Five Sisters - Part 2

In one of the company villages a tall fella show up, he come to work on an estate. He come from Grenada with his jumbie and his dreams. In this same village was a young woman, that they call Black Pearl. Pearl was really a sight to behold. Skin smoother than midnight , eyes the shape of wild almonds. This fella was coal black, too, almost as black as shadow and secrets. When the two of them sight up each other, the whole village know what was going to happen. The Grenadian was nice, real nice. As much as it was a time of courting, is not every man step correct like the Grenadian, and with Pearl, plenty try but she had never pay them no mind. Not until the Grenadian tell her his dreams and show her his magic. He tell her about the songs that his jumbie bring to him in dreams that predict his future. He hum the melody that he say was hers and she feel her skin bump and pucker so fiercely she thought it was an earthquake.

Is the way he was. Not just with her, but her whole family. He never show any fear to her brothers or her father, always respectful at the same time. Her people was big boned people, Jackson people. Her brothers and father and uncles known for the strength in their arms. Hog farmers, all of them, who could kill a full grown sow with one blow from the hammer, but him? He so have no fear of man, his jumbie protect him, he tell her. He charm them like how he charm her, with the magic in his words. He tell them stories of Grenada. Of making bush rum and hunting on Crown land without permits, and running from the constables. He show them how to make bush rum the Grenadian way, with the right amount of nutmeg, thing to give you more head and they like him even more.

The other men working with him on the estate bring back stories. Some say is obeah. Black magic that he working. Others say he is a healer. They talk about how he speak with  plants and how they  respond to him. He would make little jokes with the plants that were drooping or not bearing fruit like the others, and they would stop their sagging and start fruit-bearing. He charmed away blights and diseases. They say, too, he sing a song in the evening to bring fireflies so that he could work at night. It was a sight, him humming away and all these fireflies around, lighting the night for him and only him. Some people didn't like it. It wasn't natural. It didn't sound like good, Christian, god-fearing behaviour. They warn Mr. Jack. They find he should be more concerned about a man like that hanging around his daughter. They find he 'over friendly'.Others say he was blessed, touched even. That if the plants flourish with his touch and his words, he have to be coming from some place good. Obeah or no obeah, it wasn't doing any harm.

Conmen, scamps and the like, usually steer clear of hog farmers. Samuel John, the Grenadian, have a bit of trickster in him, a bit of Anansi, a lil jumbie, so maybe that was why he couldn't resist the mischief and the jumbie in him want the rush. This Jackson family was proud. The whole village fear the father and his twin sons and in turn the Jackson men don't trust none of the villagers who pee could froth. They say old man Jack had the same son twice to guard the sweetness that was Pearl. Nobody bothered to call the boys anything other than the Jacksons, a thing made easier by the fact that they were never apart. The call the old man Mr. Jack, they call Pearl, Pearl. The two boys were born with names but by the time Pearl start talking, she was calling them Jackson too. Names never used, forgotten.

As much as the family proud, it wasn't their fault. Nobody intend for Pearl to be as beautiful as she was. Samuel John, though, had an intent. So he full up the Jacksons head with his exploits in Grenada and her father too. He friend them, and they start to trust him. When Pearl see that, how this fella come with his funny accent and magic and mystery in his dreams, she decide that she want to know more. Some things easier to do with a stranger than with those you know.

He based in Fyzabad he tell them, and when crop time done he going back to another job. He come Trinidad after the war for a better life, and a job in the oil. And when he settle house, he will send for her. The jumbie give him the power of words and he could make them sing. This is the time of courting, the time of fireflies and stars in the night sky, before streetlights and phone screens. When all a man have is to make a woman shiver, like inside the folds of herself, by holding her hand and telling her what she want to hear. He whispered to her on evening walks, words leaving his mouth and reaching her ears, delivering shivers and promises.

Before I meet you, I dream you, he say.

My mother is the sea, my father is the land. I born where they meet, he tell her, eyes twinkling. My brothers and sisters is the crab and the sea turtle, the fish and the bird is my family.

One time he gave her a tear of black fabric..
I rip piece of the night sky, he say. When you want to find me, find the corner of the sky that I take it from and I will be right there, where the land meet the water.
And a next time he tell her,

When I was in Grenada, I ask the moon and the stars to send you to me. But you never come. So I ask the sun to send me to you instead,

and she giggle at that.

She believe him because she believe in dreams. He chat her up, give her piece of sky and sing for her the song she hear in her dreams. She believe that a man with all that beauty and power was saving it all to use up in one place, on one person. Young gyal believe it, mother never send she but she gone anyway.

As easy as he come, he gone, when crop time done, just like he say. 

The last night they went for a walk, like usual. Her people trust him plenty now and they out well past evening under the tree where they carved initials and made promises. He was different then. No words, no gifts, no singing. Just guiding her hands and when he see that she letting him move them, he take off his pants and put her hands back. And she now fascinated, is her first time finding out that man could feel hard, and soft and smooth and hot at the same time, and she rub him and squeeze him, enjoying the sound of his breath coming shorter in her ear. His hands start moving slowly across her. She don't stop them, she let them do what they want, how they want and she never thought everyday things like hands, things that everybody happy to leave out in the open, unassuming like that, could feel so good. It have more fireflies around than she ever see, so that the air around them is a glowing, seductive thing. She aware of his breath now, she could see it. Above the scent of blossoms and the sweetness of slightly rotted fruit, his breath. It looked a magic thing, a smoky thing, as it came out his mouth and slowly, lovingly traced its way across her belly and down her sides into the ground. And she see, or think she see the blades of grass around them moving in time with their inhale and exhale. The evening cool and is just them and the bats and the fireflies under the pommerac tree and the things she believe she see swimming in her head and she hearing her dream melody and pulling him into her, both of them awash, wave after wave and not even feeling a little bit guilty when it done. After, she nestling her head in the crook of his chest and armpit and not sorry about leaving the girl she used to be behind.

Her people trust the Grenadian. So that after a month pass and he didn't send word they didn't take it on but the village was already whispering, We tell yuh so. 

Three months pass and just before her belly really start to show, they start to take it on. Five months and her two brothers make a trip to Fyzabad with their brows furrowed in anger and their forearms glistening with sweat and intent but their hands never had the satisfaction of finding him. It have plenty Grenadian in Fyzo and not one Samuel John. Six months pass and is the whole family filling up her ears. 

Man no good! Wha people go say? You gone and give up de ting! Giving Grenadian free milk? What you expect!? 

And the whole village saying, We tell yuh so.

Night time. She in her yard, the grass wet between her toes. She is standing where Samuel John gave her the piece of cloth and told her where to find him in the sky. She is searching with her eyes and her heart. She cradles her belly, now a huge thing. She never know her own belly could get so big. The air was cool, still, anticipating. She feel like the trees looming over her, watching down on her, waiting. The ground underneath her feels moist and apprehensive. The spirits of the land itself seem to know something is about to happen. She could hear crickets, and frogs but she was so lost in her thoughts that she did not hear her father approach until he was right up on her, by then it was too late.
What you doing girl?

Nuh nuh Nothing, Pa.

What that in you hand dey?

Nothing, Pa.

Nothing. Pa? Is always nothing. You and the Grenadian eh do nothing. Nothing growing in yuh belly too? What that in you hand Pearl? Is obeah you wukkin this dark night?

No, Pa, and she struggling now. She feeling her father eyes on her, searching her. Ever since this thing, his eyes always searching her for more secrets. He see her with the little piece of night sky that Samuel give her, she know. So she tell him about Samuel and his magic.

Pearl...but is obeah. Come, is obeah you want do? We go by Papa tomorrow and finish this foolishness. You and me and you piece of sky.