Black Boy, called thus because of his very dark complexion, returns to the yard after Mr. Vincent left. Tall, dark and handsome, Black Boy is an aspiring Singjay who hopes to ‘bust’ one day. Singing Bob Marley’s “Duppy Conqueror”, he smiles at the other tenants. He stops, takes an unlit spliff from the pocket of his shirt and lights it. He puts the spliff to his mouth and takes a 'draw', blowing the smoke into the air. Taking the spliff from his mouth he shouts out,
“JAH!!! RASTAFARI!!! EVER LIVING, EVER FAITHFUL, EVER TRUE, SELASSIE I THE FIRST! JAH RASTAFARI!”
‘Flashing’ his dreadlocks he went looking for Hyacinth.
Hyacinth is sitting under the mango tree at the back of the yard washing the children’s clothes in a washpan when Black Boy approaches her smiling. Hyacinth does not return the smile. She says to him,
“Black Boy, yu meck me feel shame today! Why yu neva come give Mr. Vincent him rent money?”
Black Boy laughs and says,
“W’happen to yu Hya? Yu nuh see dat deh man deh a big big capitalist! Wha more him cudda want? I don’t have nuh money to give him! Fire pon Missa Babylon!”
“So why yu neva stay and tell Mr. Vincent that? I was so embarrassed! Especially when him say dat him going to remove the windows and door from the room. All a de tenants dem start to laugh when him say dat. Me even start to cry.” continues Hyacinth.
“Your problem is that yu have too much eye water fe shed. Yu cry too much! Save yu eye water fe yu mother and father when dem dead!” says Black Boy.
Hyacinth gasps in astonishment at what Black Boy said. Black Boy laughs and told her that she’s behaving as if her parents were going to live forever. Hyacinth did not find it funny and told him so. She got up, took up the washpan and storms off to the pipe side to rinse the soap from the clothes.
Black Boy hisses his teeth and begins to deejay.
“Mr Vincent come ina de mawning - Chi boom!
Mr Vincent come ina de evening - Chi boom!
Him come fe de rent but me don’t have a cent,
Me haffi jump de damn back fence - Chi boom!
Oi Mr. Vincent! Me say me nah pay yu nuh rent!
Oi Mr. Vincent! Me say yu nah get a damn red cent!”
The tenants nearby began to laugh saying that Black Boy nuh easy.
“Me soon ‘bus whey’ like a big Beijing kite!” Black Boy said laughingly.
Marsue is passing on her way from the communal bathroom to her quarters. Black Boy whistles at her and begins to sing seductively,
“A boom she boom! Lalalalala! What a girl just cool and deadly! A boom she boom! Lalalalala!"
Poochie Loo Marsue! Mi say, if Hya neva live wid me yu si, I an I woulda rope yu in!” says Black Boy.
Marsue retorts,
“You must be an idiot! You think I could ever want someone the likes of you? What am I doing with an unintelligent joker like you? You think my mother is sending me to High School to end up with somebody like you? You must be stark-raving mad!”
“Nuh badda showoff pon mi wid yu uptown henglish! Not because yu a de ongle one round here who a guh High School yu waan come pop style pon mi! If yu tink mi mad carry mi guh Bellevue nuh! Yu nuh want de tin a milo and de condensed milk?” smirks Black Boy.
Marsue hisses her teeth and walks off and one of the tenants, Veronica, says to Black Boy,
“Black Boy why yu don’t leave Marsue alone? She don’t want yu! Plus you is a big man fe har! Yu too bright! I am going to tell her father on you since Mrs. Bernard won't tell him!”
Black Boy laughs and says,
“Veronica guwhey! She don’t want me but I know is who she want! I an I nah say nutten, I an I will just deejay bout it!”
He gives Marsue a lingering look from her head to her feet, laughs and goes into his quarters.
Marsue goes and sits on her verandah, fuming. She is so angry at Black Boy. Her older sister Winnie asks her what Black Boy had said to her? Marsue told her to forget the matter. Sissy, who is coming from the kitchen says,
“Winnie I am tired of warning her about Black Boy! I notice him getting very friendly with her but she will not listen! I also told her that whenever Mr. Vincent is coming to the yard she must tidy nice and comb her hair. Next thing him might think she’s a Rasta! Nuh wonder Black Boy a teck set pon har!”
“I don’t care what Mr. Vincent thinks about me Mama! I don’t care! I wear my hair the way I want, if you would just pay for me to get it locked professionally it would look neater!” shouts Marsue.
“Don’t talk to Mama like that!” says Winnie
“She must think say she a big woman but I will crick har neck fe har!” shouts Sissy.
The tenant who lived in the front apartment (Sissy’s father) opens his door and said they were to stop the noise! He said they were to end the quarrel immediately because his rest was being disturbed! They both apologised to him and Sissy promised that there would be no more noise. He told Marsue to apologise to her mother.
"Yes grandfather." says Marsue.
He went back inside and Marsue sheepishly apologises to Sissy. Sissy gave her a look that said 'watch fe me and yu later'. Marsue cringed and went inside their quarters knowing that her mother would certainly deal with her later for real. She wished she could control her temper sometimes. On her way inside she heard Winnie telling Sissy that she, Marsue, was too spoilt and loved her own way too much. Marsue hissed her teeth telling herself that if it wasn’t for her grandfather trying to get his ‘rest’ she would fix her sister's business! Winnie was always trying to get Sissy to discipline her unnecessarily! Marsue sighed, thinking that times like these made her wish that she had her own room so that she could just shut herself away from the maddening crowd. Away from the dramas and bangarangs of this tenement yard! She wished she lived uptown like her friends at school. Why did God place her in such a poor family? she asked herself.
She took up her history book and began to study because she had an exam the next day. The Making of the West Indies was her favourite of all the history books that they had to study from for the exams. She loved it because it was easy to read and gave a vivid description of how the West Indies was colonised. After a while she got distracted by a loud noise that was coming from the street. She got up and went outside to see what was happening. From her vantage point on the verandah she could see the youths playing football in the street, a regular Sunday activity for them. They were laughing because one of the most lowly youth that lived on the road had managed to ‘salad’ the top footballer Zelly and Zelly wanted to fight the youth. Zelly played for a popular club in the Major League Football competition and saw himself as the best footballer in the area and as far as he was concerned the youth had dissed him. His friends were trying to restrain him but they were having a hard time. One of the youths saw Marsue looking out and shouted,
“Marsue, Pingy salad Zelly! Him push de ball through him mary and score goal pon him!”
Everyone started to laugh. Zelly, whom everyone knew had a crush on Marsue, picked up a stone and flung it at the youth. It missed. Zelly, who obviously did not want Marsue to think badly of him, said he was okay and they should resume playing.
Marsue laughed and went back inside. She had no time to focus on idle chatter or idle footballers. She also had no desire to to be added to the statistics of teenage babymothers in the community. All of the girls in her age group had a child, some were even pregnant with their second child! No way was she going to play ball! Her goal was on bettering herself so that she could get out the tenement yard and ghetto style of living. She picked up her book and resumed her studies.
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