Until ... the philosophy ... which holds one race superior and another ... inferior, is finally, and permanently, discredited ... and abandoned, everywhere is war. Mi sey war!
Kenneth sat on the balcony, away from everyone else, enjoying the music. Occasionally, he would hum along to the tunes as he looked out across the treetops below. He gazed up at the deep, cool, pure blackness of the sky that was beautiful, and soothing. He smiled as he overheard Sean deliver the punch line of a joke that had everyone in stitches.
The stars really are bright up here, he thought to himself, sipping from his glass of Drambuie. Jay had brought back a bottle from England on his last trip.
‘Beautiful, isn’t it,’ Jenny said as she gracefully slid into his lap.
‘Yes.’ Kenneth kissed Jenny on her cheek and hugged her.
‘How did Jay find this place, all the way up here?’ Jenny eventually asked.
Kenneth thought for a moment. ‘I think he said that a couple of years ago the Gorge was blocked, and he decided to drive the Red Hills route instead of going back through Sligoville and Spanish Town. If I recall, he said he was enchanted by the natural, undeveloped and unspoiled locality.’
Jenny chuckled. ‘That sounds like Jay.’
Kenneth laughed. ‘Yes. He then started coming up here regularly, looking for a place where he could build a house.’
‘Cooper’s Hill is a bit too far though.’
Kenneth sipped his drink.
‘The closest place to here is nowhere,’ Jenny said reflectively. They both started to laugh.
‘Mom!’ Jason ran out onto the balcony. ‘Mom, it’s not fair!’
‘What’s the matter Jason?’ Jenny asked.
‘They’re watching a scary movie and won’t watch something I can watch!’
‘What are they watching?’
‘Gremlins. And they have these little monsters in it and I’m scared.’
‘Go and call your brother and tell him to come here,’ Jenny sighed.
‘Kenny!’ Jason screamed.
‘I said go and call your brother, not stand here and shout.’
‘OK.’ Jason disappeared through the sliding doors.
‘You guys OK?’ Jay appeared.
‘Great, man,’ Kenneth said. ‘The meal was fantastic. You cook it all?’
‘Most. My mom did the sweet potato pudding and the ginger beer.’
‘One day, some woman is going to be very lucky to have you.’ Jenny smiled at Jay.
‘Yeah. Need to stop all this travelling first. I haven’t finished finding all the relics worth finding yet.’
‘When are you on the move again?’ Jenny asked.
‘Got a request yesterday to join a team in Rome next week. At a building site, they found something that may be a tomb, and Italian law mandates that it be properly investigated for historical or religious significance.’
‘So how long will that take?’
Jay shrugged. ‘Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month.’
‘Wow! And you are OK being away for so long?’
‘Mi dà l’opportunità di lavorare sul mio italiano.’
‘What?’
Jay laughed. ‘One advantage is that I get to learn new languages.’
‘Now you’re beginning to show off.’ They all laughed.
Suddenly, the lights went out.
‘Hey!’ were the cries from the living room.
‘Mom! The movie switched off!’ came the cry from the basement.
‘Uncle Jay is going to fix it in a minute. Hold on!’ Jenny shouted back.
‘Sorry, guys! I don’t know what happened.’ Jay went to the edge of the balcony and looked around. ‘It doesn’t appear to be a power cut. The streetlights are on. I’ll go check the fuses in the basement. There’s a kerosene lantern on the coffee table, and matches in the draw under the TV. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Shouldn’t take long.’ Jay started for the basement.
‘That won’t be necessary,’ a voice said from behind them. ‘And please. No sudden moves. I don’t want to have to shoot anyone before I’m ready.’
Busha George was standing in the frame of the front door, his silhouette lit by the moonlight.