Chapter 5


    The rain is a delight. It races down from Heaven above like shimmering crystals. Its re blinds my


    eyes as the flourishing, green pastures cascade over one another in a...


    Out of frustration, Lyte scribbled over her writings before attempting to retry her hand at her craft,


    only, her hand all of the sudden saw fit to remain stationary.


    She looked up and around at her environment, from the withering branches on an old bamboo tree that


    she was seated underneath, to the oversaturating rain that was causing her already deep depression to


    worsen by the day. By that point, writing something as simple and in as the word "The" was about as


    prolific as jumping into ake.


    She watched lethargically as various people went in and out of The Kabal restaurant; a nice little dive


    located just a hundred yards from the shoreline.


    Clothed in an orange and ck, tie-dyed mini-skirt, matching blouse and headscarf, Lyte listened


    to the thumping of music that wasing from the reggae-themed establishment. By then, however,


    the brand of music had all but worn thin on her. It wasn''t that she didn''t enjoy or like reggae, but so


    much of it back to back was starting to cause her to lose her own natural rhythm.


    "Lynn!" A young, ck woman from the backdoor of The Kabal called out waving.


    Rolling her eyes, Lyte took her notepad and pen, stuffed them into the backside of her skirt and


    proceeded to climb down from off the wooden fence she was sitting upon.


    With only a newspaper covering her head, the youngdy ran back across the sand and towards the


    restaurant until she approached the backdoor.


    "You almostte, little girl," the woman scolded Lyte as she held the door open for her.


    Cleaning off the wetness, Lyte dropped her newspaper onto the floor before saying, "Clea, I still


    had three minutes left on my break."


    Making her way back over to a simmering stove where three other ck men were steadily cooking,


    Clea responded, "It no matter, child, we just got de afternoon rush in. You should be used to dis by


    now."


    The kitchen possessed the aromatic smells of both seafood and fruit. There was a tiny, steamed up


    cracked mirror that was perched upon the wall next to the backdoor. Lyte checked her facial


    features and straitened her scarf before rushing by Clea on her way out into the dining area.


    Bob Marley''s, ''Three Little Birds'' was ying on the stereo system as people either sat and waited to


    be served or were exiting the building. Lyte whipped out her notepad and pen and approached the


    first table sheid eyes on where a white couple was already seated.


    From one table to another the woman took orders, chatted with and at timesughed with patrons.


    tes were brought in and out, tips were taken, and at most times, flirtatious actions from men were


    politely ignored until six p.m. crawled around. The restaurant remained open until 2 a.m., but Lyte


    and a few others'' shifts wereplete for the day. She, along with Clea and the three cooks all began


    their nightly trek to their various homes. With umbres being their only shield against the rain,


    Lyte and Clea carried on towards a nearby shantytown where cars, trucks and mopeds were


    careening through the streets, carelessly sshing water to and fro without a second thought to who


    they could have been offending.


    "Did ya ever manage to get de pads dat ya needed, girl?" Clea asked.


    Blushing, Lyte whispered, "You don''t ask that out in the open public, girl."


    "And why not," Clea shrugged. "We all women need dem!"Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "I know, but—


    "Hail up!" A young, ck man with a multi-colored beanie cap approached Lyte to her side.


    Startled, Lyte inadvertently bumped against Clea. "Oh, where did youe from, Jose?" She


    laughed.


    "I be around, here and dere." He smiled from ear to ear.


    Clea yfully nudged Lyte''s shoulder in the attempt to get her to walk closer to Jose. Lyte only


    grabbed the woman by the hand and squeezed as tight as she could.


    "Weh yud deh pan?" Jose asked.


    Appearing confused, Lyte turned up her nose, "I didn''t quite understand."


    "I asked, what are you up to?"


    "Ohh, why can''t you just say that then," she giggled.


    "I try to get you used to ournguage, since you be here for a while." Jose glowed.


    Lyte just pressed her lips together before releasing Clea''s hand. "How are things down at the


    bay?"


    "Ahh, quite well, quite well indeed." Jose remarked. "When will you be back again?"


    "Probably the day after tomorrow," Lyte said. "I gotta see how much money I can make due with


    until the end of the week."


    "Ohh, look at de time!" Clea nced at her watch. "I gotta get home to me kids and feed dem!" She


    whimsically parted ways with the two. "I see you tomorrow at work, little girl!"


    Lyte watched with hesitant eyes as the woman cut down an alley and out of sight. That in turn left


    both her and Jose all alone. It wasn''t what she desired, but at least she could divert her attention to


    something else...for the time being.


    "To be truthful, I am learning a few new words here and there." Lyte said.


    "Oh really," Jose perked up. "And what words dose be?"


    "Well, I know that Irie means happy."


    "Very good," Jose pped his hands.


    "Thank you, thank you." Lyte proudly smiled.


    "So tell me, how long ya n on staying here?"


    Twisting her lips in a yful fashion, Lyte stated, "You always ask me that, and I always say the


    same thing. I...don''t...know."


    "But I have to know, Lynn!" Jose pleaded.


    "Why is that?"


    Jose then stood in front of Lyte and stared her straight in her eyes. The woman stared right back at


    his brown eyes and partially bearded face with a sense of anxiety attached to her.


    Jose then took Lyte''s free hand and held it within his own warm hands. "I really have been wanting


    to take you to de end of de mountains, where de waterfalls lie. And den after dat, I wanted to show you


    where dey shot de James Bond film back in ''62." Jose said with such fervent zeal.


    "James Bond?" Lyte winced with a giggle. "To tell you the God''s honest truth, I think I''ve only seen


    one 007 movie in my life. I never really was into those flicks."


    "Dat''s okay; no one down here cares for him either." Jose snickered back. "It''s still a beautiful ce,


    Lynn."


    Lyte just stood in the rain while her t shoes grew increasingly wet by the second. She could


    sense the man''s good intentions, and yet, it was the intention that caused her heart to race right then.


    Nodding her head, Lyte replied, "I''ll think about it. As long as it''s not raining when we end up going.


    It was raining when I left home."


    "You shall be irie!" Jose skipped a beat before kissing Lyte''s hand. "I shall see you tomorrow den!"


    "I thought you told Cusha that you would stop by for supper!"


    Racing away in the rain, Jose yelled, "I must go and tell my mother! Besides, dis isn''t even my


    garrison!"


    Lyte just shook her head in quirky disbelief before turning and realizing that she had been standing


    at her shelter all along. Passing by two old men ying dominoes underneath an umbre at a small


    table, she ran up the corroded, metal steps until she made it to a rusted steel door. But before she


    opened the door, the young woman shook the rain from off her umbre and took a long gander of her


    shantytown environment.


    From the shacks that were seemingly piled on top of one another, to theundry that was perched


    outside on various strings. The smell of marijuana hanging deftly in the warm, rainy airbined with


    cooking food and the raw stench of urine always seemed to cause Lyte to remind herself just


    where she was; it wasn''t home, but then again, home was never home either.


    Lyte turned back around and twisted the doorknob. Almost immediately she was bombarded by the


    aromas of jerk chicken boiling in a pot that was dangling over an open fire. On a mat that was lying


    next to the pot were cut up avocadoes and what looked like pigs feet right next to them.


    The humidity inside the tiny shack was overbearing, as usual, but at least Lyte was out of the


    soaking rain. Getting dry quickly never seemed to be too much of a chore. Lyte ced her


    umbre down next to the door before sneaking over to the stewing pot to grab a whiff.


    "How ya stay, girl?" Arge, older ckdy, clothed in a brown cloth skirt came in through a nket


    that was blocking one part of the shack off to the other.


    Lyte had to pause for a second or two while trying toprehend what Cusha had just uttered.


    "I...I''m fine today." She grinned.


    "Good, good." Cusha breathed heavily while carrying a basket full of avocadoes into the room, only for


    her to drop them on the floor. "Why ya be sote today, child?" She asked while brushing aside her


    long, grey hair.


    "I was talking with Jose outside." Lyte answered before rushing over to aid Cusha. "What are all


    these for?" She began picking up the avocadoes from off the floor.


    Huffing and puffing, Cusha wiped sweat from her face and said, "Dere be a big party for dear old


    Master Goodun. A big birthday bash, ya know!"


    Rolling her eyes, Lyte griped, "I hate it when you call that man master. He may be your employer,


    but he''s not your master."


    "De man pays me well, girl. Well enough not to need two jobs."


    "Yeah, well you know why I need two jobs to begin with,dy." Lyte snidely remarked before going


    back over to the boiling pot.


    "Don''t be crayven!" Cusha smacked her hand away. "Dere be more dan enough for you and I."


    Lyte just sat herself down at the little table for two and watched as Cusha sat Indian-style down on


    the floor and started cutting up avocadoes.


    The youngdy was beaten for the day, but not so much to the point where she wanted to go and lie


    down. There was something always startling to her about Cusha''sborious detail that seemed to seize


    Lyte''s attention to no end.


    "So, how be work today?" Cusha asked without taking her eyes away from her duty.


    "It was okay." Lyte sighed. "This rain is really getting me down though."


    "Oh, girl, dis rain is nutingpared to what we had to see way back in ''51."


    "You always bring that up,dy." She smirked.


    "Because I know dey not have hurricanes where you from," Cusha remarked with a smirk of her own.


    "That''s true, but then again, you all never had to deal with blizzards either."


    "Here, take de pot away from de fire, child."


    At once, Lyte got up, and with a towel that sat beside the sink, she lifted the searing hot pot from


    off the fire before cing it down onto the floor.


    "Tomorrow before yae home from work, get some sweet potatoes from de patch, please."


    "But that''s all the way down at the hatchery." Lyteined. "I don''t n on going down there


    again until the end of the week."


    "But ya go to see Jose, no?"


    Lyte just blushed at that instant before carrying herself over to the nket and pulling it back to


    look out at the miniature, metal balcony and the numerous shacks that surrounded.


    "I don''t know for sure!" She said out loud in a sort of mncholy way. "He''s sweet, but he''s just too


    persistent for my taste."


    "A persistent man in dese parts is a man to keep, girl."


    "It depends, I guess."


    "Depends on what?"


    "On...on whether I need it that bad or not," Lyte vacited to say.


    "Need a man dat bad?" Cusha asked with an entric tone in her voice.


    Lyte''s head spun around so quickly at that moment in utter amazement. She could hardly believe


    that such words hade out of the woman''s mouth at all.


    With her eyes still on her peeling, Cusha asked, "Ya tink mi born big?"


    Lyte thought and rummaged through her brain before she finally got it. "No, Cusha, I know you''re


    not a fool." She twisted her lips.


    "Jose good man," Cusha turned her head slightly. "I know him long since he was but an imp. Hee


    from good family. He do ya good, child."


    Lyte just stood against the threshold while her eyes nced from Cusha to back outside. Every so


    often she could hear children crying or ying out in the rain.


    "Do you wanna y dominoester on?" Lyte''s tongue dragged.


    "No, no, girl, I got much cooking and stewing to do. Perhaps tomorrow after de party."


    Coming back inside, Lyte began to wander towards her so called room, but not before taking one


    last nce at Cusha and asking, "Have you heard anything more from—


    "No, child, I hear nuting from de mountain boys." Cusha moaned.


    Turning in abject defeat, Lyte pushed open the curtain that led to her mattress on the floor. She


    then pulled off her skirt and panties before dropping her naked body down onto the mat.


    "If ya go out again tonight, make sure ya stay away from de Lower End!" Cusha called out. "I hear dey


    do a lot of shootin'' all day!"


    Lyte heard her, but her body and spirit was entirely too weary to conjure a response. To her right


    was her little ck bible. She picked it up before aimlessly flicking through its ruffled pages.


    Soon, however, her arms were beginning to grow increasingly tired. She dropped the bible to the floor


    while a tear began to fall down from her left eye.


    Right then, Cusha began humming a tune. Ever since Lyte began staying with the woman she


    heard her hum it all the time. It was the same tune always, and every time Lyte could never get just


    what song it was, and she never bothered to ask. It just always seemed to grant her the serenity she so


    desired in an otherwise unwholesome situation. Nighttime was on its way. Lyte clinched her body


    as tight as she possibly could in stifling anticipation for what it yielded.


    Nighttime in Negril usually came quite quickly, and depending upon where in the city one resided, it


    arrived without much delight or mercy.