I was a scoffer.

I had a form of disdain for the "fools" that filled our living room. A "bunch of ignorant country n******!"   I thought.  The cars lined up on both sides of Dwain Drive, waiting to see Madame Watson.  Just another scam I thought.

I had a strange sense of pride in her "Lip reducing cream" scam.  "Yea! I sold lip reducing cream!  I made my own labels!" (She was only 16)

"Why would anyone want to buy lip reducing cream?" I quizzed. (I think I was around eight at the time)

""N**** wuz shame to have big sausage u-bang-ee lips."

"Did it work?"

"Hell no!...wudden nuttin' but cold cream!..when I saw'um I'd make out lak dey lips wuz so much smaller. Oooh chile! Luk at'cha...yo' lips are gettin' smaller!"

That should have been a clue.  I should have known she was a born criminal.  I could not help laughing, thinking that it was funny.

We laughed together.  She told me how she got Mr.XXX's "nature" back.  "I told him dat he wuz a fine lookin' man and that his wife had put "roots" on him.  I told him I had a nice friend that I wanted him to go out wid.  He didn't know that I had paid her to give him some XXXX.  If some XXXX won't get yo XXXX hard, you already dead!"

We laughed.  I was fourteen.  I thought it was funny.  It cost Mr. XXX a pretty penny.  But he got his "nature" back.

I quit laughing when I had that incident with cousin Rachel.  Something dark and black came over me and it was me standing there holding a butcher knife to my cousin's throat.  Mathy clapped her hands and took credit for summoning that demon spirit.  Bragged that she was testing out her "goofer dust".

Granddaddy reminded her that she was going to hell.  She laughed.

"Come Jesus"