Windy Valley Secondary – Trials of the Young and Restless

12.SEPT.08

“You meking baby?” Susan’s mother asked in disbelief. She stood blocking the entrance to the bedroom.

There was nowhere for Susan to run. To protect herself, she slowly retreated; only to feel the smooth hard wall pressed against her back. She was trapped. There was nothing she could expect, other than her mother’s heavy iron fist to hammer down on her body. She cowered in the corner, shielding her face and her belly.{{more}}

“Praise God!”, her mother said jubilantly.

Cautiously, Susan raised her head and peeked at her mother through her fingers. Her mother danced on the spot, a wide smile spread across her face, and that heavy bottom of hers bounced to and fro. Susan remained in the corner, her body tightly curled up.

Her mother praised the Almighty once again and clapped her hands in glee. Then, abruptly, she stopped. Her face turned stern. It was a signal that Susan needed to bury her face back in her arms. “Ah fuh Sharpie?” she heard her mother hiss.

Without looking at her mother, Susan nodded her head. All she could hear was a rapture of laughter.

“We don’t have to bother about paying the rent. I hear Sharpie have a bitching house in Largo Heights. You tell Sharpie ‘bout the baby?”

In affirmation, Susan nodded her head. Susan wanted to confide in her mother, tell her everything, tell her how Sharpie had dumped her for her best friend Miriam, how Sharpie gave her money to get rid of the baby. But Susan was afraid, afraid of her mother’s violent temper.

Her mother was still dancing on the spot. She sang: “Susan meking baby fuh Sharpie.”

“Mummy, it’s not his first child.” Susan was thinking of a better way to break the news to her mother, “He have so many he don’t want to look after”.

“Dem ah bastard picknie he make with some dotish gel. You will be the wife. Is you he will look after.” with that she danced out of the bedroom.

Wife? Did she hear her mother say that she, Susan, will be the wife of Sharpie? Susan knew that she needed to tell her mother the truth now. But she felt numb. She didn’t know how to say it. What other solution could there be to her predicament? She could run away, but she had nowhere to go. Her mother would be sure to find her if she stayed with anyone local. She didn’t know where Ras lived and she was no longer on speaking terms with Miriam. For the best interest of the baby, Susan decided to keep her mouth shut and remain at home.

In the distant background she could still hear her mother celebrating in the yard. “Miss Roberts, Miss Roberts!” yelled Susan’s mother to the neighbour.

A frail dark slender elderly lady stepped out from the house next door.

“Miss Roberts, you nah hear the news?”

The elderly lady looked puzzled. “You have news?”

“You know that van driver – Sharpie?”

“Who that stinking tall big belly man?”

“Him soon have fuh call me mother-in-law.”

In shock, Miss Roberts opened her mouth revealing her last remaining yellow tooth. “A lie you ah tell? Why Susan put she self with that nasty man? Me nah like he.”

“Miss Roberts you nah hear? – he have money.”

Miss Roberts, shook her head. “He have money, and he nah ah bathe?”

So the conversation continued. Susan lay down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her head. She wondered if her life could get any worse.

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The Windy Valley Secondary series is fictional. Any resemblance to real events, places or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.