The loud clattering on the front door woke everyone up with a start. Suzie quickly got up from the bed that she shared with her brother and ran to the front door. Flinging it open, she saw her uncle Tomas at the door with two roosters under each arm.
‘What is going on?’ her Pa asked. He was directly behind her.
‘Gwo dimanch bonmaten zòt ka dòmi toujou,’
She watched as her uncle bite into a big slice, the juice from the fruit running down his beard. His beard and whiskers were well trimmed, running straight on both sides of his face. Ignoring the liquid on his face, he asked between bites. ‘Where is, ya brother?’‘He is still asleep, uncle.’ Suzie replied. Uncle Tomas then glanced at Pa who was still leaning on the window sill facing outdoors, and addressed him.
Sean was angry. He tried to engage in light conversation, but his demeanor felt otherwise. How dare he, he seethed. Cramming a spoonful of egg in his mouth, he glared thunderously at Tomas over his tea. It has been three months. Three, long drawn out months and then he waltzed in here as if he owned the place. Laughing and chatting, as if nothing was amiss.He looked int
Getting up abruptly from the coconut stump, Sean started pacing.‘Great, just bloody great! What am I to do with two hundred dollars?’ Sean shouted. Tomas glanced guiltily towards the house and mouthed. ‘Keep ya voice down. I duh want Abigale to overhear our conversation.’Ignoring his comment, Sean continued on his rampage. ‘I gave you five hundred dollars, Tomas. You screwed up big time! I
Sean stared morosely at his friend for a long moment then thought what the hell. Maybe he should tell him the whole sordid story. But what would he accomplish by having Richard involved in his mess? He knew that once he said it that Richard would make it his business. Nah, he could not do this to him so he plastered a smile on his face and said, ‘We got into a fight. No blows were dealt,’ he chuckled. ‘It was a misunderstanding. He will be back after he cools off.’‘Well, well this must be a first.’ Slapping Sean on the shoulder, Richard said, ‘Come on lazy bones. Let us try and complete this before nightfall.’
Locating her bag, Suzie removed the arithmetic textbook, along with some scrap paper and pencil to do some practice questions. After about an hour, she felt a headache coming on. Massaging her temple, she placed the textbook aside. Mathematics had never been one of her strong points. She needed some help. She could ask Pa to assist her, he was good with numbers, but he was not a patient teacher. Suzie would prefer someone who could break down the sums to her step by step, so she could fully understand. Jerald was her next option. He was Mr. Richie’s only son, and Suzie heard that he was a Maths genius. She would need to ask Pa’s permission first, though. Her father would not approve of her going to spend time at Jerald's
Abigale knew that she had been hard on Suzie today, but she had to teach her a lesson. Suzie had to learn to take her responsibilities as a young woman seriously. She was growing quickly and Abigale did not want people to say, in particular the womenfolk, that her only girl was lacking in housekeeping skills when the time came for her to settle down.At twelve and a half years old, Suzie’s body was gently filling out. Her breasts were growing, bigger than most girls her age. Her hips were slowly widening. She had inherited her father’s looks, mingled with a dash of hers. Suzie had taken her hair; it was long and soft to the touch. Abigale was glad for this blessing. Although she was a bit chubby, her Suzie was pretty. She
***Sean stretched out on a blanket under one of the coconut trees. His long, sinewy legs surpassed the length of the soft material but he hardly noticed. He casually placed a wad of cloth under his head to cushion from the rough dirt as he tried to relax. His face was turned towards the night sky. For tonight, right at this moment, he was content. There were so many stars out. They were scattered across the heavenly body and twinkling brightly. The sky reminded him of a Christmas tree decorated with only white lights. He wondered what was going on up there. It seemed like the stars were playing a silent symphony with all that twinkling. He wished he was among them. The stars were carefree with nothing to weigh them down. Inhaling deep
‘Well maybe you are not man enough to wear it.’ She flung the words spitefully. ‘If you were, we would not be having this conversation.’ ‘What did you say?’‘You heard me.’ Abigale retorted facing him head on. Sean
It had taken a few hours for things to settle down. By the time the two police men arrived, the whole community was up. Word had spread like wildfire, bringing men, women, and even children, out of bed. Dawn was slowly breaking. The orange hue of the sun slowly crept into the early morning gloom. Most of them wanted to see with their own eyes the culprits, and follow firsthand the story of the crime committed. Sean glanced at the crowd. A few of the women were in their nightgowns and head ties assembled in small groups whispering. The men were pushing their way through the temporary barricad
Where was Richard, surely ten minutes had passed? ‘Now, now Peter. There is no need for that. Why don’t you and Fautina tell me what you want? We can reach a compromise; no-one has to be hurt.’Chuckling, Fautina went across to the far corner of the room where Lydia kept the wine, and poured generously into a wineglass.‘Hmm, sister, this is really good wine. Father must have spent a fortune on it.’
Patting his pants pocket, Sean felt around for a small pen light. At the end of the instrument was a tiny knife. Both men had to bend low to avoid the trees which were overhanging at the entrance. Sean waited until they both were inside the trapdoor, then put on the flashlight on dim. They found themselves in a dusty, smelly room. Something scurried across their path, making Richard utter an expletive.‘Be quiet. We don’t want to alert them.’‘I am trying my best. What is this roo
He ran all the way. There was no one out this early morning. It was around two or three o’clock if his judgment was correct. He did not pause to check on his surroundings. The earlier he got to Richard’s, the better. He hoped that the boy was alright. How did this slip him? He should have known. Reaching Richard’s doorstep, he pounded loudly on the front door. He waited. When he did not get a response, he went to one of the windows, trying to pry it open and shouted, ‘Richard, Jerald! Can you hear me?’Suddenly the door opened with Richard standing in his pajamas. &lsqu
When she did not respond he turned to face her.‘I will be going alone, Sean.’ ‘What? I am not allowing you to go out to God-knows-where, searching all alone. I will accompany you, and that is final.’‘No it is not. The children need a parent and both of us cannot leave, not this time.’ Sean to
‘Well it seems to me that you really did not have a choice. If you had stayed back your life might have been at stake and you would not have seen either of your babies. Who knows what this Pablo character is capable of, huh?’ Sean declared.‘Yes, I agree, but it broke my heart to leave my aunt and in particular under such circumstances. What would happen now to her the boys? Would they be safe? So many questions flooded into my mind at once. I felt overwhelmed and thought about staying, but then I remembered the baby by my side and that hardened my resolve. ‘
Taking a restorative breath she continued. ‘I tried anyways. I opened my mouth and screamed, but my scream was cut off when he backhanded me across the mouth. We struggled for a while. I kicked and pushed, but he was too strong for me. Ignoring my cries, he forced himself upon me.’ Abigale choked on the last sentence.‘What a bastard!’ Sean exclaimed angrily. ‘I am sorry, so very sorry to hear this Abby. You mean to tell me neither your aunt nor the boys heard your cries. None came to your aid?’
Abigale watched him crawl into bed and closed her eyes. She was so tired, tired of the guilt and the pain. She also knew that she was being unfair to Sean, but she did not want to continue to burden him with her past. Nothing bad happen to people based on a few nightmares. But she knew she was kidding herself, because for the two months her nightmares were more frequent and more alive. Maybe it was a sign that she needed to unburden herself. Making up her mind, she changed her clothes, sat down beside Sean, and shook him. Instantly he opened his eyes. ‘I think it is time that you know my full
Sean lazily watched the two ladies work and marvelled at how tall Suzie had grown over the past year. She was almost the same height and size as her mother. She was a looker, and in a few years, he would be beating the young men away from his door. He was proud to be her father; she was a quiet but strong-willed child. She had a good brain on her head. He was always happy to see her engrossed in her books. He knew Abby was proud of that also, although she might not show it openly. Recalling the conversation he had had earlier on with Jerald, he knew he had to confront Richard. He would lead him to the second person that Suzie must have s