The cabin was also fully equipped with dishes, linens, wifi, a well-stocked bar, a housekeeper who came every other day, and chef who was available to prepare all meals and snacks.

Twyla was beyond impressed, and the luxury of the cabin took her mind off of the anxiety that had plagued her all night about the botched ritual. She'd ended up cutting the remaining truffle in half and starting her chant over. When the quartered chocolate had melted before she'd finished the chant, she knew that she had fucked up royally, but she continued on anyway. That night, she slept fitfully, convinced that she was going to wake up salivating for Arturo, but when she opened her eyes at four in the morning, she didn't feel any marked difference. Instead of bringing relief, that only made her anxiety ratchet up a few notches.

There are consequences to welcoming the spirit world into your life.

Zing's warning blared in Twyla's mind like a foghorn. Just because she wasn't experiencing the side-effect she expected didn't mean one wasn't coming. It was only a matter of when and where.

After they had arrived at the airport and made their way to their gate, Twyla was able to relax and look at her phone. That's when she saw that she had several missed calls from a local number. She had an idea of who it could be, but thankfully didn't have the time to investigate.

The rest of her family began to trickle in and although Twyla was excited to see them, her stomach was in knots as she waited for one face to appear. All three of her uncles arrived at once, having stopped in town to pick up some barbecue before making the drive up to the cabin, and the smells pulled everyone into the kitchen. She was oohing and ahhing along with everyone else as the older men peeled back layers of foil over the heavenly-smelling, smoked meat and sides when Arturo and another man walked through the door. The chatter around her didn't stop—only the attention of a few could be pulled away from the food—but Twyla froze, her eyes on the man who had been on her mind constantly.

Arturo was dressed simply in track pants that hugged his thick thighs—thighs that she'd once caressed—and a fitted t-shirt that molded to the bulging muscles in his arms and shoulders. He was a thirst-quenching sight for Twyla's sore eyes since she had been actively avoiding him at work, and when Linda rushed over to him and wrapped him in a hug, Twyla took the opportunity to get her guilt-ridden fill.

"Is that him?"

Twyla nodded in answer of Vanessa's whispered question.