No Pain Like This Body

by Harold Sonny Ladoo

  “You shouda dead!” Pa yelled.

  “O God! Me ears ringin inside.”

  “You shouda dead,” Pa declared again as he walked out of the kitchen.

  After a while Ma loosed the floursack from her head. The floursack was spotted with dirt. She sat down, flung the flour-sack into a corner, and started to peel the sweet potatoes again. She had long black hair. Thick. The hair hung down from her head as strands of strong black rope. She wept as she peeled the potatoes; wept easy easy, because she was afraid to cry in the house.

  Sunaree stood up. She went outside. The rice pot was sit­ting on an old potato crate by the rainwater barrel. She took it, dipped some water from the barrel and went back into the kitchen.

  “Put de wadder to hot on de fireside,” Ma said.

  “Oright.”

  “Today you goin to see Balraj and Rama Ma?” Panday asked.

  “No.”

  A little later and food was ready. It was a habit in the house: Pa always ate first. If he was not at home, Ma had to dish out his food first, then put it away. Ma took out a good portion of food and carried it inside the bedroom for Pa. He didn’t say a word. He just ate the food.

  VI

  PA WAS ASLEEP.

  Ma was picking Sunaree’s head; each time she caught a louse she crushed it tits between her fingernails.

  Nanna was running; he was blowing as a bull and running as a madman runs. He was moving fast. He bolted into the yard as a wild hog. His shoulder caught an orange branch; crax! the branch broke.

  Ma pushed Sunaree aside. “Wot happen Pa?” she asked.

  Nanna was still running; he was wearing a white merino and running like the wind. He passed by Ma like a light­ning and ran by the ricebox, then he turned around as a snake turns and ran back by Ma.

  “Rama dead! He dead and gone!”

  “O God! O God! Me chile God!!!”

  And Nanna: “He get over de skopian bite, but he dead wid umonia fever. He just dead. I runnin from Tolaville.”

  The sun was low as a house and red like a jamoon; it looked as if it was falling inside the Gulf of Tola. Pa was rest­ing on the ricebags inside the house. He was awakened by the bawling. He listened. Rama was dead. His head began to beat like a drum. He got up and ran out of the bedroom as a rat.

  Ma saw him. “You drink rum and run me chile in dat rain. But it have a God I tell you. I go tell de whole of Tola dat you kill me chile! Now he dead and lyin down in Tolaville.”

  Pa folded his arms. “Is true I drink rum. But me eh kill dat chile. Me eh de know de chile wouda dead. God kill Rama. I didnt run dem in dat riceland to kill dem. I de just run dem because me eh de want dem to wet in dat rain. God know is de truth I talkin.”

  Nanna turned to them and said, “De chile done dead. Tink how to bury him. Tonight is de wake. Tink wot to do.” And Ma: “Me son dead widdout seein he modder face. Two days he live in dat haspital just waitin to see he modder. He wait till he dead. Which part in dat sky you is God? Me chile not even leff a trace in de world. He just born and dead. Dat is all. And he own fadder kill him too besides!”

  “I tell you God kill him!” Pa shouted. “Yet you sayin I kill him. Well me eh doin one kiss me ass ting for dis wake and funeral!”

  Sunaree stood by the drain. She was crying and blowing her nose.

  Panday was leaning against the tapia wall and laughing. “Wot de ass you laughin for?” Pa asked him.

  “I laughin because Rama cant pee on me in de night no more.”

  Pa didn’t run up to him or anything. He just looked at him like a bull. Then Pa went and stood in the yard.

  The sun jumped inside the sea to sleep and the night crawled as a fat worm over the face of Tola. Nanna and Nanny were busy making flambeaux and putting them all over the place. Ma kept inside the kitchen as if she was sick or something. Pa didn’t move from the yard.

  The villagers came; they came from Tola Trace and they came from Rajput Road; they came from Karan Settlement and they came from Lima Road. Nanna gave some of them money to get rum and biscuits and coffee to keep up the wake. The house was crowded; the villagers knew Rama was dead, so they came to drink rum and talk.

  A tall villager called Jadoo said to Pa, “Trobble is for every­body. De boy done dead. Wot you coud do now.”

  Then Benwa the greatest stick-fighter of Tola said to Pa, “Wot you goin to do Babwah. Trobble is for everybody.”

  Jadoo moved away and went inside the house and joined the villagers, because he and Benwa were not friends.

  A short one-legged villager handed Pa a bottle of rum say­ing, “You eh have to worry too much. Keep corage. You just have to ride you wife and make anodder chile.”

  Pa didn’t answer. The one-legged man chuckled and came into the house.

  A little later the village priest came. He was thin as a whip. With his long white beard and sunken eyes, he looked as a jumbie. The villagers stood up and greeted the holy man. The priest spat out some blessing and sat down on a potato crate.

  “Where Babwah?” the priest asked.

  “I goin to get him Baba.”

  Jadoo went out into the yard and came back with Pa. Pa sat down next to the priest.

  Some of the women were inside the kitchen. They were helping Nanny to keep Ma quiet. Ma was really getting on; bawling and getting on like a sick cow. But most of the women sat with the men, because they wanted to drink plenty rum and talk like men.

  Pa sat next to the priest and talked. He was busy telling the villagers how Rama was a harden child — the hardenest child in Tola; how he played in the riceland everyday and got wet in the rain; how he was a spoilt child — Ma spoilt him; he got sick and died because he was too harden. The villagers drank rum and listened, and they felt sorry for him.

  A Madrassi woman named Jasso lifted her dress above her knees and said to Pa, “You chile done dead. You eh have to worry. You coud sleep wid me a few nights till you worries past.”

  And the one-legged villager said, “Dat woman want a good man in she ass!”

  And she: “Ay man, watch you one foot ass. Wen I want a man, I want a good man. Me eh want man like you.”

  “But I is a man. Dont mind I have one foot. De ting between me legs not cut out you know. It hangin dere just like befo.”

  “Man like you does take man befo dey dead!”

  The Hindu priest wanted to make peace and help out the one-legged villager at the same time. He wiped his long beard and said, “All you lissen to me. Accordin to Hindu books, a woman is like a fire. A man is just like a old stick. Even if you trove one million firestick in a fire it never enuff. Even de wad-der in de sea cant out de fire between a woman legs. De Hindu Bible make dis quite clear. A woman have room to take five men one time. I not sayin dese tings. De Hindu books say dese tings.”

  And Jasso: “A woman de made to take man. Wot you tink God make a hole between she legs for? God make a woman to take man.”

  “You go take donkey just now!” the one-legged villager shouted.

  “I take donkey aready!” Jasso declared.

  Inside the kitchen was full of people. They were sitting around Ma and talking. Ma was lying down on the earthen floor. She was trembling as if she was feeling cold. Her hair looked like a black mat nailed to the floor. A fat woman stood by her head and fanned her voosh voosh with a piece of card­board. The woman was sweating and her body smelt as a rotten mango, but she fanned Ma all the time.

  Then Pa came by the kitchen. He called the fat woman, “Ay Pulbassia.”

  “Oy!”

  “I want to talk to you.”

  Pulbassia went out of the kitchen. Then she and Pa went in the yard. He told Pulbassia that Ma was worrying too much. He gave her a few bottles of rum for the women in the kitchen. Pa told her to give Ma a lot of rum to drink, b
ecause the rum was going to make her feel good.

  “Oright,” Pulbassia said, as she took the rum and went back inside the kitchen.

  “Put some Bay Rum in de woman head,” Pulbassia said. “Oright,” a woman said.

  The woman went in the backyard and told Nanny that they needed some Bay Rum in the kitchen. Nanny left the coffee she was boiling and went inside the kitchen. She got some Bay Rum and handed it to the fat woman.

  “How me dorta feelin?” Nanny asked.

  “She go be oright in a little while,” the fat woman said. Nanny was too busy. She couldn’t remain inside the kitchen to look after Ma.

  As soon as Nanny left, the fat woman said to Sunaree, “Chile I goin to give you modder some rum. It go past she worries. If she drink a little bit, she go feel good.”

  “But Nanny say not to give she no rum.”

  “I go give she just a little bit. It good for she. It go make she strong.”

  The fat woman took out a bottle of rum. She opened it and poured a good drink into Ma’s mouth. Then she took the Bay Rum and sapped her head.

  “I go tell Nanny you give she rum,” Sunaree said. “Little girl haul you ass outa dis kitchen!”

  “Oright,” Sunaree said as she walked out of the kitchen.

  Panday stood by the ricebox with his back resting against the cold tapia wall. He wasn’t laughing now. His eyes were open like; just open and watching. Nanna walked up to him saying, “Wot happen Panday?”

  “Notten man Nanna man. I just tinkin how Rama cant pee on me no more. He dead now. He have to live in dat riceland now. He have to hide good Nanna. If Pa catch Rama playin in dat wadder he goin to beat he ass wid dat ledderbelt.”

  He paused a long time to see if Nanna was going to say anything. But Nanna didn’t talk. Panday went on, “We go put him in a ricebag. But if he want to come outa dat bag, wot we goin to do?”

  “He done dead Panday. He goin to bury under dat ground in de mornin.”

  “Which part Nanna? Under de lime tree by de latrine?” “No. He goin to bury in Karan Settlement in de bellin

  ground. Dat is de place dey does bury dead people.”

  “But me and Sunaree coud bury him under de lime tree.

  But sappose a snake bite him in de night Nanna?”

  “He cant feel notten. He done dead.”

  “But sappose,” Panday rubbed his eyes, “sappose Rama get up in de night wen me and Sunaree bury him? Sappose he tief lime and sell in Tolaville Nanna?”

  “Rama goin to rotten under dat ground. Rotten just as a dog rottenin.”

  “Balraj goin to rotten like a dog too Nanna?”

  “No.”

  Panday leaned against the wall sadly. Nanna went in the backyard to talk to Nanny.

  “It never had a prettier woman dan Ama in Tola!” the one-legged villager shouted.

  Madrassi Jasso disagreed strongly. She argued that Soom­intra, the woman who married Sankar, was the prettiest woman in Tola.

  “Shit talk! Shit talk!” the one-legged man shouted. “Soom­intra good lookin, but she not better dan Ama. Ama half white you know.” He wiped his face with his shirt and con­tinued, “Ama half white. But dat is not all. She have backside dat big and soft. Ama is de best woman I say.”

  “You shut you one foot ass!” Madrassi Jasso shouted. “I sure you never ride a woman in you life. De day a woman lie down for you, you go run like a mule. You modderass one foot bitch!”

  “Well you lie down for me nuh. Do it and see if wouldnt Crow some good wood on you.”

  And the priest: “Lissen to me. Ama is de dorta of de white-man. But dat is not all. Look at Ramai. Ramai is de biggest man in Tola. He is Ama husban. Tola coud never have a pret­tier woman dan Ama. Wot de hell all you know? I married Ramai and Ama. I married Soomintra and Sankar. I know.”

  “Like you ride Ama aready Baba?” a woman asked.

  “Have some rispek for me!” the priest said.

  “Oright Baba,” the woman declared.

  Nanna came with coffee in a big pot. The coffee was smoking. Nanny passed around empty can cups. Nanna dipped a large can cup inside the coffee pot and poured coffee into the small cups which the villagers held. The villagers blew their coffee flu flunx, then they sipped choot choot choot. Benwa didn’t take any coffee. The priest took a full cup and placed it by his feet. Then Nanny went into the kitchen and brought some salt biscuits. She passed the biscuits around. Benwa didn’t take any.

  “Take biscuit and coffee nuh Benwah,” Pa said.

  “No Babwah,” Benwa said.

  A little later Sunaree came with a wooden tray and col­lected the empty cups.

  The night held on to Tola real hard. There were no stars in the sky. Huge clouds like wet blankets stretched from one end of Tola to the other. But inside the house was bright. The flambeaux drank a lot of pitch-oil, but they made the place look good.

  “Is time to hear a story now,” the priest said.

  “We go hear one from One Foot,” the Madrassi woman said. The one-legged man smiled and said, “I go tell a story about Jadoo. But I want Jadoo to give me de right away.”

  Jadoo said, “Is oright One Foot.”

  So the one-legged man said, “Well all you know Jadoo. He right in front all you eye. Well let me tell all you how Jadoo get dem cuts. All you know aready how he get dem cuts, but I still goin to tell all you.

  “Jadoo de born in Sancho Estate. But he didn’t want to work on de estate. He leave de estate and went to Jangli Tola. Now he went to Jangli Tola to make money. But trobble take Jadoo soon. One night he walkin by de trace near de swamp. He walkin quiet and good. Den he hear a man callin for help. So Jadoo say to heself dat a drunk man want to fight anodder drunk man. Well it had good moonlight dat night. Wen Jadoo gone closer, he see four men beatin one man. Well Jadoo get vex one time. He tell dem to stop beatin de man. Wen de four men hear Jadoo talkin two of dem run like hell. Den de man dey de beatin get up and run too. But two of de men decide to fight Jadoo. Well Jadoo de young and brave. So Jadoo decide to fight. One of de men had a cutlass and one had a stick. De man wid de stick hit Jadoo one. As Jadoo lean in front de man wid de blade chop him on he head. Jadoo start to beg dem and tell dem he from Tola. But dem men de drunk like hell. De man start to beat him wid de stick. Every time de stick hit Jadoo, de man wid de cutlass chop same time. Nine time de man chop Jadoo in he hand. Den de man chop Jadoo big toe. Well Jadoo de know dat dey goin to kill him. He grab de stick and he hit de man wid de blade one stick. De man fall. Den Jadoo run in de mangrove. Dem two men look for Jadoo wid lights, but Jadoo get away. So Jadoo come back to Tola. I not lyin. Look Jadoo right dere.”

  The villagers were quiet. It was as if they were thinking about what the one-legged man told them. Soomintra was the first to speak. “Wot make you come back to Tola?” she asked Jadoo.

  “I come to Tola because I want a son.”

  “Dem tings is lie!” a young man shouted.

  And the one-legged man who told the story said, “Tola changin! Dese young modderass people runnin away from Indian ways. But dey go sorry. In dis same Carib Island and Indians goin to catch dey ass!”

  “Shut you one foot ass!” the young villager shouted.

  Jadoo got mad. “Shut you ass!” he shouted at the young villager. “Watch me good! I go hit you one kick and bust you kiss me ass chest!”

  Jadoo got up to hit the young villager. But the village priest said, “All you stop dat. Dis is a wake all you know.”

  Nanny kept pushing logs inside the fireside. She had to keep the coffee boiling all the time. She looked tired and sleepy, but she had no time to rest. Sunaree took the pokanee and blew at the fire. The coffee beans were going cruk cruk inside the pot. Sunaree’s face was red, because she was sitting too close to the fire. “Move from in front of de f
ire,” Nanny said.

  “Oright.”

  Sunaree moved a little and sat on a ricebag. She looked at Nanny and asked, “But wot goin to happen to Rama wen dey bury him in dat ground Nanny?”

  Nanny lit a cigarette. “Well God goin to come down in dat cemetry and carry him in de sky to live.”

  “But sappose he fall from de sky Nanny?”

  “No beti. God goin to take care of him.”

  “Wot about if de Devil turn him to a horse and ride him in de night.”

  “He is a little chile. He not have no sin. He goin straight by God.”

  Then Nanna came into the backyard and joined them. “You want coffee oldman?” Nanny asked.

  “Me eh want none,” Nanna said. “It about time Babwah go to Tolaville and bring up Rama. De nurse say de chile have to come home tonight.”

  Nanny told him not to bother Pa at all. She told him to go to Tolaville for Rama. Nanna told her that the nurse said that the father was the one to come for Rama.

  “Well just go and tell de nurse,” Nanny said easily, “tell de nurse dat de chile fadder worried. Dat is all.”

  “Oright.”

  Nanna went inside the house and said, “Who want to go wid me and bring de chile from Tolaville?”

  “I go go wid you oldman,” stick-fighter Benwa said. Nanna and Benwa jumped on a horse cart and left for Tolaville.

  The women in the kitchen were having a good time. They were excited; getting on like crazy ants; talking hard and run­ning all over the place. Ma was still on the ground; she was drunk and talking about Rama.

  The fat woman called Pa. “You wife not restin at all,” she said.

  “Give she some more rum. Rum go help she to feel good.” Pa went back to listen to the stories. The fat woman called, “Ay Jasso!”

  “Oy!” Madrassi Jasso answered.

  “Come dis side nuh gal. Wot de ass you Join by de mens all de time?”

  Madrassi Jasso came inside the kitchen. She saw Ma on the ground, so she asked what was wrong with her.

  “She mind worryin she too bad,” the fat woman said. “But she husban give me some rum to give she. She go feel good just now.”