by Luke Brown
Essie had her answer, and she realized that she would have to deal with this pregnancy by herself. It was an unsatisfactory situation, to be sure, but she felt quite contented with what she considered to be a trade-off with God. God was giving her a baby, but the baby would not have a father. She accepted her fate in life and would step up to the plate and be both mother and father to her miracle baby.
The only worry Essie had was how to deal with work and her bills in the final stage of her pregnancy. The answer came to her from one of her coworkers at the Round Hill Hotel. His real name was Richard Browdie, but everyone called him Longman. He was very tall and skinny—a handsome, light-skinned, charming chap in his late twenties. Hence the nickname.
Longman found out that Essie was pregnant after speaking to her one day at work. He’d always admired her beauty and her strict work ethic and had wanted to approach her earlier, but was too timid to do so. Therefore, by the time he got himself to speak to her on a personal basis, he was very disappointed to find out that he had made his move just a little too late. Another man had obviously beaten him to the punch, because she was now pregnant.
However, as they continued talking, he realized that the baby’s father would not be in Essie’s life. This gave him some hope. He knew within himself that he cared enough about Essie to date her even with a child. Although he really wished that the baby was his, he and Essie grew to be friends and lovers over the next four months. By this time, Essie’s pregnancy had become obvious and was a grave concern to her manager at work.
One day, Longman went on his lunch break and found Essie in tears. The manager was pressuring her to quit her job due to her pregnancy and slow productivity. Longman encouraged her to go ahead and quit. She could come and live with him in his one-bedroom apartment over on the other side of town. They were already dating anyway, so he thought he might as well take on the full responsibility of being a father to her baby and build a serious relationship with her. He promised to take care of her and that she would not have to worry about anything.
Comforted by Longman’s thoughtful words, Essie eventually took his advice and quit her job. She moved in with him when she was in her seventh month of pregnancy.
The one-bedroom apartment was a little tight for her and Longman. Essie worried about how it would work out when the baby came, but she was relieved and happy that at least she and her baby would have a roof over their heads and someone to take care of them.
When the baby was born, Longman was thrilled and supportive, as he had promised. He was a good father to the baby, although he decided not to let her carry his last name. Instead, he encouraged Essie to name the baby, a pretty little black-skinned girl, after the reverend. The miracle baby became Gena Murray. Essie was the one who decided on Gena, a short form of genie. According to the English dictionary, a genie is a supernatural spirit that often takes human form, serving the person who calls on it. Essie truly believed that God had sent Gena to her, and she was her miracle baby, the answer to her dreams.
Happy with her baby and her relationship with Longman, Essie couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. She only had one growing concern with Longman. He was a good guy and excellent provider, but he had a drinking problem that grew worse with time.
After Essie had lived with him for about eight months, he began to come home on Friday nights—which was his payday—noisy, roaring drunk. Essie paid no attention until one night, he came home very drunk and wanted to make love to her. When she told him she was not in the mood, he demanded that she leave his house immediately and that she take her precious baby with her. He thought Essie preferred the baby over him. After all he had done for her and the baby, the least she could do was attend to his needs.
Essie calmed him down and gave him what he wanted, but from that time onward, she knew in her heart that a stupefied, staggering drunk was no father for her baby girl. This was not the way she wanted to live, nor was it the way she wanted her daughter to grow up.
She began to make plans, and the second time Longman came home woozy, drunken, and rowdy, demanding she do whatever he said or leave his house, she assured him she and the baby would leave soon. She redoubled her efforts to find a job, and by pure chance, met Mr. Allen, a popular barber who had his own business and was doing well for himself.
Chapter 11
Essie sat on a bench in the middle of downtown Montego Bay. She wore a short, multicolored miniskirt and a thin, white, sleeveless cotton blouse. She’d pulled her hair back and combed it into a long ponytail, and her tiny, sexy feet wore a pair of cute white pumps. She crossed her legs tight like a lady in a content mood.
Their eyes met, and they smiled. Mr. Allen walked over to her. “Hello, sexy lady, what’s your name?”
“Essie. And yours?”
“I’m John Allen. I own the barbershop just down the street.”
“Oh, really? I know where it is. I’ve passed by there many times.”
“Could I offer you some lunch at the hillside plaza? I’d planned to eat a solitary meal, but I’d much prefer the company of a pretty young lady like you. Would you join me?”
“Sure. Why not?”
The lunch date went well, and the after-lunch was even better. They went for a walk by the ocean and eventually picked a very private spot where they stopped to chat. They spent all afternoon getting to know each other and the evening ended with a kiss on Mr. Allen’s left cheek. They made arrangements to meet the next day.
That day was the first of many more romantic dates. On one of their many dates, he invited her to his home after lunch. Mr. Allen headed to the kitchen to get Essie a drink, but she was already burning up with sexual heat so she stripped off her clothes as she entered the door and then jumped onto the kitchen counter.
Mr. Allen had dreamed of something like this since he met Essie. He stood between her legs and slowly pressed his lips to hers. She opened her mouth and laid her tongue, tentative and soft, on his lower lip. He leaned into her, searching with his tongue as she opened her mouth wider. She tasted like sweet bubble gum, and her mouth was soft and yielding, inviting him in. Mr. Allen kissed her long and deep, reveling in the sensation of her soft tender lips against his, and before long they were knocking things out of the way and madly rolling on the kitchen floor. Yes, burning up in heat, they made wild sensational love on the kitchen floor. Gratified and pleased, they lay together on the floor, exhausted.
Not long after Essie met John Allen Sr., she moved from Longman’s apartment into his home. John was a noble, sincere, upright family man with two kids of his own. He was fresh out of a divorce and had lost custody of his kids to his ex-wife in a hefty divorce agreement. The settlement was enough for his ex-wife and kids to live a very comfortable life. Therefore, he had no guilt about starting his life over with someone else, even with someone who already had a child who was not his own.
John was a handsome man in his early forties—light-skinned, conscientious, and intelligent. There was one outstanding thing about his appearance: he had beautiful wavy hair. Being a barber and the owner of a busy shop in the heart of Montego Bay, he kept his hair neat and attractive at all times. Any woman would be happy to have him father her children, and Essie was no exception. Within a month of living with John, she became pregnant with her second child. John never questioned the closeness of Essie’s pregnancy to her last time with Longman, but she had doubts.
Essie was a fair-minded, forthright person who understood the big advantage that a mother had over the father of a child. Obviously, she was the only one who knew without a doubt that the child was hers. It was one of the sweetest and most wonderful joys of being a biological parent. She thought that if she could give that same certainty to the father of her children, it would no doubt be a great gift.
Essie believed that blind trust, when it came to paternity, was not necessarily love; it could simply be selfish female manipulation of a relationship, or even worse, a means for a female to intentionally hide the true pate
rnity of her child. Therefore, if she truly loved her man, she would request a paternity test for her child. She would do it so the father could enjoy the same happiness and certainty as the mother.
If it were left up to Essie, the law of the land would require all babies to be tested for paternal confirmation immediately after birth. This was why she told John about her concerns.
Mr. Allen insisted that it was his child, but he was willing to compromise with Essie and give the baby two surnames. Therefore, the baby’s official name was Junior J. Allen-Browdie to reflect Longman as a possible father.
As Junior grew older, his looks became more pronounced, mirroring John Allen, right down to his beautiful wavy hair. John had been right all along. He never had an ounce of doubt and was confident and happy about his first boy child. He loved him very much, but being the intelligent father that he was, he showed equal love and attention to both children.
About nine months after Junior’s birth, Essie conceived another child. She delivered the baby the day after Christmas in 1953. This time it was a girl, a pretty little baby who looked just like Essie. They named her Betty Allen. John felt like he had regained everything that he had lost to his damnable ex-wife. He now had a much prettier, younger, and kinder woman in his life and three beautiful kids. He would take his new family everywhere he went because they were his pride and joy. Essie made John a happy man.
Essie was happy too, until John’s terrible ex-wife came back into their lives and began causing trouble in their relationship. Audrey became angry when she noticed how proud John was of his new family. Jealous, she couldn’t bear to see him so happy with his new life and independence. Audrey started sending her kids over to John with various different demands. Suddenly, she wanted to force the kids back into his life—not for his affection or benefit or for any good reason, but to cause trouble in his life.
Although John loved all his kids—Essie’s first child and the two he had with her, plus his two daughters by Audrey—he would not let his ex-wife’s evil plan disrupt his newfound happiness.
When she couldn’t disrupt John’s life by manipulating the kids, Audrey started verbally attacking Essie, and even threatened to fight her if she saw her on the streets. Essie tried to ignore her, but Audrey kept on bothering her. Eventually, Essie got fed up.
Essie heard rumors through the grapevine that John had an affair with a lady who reportedly visited his barbershop much too often. For obvious reasons, Essie’s relationship with John suffered, and Essie decided to accept an offer made to her by a man she met while shopping one day. He was a rich black businessman named Conroy Levy, who lived out of town. He offered to take care of her and her three kids by getting an apartment for her in Montego Bay. That way, when he was in town, he would have a family and a place he could call his second home. Although she knew it would hurt John badly, she took Conroy Levy up on his offer and moved to her own apartment, which he completely subsidized.
This arrangement worked out well for Essie because she felt a little more independent. Moreover, she only saw Conroy Levy once a month when he came into town to do business. When he was in town, Essie would attend to his every need, but particularly, to his sexual desires. She often welcomed him in lingerie. “Hello, sweetheart. How was your drive into town?”
“It was tiresome, my dear. Thank you for asking.”
She stood in the doorway wearing a short, black transparent dress which revealed her bright-red panties with layers of frills on the backside.
“You smell great, my love, and you look even better. I love your sexy outfit.” He leaned in and kissed Essie on her lips.
“All for you, my sweetheart.” Essie kissed him back and jiggled her voluptuous boobs in his face. “Come in. Let me have your shoes. The kids are with a friend of mine, so we’re absolutely alone.” She turned around and wiggled her body in a sexy way as she led Conroy inside to the bedroom and removed his shoes. “I missed you, sweetheart. I’ve been preparing for your arrival.”
“I see. The room is smartly painted, and everything is looking clean and neat.”
“Yes, all for you, my love.” Essie fell backward onto the bed with her feet still planted on the floor. “Come here. Will you please come and join me, honey? Don’t just stand there.”
“Sure, honey. There’s nothing else I’d rather do right now.” He stared at Essie as she slowly undressed, starting with her underwear. “You have a wonderful body.” Conroy also started to undress.
“Don’t tell me about it. Come and get me. I’m all yours.”
“Okay I will.” They both climbed onto the bed and started kissing. He kissed her along the right side of her neck. He moved her hair to one side. He kissed her neck and shoulder bones, licking her smooth velvety skin all the way down to the tips of her toes and back to her glorious middle section, making Essie moan and groan for more.
Conroy knew very well how to please a woman in sexual heat. He knew the art of lovemaking. His love was ecstasy. His love was large. When he was in town, his time could never be too long. His love slowly opened up her body and blew her mind. Being endowed with a lot, he gave her all that he had and she loved every minute of it.
When Conroy was in town, he would stay for three or four days at most. He was very happy to have a pretty, sexy woman like Essie to spend the time with. Providing her with an apartment was more than worth it.
After about a year together, Essie got pregnant, and they named the baby girl Lela Levy. Not long after Lela’s birth, a relative named Miriam who lived in Mount Salem, a popular district in Montego Bay, offered to help her with the child and support her. Essie took Miriam up on the offer and let her unofficially adopt the baby, with the genuine intention of taking her back at a later time. Miriam had some difficulties having children of her own at that time, so she was happy to care for baby Lela.
Chapter 12
Conroy Levy agreed with the unofficial adoption of Lela by Essie’s cousin Miriam. He understood that it would mean less of a financial burden for both Essie and him, though he could have borne that burden. Lela Levy had a strong resemblance to her father, who was in no way a handsome fellow, but he was a relatively rich man. It’s often said that a rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. Whatever the case, Mr. Levy was considered a wealthy businessman by all standards.
He gave Essie a used pearl-black Chevrolet even before she had a license to drive. Essie didn’t mind not having a license because she was able to employ someone to drive it for her. Whenever she planned to do her errands, she would call her driver and be transported wherever she wanted to go.
Essie started enjoying the high-society lifestyle of being Levy’s second lady. She loved it, and for the first time, she felt that life was being fair to her. She even found a way to make extra money when Mr. Levy was away. She used her car as a taxicab, and her driver ran a regular route. The driver would take out a salary for himself and would give Essie the difference from the profits made each week.
This arrangement served Essie well for a long time, until the driver had an accident and the car was a total loss. When Mr. Levy heard about this incident, he became upset with Essie for using the vehicle as a taxi without telling him. He felt betrayed and stopped visiting Essie when he was in the area. He cut her off completely and stopped sending money or child support.
Essie did everything she knew to do to reach him and tried sending him messages and letters, but he would not respond. Luckily, she had had the forethought to put all the extra cash she’d made from her taxi business in the bank. Therefore, she had some money to keep her going for a little while, but it didn’t last long. She started looking for employment as a cook in various hotels and private resorts. Due to her excellent recommendation from Round Hill Hotel, she got a job at the Chatham Hotel Resort. She then employed a friend, Vera, to help her with the kids.
By this time, Essie had developed a drinking habit, and her smoking had increased. If anyone asked her why she drank, she would say she had t
oo many thoughts running through her head at night and she drank what it took to put her to sleep. On her way home from work every day, she would stop at the rum bar and order a quarter quart of Jamaican white rum to take with her. Then, just before bedtime, she would drink the full quantity in one sitting.
On her way to the rum bar one night, she met her next love mate, Leonard Williams. He was a frequent visitor there. A scholar and once a highly respected lawyer in Montego Bay, he was a popular figure, although he was not a handsome man. He was very wealthy and had a great personality, and he could get any girl he wanted. He usually chose the prettiest and most desirable ladies in town.
Therefore, when he saw Essie, he decided he would have her. One day he invited her over to his mansion for lunch and sweet-talked Essie into making love to him. “Young lady, I would give the world just to touch that lovely young sexy body of yours.”
“Really? Is that so?”
“Sure, there’s nothing I wouldn’t give to make love to you.”
“You really think that I have a wonderful body?”
“Yes, I do.” Leonard leaned forward to touch Essie’s hips. “Yes, your body is heavenly.”
“Oh, you’re just saying that to make me feel good.”
“Let me feel these lovely boobs.” He began touching Essie’s perky breasts. “How nice they are.”
Essie simply smiled at him, so he continued to touch and caress her. Before long, he had Essie’s boobs in his mouth. He played on her most sensitive weak spot, and that was all it took.
Essie’s mouth quivered as she sizzled under the romantic manipulation of her body’s erogenous zone by Leonard the lady charmer. She couldn’t resist his audacious advances and gave in to his charms, allowing him to strip her clothes off as he smoothly caressed her body.