The Night My Mother Brought Our Neighbor Back From The Dead

The Night My Mother Brought our Neighbor back from the dead

     Shadows danced on the wall by candlelight. Tension and fear hung heavy in the humid summer night air. Gathered together two sisters cling to the other. A young girl balled up on a sofa buried her head in a cushion. A teenager rocks her sleeping baby sister on her hip. They all stuck on the sight before them. A small brown woman Frantically preforms CPR on her in and out of conscious Neighbor/friend. The sisters prey, the young girl sobs and the teenager silently stares.
While straddled to her now unconscious neighbor/friend a nursing school drop out put her medical skills to the test

“I said call to her.. Say her name and call her back..
Snap the *** out it, girl.
Put that got damn baby down and do as I ***ing told you.”
“Is she dead?”
“Not tonight, not in this mother***er! Call her..”
“Shirley.”
“Louder girl.”
“Shirley, can you hear me.”
“Fada Jah please don’t let Miss.Shirley ded.”
“Sista, dat oman ded..”
“Why(sob) would you say that.”
“Shut- the- ***- up! Not you Stella, keep preying..”
“Do as I told you, girl. Call her name..”
“Shirley, Shirley can- can- you- hear- me??”
“Ma, how you know she can hear me??”
“Louder, say her..”
“Shirley, Shirley come on back!”
“Keep calling her name Girl! Stella and Cherri-Ann pray.
.. Ya won’t be dying today, cause I ain’t gon let ya!”

Two fingers on her neck. Then an ear to the chest,
a clenched fist raised above her head.
She whispers a curse filled prayer as her fist came
down hard on her neighbor/friends chest.

With her understanding that timing was of the essence.
With her NOT wanting to explain all this to the authorities.
Particularly having white men in her business.
Had the nursing school dropout. Work feverishly.

“LORD, Fada Jah.. She stirr!
“Sista, The Oman back fram de ded!”
“Help me get her to the couch, lil girl stop that ***ing crying..
Get youp off that couch and get Shirley
some cold water and a clean towel with ya scary ass"

The now barely conscience Shirley stares at the still whimpering young girl as she handed the water to their glassy eyed neighbor/friend.

Stairs and silence filled the room. Shirley never takes her glassy eyes off the teenager still rocking her baby sister. As she gulps down the water and hand back the empty glass. The young girl’s mother signaled the girl to get more. The room gasped as Shirley cleared her throat, held her chest and coughed. The young girl hands more water to The barely conscience neighbor/friend. Shirley points to the teenager rocking her baby sister. Signaling her to come closer. This time Shirley pauses between gulps. Her  voice a raspy whisper.

“I heard you, I heard you calling me”
Written By TamaraZ aka ™BrownChild