King of the Dancehall

by Nick Cannon

  I smiled.

  “Why are you so good to me?” I had to know. Maya was pure, innocent. Maybe even a little naïve. She loved me enough to defy her religious father for the sake of being by my side, encouraging me to keep going.

  “Because I love you.”

  I felt breathless, speechless, and completely caught off guard. Finally, I found my voice.

  “Those are big words. You might not want to say that to me. ‘I love you’ comes with a lot. A lot of passion. A lot of weight. A lot of pain.”

  “Mi know what it comes with.”

  “I don’t want you to say that to me because you think that’s what I need to hear right now.”

  She shook her head.

  “That’s not it. Not at all, Tarzan. I wouldn’t say it if the words were empty.”

  “Love comes with a certain level of commitment, loyalty, and trust. I’ve never been able to trust anyone in my life. Not completely. You feel me?” I looked at her, seriously. “I trust you. I love you, too, Maya.”

  She took my hand. “Tarzan, I think I’m ready.”

  I stared at her, my body reacting instantly to her words. I cleared my throat.

  “Really?”

  She nodded, a smile tickling the corners of her lips. “Be my king.”

  Those words were music to my ears. It was what I had been auditioning for the moment I set foot on a dance floor. A year ago, I never would have imagined myself vying for King of the Dancehall. But, as she leaned closer to me and kissed me deeply, I realized that I had really been striving to be king of Maya’s heart.

  My hands explored her body, slowly—so slowly, and tenderly. She was hungry for me, and I could feel it in her kiss. I led her to my bed, grateful even for this ransacked villa in the middle of a rainstorm because it gave us somewhere to be alone together. I peeled her out of her clothes and discarded my own. Tenderly, carefully, and with all the love I had inside, I made love to Maya, aware that she was a virgin and fragile. I felt like one, too. I hadn’t been with a woman since I came home from jail. Being inside of her tight, sweet walls, it was worth the wait. I tasted every inch of her chocolate body, passionately, until she fell asleep in my arms. Our bodies glistened together in the moonlight. I lay back smoking ganja, with Maya draped across my body, and the crickets singing a chorus outside. It was the happiest moment of my life.

  THE BISHOP

  Maya and I couldn’t get enough of each other in the weeks after that. We rehearsed with our respective crews, and handled our responsibilities to our families. But, then we would steal away every chance we got and make love until she begged for mercy. I couldn’t keep my hands off of her. I knew that our physical chemistry was heightened by the incredible love we shared.

  I sold the last of the weed I had and sent some money home to Mama and Trent. I got my place fixed up and Maya and I made it ours. She filled that villa with music, laughter, and some of the best cooking I had ever had. She was loving me better than any woman ever had, and I felt blessed to call her my own.

  One night, she showered, slipped into her sexy nightwear, and stood sipping a cup of ginger tea by the open window. The room was dark, and she was cloaked in the moonlight. Her dreads were pinned up in a glorious crown.

  “I want to have babies with you.”

  She said it out of nowhere. I was caught off guard, staring at her with my mouth wide open in surprise. I stammered, struggling for a response.

  “Wh—you … yeah?”

  She nodded, giggling a little at my obvious shock. “The way I feel for you, Tarzan … I want to feel it always.” She had a faraway look in her eyes that melted my heart. “I envision you running around being silly with our children. Loving our daughters. Nurturing our sons. I want that.” She glanced at me. “Do you?”

  I nodded. I wanted that more than anything. “Yeah. I do.” I stared off in space, lost in thought. Each time I imagined the picture Maya had so beautifully painted, I was reminded of how I couldn’t make it possible. I had no money. No hustle anymore. No way to provide for the woman I loved, the future she desired or the happy ending that we both deserved.

  She watched me from where she stood.

  “What’s on ya mind, Tarzan? And don’t tell me it’s nuttin’. I can see ya wheels turning.”

  I sighed. “My money is gone, Maya. I’m tapped out. Usually, this is when I would do something drastic. That’s what I’m used to.” I looked at her, trying to gauge her reaction. “But, I’m in love with you. And that changes everything.”

  She exhaled, and it occurred to me that she had been holding her breath. So much was riding on me doing the right thing. Bishop had already made up his mind that I was trouble. If I went back to the life I knew, I would be proving him right and jeopardizing everything that Maya and I had managed to build together.

  “Your father gives me a hard time. You know what I’m saying? He takes every opportunity to put me down, and let me know that he doesn’t think I’m the best man for you. I don’t always like the way he goes about it. But, I gotta respect the man for taking care of his family. He loves his daughters. And he’s doing everything he can to make sure you’re protected. I don’t remember much about my pops. But, I know that he left. When he did, my mama had a tough time holding all the pieces together. I imagine that must be what it’s like for the bishop to see Peta Gaye struggling with the kids. He doesn’t want the same for you, Maya. And, neither do I. I want the same things you want. I probably want them even more than you do. But, I gotta get my shit together in order to make that happen.”

  She came and cuddled up with me on the bed, her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her even closer.

  “I don’t want to spend another second away from you. If that means I gotta scrub tables at Uncle Screechie’s until I become king of the dancehall, then so be it. I’m in this to win it, Maya. For real.”

  She kissed me, and straddled me, her hands all over my face and chest. With her touch, she told me that everything I had said was music to her ears. She whispered in my ear that she loved me.

  “I want you.” Her voice was desperate, anxious. I was turned on by her aggression, and pulled the straps down on her nightgown. I took her breasts in my hand, squeezing and tugging, tempting her to get even wilder. It worked. She sucked my lip, moaning softly, and slid her wetness down around my eager dick.

  I slid into her slowly, her tight walls so tender after days of lovemaking. She slid herself around me, wrapping me in her warmth. Although she was new to this, Maya took to lovemaking like a natural. All of the moves she had mastered on the dance floor gave her plenty to work with as she rode me. She winded her hips, twirling her sex all over me, pulsating against me as she came.

  I joined her soon afterward, squeezing her ass in the palms of my hands, biting my lip to keep from screaming like a girl. Maya had me ready to question all logic. It was becoming increasingly obvious that the smart thing for me to do would be to leave Kingston. To take the next flight out in the middle of the night and slip away quietly. Away from the police harassing me and my loved ones and the constant threat of Dada making my life a living hell. But, there was no way I could leave Maya behind, no way I was walking away from what we had. Maya was tied to Jamaica. Her family was here, her roots. She had no desire to leave. Definitely not for an uncertain future in America with a man her father hadn’t exactly embraced. If I wanted to be with her, I had to figure out a way to stay here.

  That night, Maya slept peacefully in the silent darkness of my bedroom. I watched her sleep, thinking about my next move. I was envisioning a future with her. One filled with love, laughter, and stability. I wanted to make her happy, and provide for her, protect her. I stroked her face, trying to memorize each freckle, each crease. She was so beautiful. I was a very lucky man. I barely slept that night. My thoughts were preoccupied with my concerns about Mama. I didn’t want her to have to struggle to make ends meet. I wanted Trent to stay in school and not have to worry
about breaking his back to provide. I needed to win the dancehall clash battle. Everything was riding on that.

  I went back to work at Uncle Screechie’s the next day. There wasn’t much work to do, really. The restaurant was basically empty. All the tourists and most of the usual patrons had been scared away in the violent and unnecessary raid that Dada had orchestrated. Uncle Screechie had gotten word that there were specific orders to boycott the restaurant because it belonged to my family. Uncle Screechie kept a cool head, though. I tried to do the same while I watched his business suffer. I wiped down the tables, and stacked some chairs in the corner.

  “General!”

  The tone of alarm in Uncle Screechie’s voice made me snap out of the daydream I’d been in. I looked at him and understood that he had seen me working with a dazed look on my face, and he meant to break me out.

  “Pep up, ya hear me? Trouble nah set like rain, eh?” Uncle Screechie wore a grin as he addressed me.

  I nodded. I prayed that he was right, and that trouble was as fleeting as rain. “Yeah, man. Uncle Screechie, I’m sorry that you got caught up in all of my bullshit.”

  Screechie waved his hand, not hearing that. “We family. Customers soon come. Dis nah di first time mi romp wit’ Babylon. Nah worry, nephew. We stick together. Build yourself. What nah poison, only fatten.”

  I nodded. “Got it.” I thought I did, anyway. Uncle Screechie loved a proverb, and I wasn’t sure all of them made sense.

  I stacked the last few chairs and took a walk out toward the shore. My cell phone rang, and I recognized the Brooklyn number immediately. I answered.

  “Hey, Trent. What’s good?”

  “Hey, Tarzan. You okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lied.

  “Okay.” Trent sounded strange. “Listen. Mama is back in the hospital.”

  “What?” I closed my eyes in disbelief.

  “She went to her dialysis appointment the other day. There were some complications, and she was rushed to the emergency room. She’s gonna be okay. But, she’ll have to stay in the hospital for a while. So, you know that means the bills are going to be crazy.”

  I did know. We had been down this road a thousand times before. It felt like every time we climbed out from under the mountain of Mama’s medical bills, she had another setback that landed her in the hospital again. Then the process started all over like a sad song on repeat.

  “Damn,” I said. “Did you get the money I sent last month?”

  “Yeah. That paid everything up to this point.” Trent sighed. “You know I don’t like to call you with this stuff. You’ve already done enough. And only God knows how you’re making it happen.”

  I didn’t want to get into that at all. “Listen, little bro. Don’t worry. I got you. I always do. I always figure it out.”

  He was silent for a second, then I thought I heard him breathe a sigh of relief. He chuckled a little.

  “That’s why Mama named you Tarzan. Always strong.”

  I laughed.

  “How you holding up there?” he asked. “We heard you ran into a little trouble down there on the island.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “It’s nothing. I’m all good now. Just trying to live right.”

  “Okay. Be careful out there, Tarzan.”

  “I will,” I promised. “Tell Mama I love her, and give her a kiss for me. Tell her to rest up and don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

  “Cool,” Trent said. “Respect.”

  “Bless up.”

  I hung up and stared out into the ocean, deep in thought. I wasn’t going back to jail. But, I had to do something drastic. And soon. Too many people were counting on me.

  I saw Toasta as I was walking back toward the restaurant. He took one look at the expression on my face and knew I was stressed.

  “What’s wrong, brethren? Why ya face sad so?”

  I tried to perk up. Uncle Screechie, too, had noticed my downcast eyes and the long stretches of time I spent in silent contemplation. I had so much on my mind. More than I could tell Toasta at once. But, I did my best to open up about what was worrying me most at the moment.

  “My little brother called me. Mama’s back in the hospital. Bills are piling up again. Looks like I might have to do something crazy to get my hands on some money, quick.” I was anguished over that. “I don’t want to go back to that life, Toast. I got in enough trouble doing things the hard way. I need to start moving differently. I prayed about it…” I stopped talking, aware that I might be saying too much. I loved my cousin. Don’t get me wrong. But, revealing the details of my deepest, most private moments was going too far. I wasn’t comfortable being that vulnerable yet.

  “I just want to try to stay out of trouble. That’s all I’m saying. I want to get my mother’s bills paid, set my brother up nice, and live my life, Toast. That’s it. For once I’m trying to do that shit without cracking somebody over the head for their wallet or flooding the hood with drugs.”

  Toasta sighed. “You know mi understand that better than anybody. I came to live with you, Trent, and Aunt Loretta in Brooklyn and everybody expected me to be a badman. They heard I was from Kingston, and they expected me to live up to all the hype. You remember.”

  I did. Toasta had gained a reputation and earned the respect of some of the most thorough niggas in the hood. He used his intimidating size, his Jamaican accent, and his menacing glare to his advantage. For a while, he was someone to be feared if you found yourself alone with him in a dark alley at the wrong time.

  “I got used to that life. Then I came back home, and fell in love. That changed it all, Tarzan. When I laid eyes on Peta Gaye, I knew she was the woman I would marry. She had my children, and I feel honored every single day for that privilege.”

  My eyes widened. I knew that Toasta loved his wife. But, I had never heard him talk like this.

  “I couldn’t risk losing my life out there trying to prove how bad I was. Then what? I die and some natty dread come scoop up Peta Gaye and mi pickney?” He shuddered at the thought. “A man needs to stand strong for his family. No more life on the run for me.”

  I thought about how long I’d been running. All my life, it seemed. Since I was young, I had been fleeing something. Fleeing the local gangs looking for an easy mark back in Brooklyn. Fleeing the worst thugs in the New York State prison system while I was incarcerated there. The cops and Dada’s goons here in Kingston. I wondered when I would grow weary.

  “So I started doing what I love—music,” Toasta said. “If that don’t make me some money, I don’t know what I’ll do next. But, I have made up my mind to stand up to all my doubters. The bishop, Dada and his crew, everyone who doesn’t see my vision. I know it will work out for us.” He nodded. “I feel you, Tarzan. It’s hard out here for us. But, if you think Kingston is where you belong, if Maya is the woman you want a future with, you have to find a way to figure it out. I’m gonna do all I can to help ya out, brethren. Trust.”

  I nodded. He gave me a hug/handshake and gestured toward his beat-up Beamer.

  “I’m heading home. Promised Peta Gaye no dancehall tonight.” He rolled his eyes.

  I laughed. “One night won’t hurt you. Casanova will figure it out.”

  Toasta left, and I finished up at Uncle Screechie’s and jumped on my bike. I went directly to the church, where I found the bishop in the sanctuary alone. I stepped inside and felt the peace and silence wrap around me like a warm blanket. I had often expressed my doubts about religion. But, there was no question that there was a presence in that cathedral that was out of this world.

  The bishop turned and faced me when I approached.

  “Listen. I don’t want to waste your time,” I said. “I just came to thank you for using your connections to get me out of jail. You didn’t have to do it. But, for your daughter … or for whatever reason, you did it. And, I’m grateful.” I cleared my throat. “And I want to apologize for the things I said to you last time. We might not agree on everything. B
ut, that doesn’t give me a right to be disrespectful.” I glanced around, feeling slightly awkward. I looked at the bishop again. “I may not have all the answers. I’m starting to realize that.”

  He stared at me for a while. I waited for the verbal assault I was used to receiving from him by now. Instead, he sat down on the nearest pew, and motioned for me to take a seat as well. I sat on a bench near him. I was close, but still far enough for me to get away if he tried to do an exorcism or something.

  He began speaking, his voice as authoritative as usual.

  “When mi wife died, I was heartbroken. Not only had I lost the woman who made my earth spin. But, I was alone to raise two daughters by mi self. It was no walk in di park. I wanted them to know that they are queens. Not hoochie mamas. Queens!”

  His voice reverberated in the sanctuary, and I nodded so that he would calm down.

  “I told them to reserve themselves for kings. Men worthy of the crown jewels, if ya know what I mean.”

  I did.

  “Along came your family. Your cousin Allester came along and stole Peta Gaye’s heart. Her life has been tough since then. A struggle. Allester has not always done tings the way that I would have suggested. But, that is her husband. I can do nothing but pray for her.”

  He shook his head, wringing his hands, helplessly.

  “Maya is mi baby gal. She is an innocent flower. At least to me she is. She has a beauty that resonates from within. And the body of her mother. The kind of curves that make men turn dey heads. You are not di first badman to set his sights on mi daughter. I am a lion when it comes to them for a reason. I will not sit idly by and watch Maya throw away her promising future because of the foolishness of youth.” He stopped speaking for a moment, and seemed to gather his thoughts. He cleared his throat. “So, I have been very hard on you, Tarzan. Very hard. Because I know that Maya is special. She is truly worthy of a man who will lead her down di correct path.” He looked at me. “I am still not certain that you are such a man.” He shrugged. “Still, Maya has assured me that she loves you. She says that you love her as well.”