The writer for the quote above, her Instagram is @ thedamewrites
As I quickly dragged my aching body off the ground, I could literally hear my grandma saying "yuh life lang but yuh cayliss wid it". And in all my twenty-five years on this earth the old woman has never been wrong. I absolutely always seem to give up my safety for a risky situation. I was determined to get up and walk out the cottage door to finish my mission and not even the blood that stained the wooden floors from the cut on my forehead could deter me; some would say that is the direct definition of insanity.
I stepped right over the blood, gently touched the cut on my forehead with my stubby thumb and headed for the door. As I slowly walked through the door the familiar view of a tenement yard could clearly be seen. They were really small cottages made of board and zinc but I knew from first-hand experience just how homely they can be. I shook the memory from resurfacing and focused my attention on a group of boys playing marbles in the dirt.
My body blocking the hot sun from the boys and my shadow being casted on the ground infront of them, alerted them of my presence.
"If you scream, I promise you will regret it" I quietly said to them.
I discreetly flashed a menacing smile to put some fear into the little pickney dem.
"Now, which of the houses does the leader of your tribe live in?"
A little boy who couldn't have been more than 8 years old pointed a shaky finger to the largest building in the big yard.
"That one miss, but you can't -"
"Don't tell me what I can't do you brat. Everybody, go home, now!" I snarled out.
They quickly scurried away before I could try the breathing techniques granny June showed me to quell this insufferable anger that was undoubtedly passed down to me from my infamous sperm donor.
I quickly stepped over the now lonely marbles and stealthily made way to the building.
The front door was closed, but as trained as I am it would be an embarrassment to my mentor to just walk through the door. It was laughable really.
I jumped over the gate that surrounded the building and ran to the back of the house, my specially made hunting boots concealing any sound my feet could have made.
At the back of the house there was a woman hanging clothes on the clothes line to be dried. Her hair sat high on her head like a crown and was as thick as her body. She had on an apron around her waist with the clothespin pinned in a neat row on it. She reminded me so much of-
No! Now is definitely not the time to be reminiscing.
I slowly walked up to her, with every intention to knock her out so I can get on with my mission.
She was whistling a tune I knew all too well.
"Come Mister Tally Man, tally mi banana
Daylight come and I wanna go home
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally mi banana
Daylight come and I wanna go home"
By now I was directly behind her and raised my hands to grab her neck. I was so close to her that I could see the small hairs on the back of her neck.
"I've been waiting on you Remi"
My hands paused in the air at the strange words that came out of her mouth. How did she know my name?
The seconds seemed to stretch on forever before she slowly turned to face me and when we were fully facing each other I was slapped with what I saw. It was like looking in a mirror. The view sending terrible chills up my arms and the throbbing sensation back in my head.
"I'm you, Remi"
Translation & Meaning:
yuh life lang but yuh cayliss wid it
Translation: Your life is long but you are careless with it.
Meaning & explanation: Don't give up safety in any form for a risky situation.
Pickney dem
Translation: Child/children
YOU ARE READING
Redemption
Adventure"She will not be moved" After being overlooked, unappreciated and ostracized Remi Dankwa is back for redemption. But what if everything she thought she hated and had to conquer became everything she yearned to have? Join Remi on her road to redempt...
