I was walking along a dark road
when I saw an elderly gentleman, dressed in a grey three-piece suit and white shirt, as if he was going to a wedding, coming towards me. He was walking
with a cane and he stopped when he reached me. He bowed his head and said, "Goodnight
Ma’am, how are you?" I tried to answer him but I couldn’t. It felt as if my
mouth was stuffed with cotton, and my head felt light
as if I was being lifted off
the ground. When I did not answer, the gentleman said to me, "Ma'am, I like your necklace,
my wife had a necklace just like yours, you must always wear it, never ever take
it off." Just as he said that another gentleman came out from behind a tree and tried
to snatch the necklace from my neck but I held on to his hand and we began to struggle. The thief started to choke me and the elderly gentleman began to beat
him over the head with the cane. He was beaten so hard with the cane that he
let go of me and ran away. I
woke up gasping for breath and trembling, it was all a dream! I turned
on the light and looked at the clock, it was five minutes past three in the
morning. I felt my neck, it felt
a little sore but I was still wearing the necklace. I was about to take off
the necklace when I remembered that the gentleman in my dream had said that I should always wear it and never take it off. I
was still trembling so I took up my Bible and opened it at Psalm 27. After
reading the Psalm I felt a little better so I prayed, turned off the light and went
back to sleep. A knocking on my bedroom door awoke me, it was Maud, she said that she had
been knocking on the front door for the longest while and when she didn’t get a
response she used the key that I had given her to use, in case of an emergency,
to let herself inside the house. I looked at the clock and jumped up, it was two o’clock in
the afternoon! I got out of the bed and told her I would meet her in the kitchen. By the time I brushed my teeth, finished my ablutions, dressed and reached the kitchen, Maud had made coffee and had a plate of fried breadfruit and callaloo ready for me. She reminded me that I was to resume work at the hospital the next day
and she wanted to iron my new uniforms. With all the excitement these past
three weeks with the ‘migrants’ and the diaries, I had
forgotten all about my job at the hospital! When I told Maud about me finding out
about my Grandmother Charmaine in the diaries she was dumbfounded. I also told her about the dream I
had with the well-dressed gentleman telling me to always wear the necklace and never to take it off.
Maud said she always wondered why I never wore the necklace, knowing that it had belonged to my Grandmother. I told her that with
all the undesirables who were always at the hospital parking lot, I was afraid
that one of them would try to steal it from me. Maud agreed with me, but she
said based on the dream I had a guardian angel that would protect
me so I was to be obedient and keep on the necklace. Anyway, enough about me, I said, when will Cassie and the children be leaving? Maud sighed deeply and said she was waiting on Reverend Julian to
get in touch with her. When they were leaving the church compound Reverend Julian had given Maud $20,000 to help
with food and any expenses that may arise with Cassie and the children. Maud said she would give me $5000 towards
my light bill. I laughed and told her she could keep the money. No way was I going to
have these ‘migrants’ thinking they were my tenants! “I hope you realize the
responsibility you’ve taken upon yourself!” I said to her. Maud sighed again. I wanted
to get back to my reading so I told Maud to check back with me after the
nightly news was over so that we could come up with a plan of action of what we
were going to do with Cassie and her children. I certainly did not want them to think
that my home was a place of refuge! Yes, she said, as she took my uniforms and left. I returned to my bedroom and picked up Grandma Charmaine's diary. I smiled, it really felt good to say Grandma Charmaine. I curled up in my chair and resumed my reading.
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