Devil In Disguise

Jamaican Devil In Disguise

She finally sat up on the bench at the Spanish Town Hospital, after a long cold night of sleeping on it. It was 9:15 am and Monica had been waiting to hear from the doctor about her daughter's condition, who was at the hospital for pneumonia. After a couple hours of waiting, the doctor arrived with a rather sad look on his face. Monica instantly knew he had bad news,

"how is she doctor?" Monica asked.

"She will be ok ma'am," said the doctor, Monica sighed with relief,

"but she needs to do a surgery that will cost $30,000," the doctor added.

Monica stood still as if she didn't hear what the doctor had said.

"Weh mi fi get tu much money from? A three pickney mi have and a mi one!" Monica hollered 30 seconds after drawing everyone's scornful eyes in her direction.

Saddened by the news, Monica planted her head and slowly walked out of the hospital as her faded color jeans skirt swept the ground. With every step she took, she thought of any possible way to get this money, even if it was to get it illegally. She loved all her children to the point where she would do anything, anything for their benefit.

"Why can't my life be easier? My children have to suffer too much," Monica thought to herself.

She finally reached the busy part of Spanish Town where she "reaped" her head from the ground and as she did so, she saw that a young man was being targeted by two men as if they were going to hold him up.

The young man Devon, who was sporting an expensive gold watch was coming from the remittance where he collected $31,000 sent to him by his mother overseas. Ironically, he didn't think that money was enough, he always thought his life was the hardest despite having everything to his comfort.

"likkle boy!" Monica shouted, trying to grasp Devon's attention but Devon barely turned his head to look at her.

"You should be aware of your turrounding!" she added, as her tongue passed through the space where her front teeth should be. Confused, Devon asked the toothless old lady what she was talking about.

"You neva tee the two man a trail yuh? Yuh too idle go trait a thool," said Monica, sounding extremely funny as Devon tried hard not to laugh.

She was angry, as it was clear that she saw what could have happened had she not stopped him.

"Come let mi put you an a trantport, walk at if you know me," Monica said.

Afraid and concerned, Devon followed the toothless old lady walking as close to her as possible. They slipped into a little wholesale trying to make the criminals lose sight of them,

"You have any money on yuh?" asked Monica.

Devon immediately dipped in his pocket and took out a handful of cash. Monica eyes popped open. She had never seen so much money at once in her life.

"Put it in your bag," she said, while she thought of multiple ways how she could get this money.

She was thinking about her daughter more than the boy she was trying to help. She was torn between two decisions, she wanted to help this young man but that was her one chance, the only way she could get money in time. She finally made her decision and immediately after Devon placed the money in his bag, Monica dipped in it saying,

"put it behind yuh book, where it more tecure," as she snatched the money out of the bag.

"What a nice lady," Devon thought to himself, as he looked at Monica with appreciation while she smiled exposing her gum at the front of her mouth. After leaving the wholesale, they headed for the bus stop. Monica was in a hurry all of a sudden, after all that patience earlier. Devon found that a little odd but he was grateful for the help nonetheless. He took the first bus that arrived. As it drove away he looked at Monica, his "savior", with her jeans skirt blowing in the wind as she disappeared around the bend. Monica went in a corner and counted the money, surprisingly, it was more than what she expected.

"Lawd mi hand aguh strip, first mi eva touch so much money," she thought to herself.

Devon was grateful for Monica's help. He thought his money was safe deep in his bag, but it was in Monica's pockets instead as she headed straight for the hospital. Devon was now at school. He had to tell someone about what happened.

"This is a testimony," he thought to himself.

He saw his friends in the school's canteen and gathered them to tell them about this woman that God sent to save him. She was his "savior".

"I nearly got robbed today!"

Devon exclaimed as he reached in his bag for the money, but surprisingly the money wasn't there. He was shocked. He sprang to his feet and shook everything out of his bag hoping to see the money, but all that fell out were books, pens and papers.

"Di woman rob mi. Di teethless woman rob mi!" Devon shouted.

By this time Monica had left the hospital for home and had already paid for the surgery. Devon and his close friend rushed out of school hoping to reach Spanish Town in time to catch up with the old toothless kleptomaniac. He tried to describe her to his friend, but all he could remember were her jeans skirt and her missing teeth. They treated every woman who was wearing jeans skirt as a possible suspect. They never realized that so many women wore jeans skirt until that day. Devon felt betrayed, even though he was. He was thinking about his mother, all her advice and how many times she told him not to trust anyone, especially in these times. Her words had come to past and Devon suffer the consequences. Monica was long gone and now he was stranded in Spanish Town. Never did the thought he would ever been conned by someone who came with good intentions, because of what she did, Devon referred to her as "the devil, the devil in disguise."