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Re: Summer Story
Nicey’s eyes followed Michelle’s stare and she stood up abruptly, the chair scraping the wood flooring. “Dean,” she snapped. “Memba say yuh haffi go deliva de supm fi Aunty!”
He laughed, slow and mockingly. “Nuh fret up yuhself man. Mi deh pan it.” His eyes lazily met Michelle’s as he said it, and she felt the heat rise to her face.
“Nicey dish har up some food an oonuu clear de table!” Aunt Myrtle snapped, her eyes narrowing as they swiveled between Michelle and Dean. “Dean, go wait fi mi uppa de living-room.”
Dean got up slowly, his arrogance tempered, but only just. In passing by Michelle, he angled his body so that there would be contact. She shivered and his knowing smile annoyed her.
The children took their plates to the kitchen, wherever that was, and came back for the others. Audley had pushed his chair back and now rest in a relaxed stretch, his ankles crossed and his hand clasped beneath his protruding stomach.
“So how yuh madda doin?” he asked Michelle while Nicey kissed her teeth loudly.
“She’s not too bad-” Michelle began only to be cut off by Aunt Myrtle.
“If she nayin too bad, wha mek she couldn come? De way she whenna galang pan de phone yuh ooda tink say she deh a deaths door.”
“Well, she’s not too well-”
“Which is it? She not too well or she not too bad? Mek mi tell yuh fram now dat mi no ha to tolerance fi lyad eno. I will not put up widdie eena dis house! Yuh hear me?”
“Yes Ma’am,” Michelle muttered and willed herself not to roll her eyes. Nicey watched her, even as she cleared the table and directed the children on what to carry. Aunt Myrtle got up slowly, and Michelle saw that she still wore her curious costume. It brought a tiny smile to her lips which she swallowed as she saw the new frown on Nicey’s.
“Well,” Aunt Myrtle said. “Yuh know Audley aready. Das mi bwoy. Nicey, im wife. Dean, Ryan an Sheldon, him son dem. Everybady live here. Nicey show yuh whe yuh room deh, a hope it aright. She wi show yuh whe de bawtroom deh,” and with that she left the room. Nicey plunked a plate full of food onto the table and made to leave the room. But she stopped and turned to Audley.
“Audie, mi need yuh fi run mi dunga Marcia yawd. Mi haffi drap awf mi pawdna money.”
Audley shrugged lazily. “Ah when since mi affi run yuh go a Marcia yawd? Yuh foot jine church?”
“Mi tyad. A nuff tings mi did affi a do today fi she,” she indicated sharply with her head. “Mi too tyad fi walk go dung deh an mi no waa she call an stawt cuss bout de money.”
“Aright, mi wi tek yuh dung so layta. Gimmie a chance fi mi food go dung man.”
“But Audie-”
“Doah push it Nicey. Yuh dun know say mi no fraid fi change mi mind.”
She left the room with the containers of food, reluctance in her every move. Michelle pulled the chair that Ryan had previously sat on and made herself comfortable. She reached for the fork that had been stabbed into the food. Her stomach lurched and while it all seemed incredibly appetizing, she found that she had no desire for it. She knew that Audley watched her, so she picked unconvincingly at the beans and meat.
“So how was yuh flight? A bet yuh say nuh baddy nuh ask yuh?” he chuckled and Michelle found that she was smiling in return.
“It was ok. Only my second time flying so I really don’t have much to compare it to.”
“Whe yuh did fly to before? Mi nuh tink dis a fus time a Jamaica?”
“Oh. I, uh we went to Edmonton once. It was nothing.”
“So how long yuh a go deh yah fah?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. I have to get back by the last week in August though…”
“School?”
“Yeah. I’m starting University.”
“Bright.”
Michelle shrugged self-consciously. She wasn’t naturally ‘bright’ she was just hardworking, but there was no point in saying that.
“Mama say anyting to yuh bout de land?”
“Not yet. I don’t even know where it is…”
“Well, it look like say yuh nah go eat dat. So if yuh want, yuh can come wid wi when wi go drop awf de pawdna money an mi wi show yuh.”
Michelle was not thrilled by the idea of sitting in the same vehicle as Nicey, but her alternative would be to stay in the house with Aunt Myrtle. Dean had somewhere to be.
“Sure,” Michelle said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “Uh, is there a phone here? I’d like to call my Mom…”
“Yeah man. It dunga a de living room. Yuh memba it? De one wid all de dead white people dem pan de wall?”
Michelle laughed out loud and Audley smiled appreciatively. “Gwan go call har. Jus mek Mama know. An den meet mi outta de Jeep.”
Nicey’s eyes followed Michelle’s stare and she stood up abruptly, the chair scraping the wood flooring. “Dean,” she snapped. “Memba say yuh haffi go deliva de supm fi Aunty!”
He laughed, slow and mockingly. “Nuh fret up yuhself man. Mi deh pan it.” His eyes lazily met Michelle’s as he said it, and she felt the heat rise to her face.
“Nicey dish har up some food an oonuu clear de table!” Aunt Myrtle snapped, her eyes narrowing as they swiveled between Michelle and Dean. “Dean, go wait fi mi uppa de living-room.”
Dean got up slowly, his arrogance tempered, but only just. In passing by Michelle, he angled his body so that there would be contact. She shivered and his knowing smile annoyed her.
The children took their plates to the kitchen, wherever that was, and came back for the others. Audley had pushed his chair back and now rest in a relaxed stretch, his ankles crossed and his hand clasped beneath his protruding stomach.
“So how yuh madda doin?” he asked Michelle while Nicey kissed her teeth loudly.
“She’s not too bad-” Michelle began only to be cut off by Aunt Myrtle.
“If she nayin too bad, wha mek she couldn come? De way she whenna galang pan de phone yuh ooda tink say she deh a deaths door.”
“Well, she’s not too well-”
“Which is it? She not too well or she not too bad? Mek mi tell yuh fram now dat mi no ha to tolerance fi lyad eno. I will not put up widdie eena dis house! Yuh hear me?”
“Yes Ma’am,” Michelle muttered and willed herself not to roll her eyes. Nicey watched her, even as she cleared the table and directed the children on what to carry. Aunt Myrtle got up slowly, and Michelle saw that she still wore her curious costume. It brought a tiny smile to her lips which she swallowed as she saw the new frown on Nicey’s.
“Well,” Aunt Myrtle said. “Yuh know Audley aready. Das mi bwoy. Nicey, im wife. Dean, Ryan an Sheldon, him son dem. Everybady live here. Nicey show yuh whe yuh room deh, a hope it aright. She wi show yuh whe de bawtroom deh,” and with that she left the room. Nicey plunked a plate full of food onto the table and made to leave the room. But she stopped and turned to Audley.
“Audie, mi need yuh fi run mi dunga Marcia yawd. Mi haffi drap awf mi pawdna money.”
Audley shrugged lazily. “Ah when since mi affi run yuh go a Marcia yawd? Yuh foot jine church?”
“Mi tyad. A nuff tings mi did affi a do today fi she,” she indicated sharply with her head. “Mi too tyad fi walk go dung deh an mi no waa she call an stawt cuss bout de money.”
“Aright, mi wi tek yuh dung so layta. Gimmie a chance fi mi food go dung man.”
“But Audie-”
“Doah push it Nicey. Yuh dun know say mi no fraid fi change mi mind.”
She left the room with the containers of food, reluctance in her every move. Michelle pulled the chair that Ryan had previously sat on and made herself comfortable. She reached for the fork that had been stabbed into the food. Her stomach lurched and while it all seemed incredibly appetizing, she found that she had no desire for it. She knew that Audley watched her, so she picked unconvincingly at the beans and meat.
“So how was yuh flight? A bet yuh say nuh baddy nuh ask yuh?” he chuckled and Michelle found that she was smiling in return.
“It was ok. Only my second time flying so I really don’t have much to compare it to.”
“Whe yuh did fly to before? Mi nuh tink dis a fus time a Jamaica?”
“Oh. I, uh we went to Edmonton once. It was nothing.”
“So how long yuh a go deh yah fah?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. I have to get back by the last week in August though…”
“School?”
“Yeah. I’m starting University.”
“Bright.”
Michelle shrugged self-consciously. She wasn’t naturally ‘bright’ she was just hardworking, but there was no point in saying that.
“Mama say anyting to yuh bout de land?”
“Not yet. I don’t even know where it is…”
“Well, it look like say yuh nah go eat dat. So if yuh want, yuh can come wid wi when wi go drop awf de pawdna money an mi wi show yuh.”
Michelle was not thrilled by the idea of sitting in the same vehicle as Nicey, but her alternative would be to stay in the house with Aunt Myrtle. Dean had somewhere to be.
“Sure,” Michelle said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “Uh, is there a phone here? I’d like to call my Mom…”
“Yeah man. It dunga a de living room. Yuh memba it? De one wid all de dead white people dem pan de wall?”
Michelle laughed out loud and Audley smiled appreciatively. “Gwan go call har. Jus mek Mama know. An den meet mi outta de Jeep.”
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