Seeds of Plenty by Jennifer Juo

voice, “What about the spirits Patience mentioned?”
    “That’s a different matter. One I’m not an expert in, but I nonetheless respect and obey,” he said. “As for the snake spirits, always be cautious. Patience’s right about that.”
    Patience nodded, as if to affirm she was correct and then left the room.
    “So people here believe in these snake spirits too?” Sylvia said.
    “The worship of snakes in Africa is the oldest form of religion known to mankind,” Ayo said. “Local priests in Nigeria used to keep pythons in temples, feeding them often so the snakes slept all the time.”
    “How do you know all this? It’s fascinating.” Sylvia found the local lore and his interpretation of it intriguing. She wanted to keep him here, sitting on the couch talking to her, as if it were the most natural thing for him to do.
    “I pick up the odd cultural anthropology book from time to time. Light reading.”
    “Light?” She laughed.
    “Compared to medical journals, yes. I didn’t know you were so interested. Most of the folks on the compound find it all nonsense.”
    “They have no idea, I think. I mean, they didn’t grow up with it.”
    “And you?”
    “We Chinese have our own beliefs about spirits or hungry ghosts, as we call them.”
    “That’s what they are, hungry ghosts. I fight them every day in my clinic.” He sighed as if burdened or fatigued by these endless battles.
    Lila began to cry. Patience rushed in to grab her and whisked her out of the room before Sylvia had a chance.
    “Patience is quite the model of efficiency,” Ayo said, his mood returning to its usual cheerfulness again.
    “Yes,” Sylvia said, but there was ambiguity in her voice.
    “You don’t like it?”
    “No, I mean, what would I do without her? She’s…she’s just like an annoying mother at times.”
    He laughed. “Well, I’m glad you’ve got one. A surrogate mother and grandmother, when it comes to caring for babies, one needs all the help one can get. At least I know I can leave you here in good hands.” He stood up to go. She felt her heart slouch, the walls caving in. She didn’t want him to leave but could think of no other reason to make him stay.
    “I’m definitely in good hands,” she said with resignation.
    “Thank you for the tea. And thank Patience too,” he said, standing at the front door on the side of the screened porch.
    He moved as if he were going to give her a hug but then seemed to decide otherwise. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulder and said softly, “Take care.”
    She nodded, his hand a poor substitute for being in his arms. She watched him drive away in his Peugeot, the sunlight reflecting on the windshield, obscuring his face.
    ***
     
    After Ayo had gone, Sylvia sat back down on the couch, and Patience brought Lila for her to nurse. Although Patience fed Lila bottles of formula, Lila still liked to nurse herself to sleep. Sylvia knew she was nothing more than a human pacifier, but it was the one thing left she had with Lila, and she held onto it.
    “You see, de doctor told you about de spirits,” Patience said.
    “Why is Lila so stubborn? I mean, why doesn’t she want to move away from the spirit world? Why doesn’t she want to walk?”
    “I told you before, madam. You no listen. You have to work to keep her in dis world. Everyting has to be good, very very good for her in dis world, you hear, eh? Otherwise, she will want to go back. She is holding onto de spirit world, comprend?”
    “Do most babies do this?” Sylvia asked out of fear and curiosity. “Or is this just her?”
    “Yes, most babies do dis. Dey don’t want to leave de spirit world, why would you want to leave heaven and come back to earth which is not dat much betta than hell, eh? But after awhile, if dey feel de love from their motha and fatha and their family, then dey want to stay here.”
    Sylvia looked outside the screened porch and into the garden. The grass was still wet with morning dew. She