The Non-Silence of the Lamb
Page 1
The Non-Silence
of the
LAMB
(Contemporary Edition)
Clarion Review
GENERAL
The Non-Silence of the LAMB
Berthalicia Fonseca-Brown
Luke A. M. Brown
It is a story of love and family, and it is quite nicely, if not artfully, told. The prose is simple and easy to follow.
At the very least, they have crafted a pleasant, often sweet, and always entertaining novel about an unusual, dynamic woman and the family she built.
Mark McLaughlin
Copyright © 2011 by Dr. Luke A.M. Brown
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission except for small parts or excerpts used for official review.
ISBN-13: 978-1456588007
ISBN-10: 1456588001
Visit Dr. Luke A.M. Brown & Mrs. Berthalicia Fonseca-Brown at www.TheNon-SilenceoftheLAMB.com.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons—living or dead—business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.
The Non-Silence
of the
LAMB
(Contemporary Edition)
Dr. Luke A. M. Brown &
Mrs. Berthalicia Fonseca-Brown
DEDICATION
Our late mother:
Mrs. Estelle Streete Brown.
For the record, we owe our success to
Moreen Williams, Dolcie Garwood,
Gretchen Reid, Dr. Michael Simonds,
Dr. Pamela Garjian, and Dr. Miguel Buxeda.
Our editor, William Greenleaf.
THANK YOU
Also dedicated to our late sisters:
Beverly Allen,
Myrette Williams.
And to our late nephew:
Caple Allan-Browdie.
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Prologue
It was barely dawn, but Essie couldn’t wait a moment longer. “Wake up, wake up! It’s Easter Sunday. Everybody get your bathing suits and bathing trunks.”
The closest they came to a family trip was when Essie took them to the beach on Easter.
Bunny jumped up and down, clapping his hands. “Great! We’re going to the beach.”
Myrtle frowned. “I don’t have a bathing suit.”
“What happened to the one Gena sent you not so long ago?”
“It’s too tight now, and it’s ripped on both sides.”
“Let me see it. Maybe Gena—no, Betty—can fix it on her sewing machine.”
“Do we have to come, too, Miss Essie?” asked the twin.
“Yes, I want everybody to come. Is that too much to ask? I know I didn’t tell you about it, but I’ve been planning this for a long time. I want to enjoy this Easter Sunday with my family, and you’re part of my family now. I’ve already bought lots of spice buns and cheeses for the picnic. On our way, we’ll stop by the shop to get one or two crates of sodas to drink.”
“Yeah!” Leonard exclaimed, rejoicing over the good news. “We couldn’t celebrate Easter Sunday without buns and cheese. We’re going to have a good time.”
“We should be going to church to celebrate Easter Sunday, not going to the beach,” said Karl. “I’m not going with you. I’m going to church instead.”
“Junior—I mean, Karl—you don’t want to join us at the beach?” Essie said. “It’s going to be fun. Everybody will be there except you.” There was deep regret in her voice.
“I don’t care about everybody. I’m going to church. Easter is a church day, and that’s what I feel like doing.”
“Okay, you can stay here and go to church if that’s what you want.”
Essie gave in to his request because she knew how much he resented her for having sent him to live in the severely underdeveloped countryside with his dad. She tried hard to make him happy and comfortable now, but Karl openly swore that he would never forgive her until the day he died. He showed his resentment of her every chance he got.
What Karl didn’t understand was that when he treated her badly and with deliberate disrespect, it didn’t matter, because nothing he could ever say would make her feel worse than she already did. If only she’d known that he had the same strong anti-country gene as she did, she wouldn’t have sent him to live with his father. She shared his pain. She knew what it felt like to be a bigcity-minded person trapped in a small country town.
Laden with lots of spice buns and cheeses, as well as a large delicious fruitcake that Essie had made and a crate of sodas, the rest of the family headed off to Doctor’s Cave Beach. They laid out their blankets and towels and placed all their picnic items under the shade of a great almond tree just to the right-hand side of the beach. Like the great Christopher Columbus, they declared this area to be their family picnic spot for the day.
They jumped, splashed, dove, and swam in the ocean until their weary souls filled with satisfaction. They spanned, rolled, and played on the beach, and their bodies glowed with the blazing island heat. They had a wonderful picnic lunch and a happy afternoon. They roasted in the tropical inferno and worshiped the mean island sun for a day as they frolicked around each other.
Essie’s family was filled with the resurrection spirit as they amused themselves on that Easter Sunday. Essie was right: they were all having a wonderful time, and it brought the family a little closer together.
While everyone was having fun, Essie went for a walk alongside the crystal-clear ocean. As she strolled along the tropical playland, the warm ocean water reached for her feet on the sun-heated beach, and the sand tickled her toes. She watched as the gentle tides curled and rolled in toward the shoreline. The waves rocked and changed direction ever so slightly with the wind. Kids and adults alike fulfilled their aquatic hearts’ desires as they swam in the warm, soothing water.
Essie stared in front of her at the long stretch of pure white sand. Sun-thirsty bodies were laid out in long rows of white plastic reclining chairs, soaking up the healing rays of the island sun. Near the chairs stood large green-and-yellow or red-and-white umbrellas, in case the sunbathers wanted some shade.
Livelier sun worshipers in barely-there bikinis and bathing trunks rocked to the rhythm of the reggae music beat playing at the tiki bar farther away from the shore. A dance instructor taught the island enthusiasts reggae and soca dance moves while the staff made sure their glasses were never empty. Others sat around small, round white plastic tables watching the sunset as it painted new colors across the sky and sea. Some were enjoying mouthwatering island foods: spicy beef patties, jerk chicken, jerk pork, and deep-fried chicken wings with golden fries. Some simply settled for a snack and a Red Stripe beer.
Doctor’s Cave was
certainly a picnic and sunbathers’ paradise in Montego Bay. Essie gazed out at the spectacular panoramic view of the coastline and the white sailboats and tiny glass-bottom boats floating in the bay. The latter were mostly fishermen searching for their evening meal.
She looked behind her and observed the offshore reefs and warm, shallow waters, ideal for snorkeling and for underwater enthusiasts.
Essie quietly observed everything around her. She smiled at the sheer beauty and serenity of her environment, the uniqueness of the people, and of course, the natural attributes of the tropical island of Jamaica.
“Momma, we should do this more often,” Betty said when Essie returned from her stroll on the beach. “I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve been to the beach. It’s rejuvenated my body and my mind.”
“Yes, it’s true,” Junior said. “We should do this more often. I also need to teach the boys how to swim.”
“I can swim,” Bunny said.
“I can swim, too,” Leonard said, indignant.
“Well, yes, you both can swim,” Junior said, “but Don, Andre, and Breath don’t know the first thing about swimming. I need to take them to the beach every Sunday to teach them.”
“I can swim a little, but not that well,” said Don, Gena’s oldest son.
“I almost drowned today, trying to swim,” Andre said.
“Me too,” Breath agreed.
“No!” Essie said. “That’s not true, guys. Don’t say that, because if your mom hears it, she’ll die.”
“They’re both exaggerating,” Junior said. “Nothing happened to them, Momma. I was with them all day, playing with a beach ball at the edge of the water.”
Essie summed up the festive day, happily reminiscing about her childhood. “All in all, this has been a great day. It was always my dream to see the whole family come out to have fun at this beach. I used to come here quite often as a young girl. I love this beach so much, it makes my heart glad to spend this day with my family.” She reached for Don, Breath, Andre, and whoever else she could grab and gave them all a big hug.
Chapter 1
“So sorry I’m not rich. I wish I could give you everything you want, but at least I’ll make sure that you don’t starve and you always have a roof over your head. Okay, son?”
“Okay, Momma. No problem. So I’m not getting anything for my birthday today?” He tried to understand his mother’s words, though they seemed like mumbo jumbo to him.
“Bunny, don’t you remember? Gena sent you your birthday gift on Christmas. Remember, the sneakers she sent you had a written note that said, ‘For Bunny’s birthday.’”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “I forgot about my sneakers. Gena always remembers my birthday.”
“Oh, may God bless her. She’s my lovely, God-blessed miracle baby. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her.” Essie raised her hands toward the heavens. “Thank you, Father, for my daughter Gena.”
“Wow! Gena sent me my birthday gift three months early. That was why I forgot, Momma. That was why I forgot.”
“Bunny, I’ll also bake a cake at work for you. I’ll take it down to you on Friday, okay?”
“Okay, Momma, thank you. I love you, and I love Gena, too.”
“We love you too, my son.”
“Momma, when is Gena coming back to Jamaica?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe you should write her a letter and ask her yourself. You know how she loves to hear from you kids, so write her a letter, and I’ll post it.”
“I’m going to write her a letter today.”
“That’s good. I have to get to work now, and I’m running late. You know what a long walk it is.”
Myrtle sat on the front porch steps, listening to Essie and Bunny’s conversation. She sat watching the sun rise above the serene ocean way out in the distant view. “Yuh don’t have to walk in the burning sun every day, Momma. Yuh know that, right? Why don’t yuh take a cab to work today?”
“My dear child, I don’t have enough money to take a taxi to work,” Essie complained, her voice low. “I have to leave money for you all to have lunch and dinner. But sometimes I get lucky and a car stops for me and gives me a lift to the bus stop. I really hope I get lucky today because I’m tired of walking, especially in the blazing hot sun. In addition to that, when I reach Half Moon, I have to walk over that long hillside to get to work. Oh Lord, I get so tired sometimes.”
“Madda,” Karl said, “are you coming back home this evening, or are you staying at work all week?”
“I usually only stay overnight if I’m having a guest, but there’re no guests, so I’ll be back tonight. I might be a little late, but Betty will be cooking dinner, so don’t worry.”
He snorted. “I’m not worried,” he said, his voice boorish and impolite. “I never get worried. I’m a country man, and I eat anything that moves. I know how to survive. Don’t you worry about me; worry about yourself.”
“Karl, why are you always so nasty? You should know by now how to talk to me. I’m your mother. You know that.”
Karl kept walking toward his room, the room he shared with his three brothers, Junior, Leonard, and Bunny, as well as Gena’s three sons, Andre, Breath, and Don.
Betty, Pauline, and Myrtle, plus Essie’s latest additions to the family, Paulette and Pauline—twin sisters seeking refuge from the street—shared the other bedroom. Since there was already a Pauline in the family, they usually referred to the other Pauline as the “Twin Pauline” or “Pauline-the-twin.” Pauline was more like a true sibling in the family, having been there longer, while Pauline-the-twin and Paulette were new arrivals learning to adapt to Essie’s large family.
Pauline-the-twin and her sister, Paulette, had joined the family after Essie went to town two weeks earlier to buy fresh meat from the butcher shop. Essie spotted the two young ladies, who were about eighteen, sitting on the same wall downtown where she’d sat twenty years earlier. That’s where she met Gena’s father, the Reverend Murray. The two young ladies looked worried. On her way back home, Essie noticed them still sitting there. One of them offered comfort to the other, who was in tears.
Essie was sure they needed help, so she went over to introduce herself. “Hello, young ladies. I’m Miss Essie. I noticed you’re both looking sad today. What is the problem?”
“We’re fine, miss,” the one doing the comforting said. “Thank you.”
“Is this your sister?” Essie asked.
The girl nodded.
“If everything’s all right, why is your sister crying? Why don’t you take her home if she’s not feeling good?”
No sooner had the words left Essie’s mouth than the girl who was crying burst out, “No! We’re not okay, miss. We’re not okay at all. She’s lying.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I shouldn’t have listened to my sister.” She attempted to dry her tears with her hand. “Now we don’t have anywhere to stay. She brought me all the way here from Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland to find a job, but there are no jobs here. I want to go home.”
“If you want to go back to that stinking place, you’ll have to go alone,” her twin said. “I’m not going back.”
“Okay, ladies, you don’t have to fight each other. You can stay at my place in Glenworth until you find a job or decide what you really want to do. There’s plenty of work, but sometimes it takes a while to find a good job. You’ll have to check the newspaper daily until you see something that you like, but it won’t be long. How old are you?”
They spoke in unison. “We’re eighteen years old.”
“Okay, you’re of age. Come with me and tell me more about yourselves. I have a large family at home, but you can make yourselves comfortable until you find good jobs.”
Essie took the twins home with her, where they had remained for the past two weeks. Up to this point, they were still adjusting to the new environment, and while they never talked much to anyone else, they whispered often to each other.
The third bedroom in the Glenworth house was reserved for Essie, but sometimes the younger children like Bunny, or Gena’s kids, would sleep with her to balance out the number of people in each bedroom. At other times, when Essie stayed overnight at work, Myrtle would occupy Essie’s room until she got back, usually a week or two later.
“Where is Momma? Has she left yet?” Junior crawled out of bed in his boxer shorts, his upper body shirtless.
“She just left,” Myrtle replied.
“Where is she?” He rushed to the front door of the house just in time to see Essie slowly make her way down the rocky steps, roughhewn and uneven, that led to the roadside. She walked carefully, making sure each step was well placed before she made the next, as if she’d fallen many times before. It was like she was walking a tightrope in the circus.
“Momma, do you want me to walk with you to the bus stop?” he called.
Essie turned back to speak with him. “No, Junior. Or is it Karl?” She struggled to remember his name.
“Junior, Momma.”
“Thank you, but you have to go to work soon, don’t you?”
“I finished the job I was working on yesterday, and I’m just waiting to get paid. I might stop by there later during the day. There’s a new one that I’m about to start, but that won’t be until tomorrow.”
“I won’t stand a chance of getting a free lift to the bus stop if you’re with me, Junior,” Essie shouted back.
“Bye, Momma. Take care and walk carefully. Good luck with getting a ride to the bus stop.” Junior watched his mother walking with pride and confidence in her nice-fitting outfit. The attractive black handbag matched her stylish black high heels. As she almost disappeared into the distant curve, a red car stopped. After a short conversation with the driver, Essie got in, and Junior turned to reenter the house.