Marlon James - A Brief History of Seven Killings

Evening. Me and Pavarotti late. I don’t have a watch but I can count when time ticking away. Could do it from me was a boy. Plus me grandfather teach me how to tell time like a Colon man. Hold on, him wasn’t me grandfather, no man in the ghetto have grandfather. He was just an old man unlucky to be the only man who live to old age, singing the Colon man song. One two three four Colon man a come. One two three four Colon man a come. One two three four Colon man a come, with him brass chain ah like him belly bam bam bam. Ask him the time and him look up in the sun with him brass chain a lick him belly bam bam bam.

Pavarotti look at me blank — I didn’t realize me was singing it out loud. So evening, maybe seven-thirty, but we near the sea so nothing blocking the sun as it run away. Tony Pavarotti driving slow and me not telling him to drive fast and the disco music fulling the space where otherwise two man would have to talk. First me think it was a batty boy vibe but then the lyrics penetrate. Shadow dance for true. We shadow dancing as soon as light set to go. What done in darkness can never come back to light.

We riding against the sea in peace and I thinking about how the second peace concert born in England. Because 1977 was nothing but war. The concert was calling for one love, and we charge two dollar for the “togetherness section,” five dollar for the “love” section and eight dollar for the “peace” section, that way if rich burn-skin white man and woman want to come they can come too with no fear, although there was no way in hell that was going to happen. Burn-skin white man don’t want peace, he want Jamaica to become the USA state number fifty-one, shit, he would settle for just a colony.

We do the concert because whether you green or you orange, some place still don’t have no toilet and we have pickneys surviving stick, stone and bullet only to get kill by a drink of water. We do the concert because one in every three never have no work, and that was not just in the ghetto. We do the concert because Babylon was coming for all of we. The Singer come back but things did change in him. Where before he would grab you before he even see you, now he wait one-two second and nod or grab him chin and smile. Where he would finish a sentence you start, now he wait for you to finish, look right through you and don’t say nothing. Understand this, me didn’t have nothing to do with December 1976, but I know he now sleep with one eye open and that eye sometimes ’pon me. Me and Tony Pavarotti leaving the sea and turning for McGregor Gully.

The concert. Me never get to see the peace concert in 1976. But me get to see the war right after. So April 22 me at this concert. Me on the stage. Me watch Seaga and Manley form steeple over the Singer head. People always looking for signs and wonders, but signs signal nothing and nothing in a wonder to wonder about. The man me never going forget is Tosh. First me think this man come shit ’pon we concert. That man just had a thing for rubbing me the wrong way until me figure him out. And even when me figure him out and think we have an understanding, him still a little fuckup, maybe because more than the other two, him is the one Babylon fuck with the most, especially Babylon police. Just a month before the Singer come back, the customs officer stop Tosh at the airport and hold him for long. Here is what the officer whisper to him: Me looking for a reason to shoot you . Me didn’t even want him too much because a man like that never feel the positive vibration. Is the Singer who did want him and convince him to come. Me no get between family and them affairs. Almost a month now and is still Tosh me remember. Tosh was the one who make sure nobody ever forget. Right before the concert he say he not playing no bombocloth concert because every man involve in that concert going end up dead . Man come on the stage in the still hot evening wearing black from head to foot, like him official, like is CIA work for Rasta. The first thing he do is tell man to lock off them bombocloth camera. Is word sound and power that break down the barriers of oppression and drive away transgression and rule equality. Well right now you have a system or a shitstem wha’ go on in this country fi a long ages and ’imes. Four hundred years and the same bucky massa business and black inferiority and brown superiority and white superiority rule this little black country here fi a long ’imes. Well I and I come with Earthquake Lightning and Thunder to break down these barriers of oppression, drive away transgression and rule equality between humble black people.

Me stun like little boy when him first see a dead shotta. Even with the Rastaman vibration moving through me head, me never once think ’bout the black, even when me drive past plantation still standing. The last thing him say,

If unu want go ah heaven a fi unu business I will be here a billion years .

Mick Jagger prancing like a drunk goat, looking on like proud daddy. Me and Tony Pavarotti driving down the road. How much minute me just miss? I feel like when me fall asleep and wake up and the plane still in the air. Tony Pavarotti saying nothing.

— We turn for McGregor Gully yet?

Him nod yes, just as I remember. Maybe me just tired. Making things right is hard work. Harder than crime. McGregor Gully always smell like shit and factory chemical run loose. People live ’round here but me send message from two day ago that they better clear out when me coming. They can come back when we gone.

Police wasn’t going find none of them boy but I was. Two years me see and wait. See them a hide like pussyhole while me wait for the Singer to come back to deal with them for real. One man hide in Jungle and there be a mother to blame. Damn them and they motherlove. Plenty woman-killer remember Mother’s Day. So mama hide son in her cupboard for over one year until even she get tired of it. Leggo Beast, crouched in cupboard with bread and roach and cheese and mouse for over a year. Come out only at night like him name Count Dracula. The little pussyhole never learn say if you want to hide in plain sight, then don’t be a fool and get your mother to buy cocaine for you. Josey is the one who tip me off.

Seven forty-five in the morning. Babylon still asleep, like it always asleep when it come to justice. Me send word that is time to deal with that little pussyhole. Fucking idiot. Me send two man to pull him out of the cupboard and bring him and the mother too. Me hear her scream ’bout nobody deh yah even though nobody ask her anything. Good Lord, woman can fool. When they bring the boy and him mother to me, right at me gate, the boy blinking from too much sunlight and him skin white from head to toe. Me don’t want neither of them disgrace me premises with they presence so me come out to the road. The mother bawling do no take me boy, do no take me boy. Me don’t have no words for either. But me want the boy to see how much what him do cost, and how he was going pay. The year in cupboard make him stop grow. He nothing but bone and skin and he look at me all shifty, like lizard, then stare back at the ground. This from the boy them call Leggo Beast. I look at him mesh sleeveless and him jeans shorts, which cut off too high and the scab on him right shoulder. Leggo Beast look at me again and me take him in good, size him up nice then ball a quick, tight fist and punch straight in the mother face.

She stagger back and he yell. I grab her in the front of her dress before she stagger back too far then one two three more punch straight in her face. Her lip burst like tomato and her knees buckle and me let her sink into the road. Put me finger together and slap her right cheek with a strike, then left, then right again, then left. Leggo Beast bawling out for him mother, me point one finger and my man take him gun butt and clap him in the balls. People coming to watch. Let them watch. Let them remember how Papa-Lo discipline work. I slap her again, left, right, left. A woman scream out do Papa show her mercy and me drop the fucking bitch and walk over to my man and take him gun. I walk right up to the woman and put the gun ’pon her forehead and say, You want mercy? Make me show you bombocloth mercy. Me will show her mercy if you come take her punishment. The woman back ’way.