Hoe Tales

Cockroach

I survived, could you believe it? After three days on the medication I was free of symptoms, but I didn't throw out the packet of pills. The pharmacist had warned me, "Tek every single one a dem! Even if you feel better, don't stop! If you stop early, hmm, dog nyam yuh suppah." I sat in a small pit latrine and forced down another of the tablets in private.

Bang bang bang! The zinc roof rattled and the board shook like it would fall apart
"Hurry up, hurry up my girl! Come man."

The voice brought me back to reality. The shared toilet was the only quiet place in the yard, that was, when someone wasn't knocking on the door or banging on the walls. It was a small price to pay for my new found freedom however.

You should have seen my brother Fitzroy's face when I showed up at his drink stall, just a bag in my hand and nowhere to go. I was finally in Kingston.

"Claudette! A you dat, gyal yuh get big eeh? Bwoy yuh look jus like yuh madda!"

It had been about a year since he'd last come home and I had to admit, I had changed. It seemed like over the course of a few months I had gotten taller, my face slimmed down and my body ironically got bigger. I hugged him. My two oldest brothers meant everything to me, in my eyes they were the only family members that genuinely cared about me. Fitzroy had always been my favorite, he was already in his late teens when I was born but somehow we bonded instantly. From the moment I could crawl I was behind him. I learned how to swim, climb trees, shoot birds and a list of other things from him.

"Bwoy pickney, yuh tun big woman pan mi!" Fitzroy laughed.

He spent the rest of the afternoon introducing me to everyone he knew, telling them how I was the baddest bird shooter or about how I used to fight in school. I hadn't smiled that much in years it seemed. It felt unreal being that happy. He told his stories and I had endless soft drinks n icy mints. Night came down before he asked me what I was doing there and how I found him.

I told him a version of my story, he only needed to know that I was there and that I needed a place to stay, I knew he would help me.

"Bwoy Detta, mi living situation anuh the best enuh,"

Fitzroy looked a little embarrassed, we turned into a compound of what seemed like 15 or so one room board houses. People were scattered everywhere: children were screaming and running around, women were talking loudly and animatedly and men were arguing. The place smelled like sweat. I was overwhelmed, I felt hot and sticky but I was grateful. We walked up to a yellow house, the padlock on the door looked more expensive than the house itself. He opened the door and I walked in. The room was small and packed. On one corner was a mattress on the floor, in a another I saw a single burner hot plate, in another corner was a barrel with clothes overflowing from it and in the last corner was a pile of miscellaneous things. It may have been small and clustered but it was a place of his own and I was still proud of him.

I was not pleased when I heard about the bathroom situation. When I heard that we had to bathe and use the same toilets with about 200 other people my stomach sank, it sank even further when I saw the line for the stand pipe and the line for the bathroom. At least I had Fitzroy to keep my company for the wait. We talked about life in Kingston and what I was going to do.

"Well since you deh here now and yuh nuh find nuht'n yet, come a di stall and work wid mi, yeah man, if you watch di stall mi can guh pan di road wid a igloo and gwaan sell inna some oda area."

Fitzroy shook his head, I could see that he was thinking about his proposal. He didn't have to ask me twice. Back inside the house we slept head and toe like we did back home.

"Lawd God Detta, yuh foot dem still cheesy"

I laughed and punched his foot "Yuh lie!"

I couldn't believe it, I felt happy.