The Secret History of Hatty Ha Ha ... Begins

by S M Mala

‘I didn’t want to hurt you.’

  ‘You seem to do that constantly with one thing or another,’ she replied, before eyeing him. ‘I’ll accept my expectations of you were rather high and since then you have managed to decrease them. Reality sucks as they say.’

  ‘I hate the way you said I wasn’t the man you expected me to be!’ he snapped, instantly riled by her arsey attitude.

  ‘That’s a good thing,’ she said, scowling at him as she re-plaited her hair. ‘It means I won’t be disappointed anymore and you can come and go as you please. I realised more than ever, you’re here to make me happy for a short time then you’ll move on. To be honest…’ Hatty fixed her large brown eyes on him as she stared up. ‘I wanted you to stay forever and I was making out it was alright you’re going to go when in fact, it isn’t. I don’t like the idea you’ll make love to someone else but you will. I have to understand that’s what happens in the world.’ Shrugging her shoulders she walked into the house, holding the door open as he walked in, a little confused. Hatty grabbed a can of mosquito repellent and sprayed it in the air. ‘I’ve made dinner so you can eat before you go out, unless you’re eating out.’

  ‘Hold on!’ he snapped, shaking his head furiously. ‘You haven’t spoken to me for over two weeks and now, after getting really upset this morning, you’re fine and chatty! Am I wrong or am I wrong?’

  ‘I’m not fine but I have to see things for what they are and not dream of something else, which is unachievable. Stay within the boundaries of my reality. My mother died of a heart condition, due to being pregnant by a man she married who raped her on their wedding night. I came and people have treated me badly because of it. I dare say your Aunt Caroline knows about this?’ She forced a smile. ‘Anyway, you have fun tonight. Enjoy your evening with the octopus.’ Hatty laughed as she walked up the stairs and stopped to look down at him. ‘I really like your book.’

  ‘You obviously didn’t understand what I was saying,’ he said, totally confused.

  ‘I did. Jacob the handsome human thinks he’s in love with the mermaid Hatty Ha Ha and he wants to make up but he’s not sure how he can win her back, get her to trust and love him again and that, I have to say, we both agree on.’

  Jake watched her walk up the stairs and into her bedroom, closing the door as he tried to get his head around what to do next.

  Hatty woke from her afternoon doze and had a shower. She peered out the window. The jeep was nowhere to be seen and she felt a little relieved she didn’t have to talk to him. After getting washed and putting on a clean pair of dungarees, she walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen. It was only four in the afternoon so she pondered on what to do. Then decided she didn’t want to do anything. She went back to the work hut to get the book he’d written to find it had gone.

  ‘Why that little shit,’ she mumbled, sweeping her work room, knowing she was way off from completing items for Sunday.

  Hatty forced herself to do at least two hours’ work whilst listening to the local radio and hearing the adverts for the Valentine’s Night Party by the marina. Valentine’s was actually on Monday. She let out a little sigh and looked at her box of love hearts which would sell well at the Sunday Market. She took a red stained one out and engraved the word ‘Jacob’ on it before smiling.

  As soon as it turned six, she downed tools and wanted a beer for the first time in weeks. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders that day. From feeling heartbroken to elated and wondered if that was down to Jake declaring his love in a book which had now disappeared or her being less afraid of the water.

  ‘Octopus,’ she laughed and didn’t feel jealous at the thought of him going out with Gina Glory Glory.

  Hatty walked back into the house and stopped.

  It was still bright but there were fairy lights hanging across the corridor. The lights were leading out onto the back balcony. Slowly she followed the trail and saw Jake standing on a small ladder, trying to hook them up.

  ‘What are you doing?’ she asked as he instantly jumped and wobbled a bit before steadying himself.

  ‘You said the marina lights looked pretty so I wanted you to have some of your own.’

  Jake concentrated on hooking them up.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because you said you’d never seen them. I thought here would be a prettier view. When I go on the boat round the island tonight, I’ll be able to see the house.’

  He smiled at her and she smiled back, knowing her heart had immediately sunk and all her psychobabble had backfired.

  Jake was going to the Valentine’s Day party. And with Glory the Octopus.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said and saw the twinkling white lights. ‘I look forward to looking at them.’

  ‘Got to go,’ he said, glancing at his watch then jumping off the ladder taking it into the house before rushing up the stairs. Hatty heard him stomp around and he came back down wearing a light grey t-shirt and a pair of jeans, totally gorgeous, before slipping on his flip flops. ‘Have a good evening!’

  ‘Sure,’ she said. He departed from the front door and drove off. Hatty turned and smiled at the lights. ‘He doesn’t love me that much.’

  ‘Hello,’ Gina purred when he kissed her on the cheek, sitting down at the table. ‘You’re on time.’

  ‘You bought the tickets. I couldn’t let a lady down.’

  ‘An’ before ya say anytin’, me know ya not with Louisa. Someone told me a few weeks ago. Me wondered why does ya lied. Then figured Ha Ha Hatty must ‘ave given ya a hard time about me.’

  ‘She doesn’t seem to mind,’ he shrugged, examining the beauty before of him. ‘I thought a boat ride around the island would be a good idea. One leaves about seven thirty. Do you want to go?’

  ‘Now that would be romantic,’ she said, leaning forward and kissing him gently on the lips. He looked into her light brown eyes and smiled. ‘Then what we do?’

  ‘Take it from there.’

  Jake plied Gina with drink before they got on the boat. There were about twenty other couples standing on the deck as the boat slowly made its way around the island. He felt Gina slip her hands around his waist as he smiled.

  ‘You know a lot about people on this island so I wanted to ask you something.’

  ‘Try me,’ she grinned, kissing his cheek

  ‘Hatty’s father Carlos, what do you know about him?’ He noticed her eyes widened and she didn’t look too happy. ‘You know Hatty knows about him raping her mother.’

  ‘That why she cry like a baby over the past few weeks? Me see her pitiful face when me pass by. People say she been upset, not talkin’ an’ keepin’ her head down. She must be ashamed,’ smiled Gina. He noticed she looked pleased at the thought as another guilty pain stabbed at him. ‘Perfect Hatty, she not so perfect after all.’

  ‘It’s not her fault,’ he defended, trying not to sound annoyed. ‘She was a product of a bad thing.’

  ‘She tainted. Only me broder, who heart was so big, could be so kind to be she friend.’

  ‘They were more than friends,’ laughed Jake, knowing what Hatty had told him.

  ‘What ya mean?’ asked Gina sharply. ‘He spent time with her because he felt sorry for da stupid gal.’

  ‘Gina,’ he sighed, seeing she had no idea. ‘Your brother was in love with Hatty.’

  ‘She say that! She lie!’

  ‘Calm down,’ Jake said, seeing it was a sore subject. ‘You must’ve known it was more than a friendship?’

  He noticed a flicker of anger in the beauty’s face.

  ‘How ya know?’ she said, taking a massive swig from her drink as he sipped his coke.

  ‘Hatty gave me a blow by blow detail of their relationship. She was in love with him.’

  ‘He not with her,’ said Gina confidently. ‘He never love her!’

  ‘He did everything else to her other than fuck,’ he said, a twinge of jealousy hitting him. ‘And it started when she was only fourteen.’ Gina glared at him for
a full minute. He couldn’t fathom what was going on behind her eyes. Then she quickly ran down the stairs. ‘Must’ve been something I said.’

  Jake noticed the boat was passing the house and he looked up. He smiled when he noticed the twinkling lights and then he saw her, sitting on the balcony, legs rested on a chair eating her dinner out of a cup. Hatty wasn’t facing towards the sea, she was just looking at the lights.

  That’s when he knew he had to get home.

  ‘Can you stop the boat?’ he said to the driver. ‘I need to get out.’

  ‘‘ere?’ he said, looking at his co-driver who was a little worse for wear. ‘Ya sure?’

  ‘It’s near my home,’ he smiled and, without any hesitation, Jake dived in and swam to shore.

  Soaking wet and checking to see he hadn’t lost anything from his pockets, he walked down the cove to the side and jumped up. Slowly made his way to the house.

  She was still sitting there, now nursing a beer.

  ‘Hello,’ he said, making her jump as she fell off her chair.

  ‘Where’d you come from?’ she said, wiping the beer off her dungarees, her eyes wide open with surprise

  ‘There,’ he said, pointing to the boat. ‘It seemed quicker to swim than wait for it to go all around the island.’

  ‘But the jeep?’ she said, standing up quickly. ‘I need the jeep for the market tomorrow and-.’

  ‘I’ll sort it,’ he said cheerfully, happy to be with her and realising he shouldn’t have wasted time with Gina. ‘Can we be honest with each other?’

  ‘Don’t you want to get out of your wet clothes?’ she said, looking at him up and down. ‘You might catch a chill. Have you eaten?’

  ‘Is there any food left?’

  ‘Lots,’ she grinned.

  It was the first time he’d seen her genuinely smile in weeks.

  When Jake returned, she’d put his food on a tray and took it out on the porch, then lit a fly repellent ring to keep the creatures away. He laughed, knowing it smelt just as antiseptic outside as it did inside.

  ‘Here,’ Hatty said, holding the tray out as he sat at the little table. Jake ate the food and smiled at her new found ability to cook. ‘What honest thing do you want to say today?’

  ‘Simon,’ he said gently and she looked at him. ‘You’ve told me a lot about you and him. You haven’t told me how Gina reacted. If she loved her brother, as much as I’m to believe, then she must certainly have hated you being with him.’ Jake saw Hatty look at him in utter disbelief. ‘What did I say?’

  ‘She could never believe Simon would like anyone else. It wasn’t within her realm of understanding. Did you say something to her?’

  ‘I mentioned it today and she got really defensive.’

  ‘Did you leave her on the boat?’

  ‘She was being sick in the toilet, I think, so I thought I might as well come home,’ he said quietly and heard her laugh, putting her hand over her mouth.

  ‘Gina Glory Glory gonna be mad wid ya!’

  ‘Frankly, I don’t give a shit. She’s nasty about you and it gets on my nerves.’

  ‘I’m surprised you didn’t join in. You don’t need to stick up for me.’

  ‘I don’t like it.’

  ‘You prefer to say it to me directly, do you?’ she said, looking at him for a moment. ‘How’s the food?’

  ‘Very good,’ he said, glaring at her. ‘Why would she get so defensive over Simon and you? It was her brother. Surely she’d know he’d have girlfriends or maybe it was just you?’

  ‘It was with every girl he went with but mostly me. I’m not her favourite person. She was very possessive over him.’

  ‘How comes you and he got the opportunity to become close?’

  ‘Everyone thought this place was locked up so we did it in there.’ He stopped eating when he realised she’d used the house. ‘Where did you think we’d do it? Behind a cow shed?’

  ‘Makes sense,’ he shrugged. ‘In your mother’s bed?’

  ‘In your bed. All the mattresses are new and the frames are old, so it was on your bed, so to speak.’

  ‘I see,’ he said, chewing fiercely, feeling an intense jealousy build in his chest. ‘Didn’t he think what he was doing to an under aged girl was wrong?’

  ‘There are worse things,’ she mumbled.

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘He lost his virginity at fourteen. Simon said it was one of those situations where he couldn’t control what happened.’ She smiled but Jake saw the pain behind it. ‘He was taught well by his lover and he did the same things to me, some of them I didn’t like. Gradually, I knew what made me happy and what pleased him.’

  ‘And Gina doesn’t know about your physical side?’

  ‘She wouldn’t believe it if she did. That would just make her hate me more, if that’s at all possible,’ Hatty groaned. ‘Why the interest in Simon?’

  ‘Just curious as I am about your father.’

  ‘I see.’ Hatty sat opposite him as he smiled. ‘I need to find out about him, who he was, what he was like and how comes he wasn’t arrested for raping my mother? Things like that. Will you help me?’

  ‘Is that why you’re being nice? You need my help?’

  ‘I wasn’t the one who got a hard on when Gina Glory Glory kissed you and in front of my best friend was I?’ Hatty leaned closer as he blushed, realising what the two friends actually talked about. ‘And like I said, it’s taken a bit of heart break on my side to realise you and I aren’t made for each other. Even if we were, we have a chance in hell of being together. Romantic dreams aside, will you help me?’

  ‘The more you say things like that, the more I’m going to prove you wrong.’ ‘And where’s the book? It took you long enough to put pen to paper.’

  ‘It needs an ending but it’s not finished yet.’

  ‘I doubt if it’ll be a ‘happily ever after’ closing line.’

  After she returned from the Sunday market, Jake was still in bed. She just frowned while peeking into his room. They didn’t stay up late but she could only presume his swim knackered him out. Hatty had to take the spare car keys, get a taxi to the marina and drive it back to the house. Then load up while sleeping beauty was out cold.

  ‘Little shit,’ she mumbled, desperately needing a swim.

  Walking out of the house and down to her pool, she stripped off and took a dip.

  It wasn’t long before she saw a half sleeping man dive into the pool. He jumped out, making a massive ripple as she glared.

  ‘I over slept,’ he said unapologetically.

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Did you get the jeep?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Great!’

  He carried on swimming and she could see he didn’t care about all the trouble she’d been to.

  ‘Is that all you’re going to say?’

  ‘For the time being, yes,’ he smiled, looking at the rock they’d made love on the day she lost her virginity to him. Hatty gazed at the water and thought it seemed like a million years away. ‘What are you thinking?’

  ‘Nothing interesting,’ she quietly replied and went under the stream, letting the water splash on her face, staring at the glistening rock.

  There was movement behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see Jake standing close, his body towering over her.

  ‘I don’t want anyone else, you know that don’t you?’ he said quietly and she was waiting for him to touch her, not sure if it was in anticipation or fear. ‘I’ve said too many stupid things. I’m really unhappy about what’s going on between us now.’

  ‘There’s nothing going on.’

  ‘Everything was perfect before we-.’

  ‘You said I trapped you, not in so many words, but I was stopping you from doing what you wanted to do. I didn’t realise and now I know you want to sleep with other women, I’m not sure what you expect from me. Do you think if you told that to Serena when you first met, she’d be happy? I know you’re modern New York
ers and screw around but a normal person, like me, doesn’t get it. Maybe that’s the problem between us. You want it all plus more. I’m just happy with what I’ve got.’ Hatty turned and looked at him, her arms covering her breasts, knowing she was not only exposing her body but her feelings. ‘I don’t know what’s worse? The thought of drowning in the sea or you breaking my heart, actually that’s not true, I know which one hurts.’

  Hatty walked past him and went up the side of the bank, taking her clothes off the grass and walking at top speed to her home, running up into her bedroom. She sat sadly on her bed, her body still dripping wet.

  Then she heard the back door open and Jake walking slowly up the stairs, heading straight for his room. There was some moving about. He came out and knocked on her door.

  ‘Hatty,’ he said. ‘I’ll be in the jeep waiting for you. You’ve got five minutes to get changed as we’re going out to lunch. It’s my treat for not helping you this morning. Is Chinese good?’

  ‘It’ll be busy in the restaurant. It always is on a Sunday.’

  ‘Then we’ll go somewhere else. See you in five.’

  She heard him thunder down the stairs. Hatty got up and quickly put on her mosquito repellent before getting dressed. She wore the same dress she went to see Chief Harvey in and took out her sensible shoes.

  As she walked down, she heard him talking on the phone.

  ‘I know, I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I thought it would be fun to see if I could swim to shore. I wasn’t thinking.’

  ‘-.’

  ‘You seemed pretty pissed off before you disappeared. I thought that was a hint. Anyway, let’s be honest, you only want to see me to wind up Hatty and Louisa.’

  He let out a little snigger. Hatty poked her head around the corner and could see he had his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh.

  ‘-.’

  ‘Sure we have fun but there’s more to life than sex and, I have to be honest, I hate the way you’re always being nasty about Hatty. It grates on me so let’s call it a day. We had fun but things have changed and so have I.’

  Hatty walked quietly up the stairs and into her room. She then stepped heavily out and stored down the stairs to hide her eaves dropping.