His Last Wife

“Sisters. Please sit,” Brother Krishna offered again.

“Come on, y’all,” Ernest said, pulling an irate Kerry and angry Val to the seats.

“Where is he?” Kerry asked, crying.

“The ora is dead. He died,” Brother Krishna said.

Baba Seti bowed his head.

“What?” Kerry said. “But you said—” She looked at Baba Seti. “You told me he was alive. You told everyone he was alive. You lied?”

“Oh, no.” Val was ready to get up and walk out. Of course, she’d expected this the entire time, but she’d done it all to support Kerry and finally really did hope this wasn’t going to be the truth.

“Sister, he is dead,” Baba Seti said. “He died that day on the roof. The day you were with him.”

“But he was planning to join us here,” Brother Krishna added with so much sincerity in his voice, it now was clear that he was from Brooklyn. “He gave us money. He paid for all of this. Even gave us money when he died and we get a check every month.”

Val knew then that they were finally telling the truth. She took Kerry into her arms and patted her head.

“He really believed in our movement, you know? He helped bring so many people to us, to the Fihankra, when he died, we thought we were finished,” Brother Krishna said. “But then Baba Seti started writing about him and people believed it.”

“Believed what?” Ernest asked.

“That he wasn’t dead,” Baba Seti said.

Kerry’s cries and whimpers were heard under the explanation.

“Then we started thinking, maybe he wasn’t dead. Like, not his spirit,” Brother Krishna said.

“Do you know what Brother Jamison was doing for black men in Atlanta? What his potential was in this world?” Baba Seti asked. “He was going to be the next Malcolm X. He was about to reveal to everyone the truth about the government and tell them what they needed to do to finally get free. Then he was going to lead us all to the Fihankra, then we’d prepare for the war. The fight.”

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bsp; “You think that’s why whoever killed him did it?” Ernest asked.

“We don’t know. We don’t think anyone ever will. Rumors say the FBI. But there’s no way of knowing that,” Baba Seti explained.

“Why would you lie to me? Lead me here when you knew this was all a hoax?” Kerry asked through her tears.

“When I got your e-mail, I realized it was the final confirmation that what I was doing was right. With you aboard we could convince everyone that he was still alive and here and then we could somehow allow him to die and you could replace him,” Baba Seti revealed.

“Me?” Kerry said, lifting her head from Val’s shoulder.

“We’ve been watching you,” Baba Seti said. “We all have.”

Nzingha stepped into the room.

“We think you may be the one to unite all of the Fihankras around the world. To bring more people to us,” Nzingha said.

“We know it is a lot to ask,” Brother Krishna added. “Me, Nzingha, and Baba Seti, we are the only ones who know. But we think it will work.”

“No,” Kerry said, shaking her head. “No. Not this. No. No.” She looked at Val. “No. He was alive. He’s not dead.”

“Please consider helping us,” Nzingha said. “It’s for our people. We can do great things.”

“No,” Kerry cried.

“Let’s go,” Val said, taking her hand.