Gloria by Kerry Young

Author:Kerry Young
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: General Fiction
ISBN: 9781620400753
Publisher: Bloomsbury (UK)
Published: 2013-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

When I get back to the house I find Auntie in a mood. She banging and crashing the pans in the kitchen just like she used to in that dark little room at Back-O-Wall. So I go in there and lean on the doorpost and say to her, ‘Something happen?’

‘Something happen? What yu think happen?’

‘I don’t know, Auntie. That is why I am asking you.’

She never even bother to look at me. She just carry on washing and rinsing the same dishes over and over. Then she say, ‘He been here yu know.’

‘Who?’

‘Who yu think? Yang Pao.’

‘So what he want?’

‘What he want? Yu asking me? All I know is he come here talking to me like I am some maid. The hired domestic. That is what. Asking me fi ice water and meking himself familiar with Esther. At least when yu here he focus himself on you.’

‘What yu mean familiar?’

‘Come ask how she doing and how she a get along wid me. If I treat her good. Di man too faass and facety.’

‘He her father, Auntie. What yu expect?’

‘Expect? Me?’ She dry her hands on the cloth. ‘Who he think I am?’

‘Who yu want him to think yu are?’

She really vex now, standing there with the pan in her hand like what she want to do more than anything is throw it at me. So I calm myself and I say to her, ‘Mama tell me yu know. When Esther born and she come from country. She tell me.’

‘What she tell yu?’

‘That yu my real mama.’

‘She tell yu that?’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘What else she tell yu?’

‘Nothing. She say it between you and me.’

And just when I think she going say something meaningful to me she tek off her apron and throw it down on the counter and walk off. So I follow her into her bedroom where she sitting in the armchair making like she doing her mending.

‘Yu nuh think maybe it time we talk?’

‘Talk? When we going do that? Everyday yu busy-busy go-a Franklyn Town ’bout yu business or downtown wiping the runny nose a dem pickney mother. Like deh not got enough people waiting on dem hand and foot and telling dem it OK. Who yu think was there to help me? I will tell yu. Nobody. That was who. Just me, you and nobody.’

‘Auntie, I know it musta been hard.’

‘Hard? Hard? You got no idea what hard is. All yu do is run ’round town while I am here tending to little Esther all day long. And if that not enough, yu know what she say to me today? She say, “You are not my mommy.” That is what she say when I was telling her to behave herself.’

And then I see the tear in her eye that she quickly wipe away and act like nothing happen.

‘I bring yu from country because I reckon I could mek yu a life away from all di misery back there. But yu got no idea what it like for a woman to be trying to mek a living wid a pickney strap to her back.

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