Her Indigenous Surrender

CHAPTER 1 THE MISBEHAVING

Charlene Anthony-Desiré enters the beautiful bungalow in the Eastern Bay Resort where her family has been spending the spring school holidays. With its soaring exposed beam ceiling and spacious open floor plan, it is the perfect place for her young family. Closing the door behind her, she walks across the gleaming mahogany floor to the kitchenette. It overlooks a stunning view of the Atlantic, and being a short distance from the ocean, with its constant breeze, has made the warm weather more than bearable. A small, sad smile breaks out on her face as she remembers Mathieu, her late husband. He would have loved this resort. It encompasses all his requirements for a fun-filled recreational getaway.

The grounds of the resort teem with tropical fruits, small wildlife, and exotic flowers that are as bright as they are varied in colour and size. A small pool designed for relaxation borders the indoor/outdoor spa, and another larger one for more active swimmers with water slides and waterfalls have kept everyone happy for the week and a half they have been here. Although they've enjoyed the pools, being a short distance from the ocean has also proved to be quite entertaining.

With a heavy sigh, Charlene places her large hand-woven straw bag onto the granite kitchen island and systematically removes each item she purchased, placing them in the refrigerator and cupboards, respectively. Thinking of Mathieu always brings a bout of depression, like a dark cloud. Her husband, so full of vigour and life, had his life cut short when his safety rope snapped, causing him to plummet forty feet onto the concrete pavement below. He was a builder, doing renovations on an apartment building, and he left her with three small children to raise. But that was a decade ago. Shaking her head, hoping to expel her despondent thoughts, Charlene looks at her watch noting the time.

I wonder where the kids are, she thinks while sorting out the last of her purchases. Some of the items are for their lunch. She considers making a quick, one-pot meal, but decides to ask the kids since they will help her cook. Knowing them, they will choose the easiest method possible.

"It is nearly lunch, and they should have been here by now," she says.

With another sigh, Charlene retrieves her smartphone from her purse and dials her eldest son, Amaziah. She had been out for most of the morning. Knowing her younger children, she wouldn't be surprised if they were up to some form of mischief, leaving their older brother at his wit's end trying to prevent it.

"Just before the call goes to voicemail, the line clicks. "Yes, Ma," Amaziah answers, his breathlessness hinting at the chaos she had anticipated.

"Son, are you alright? Why are you breathless?" asks Charlene.

"I just trying to get Ash before he uses his stink bomb on somebody," he says. "I spotted him hiding behind a guava tree. I think he gonna use it on de ole man, Mr Millers, two bungalows down from us. Eh, eh! Ma, I have to go."

Before she can respond, the call ends. "What de fadah head, Ashhur!" Charlene exclaims to the empty room. "Why you so troublesome?"

Moving quickly, she grabs the room key from the counter and heads outside. It's only when she arrives near the reception lounge that she remembers Amaziah never told her exactly where on the resort they were. Considering the grounds are littered with guava trees, it is going to be extremely hard to find the boys. Unlocking her phone, she dials her daughter's number.

Ariel picks up on the first ring. "Ma, we are next to de outdoor spa, by de sulphur baths," she says in a rush.

She must have been near her brother when I called, Charlene thinks.

"Thanks, sweetie. Now, make sure your little brother does not get himself in trouble. I coming."

Instead of replying to her mother, Ariel shouts, "I see you. You can't hide. Ma coming to deal wif your backside." Then silence. "Ow. Ma! Ash hit me wif ah guava," she whines into the phone.

"Ash, what in heaven's name is wrong wif you!" Amaziah shouts in the background.

Charlene jogs through the reception lounge, phone in hand, heading in the direction of the relaxation pool. Panting, she says, "Tell yuh bruda, I almost there, and to behave himself".

As she rounds a corner and jumps over an iguana, Charlene spots her elder children squaring off against their baby brother. There's no stink bomb in sight. The smelly, slimy mixture of God-knows-what is usually held in a balloon or plastic bag. She hangs up and races forward.

"ASHHUR JACQUES DESIRÉ!" she bellows. Her volume lowers as she gets closer to the children. "Come here dis instant!"

Her mischievous son comes up to her with his lower lip wobbling. "I doh do it ah purpose, Ma. I was aiming for de bird above Ariel's head. But she won't believe me. Shudda let it poop on she."

He mutters the last bit under his breath, but Charlene hears all the same. "What de devil you just say there? And what happen to de stink bomb?"

Ashhur's eyes harden, "Mistah Millers wudda deserve it. If you hear what de man was saying 'bout you? De man was rude an' outta his place. I was hiding behind ah guava tree listening to de man about how he would like to ... Ma it was a nasty joke he was telling to de other fools by de spa. Ma, I doh like that man.

"De man doh know me, eh. I get vex and I make ah fast stink bomb and when I was ready to hit mistah with it, dis stupid bird come out from wherever and let me drop my stink bomb, ma. Then dis idiot worker passing and telling me to stop assaulting the wildlife.

"And de bird still had guts to prick me, ma! Anyway, I ignore de worker, and mamzelle," Ashhur says, pointing at his sister, "go and complain to Amaziah. Me self doh study mistah 'cause I was looking for de bird. When I find it, it was on a branch above Ariel's head. So, I pick up ah green guava and send behind it but my aim was off and it hit her head."

Despite the unsuccessful prank, he still ended up getting a smack upside his head from his older brother. "Ai ah! Ma! Ziah hit me," Ashhur wails. He hides behind his mother and glares at his brother while rubbing the sore spot on his head through his locks.

Noticing that her family is drawing attention and not wanting to get reprimanded by the resort management, Charlene turns to Amaziah. "Let me handle this," she says quietly.

She turns around, heading back in the direction she came from, and tells the children to follow her. Holding Ashhur's hand, she corrects her youngest child as they walk back to their bungalow. "Boy, you canna go around pranking people. What you think it is? Dah is nuh how things work. People are always going to be disrespectful. You must find a bettah way of dealing with their disrespect. Otherwise, you gon' find yourself in a lot of trouble. You understand me?"

She turns his face towards her, making sure he is listening. "Yes, Ma. But Ma, if you heard what I did, you wudda been mad as a volcano. His joke was degrading and insulting. I tellin' you, he needs tuh be put in his place."

"That may be so. But you come tuh me and tell me. Pranking him not goin' tuh help you." She pauses. "Stupes, now you have me talking dialect too." She frowns down at him while he shrugs at her.

Ariel scoffs, "Ma, he's just taking after you. After all, you revert to Kokoy or Creole when you're upset. We all do."

Amaziah chuckles when Charlene frowns at Ariel. "Yeah, whatever," she says to her daughter. Then she turns her attention back to Ashhur, "We will deal with this matter later, young man. Now, what do you all want to cook for lunch? I'm only doing a one-pot meal, you know."

"How about pelau?" Ashhur suggests.

"Can we put corn in it?" asks Ariel.

"With a bit of coconut milk for flavour," says Amaziah.

Charlene nods. "Sure, that can work. We have all these ingredients."

Just as she thought, the children have chosen the easiest meal to cook. Shaking her head, Charlene leads her family through the reception lounge and back to the bungalow.