Palmares by Gayl Jones
Author:Gayl Jones [Jones, Gayl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780807033524
Google: wA4PEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 2021-09-13T23:00:00+00:00
A Man of Wealth and Light Skin
and a Woman Convicted
of Casting Love Spells
I WENT OUT WITH OLD VERA to gather berries and birdsâ eggs. That was the first time I had been out since I was brought there. When we returned a solemn man was sitting at the table. He was dressed in a black shirt and black trousers. He was sitting alone. Old Vera entered as if it were a natural thing to see him there, but I hesitated. âCome on, child,â she said, and then she greeted him. He greeted her and said his name was Sobremonte.
âOh, youâre Sobremonte,â she said.
I entered and closed the door. Old Vera sat the baskets of berries and ostrich eggs in a corner.
Sobremonte sat in silence. He was a short, slender man of African descent it was plain to see, but his skin was very light. And his expression, or something made me feel that he was a man of wealth as well as light skin.
âAnd what has this land done to a young mulattoâs hopes?â she asked.
He turned and stared at her, as one stares at a stranger who has discovered some secret.
âWho is the man with clear blue eyes?â she asked.
âAre you a fortune-teller?â he asked, looking at her. âOr have I met you somewhere before? Has Barcala spoken to you of me?â
âI have neither met you nor has Barcala spoken of you. But have you sought redress for the wrong?â
He said nothing, then he said with sarcasm, âI am an irredeemable person from a long lineage of bastardies and the priesthood is inviolate. It would be eternally ruined with an infusion of my blood.â
âHave you ever seen a mulatto priest, Almeyda?â Old Vera asked me.
âNo,â I said.
She laughed.
Barcala came in. âSobremonte, my friend,â he said, greeting him and shaking hands. âWhat word do you have from my brother?â
âThey should be here before dark, and the family of Martina Puerreydon.â
âAnd has he sent me no message?â
âHe says you are a poor devil,â Sobremonte said.
âWe are all poor devils,â Barcala said.
âDo you see the woman with blood in her teeth, surrounded by dead menâs bones? Do you come when she beckons you?â Old Vera asked.
No one said anything, then Sobremonte said, âThis woman knew me before I even spoke my name. Or did I speak my name? Yes. But she knew details of my life. You told her I would be here?â
âI have not seen Old Vera, but Old Vera has seen everything.â
âItâs most vexing.â
âMost vexing? See how the man talks,â Old Vera said with a laugh.
âI have seen Old Vera in a trance, reciting lines from books in academic Portuguese, and knowing things it would seem impossible for such a woman to know in such a place,â said Barcala.
Everyone turned to Old Vera but she disclosed nothing. After a while she said, âIt is only through God that one travels through time and the spirit.â
Barcala had a twinkle in his eye. âIn her younger days,â he said, âshe was convicted of casting love spells.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Dearly: New Poems by Margaret Atwood(1659)
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline(1419)
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway;(1007)
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead(970)
The Godfather by Mario Puzo & Anthony Puzo(864)
A Taste of Venice by Donna Leon(863)
My Boyfriend's Lesbian Mom: Book 7: Threesome Heat by Amanda Clover(859)
Howey, Hugh - Silo 03 - Dust by Hugh Howey(814)
Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown(805)
Drown Her Sorrows (Bree Taggert) by Melinda Leigh(727)
Man on Top by Laurelin Paige(700)
The Witness by Nichole Severn(700)
The Best American Short Stories 2020 by Curtis Sittenfeld(668)
Cursed in Love by Kenborn Cora & René Dani(628)
Towles, Amor - A Gentleman in Moscow by Towles Amor(611)
The Best American Mystery Stories 2020 by C. J. Box;Otto Penzler;(609)
Swag by Elmore Leonard(606)
Black Water Sister by Zen Cho(589)
Licking Lesbian Erotica: 5 Fifthy Explicit Lesbian Erotica Stories (First Time Lesbian Seduction) by L. Lauderdale(582)
