MULATTO (Iyila) (Editing)

chapter forty seven

Okahana, like Charleston had changed immensly, Gabriel observed as he stood at the beach the morning of the next day. It wasn't the way he recalled it.

The small outlet, that was originally occupied by three red Indian families and a few negroes had developed into a small village of freed negroes. The houses, which he noted earlier upon their arrival, had increased from six to roughly fifteen, even the structure of it's buildings had transformed from the usual raffia to plank. Nevertheless, not all had changed, the air was still moisty and cold. The beach still had those wonderful pebbles on it's shore.

The gigantic mosquitoes were still around and the natural beauty that was followed by a refreshing serenity was still present. He sighed and bent down to pick one of the pebbles.

It was spiral in shape, a bit of shiny green with a faint bit of grey in colour. Enclosing the pebble in his palm, he closed his eyes as he allowed the chilly sea breeze to rush through his body. That morning he decided to ignore his problems. To ignore his failed relationship with Anne, his father's ludicrous plan to marry of Collete and his inconspicuous emotional attraction to Iyila. All he wished to do that morning was to enjoy the flawless picture of Okahana and allow the breeze to blow away all his stress.

A warm hand on his shoulder reminded him that such desire was delusional. Quite alarmed, he turned to view the individual, it was Martha and she was smilling. She was aging but her eyes still held the same youthfulness he'd seen on his last visit. He returned the smile before she moved to stand beside.

"Ya awake so early," she quietly said and crossed her arms over her chest. He nodded, "I did not want to miss the first light of dawn," he said and heard her exhale.

A quick silence followed after but she broke it before it could spread. "Ha doubt yo' father knows yo' here," she muttered. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Definitely not," he replied. He deliberately omitted that part in the letter he left in his room for his mother to find. He'd only wrote about him travelling away to visit an old friend. He'd been precise with the information so as to ward off any form of malicious suspicion. Especially as he it involved him going away with a negro... a female negro to be exact. There wasn't any doubt that his father might throw a tantrum, or worse indulge him in a very long verbal war. He recalled they had almost gone physical the last time he visited Okahana before he left for Illinios. He was keen to avoid anything like that, precisely after he'd promised Susan that he would cease such occurrences.

"Ya hav'not change, as stubborn as ever" she remarked. A warm cackle escaped his lips, most people called him stubborn but he preffered defiant.

"But ya have grown taller" she added, gazing up at him "Every one says I have" he said.

"I hadn't believed it until I stood eye shot with my father, then I realized that I have indeed grown which I personally consider quite ridiculous for a man my age" he said. She laughed, "True, buh ya shond know ya aint no just any man"

He smiled, while growing up as a young child he'd always believed his father to be more than any other man. To be more powerful than any other man and he'd always doubted the thought of any man been as tall as his father.

He'd seen his father near a god but as time went on he began to realize that all of those where childish nonsense. It felt like yesterday when he was but a fourteen year old boy, cringing before his father's presence and fretting over his built, but not only had he realized that he was of thesame height as his father which he'd noted upon their last argument, he'd also seen that he was a few inches above his father. Some considered his built; hideous, some said it was as egocentrically intimidating while others just stared with raw amazement. At first he'd been disturbed with the mix reaction of people towards his height, but as time urge forward he began to see it as a compliment.