by S M Mala
‘As soon as I get a handle on a few things I’d be more than welcome to,’ he smiled, knowing Gina was playing up with Hatty in view and he was joining in. Subtly, he looked over at the stall and noticed Hatty had her head down, looking at something on the table. ‘I have to help Hatty.’
‘What dat mad gal doin’ now? Me hear she got dat big house from ya fader,’ sniffed Gina. ‘Why she want to live dere for?’
‘She likes it.’
‘She try to kill she self when she live dere. What she doin’? Waitin’ for another go?’ shrugged Gina and Jake felt a little sick. ‘She got over seein’ us make love yet?’
‘How do you know?’ he frowned, wishing he’d never stopped to speak to her.
‘Me know a lot. She walk around lookin’ miserable for weeks. Every time she see me, she just snarl. Stupid mad gal. She a fool to tink ya want her,’ she smiled and leaned very close, her lips nearly touching his as he, again, felt bad for hurting Hatty. ‘Ring me.’
‘I’ll try but with work I’m not sure when-.’
‘If ya don’t find me, me will find you,’ she said and Gina walked past him, crossed over the road then strutted past Hatty’s stall.
Jake noticed Hatty avoided looking at her until she’d gone past and bit her lip before glancing at him then spoke to a customer. He crossed over and stood next to the stall.
‘You don’t have to stay with me,’ she said, clearing her throat then tidying up her items. ‘If you want to hang out with her, that’s alright. You can go and come back.’
‘You don’t mind me spending time with Gina?’
‘What would you care if I did?’ she mumbled. For a moment, he swore she looked jealously at him before smiling at someone admiring her bowls. ‘I’ll be finished at lunchtime.’
‘I’m going for a swim then,’ he said, walking off, realising he could call his father and get access to the hotel he spent the night in with Gina all those months ago.
As he walked away, he quickly turned to look at her and saw her sadly looking down.
Jake grinned knowing she was still very much interested in him.
Hatty stood there, watching him walk off and wanted to cry. She felt so jealous of how he looked at Gina Glory Glory. She wanted to tell him that someone loved her more than they loved that bitch on heat, once upon a time. They told her she was nicer than Gina Glory Glory and more special. Even if was Glory’s half-brother who said it.
The hours seemed to take forever as she waited for him to come back. Hatty was feeling the full force of unrequited love. She wondered how she’d cope after three months of having him under the same roof. If he would stay out all night, bring women home behind her back and flaunt beauties under her nose. Then she did a double take when she realised Philip was looking at her.
‘Philip!’ she said, smiling brightly, noticing he was wearing a white short-sleeve shirt and khaki shorts, looking very smart.
‘Me first lie in for months!’ he laughed. ‘And what me do? Me wake up too early like a bad habit.’
‘What are you doing here?’
‘Checking things are okay before I meet a friend,’ he whispered. ‘Are things okay with your room mate?’
‘You heard?’
‘Everyone heard!’
‘Not sure why he’s decided to move in but it’s been only one night so I’m sure he won’t last a week,’ she said, forcing a smile and looking at her wooden butterfly shaped like a heart she’d made, holding it up in the air.
‘Why ya look so miserable?’ whispered Philip, standing behind the stall and putting an arm across her shoulders.
‘I really like him and he doesn’t feel the same way,’ she admitted sadly. ‘And I’m going to kill Gabriel as he asked Jake if I spoke about Simon.’
‘Gabriel has his own logic on things and I mentioned it to Jake too,’ smiled Philip as Hatty huffed. ‘The Spanish man called this morning.’
‘Don’t you think Gabriel’s a little odd?’ she said, looking up at Philip who frowned back down. ‘He doesn’t seem to have boundaries like most people.’
‘He follows his heart when it comes to love and he doesn’t matter the shape or-.’
‘Person?’ Hatty said, and bit her lip.
‘Does that bother you?’
‘It makes me wonder if he’s just too greedy wanting it all.’
‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing when it comes to Gabriel? I know you’re only thinking of-.’
‘It worked,’ she said, stroking Philip’s arm gently. ‘I know the truth.’
‘And what about Jake? Does he know?’
‘No.’
‘Are you going to tell him?’
‘He really wouldn’t care.’
‘Don’t you think-.’
‘Me not able tink!’
Jake walked slowly back to her before noon. Hatty was so hot, she was sweltering in the sun as he looked cool and relaxed… and very attractive. All her boxes were packed up neatly. Jake opened the boot and put them in.
‘What did you do?’ she asked, handing the items to him.
‘I called dad to make sure I could get to the pool and borrowed some spare shorts,’ he shrugged. ‘Chilled out, got talking to a few people. You don’t mind if I stick around here today?’
‘How am I going to get home?’ she said, put out he was already finding alternative entertainment then realised. ‘Is Gina Glory Glory waiting for you in a hotel room?’
‘It’s really none of your business,’ he replied as she tried not to look upset. Hatty held out her hand. ‘What do you want?’
‘The keys to the car,’ she said, wondering why he was grinning.
‘I’ve sorted you out a ride home and I’ll drive back later.’
‘I can’t leave my things in the boot,’ she said anxiously, looking at her hard work. ‘What happens if they get stolen?’
‘Come on Ha Ha, you hardly shifted anything today. If you can’t sell them surely no-one is going to steal them?’
‘You don’t think my things are good enough to be stolen?’ Hatty replied, trying not to get angry.
‘The best thing you’ve made, other than the large bowls, is the frame for me,’ he said in an authoritative tone. ‘Jewellery boxes? Well, that’s tourist fodder.’
Hatty could have easily punched him on the nose but bit her lip and wondered if he was right.
‘Where’s the cab?’ she said and he gestured towards an old boy driving a clapped out mini bus, which she was going to have to share with others on the drop off. ‘I see. You’re obviously thinking of cost cutting aren’t you?’
‘It’s a drive,’ he shrugged, closing the boot and walking off.
Hatty watched him and wondered who he was getting up that afternoon but decided it wasn’t worth it. She was squashed in the back of the tiny mini bus and sat there, while an old man stuffed his face with stinky salt fish dumplings.
When she managed to survive her trip home, Hatty was sticky and pissed off. She wanted to spend the day with Jake and he had better things to do. She went into her work room and looked at her things, wondering if bowls and frames were a better idea. Taking out her work book, she examined the sketch of the frame she did for him and wanted to do something similar, but keep his true to an original copy as she could.
‘Maybe you’re onto something Jacob,’ she said and started cutting the wood ready for her next new adventure.
‘So you didn’t tell Hatty you were having lunch with me?’ asked Philip as they sat by the pool of the hotel playing back gammon. ‘I was surprised when you called.’
‘I wanted to talk.’
‘How’s she getting back?’
‘I put her in one of those old mini buses and sent her home,’ he said, shaking the dice before moving the pieces around the board. ‘And she keeps annoying me.’
‘How comes?’ asked Philip, sipping a beer.
Jake examined his very handsome face and could see how Hatty would find him attractive.
‘She doesn’t mean it!’ laughed Philip, shaking his head.
‘Is she in love with Gabriel?’ Jake asked, unable to hold it in any longer. ‘Are they really a couple who don’t have sex?’
‘Hatty would do anything for the people she loves and that’s all you need to know,’ he said solemnly. ‘It’s from the heart she does things and that’s what counts.’
‘You didn’t answer my question.’
‘Let Hatty tell you,’ Philip said quietly, staring at Jake. ‘And why are you back? Don’t tell me ‘cos ya want to work with that sister of mine?’
‘I thought it might be fun to spend more time here with dad and-.’
‘That’s why you moved in with Hatty after a week?’
‘She promised me something if I taught her how to drive.’
‘What?’
He noticed Philip smile at him for a moment and was taken aback by his gentle face.
‘Why does Hatty keep asking you to marry her?’
‘Questions, questions,’ said Philip, slipping into his American accent. ‘What do you want from Hatty? Sex? Fun? Someone to talk to?’
‘Talk to? She doesn’t give me a straight answer.’
‘Have you asked her a straight question?’ replied Philip, staring hard at him. ‘I think you’re playing games with her. She was really upset about your rejection last time. I’ve never seen her look so upset since…’ He hesitated for a moment. ‘Simon.’
‘I asked her about it and she won’t say anything.’
‘Go easy on her. Not play ya silly boy games wid Hatty. She need someone who’s straight talkin’ an’ care for she. Me can’t offer her that an’ she not in love with me.’ Philip rolled the dice and moved the pieces as Jake stared at the board. ‘If you like Hatty then tell her. She takes things to heart.’
‘You know she told me she loved me before…’ Jake rubbed his head. ‘And she looked so upset I couldn’t, you know what, so I’m not sure what I want from her. And dad told me some things about his relationship with her mother then Gina said-.’
‘Not listen to Gina!’ said Philip firmly. ‘She doesn’t care about Hatty. Me tink she hates Hatty more than anyone realises.’
‘It’s just friendly rivalry.’
‘The woman is a viper,’ he said harshly. ‘Jake, what I tell you is in confidence. You tell anyone else and you betray my trust, ya understand?’
‘Sure,’ he said, looking directly at Philip.
‘Hatty knows something about Gina, I’m not sure what. Gina has tried her best to tear Hatty’s life to pieces again and again. You may think Hatty’s got fight in her but she’s got secrets in here,’ Philip pointed to his head and then to his heart. ‘And here. I never push her to find out and when Louisa has tried, she clams up. Keep Gina away from Hatty and everything will be fine.’
‘What do you think it’s about?’
‘Simon. Gina hated her brother liking Hatty to the point it was strange. Louisa used to say the way she looked at Hatty was full of hate and anger. Gina thinks Hatty’s bad, made of badness and she tells everyone.’ Philip then momentarily looked sad. ‘When Hatty was young, no other child would speak to her, they’d cross the road. Only Louisa, Simon and I were her friends. Man, Hatty cried and cried. She wanted a birthday party when she was little and no one wanted to come thanks to Gina and her talk. That’s why she hates parties. Those people are now adults and nothing has really changed in her eyes. They want to know her now, they want a piece of her and she won’t play.’
‘Do you think she tried to kill herself when she was a child?’ Jake gulped, wanting to go straight back to the house to hold her tightly, to protect her from the others.
‘Only she knows what she was thinking and she talks about the sea saying things to her. I ignore it but sometimes I think she’s waiting to hear something. You know they never found Simon’s body?’
‘No I didn’t,’ he said, sitting up. ‘Do you think that’s why she’s scared? Do you think she thinks she can hear him or something?’
‘I tried to take her into the sea on this island. She just gets upset, shakes and runs. Gabriel thinks she has problems with the death of her parents, Simon and her relationships. I don’t think Hatty thinks she deserves to be happy, to be problem free.’
‘Dad told me she’s his adopted daughter,’ Jake said. Philip smiled. ‘You knew?’
‘My father and Murray are close. What else did he say?’
‘About how Hatty was conceived, how Eloise was conceived. How he was in love with Hatty’s mother and she died. I don’t know what to think,’ said Jake, shaking his head. ‘I never knew about any of this until I came here and to think, our fathers are friends, I never met you until a few months ago.’
‘Murray was protecting you, I know that,’ said Philip quietly. ‘He regrets many things like letting Eloise run away to come here. When she died, so my father said, he was broken but he was then happy you came along. His problem was Hatty and what to do. He asked Delores to look after her. She wasn’t keen and then there were other problems.’ Philip took a deep sigh. ‘Jake, don’t say anything about this but I heard from conversations between my parents that Delores was in love with your father but he didn’t feel the same way. He’d met Eloise and in his heart, at the time, he wanted to be with her. But Delores, well, she had other things in mind.’
‘I haven’t warmed to her and she can’t stand me.’
‘Maybe because you remind her of Murray when he was young?’
‘I don’t think so. And if you’re implying she’s attracted to me then I’d have to throw up here and now.’
‘She was like Gina and Eloise was like Hatty.’
‘Delores is nothing like Gina!’ laughed out Jake, taking his beer and sipping out of the bottle. ‘And you could imply my father could be attracted to Hatty because of Eloise.’ He noticed Philip quickly glance away. ‘You’re not saying my dad wants Hatty are you?’
A twist occurred in his gut at the thought.
‘Your father would never lay a finger on Hatty and certainly not like that,’ said Philip sternly. ‘But I do think Delores is aware your father has deeper feelings for Hatty than he has for her. I think that’s why she wants Hatty to leave the island then, maybe, your father might acknowledge her a little bit more. Transfer his attentions, so to speak.’
‘And what about Hatty in all this? She doesn’t know half of it and still wants me to put information together.’
‘I think she ought to know but I can’t tell her everything. I don’t want to. I know some bits will hurt her. She thinks she’s nothing, she doesn’t matter. You know why she eats out of a cup?’ Jake shook his head from side to side. ‘Because she says then no-one would know she was there. If she washes the cup up, there’d be no trace there was another person to be fed but a drink, you can’t begrudge a person a drink, can you?’
Even Hatty had to leave the work room when the sawdust got too much for her, opening the windows. She needed to build a separate shed, so she walked outside and tried to find a spot for her future plan.
Circling the house, she wondered where would be good but the heat suddenly penetrated her skin and she started to sweat. Sizing up the space between the beach and the path, she picked a spot away from the house but not too far as she’d need to get a feed of electricity. Rushing back inside the house, she rummaged for a piece of chalk and then started to draw where she was going to build her new work room, then placed timber around the area and wrote, ‘Do not touch’ before going back into the house and picking up the phone.
‘Philip,’ she said as soon as she heard his voice message. ‘As you’re not going to accompany me to the market on Sundays, could you help me build a new work room? I think it’s time I moved the business out of the house and had a specific work area. I’ll pay you for the work…’ Hatty then hesitated. ‘I’ll ask Murray for a loan and we ca
n take it from there. I’d like to start work immediately. I’ll draw my plans and get back to you asap.’
She hung up and rushed up the stairs to get some clean clothes, grabbing her work book then walked down the path to her creative oasis.
Jake got back to the empty house and saw the mess she’d created in her work room. He looked around for her then noticed her precious satchel was thrown in the corner of the room. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what she kept in it.
‘Hatty!’ he shouted and there was no answer, so he ran upstairs and checked the rooms.
When he looked out of the window he saw her ‘Do not touch’ scrawl on the ground, surrounded by bits of wood. Jake walked back down the stairs and took a beer out of the fridge, realising there was nothing in there other than two remaining bottles.
‘Great! She’s going to starve me to death.’ He then walked back into her den of wood and stared at the satchel. ‘What the hell.’
Quickly, he bent down and rummaged through it, seeing various bottles of mosquito repellent, a small chisel, lip balm, tissues, wallet, keys, pieces of paper then he felt a zip at the bottom and opened it up. Jake pulled out various plastic bags and was shocked to find one stuffed with a lot of money. The other was her British passport and documents. He pulled out the paper and saw she had a driver’s licence, which made him laugh then noticed the birth certificate. Jake opened it up and saw the name of her father ‘Carlos’ and his trade was ‘Carpenter’.
‘Carlos the carpenter,’ he smiled and realised that was all she had from her parents, their names on a piece of paper.
Then he saw a photograph and it was his father and her mother, smiling together. He examined it closely. It was taken on the balcony of the house and they looked similar to Hatty and himself. Jake didn’t know what to think and wondered if Hatty realised the resemblance. Jake knew he’d have to start doing some straight talking if he was to suss out the secret history of Hatty Ha Ha.
‘This is brilliant!’ she said, jumping up and down by the side of the fresh water pool, clapping her hands as she examined her plan for her new work room. It was twice as big as she already had. Hatty had even put a separate space for wood storage instead of having them up against the side of the wall. ‘Me task is done!’