The ringing of the telephone woke me. It was one of my co-workers, Mrs. Pinnock, telling me that she was coming to pick up her Christmas cake. I laughed because it was now the New Year! She laughed too and apologised for not picking up the cake before Christmas. She said she had some relatives who were visiting for the holidays and if she had picked up the cake before God bless how much of it she would have gotten to eat. “Dem craven and dem love cake!” she said laughingly. I told her she had to pay extra for the cake because I had to keep ‘wetting’ it with white rum to keep it moist. She laughed and said that was exactly the way she liked it. I asked her what time she was planning to come for the cake only for her to say that she was actually outside my gate. “What! I exclaimed, “You know I don’t like early
morning visitors!” “I know but I was in the area”, she replied. 'Yeah right!' I said in my mind. “Okay, give me five minutes” I told her. I put on my robe and went into the kitchen grumbling. ‘How the dickens you could be 'in the area' when you lived all the way in Barbican? Since you waited this long you could wait until I came to work on Monday!’ I put the foil-wrapped cake in a bag and took it outside to her with a smile pasted on my face. Mrs. Pinnock was all smiles as she took the bag and thanked me. She held the bag to her nostrils and sniffed. She exclaimed, “Wow! I can smell the rum! I’ll be eating this cake one sliver at a time!” “Good for you” I said. “Anyway, I have some chores to do, so I’ll see you on Monday.” “Okay then, I’ll see you on Monday.” she said and drove off. I just wanted her to go so that I could get to my most important chore of the day, which was reading Charmaine’s diaries. I fed the dogs and the fowls and went back inside. I took my usual cup of coffee and ham sandwiches to my bedroom and settled down to my reading. I would now be getting an insight in the mind of the twelve-year-old Charmaine and I was looking forward to it. For a moment, I wondered if her writings would be all flowery and fairytale-like but after reading the first couple of pages I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Charmaine wrote with the intelligence of someone far older than her years. Her handwriting was beautiful and neat, her ‘o’s’ were rounded perfectly, her ‘t’s’ were tall and straight and she used little hearts for her ‘i’s’ instead of dots. As expected, her first entry in her diary was about her twelfth birthday, the second stage of her ‘womanhood’ and her birthday party. Charmaine woke up in pain on her birthday. She was in agony. Inside her abdomen felt as if it was being ripped out and she could hardly move. Stanley Wharbucks was passing by her bedroom door when he heard her scream. When he rushed inside the bedroom he found her doubled over in pain and clutching her abdomen. He panicked and hurriedly left to get Florence. When he told Florence what was happening, she went inside the kitchen and came back with a bottle of brown liquid. “What is that?” ask Stanley Wharbucks. “Just something to ease her pain.” replied Florence. “Yes, but I want to know what it is!” he insisted. “Grated Bissy nuts in white rum, something that the women in my family has used for years for that kind of abdominal pain.” said Florence. “Bissy nuts? Are you sure it’s safe?” he asked. “Well I am still here!” retorted Florence. “Okay, I am sorry, I was just checking.” said Stanley Wharbucks. Florence opened her mouth wide but said nothing. She told Charmaine later that it was the first time in all her years on the estate that she had ever heard Stanley Wharbucks used the words ‘I am sorry’. Florence went back with him to the Main House and told him she would attend to Charmaine herself. This after she saw Miss Markhums hovering anxiously at Charmaine's bedroom door. Charmaine said that when she saw the brown liquid she refused to drink any of it because it looked like dirt and water mixed together. Florence got angry. She put down the bottle on the dresser and told her it was up to her. She walked out of the bedroom but before doing so she placed a bag on Charmaine's bed and told her that the dress for her birthday party was in it. Charmaine tried to bear the pain but it was too much so she took up the bottle and uncorked it. The smell coming from the bottle almost made her faint. She took a spoonful of the liquid and almost gagged but she made the effort to swallow it because she needed relief from the pain. She felt the warmness of the liquid flow from her throat to her stomach and immediately she felt some relief from the pain. She took another spoonful of the liquid. Charmaine said she found herself grinning ridiculously but she was feeling so much better. She was about to take another spoonful when Florence came back into the room and took the bottle away from her. “I told you one spoonful!” said Florence. I laughed. Maybe it was the white rum why Charmaine was grinning. I heard the lock on my gate being opened and wondered if Maud had come back for more clothes. I looked out the window to see Maud….and the ‘migrants’..... coming through my gate!!!
morning visitors!” “I know but I was in the area”, she replied. 'Yeah right!' I said in my mind. “Okay, give me five minutes” I told her. I put on my robe and went into the kitchen grumbling. ‘How the dickens you could be 'in the area' when you lived all the way in Barbican? Since you waited this long you could wait until I came to work on Monday!’ I put the foil-wrapped cake in a bag and took it outside to her with a smile pasted on my face. Mrs. Pinnock was all smiles as she took the bag and thanked me. She held the bag to her nostrils and sniffed. She exclaimed, “Wow! I can smell the rum! I’ll be eating this cake one sliver at a time!” “Good for you” I said. “Anyway, I have some chores to do, so I’ll see you on Monday.” “Okay then, I’ll see you on Monday.” she said and drove off. I just wanted her to go so that I could get to my most important chore of the day, which was reading Charmaine’s diaries. I fed the dogs and the fowls and went back inside. I took my usual cup of coffee and ham sandwiches to my bedroom and settled down to my reading. I would now be getting an insight in the mind of the twelve-year-old Charmaine and I was looking forward to it. For a moment, I wondered if her writings would be all flowery and fairytale-like but after reading the first couple of pages I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised. Charmaine wrote with the intelligence of someone far older than her years. Her handwriting was beautiful and neat, her ‘o’s’ were rounded perfectly, her ‘t’s’ were tall and straight and she used little hearts for her ‘i’s’ instead of dots. As expected, her first entry in her diary was about her twelfth birthday, the second stage of her ‘womanhood’ and her birthday party. Charmaine woke up in pain on her birthday. She was in agony. Inside her abdomen felt as if it was being ripped out and she could hardly move. Stanley Wharbucks was passing by her bedroom door when he heard her scream. When he rushed inside the bedroom he found her doubled over in pain and clutching her abdomen. He panicked and hurriedly left to get Florence. When he told Florence what was happening, she went inside the kitchen and came back with a bottle of brown liquid. “What is that?” ask Stanley Wharbucks. “Just something to ease her pain.” replied Florence. “Yes, but I want to know what it is!” he insisted. “Grated Bissy nuts in white rum, something that the women in my family has used for years for that kind of abdominal pain.” said Florence. “Bissy nuts? Are you sure it’s safe?” he asked. “Well I am still here!” retorted Florence. “Okay, I am sorry, I was just checking.” said Stanley Wharbucks. Florence opened her mouth wide but said nothing. She told Charmaine later that it was the first time in all her years on the estate that she had ever heard Stanley Wharbucks used the words ‘I am sorry’. Florence went back with him to the Main House and told him she would attend to Charmaine herself. This after she saw Miss Markhums hovering anxiously at Charmaine's bedroom door. Charmaine said that when she saw the brown liquid she refused to drink any of it because it looked like dirt and water mixed together. Florence got angry. She put down the bottle on the dresser and told her it was up to her. She walked out of the bedroom but before doing so she placed a bag on Charmaine's bed and told her that the dress for her birthday party was in it. Charmaine tried to bear the pain but it was too much so she took up the bottle and uncorked it. The smell coming from the bottle almost made her faint. She took a spoonful of the liquid and almost gagged but she made the effort to swallow it because she needed relief from the pain. She felt the warmness of the liquid flow from her throat to her stomach and immediately she felt some relief from the pain. She took another spoonful of the liquid. Charmaine said she found herself grinning ridiculously but she was feeling so much better. She was about to take another spoonful when Florence came back into the room and took the bottle away from her. “I told you one spoonful!” said Florence. I laughed. Maybe it was the white rum why Charmaine was grinning. I heard the lock on my gate being opened and wondered if Maud had come back for more clothes. I looked out the window to see Maud….and the ‘migrants’..... coming through my gate!!!
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