Chapter 11
After breakfast everything went fast. The steel drums once again were in their places. Musicians climbed the mountains with their instruments and were met with hugs and good-hearted slaps on the back. Horse-drawn buggies brought highly polished tableware from which to eat, and vessels of food, drink and spices for the finishing touches. People who’d not been to the island in years came in from Jamaica’s Blue Mountain to hugs and tears. The kitchen wasn’t big enough for all the preparation, so a makeshift kitchen was set up outside with iron stoves and wooden tables.
The delicious smell of cakes and puddings wafted through the air. Pamela wished she could cook like the older women. Her mother laughed at her as she went around picking at the food. “By the time the festivities begin you’ll be too full to eat a proper meal,” she said.
“That’s what you think,” Pamela replied.
Even the children joined in the making of bread. Under the supervision of her mother, Pamela made two cornmeal puddings, poured a cherry sauce mixed with coconut milk on top and pushed it back in the oven for a few more minutes. For the past couple of weeks she’d been spending more time in the kitchen watching the other women cook and bake. One of her aunts had asked her, “What’s your sudden interest in cooking, Pammy?”
“If I get hungry in the middle of the night, it’s nice to know that I can make something without thinking I’ll poison myself.”
She laughed. “No one ever gets hungry in the middle of the night after one of our huge suppers, except a pregnant woman.” She looked suspiciously at her niece.
Pamela shook her head. “Don’t even think about it.”
She pulled her puddings out of the oven, placed them on the table and smiled at her mother. “How do they look?”
“Great, but you know the taste...”
“Is in the eating,” she finished. “You’re so funny. They will be excellent. I can’t wait to taste them myself.”
“Me, either,” Mary said.
“Do you think you can get along without me, Mama? I think it’s time for me to start getting ready.”
Esther nodded. “I think we can, and I promise no one will touch your puddings. By the way, where have you been hiding your sorrel drink?”
Pamela froze in the doorway of the kitchen. She’d thought everyone had forgotten about her drink. Her eyes shifted from Mary to her mother. “Ahhh, I...” She let out a breath of air and smiled again.
“Pammy,” her mother said. “What’s going on? Have you drank it all already?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed again. “No. Didn’t you have any?”
Esther shook her head, folded her arms and leaned against the table.
“I’m saving it.”
“For what?”
“For tonight.” Thinking that was enough, she shrugged and left the kitchen.
Pamela looked in on Gracie and Shaela getting ready. They were wearing the new clothes that had been made for them, and Pamela had to admit that they looked very pretty in blue and white frocks. “Try not to get dirty before the festivities begin,” Pamela said to both girls.
“We’ll stay in the room until you tell us to go outside,” Gracie said, sitting with the rabbit in her lap.
“You and these animals,” Pamela said. “Your aunts and I are going to get ready now.” She walked to her room and looked at the dress she’d made, which was laying on the bed. It was slightly more form-fitting with a belt to match. She wondered if any of the women would think it was too form fitting, but Myah and Mary had made theirs almost the same way with different colors. She made a face. Was she trying to look like Raquel? She sat on the bed and stared at the dress.
Mary called to her. “Are you coming?”
“Yes.” She picked up the dress, placed it over her arm and walked with Mary and Myah to the river. “Do you think our dresses are too tight?” she asked no one in particular.
A resounding “No!” came from Myah.
She felt better knowing that Myah had no idea of her feelings for Saul.
They carefully placed their dresses on a nearby tree and stripped. This part of the river where they always bathed was off limits to men. Pamela took her time washing her hair with lavender oil, and then dove under the water and came up shaking the water from her thick, long locks.
They sat on the rocks and gently patted their locks dry. Pamela pulled her hair into a pile on the top of her head and held it in place with a turtle-shell comb, then got dressed. Without a mirror, each woman appraised the other. It was time to present themselves.
“By the way,” Mary said, “where did you hide the sorrel?”
Pamela smiled. “At the top of the waterfall.”
Mary nodded and smiled. “I have a feeling we won’t be getting another taste.”
“Only if I feel generous. There are two bottles left.”
“I didn’t get much,” Myah said.
“I’ll have to see to that,” Pamela said.
They broke through the trees to see the village filled with people. One thing about the Rahjahs, they were extremely punctual. Pamela scanned the crowd for Saul, but didn’t see him.
“Wow!” Mary said under her breath. “If I wasn’t married I would certainly have my pick of gorgeous men tonight. I don’t think I’ve ever seen some of these people before.”
Myah saw and recognized James, a very handsome, famous architect from Rahjah Blue Mountain. She pointed him out to the women and began telling them about him. “He could be all yours if he wasn’t already committed to the woman beside him,” she said to Pamela.
But Pamela was more interested in the woman because her hair wasn’t locked. “How many of our men marry outside of our culture?”
“Well, they leave to attend the university or just to travel and inevitably fall in love,” Myah said.
“Saul didn’t meet Raquel on a university campus. I think they met at a function,” Pamela said, then bit her lip.
“No. Boy, was that union a huge mistake,” Myah said.
Pamela shrugged.
The steel drums began playing and the tambourines and guitars joined in to make a reggae beat. There was an array of colors and hairstyles and sandaled feet. Pamela smoothed her dress with her moist palms, looked at her friends and walked toward her cottage. She knew Gracie would still be in her room.
She peeped in and saw Gracie and Shaela with the twins. “You can go and mingle anytime you wish,” Pamela said.
Gracie nodded, pushed off her bed and led the children outside. Pamela walked back out to Myah and Mary. Myah broke through the crowd to introduce them to James. She said something in his ear. He turned and looked directly at Pamela. He smiled and Pamela understood why Myah thought he was such an awesome catch. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his face was clean-shaven. He was a handsome man, but still not as handsome as Saul. She shook his hand and he said his name in her ear. “I am your first cousin,” he said.
She nodded and saw his wife coming towards her. Angel hugged her. “So you’re the one responsible for all this,” she said in her ear.
“I only suggested it,” Pamela replied.
“You’re being too modest.” Angel stood very close to Pamela and held her eyes. “You did a wonderful thing for your people. I would love to talk with you some more, maybe tomorrow. I don’t have to fly back to New York for a while.”
Pamela’s eyes lit up. “You flew from America just for this?”
Angel laughed and nodded.
“I would love to talk to you. I can come to see you...” Then she remembered that Angel and James were staying on Rahjah Blue Mountain. “Maybe you can come back here before you go back to America.”
Angel nodded. She looked at James and he nodded. Then Pamela’s eyes met Saul’s and her entire demeanor changed. She was so nervous she was afraid everyone would be able to discern her feelings for him. He looked more handsome than ever with his hair pulled back from his face. He smiled and she melted.
Angel’s eyes followed Pamela’s and she smiled and moved away as Saul came to Pamela.
Saul kissed Pamela’s cheek and whispered in her ear, “You’re the most beautiful woman here.”
She blushed. “Have you seen everyone?”
He gazed into her eyes and laughed. “You’re doing something to me.”
“What?”
“I’m not sure, but don’t stop.”
She shook her head and turned him towards Angel and James. He laughed and slapped James on the back and then turned to Angel. “How are you? I’m so glad you could make it. How is Hildie?”
“She’s great. She sends her regrets. She would have loved to come but had a prior engagement.”
He nodded. “I’m sure I’ll see her on my next visit to New York.”
“You know each other?” Pamela asked.
Saul chuckled. “Are you joking? Angel is the most outspoken woman I’ve ever met. She made history on the Blue Mountain.” He glanced at Pamela and Angel laughed.
The laugh disappeared when Raquel walked over. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your relatives, Saul?” Her painted eyes seem to drink in James. Her face looked flawless under her makeup and her straight black hair, as long as it was, didn’t seem to move with the evening’s soft breeze.
“Of course.” He introduced her to Angel, then James. Ignoring the fact that his wife was beside him, she held James’s hand in an overly familiar manner and laughed when he told her she was beautiful. He slowly removed his hand from hers and smiled just as he saw Tim. He turned and greeted him with a slap on the back, ignoring Raquel. Tim hugged Pamela. “Save a dance for me. You look wonderful.”
“Thank you,” she said casually, treating him the way she always did. Like a brother. He touched her hand and walked away with Saul and James as if they were his dearest friends.
wife a look. She smiled back and blew him a kiss. His eyes seemed to say, “You owe me big for this.”
Tim was standing beside Angel. She looked at him and laughed. “I know you’re not going to stand there and let a good song go to waste. Ask me to dance.”
He laughed. “It is true what they say about you.” She took his hand and led him to the dance floor. “Of course. I never let a good song go to waste.”
He laughed but secretly wished he could snatch Pamela from Saul’s arms.
Saul saw Raquel and moved farther away from her, holding Pamela close. “Will tomorrow be too soon for us to begin our travels?” he said in her ear.
“As soon as that?”
“Are you busy?”
“No, but I wanted to visit with Angel and...”
“Perfect. I’ll take you to Rahjah Blue Mountain first then.”
“I. . .”
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you in Jamaica.”
“I don’t think I have the right clothes for Jamaica, or any place outside of Rahjah Village for that matter.”
“I’ll buy you clothes.”
“I have my own money.”
“I know you do, but I would like to do this.”
She didn’t want him to see the fear of traveling in her eyes. She nodded. “Should I pack?”
“No, just come away with me. Mary or your mother won’t mind looking after little Gracie.”
“What about your children?”
“They’ll be fine. I’ll talk with my mother.”
“I haven’t said anything to my parents.”
He slid a finger under her chin and brought her face up. “Are you afraid of what they’ll say?”
She looked into his smiling eyes. “No, but I have to let Mama know my plans so that she can have one of the other teachers fill in for me.”
“That won’t take long.” He studied her thoughtfully for a moment. His eyes drank in her beauty, her well-formed lips rouged by cherry juice, her high cheekbones and her liquid brown eyes. “You’re making excuses.”
To ease her nervousness, she laughed. “What’s the hurry?”
“I want to have you all to myself, not just to see you for a few minutes before you run away.”
“Are you dying?”
“I may die if you say no.”
She looked for a smile, a wink, but all she saw was the softness of the night he’d kissed her. “You’ll take care of me?”
“With my whole heart and soul.”
“Okay. I’ll come to the boat tomorrow evening after supper.”
His entire face lit up and he hugged her.
The women turned and made way as the evening’s festivities began with the children coming into the center of the circle to dance. They were all in white with orange scarves tied to their hair. The band played pocomania and the children danced an African dance taught to them by their teacher Hildigarth. When the dance was finished and the children ran from the circle, Hildigarth sang a rendition of an old Jamaican folk song. When she was finished, one of the band members sang a Bob Marley song, which turned again into pocomania.
Finger food was passed around on huge trays. Tiny fried dumplings with jam for dipping, seasoned fish balls, roasted potato balls, berries, sliced mango, pineapples, nesberries and an array of vegetables were quickly snatched off the platters.
The circle closed as the entertainers left the center and the floor opened for dancing.
“I think we should dance,” Raquel said, taking James’s hand. He’d come back to dance with his wife.
James glanced at Angel and she smiled. “Why not?”
Pamela had never met a more confident woman. She looked at Angel and smiled. Angel shrugged. “I trust him with all my heart. I’ve heard about her.”
“He has eyes only for you?” Pamela asked.
“Yes.”
Pamela glanced at Saul, he smiled and for a moment, She wished she could capture the entire evening on canvas.
She saw flashes of light within the crowd. “What’s that?”
Angel smiled. “You’ve never seen a camera?”
She shook her head. “What does it do?”
Saul came close to her. “It makes pictures of people on film, which is then transferred to paper.”
Pamela was quiet. She didn’t want to seem foolish next to Angel. With Raquel hanging off his arm, James made his way back to where they stood. She laughed, glanced at Saul, and laughed some more as they got closer. “He’s a wonderful dancer,” she said.
“I know,” Angel said.
“Aren’t you going to dance with me?” Raquel asked Saul.
“Why not? This is such a wonderful evening.” He glanced at Pamela and she smiled. Raquel dragged him to where a few people were dancing.
“I thought he was with you?” Angel said.
Pamela smiled but didn’t say anything.
“We do know their story, you know,” Angel said.
“I only know they’re no longer married,” Pamela said. “Saul didn’t speak much of her until she showed up more than a week ago.”
Tim seized the moment and caught Pamela around her waist. He whispered in her ear, “Do you want to dance?”
She laughed and nodded.
“I’m your guy.” He moved her onto the dance floor, only once glancing at Saul. Even though the music had a fast beat, he drew her close to him. She looked up at him, laughed and gently pushed away from him.
When the music stopped, she purposely guided them back to where Angel stood with Mary. “Thanks for the dance,” she said, smiling up at him.
Pamela glanced at Angel as Mary began talking about the food.
“You have to taste your pudding before it’s all gone. It’s your best yet.”
“I thought Esther said she wouldn’t cut it until I did.”
“She didn’t, Myah did. And speak of the little devil...”
Myah handed a plate to Pamela and one to Angel. “I thought I’d snag these before it was all gone.”
They laughed and Pamela tasted her handiwork. “Yes, I really outdid myself.”
Angel agreed. “I have to tell you, I didn’t know how to cook until I met the Rahjahs. And this was about ten years ago.”
“Then it’s not too late for me,” Pamela said.
The women shook their heads.
Before the music stopped, Saul made his way back to Pamela and asked her to dance. “But I wasn’t finished dancing with you,” Raquel protested.
Saul ignored her. “I want to put my arms around you,” he said in Pamela’s ear.
“I’m not too comfortable dancing with you in front of her.”
“Pam, we’re no longer married. She’s moved on and so have I. She came here to visit her children, that’s all.”
She nodded. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be, it’s all right.”
When they got close to the band, he nodded to the drummer and the music changed to a waltz. He held her close and moved his cheek against hers. “I waited all day to hold you,” he said, gazing at her. She smiled up at him wordlessly. She didn’t want to admit to him that she’d also waited all day just to be close to him.
Raquel stood fuming. She had danced with James just to make Saul jealous. Now he was dancing with Pamela. She stood staring at them, wondering if that was why he’d been so nice to her. He had found Pamela. She made her way back through the crowd. Angel glanced at James and he shook his head. “The things I do for you,” he said and hurried towards Raquel. On reaching her, he caught her hand and began dancing with her at arm’s length. She smiled and he threw his
Raquel tried to move James towards Saul, but he was too clever for her. He glanced once more at Angel dancing with Tim and shook his head. Then he looked at Raquel and smiled. This time she didn’t smile back at him, so he stopped dancing. “Is everything all right?”
“Where are they?”
“Who?” he asked innocently.
“Saul and Pamela.”
He turned around. “Oh, I don’t see them. I’m sorry.” He came face to face with a smiling Angel.
Tim had also left the circle.
“Do you mind if I have my husband back now?” Angel said to Raquel, who quickly moved through the crowd looking for Saul and Pamela.
“Good job, darling,” she whispered in her husband’s ear.
“I feel so used,” he said in her ear.
“Oh, stop it. You were having fun protecting one of your own. You knew how much those two wanted to be together.”
“You won’t ever stop matchmaking, will you? How did you catch on so quickly?”
“I don’t get the big bucks in New York as a shrink for standing around.”
“I guess not.” He spun his wife around the dance floor and kissed her.
Everyone, including Raquel, stood still when they heard Saul’s voice singing a love song. Pamela stood beside her grandmother, away from Raquel’s eyes, and blushed because Saul was staring straight at her, singing to her. His voice echoed softly through the mountain, through the trees, carried back by the soft breeze. Jane patted her granddaughter’s hand. She would certainly approve of the relationship if she knew there was one.
“I had no idea he could sing,” Angel said to James.
“There are a lot of things people here don’t know about him.”
“I thought your people knew everything about the family.”
James smiled. “We do, but not everyone knows everything about everyone.”
“What?” Angel said.
“Oh, come on, Angel. We hardly bring the outside to the inside.”
“But this.”
“That’s what I mean. They know, but you don’t.”
“That’s a lot of double talk,” Angel said.
“I know.” He kissed her forehead.
Saul finished his song and walked into the crowd of cheering Rahjahs. Raquel hurried to where she thought he was but found it difficult going through the crowd and she lost sight of him once more.