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