I was mesmerized as Mama Vermillion’s beautiful prayer lulled me into a deeply peaceful trance. Her kind face close to mine, her deep brown eyes smiling into mine, I realized despite my very poor French that she was reciting the Prayer of Saint Francis.

Listen to the Prayer of St. Francis on YouTube.

It was getting dark now. She lit a candle and turned her attention to the cards.

Candlelight flickering over the small round table. It was very quiet, like an empty church. Mama gazed intently at the cards, her hands folded. Her head nodded occasionally as if she was confiding with someone or something from the beyond.

“Your child, your daughter, she is going to be a very special human being. Her spirit is strong, her heart is kind. She will be a great teacher to all who meet her.”

Mama kept speaking, but she was switching from Creole to French and back to English, if you could call it that.

I felt completely at peace. I could feel Maggie standing by my side. I could also feel the presence of my unborn child, my daughter—her name was Layla.

I silently whispered her name, “Layla, yes, your name is Layla.”