Kerry Young - Pao

‘Mr Philip, it like a war zone in that house up there. Every day Miss Cicely playing the piano and singing at the top of her voice. Her favourite one at the moment is “Sinners, Turn: Why Will You Die?” I know it by heart myself now because Miss Cicely play it a hundred times a day, especially when Father Michael visiting. She thump down on them keys, because she play it loud but she no play it too good, and she sing, Dead, already dead within, Spiritually dead in sin, Dead to God while here you breathe, Pant ye after second death? She play it over and over. Will you still in sin remain, Greedy of eternal pain? O you dying sinners, why, Why will you forever die? She sing all fourteen verses of Mr Wesley’s song just like she learn it when she was a Methodist before she turn Roman Catholic, so I dunno what Father Michael make of that.

‘Then all the time Miss Cicely quoting the Bible like she say, He that soweth to his flesh shall of flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting . She love say things like that when she know Miss Fay can hear her. So they argue ’bout that and how Miss Fay running to Bishop’s Lodge all the time and how Father following her from one end of town to the other. And when Miss Fay tell her Father Michael her counsel Miss Cicely say, You should let the word of the Lord be a lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path .

‘But truth is I never see nothing going on with the Father. I never even see him stand close to Miss Fay or touch her or anything like that. He just always got his hands clasp in front of him or resting in his lap. And he always keep so still. You never see him like make no sudden movement. None of the help say they notice anything so I dunno what go on but for sure Miss Cicely not happy ’bout it.

‘Then when they not arguing ’bout the Father Miss Cicely say it not seemly for a married woman to be constantly running between her husband and father and dragging the children with her, and going out with her friends every night, going to every nightclub and party in town.’

And then Ethyl sorta lower her voice and look down and say, ‘Because Miss Fay go out at night a lot.’

And then she carry on, ‘And Miss Fay say it not her fault she have a lot of friends and it better than if she running ’round town with some jock. Well that word now, “jock”, really get Miss Cicely started on some long speech that she finish off by saying, You too busy fretting about your social standing when you should be saying to yourself the Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer .

‘And even in the middle of them arguing Miss Cicely will just stop and say something like, We pay all that money for your schooling and you can’t even stand up straight. Why you need to lean on the doorpost? And then she tell Miss Fay to act like she a respectable woman. Another time she say to her, Take your hands off your hips! What you think this is? You think you big enough now to be standing there akimbo scowling at me? And if Miss Fay interrupt her, Miss Cicely say, I am talking. I am talking to you here if you don’t mind .

‘But the worst time was when Miss Fay say that Mr Stanley run off to England just to get away from her, Miss Cicely that is.’

Ethyl talking so fast I have to put my hand up like a policeman say stop so as I can ask her who Stanley is because I got no idea who she talking ’bout.

‘Mr Stanley Miss Cicely’s firstborn.’

‘Miss Cicely got another child?’

‘Yes, sah. But Mr Henry not him father. I dunno who him papa except I hear Miss Fay say something ’bout Mr Johnson marrying Miss Cicely off to Mr Henry. And that make Miss Cicely vex ’cause she say, Mr Johnson was your grandfather, God rest his soul, and you will talk about him with a civil tongue in your head. He didn’t do nothing to you . So I dunno what all that about, except it seem like Mr Johnson Miss Cicely’s papa.’

‘So what ’bout Stanley going to England?’

‘Miss Fay say Mr Stanley run off to England to get away from Miss Cicely hounding him every day ’bout how he stupid and lazy and irresponsible, and how he never going ’mount to anything. And Miss Cicely say it not true, Mr Stanley go to join the Royal Air Force, to serve his Queen and country in a time of need. And Miss Fay say no, Mr Stanley sick and tired of Miss Cicely because no matter what he do Miss Cicely never forgive him for being as black as her.

‘The latest thing is a letter come from England for Miss Fay. It come from Mr Stanley and it say he can make arrangements for her to go there. She write a reply to him and she say she need a divorce so she can get the children from you, but the Church not going give it to her. I know it bad of me but I been taking the liberty to steam open the envelope when they come and when she give me the letter to take to the post office.’

Then she stop and she just sit there and look at me. And then she say, ‘I think that all I got to tell you right now, Mr Philip.’

So I say, ‘Thank you, Ethyl. You must be hungry you come here straight from work. Maybe you go get ’ but before I finish talk Hampton jump up and start mumble something and shake out him legs and brush down him shirt and pants, look like him trying to make an impression.

And then finally him say, ‘I can take Miss Ethyl for some dinner and drive her home after if that alright with you?’

I just look at him. And then I say, ‘Yah, man.’

After the two of them leave I lock up the shop and walk ’round to Matthews Lane. When I get there, there is a big commotion going on. Mui talking so fast I can’t make no sense outta what she saying. Ma trying to get her calm down when the telephone ring. It Clifton Brown.

‘I got Karl down here at the police station.’

‘What you got him doing down there?’

‘He get arrested by accident. I just trying to sort things out now and I bring him over the house in a hour or so.’

When Clifton turn up he got Xiuquan and two police constables with him that I never seen before. He say they young, they new to the neighbourhood, they didn’t know no better. They make a mistake. I reckon everything they do must be a mistake the two of them look so dimwitted. And with one of them so tall and the other one so short they just like Mutt and Jeff out on another one of them get-rich-quick scheme. I almost expect one of them to say ‘Oowah!’

But these two constables not no comic strip, because when they see Xiuquan lifting the bow and arrow outta the store they shout at him to stop, and when he start running, they chase him till they finally catch up with him halfway down Barry Street and they take him back to the station.

When I ask Xiuquan what him think he doing he say they frighten him when they start shout, and him just in a hurry to run back home.

So I say to him, ‘But you no pay for the things you take outta the shop?’

‘Pay? We never pay for anything. It was a gift. It is always a gift.’

‘So if it a gift how come yu start running when yu see the police coming?’

But before he get to answer Mui say, ‘Because you cannot always trust the police to understand your situation.’

I think to myself yes, she right. But I also know another Xiuquan that take off just like that when the police turn up.

Just then I look ’round and catch Zhang walking off up the yard to his room.

Clifton push the constables forward to come apologise to me, and they both tell me them sorry. They nuh know who Xiuquan is. They nuh know him my boy. Arresting him a mistake they regret and they promise it never happen again.

I tell them is OK, these things happen. No harm done. And I open some Red Stripes and pass them ’round. The constables sit down and drink the beer, and they smile at me, but I can tell they none too happy ’bout the whole situation.