The rain was coming
down in torrents. They were soaked to their skins, and from where I was
standing I could see the little ones trembling. I turned to Maud and told her
that they could stay on the verandah until the rain stopped. Maud asked what
about their wet clothes? I rolled my eyes at her in exasperation. These people,
whom I never asked to be here, now wanted me to be responsible for them? Go
look in the bag of clothes that I was taking to Salvation
Army, I said, and
find something that can fit them. Let them change right here on the verandah,
the rain is falling and no one will see them from the road. I am going back
inside and make sure that they stay at that end of the verandah! And hurry up
so that Reverend Julian can finish the story! Damn it! I screamed inside my
head as I entered the den. We waited thirty minutes for Maud, by this time
Reverend Julian had nodded off to sleep. Anyway, he woke up as soon as he heard
her come back in the room. He continued the story. The letter began with, “My
beloved Charles, if you are reading this letter it means that I have died and
you found it in the bottom drawer of the dresser. I ask for your forgiveness, I
did not want to talk about the life where I was from because I was so happy
with you. Your love for me was so overwhelming, I never knew love like this
before and I did not want it to change. I was so afraid that if you found out
the truth about me, and that I had lied to you, you would hate me and return me
to my father’s house.” The letter went on to give details of Charlotte’s life,
her upbringing and the status of her parents. Charles was shocked to find out
that Charlotte’s father was a wealthy landowner and her mother was the daughter
of a Duke. Her parents had met in England and returned to Jamaica when
Charlotte was a baby. On the last page of the letter Charlotte asked Charles to
take her child to meet her father and mother. She wanted their forgiveness for
what she had done to them and also their blessings on the child. Charles was in
a state of disbelief, he did not know what to make of this revelation. What if
he did as Charlotte asked and her father threw him in prison? Or killed him! Or
took Charmaine away from him! After all, he was Stanley Wharbucks! The most
powerful man in St. James! When Charles lived in Spanish Town he would hear the
older Butchers talking about the Wharbucks’ Estate, which raised the best
Brahma bulls on the island. They supplied beef to the hotels in Montego Bay and
Kingston. It was every Butcher’s dream to be employed by Stanley Wharbucks as
he was known to be a fair employer. Just don’t try to double-cross him they
said, because he also had a fair-sized temper. Charles didn’t know what to do.
He replaced the letter in the envelope along with the locket and put it back in
the drawer. He needed some time to think. He went into the living room, took
his ledger from his desk and began to write. Just in case, if he did not get to
fulfil Charlotte’s wishes, someone else would know what to do. He wrote down
everything from his first encounter with Charlotte to the day she died. He left
out nothing. When he was finished he realized that he had been writing from 8
o’ clock the morning before and it was now 6 o’ clock the following evening. He
had been writing non-stop. Luckily, for him Miss Verna was keeping Charmaine
for the weekend. He tore the pages from the ledger and placed them in an
envelope and sealed it. He addressed it to Charmaine and went and placed this
envelope in the drawer that had the letter from Charlotte. He then went to bed.
He would know what to do after a good night’s rest. Just then I heard a
crashing sound on the verandah. 'Jesus Christ!' exclaimed Maud. 'That sounds
like the aquarium!' Oh no! I cried, as I ran from the room once again. These
people were now too close for comfort! They are definitely threatening my
border!
SadaBlue......
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