Duplex

The beginning

“What am I gonna do now?”
Shit! Cassie’s face was drenched in horror
“Allan what are we gonna do?”
“Mi nuh know”
He was equally clueless.
Obviously Arnaf would notice that the child didn't look like Him! After all Allan is a black man.
The silence between them was deafening and seemed to have lasted an eternity until Allan rose to his feet.
“Weh yah guh do cassie?”
She shrugged her shoulders in an upward motion signifying uncertainty. Her eyes seemed to have sunk a few diameters that made her look like a frightened child.
“cassie it's gonna be ok trust me” Allan reassured putting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
This somewhat soothed her and although she didn't know the answers to all the questions, she trusted Allan, he's always been her knight and shining armor.
She's always loved him from the moment she met him back in high school. He still has that shy guy smile that brought the butterflies in her tummy and the way he’d always say Cassie making her name sound more like Caseee. As she gazed upon this specimen of a tall dark and handsome man she remembered….

                     The beginning

I hate it here! The classroom was miserable not only was it hot it was noisy. These stupid boys don't know how to shut up. They sat at the top right-hand corner across from the teacher's desk having some discussion that I bet was of nothing school related. There they sat on the top of benches
Jurgen, Jam, James, and Tarique the trouble makers of our class.
Then as if in unison there was an uproar of laughter coming from the back where the popular girls sat. From where I sat I could here bickering and whispering that made mention of me Cassandra Singh.
I ignored every word until I heard footsteps and the closer they got the faster I could hear my heart beat, like an African drum during festivities. Infront of me was an open chemistry textbook that I was reading. With a swift sweep of her hand Anika knocked my booked from the desk.
“Indian gal u feel u betta dan wi?”
I was taken aback I had no idea what they were talking about.
“Hey gal u nuh hear Nika a chat tuh yuh?”
I opened my mouth to speak but there were no words and to this crew it was a sign of disrespect.
“Nika mek we beat di gal and teach har a lesson suh shi know who run tings”
With that said not only were my books on the ground but now my desk. The entire class had now gathered and it's true what they say wherever you see a gathering of Jamaicans it's either a commotion or a promotion of some sort.
“Krishna, shivu… God’s, where are you?” I prayed in my heart
I could see Elexcia and Alexandra parting the crowd to come to my rescue. The three of us were nerds as compared to these girls and we couldn't stand a chance.
Anika, Ana, Portia and Shera were mean. Anika was thick and tall, and her voice was thunder.
They've picked on me since the 7th grade the odd one out. All my classmates were either dark skin of Afro-caribbean, or or a little of a sweetened coffee what Jamaicans called coolie which is somewhat of a mixed child but then you had me the girl straight out of India. I didn't talk much because my accent was a working progress and I hated hearing my voice in my ears, so I kept silent…
My friends stood on the sidelines helplessly as I was violently yanked from my chair almost dislocating my shoulder blades but just in time my Dark knight appeared shoving everyone from his path.
“Nika!!” his voice was stern, and everyone became silent
“weh yah duh?” and with two steps he stood erect in front of Anika and I could see fear overcome her removing the mask she was wearing earlier as her lips quivered to answer Allan
“Nika a yuh mi a talk yuh!”
She was dumb, and her friends had now withdrawn to a corner leaving Anika defenseless and in defeat she bowed her head and walked away leaving Allan’s question hanging in the wind.
“Anybody else wah bully har todeh talk now!” his eyes surveyed the room for any sign of an answer like a squad leader searching for a sign of defiance in his battalion. His voice echoed throughout the room and died slowly as everyone departed back to their respective places.
We'd been in the same class for the past three years and we hardly exchanged glances not to mention conversation so when he stood up for me I was speechless.
“thank you"
He flashed his Brad Pitt smile but said nothing.
I stooped to gather my things but with swiftness and agility he gathered them before I could. I held one end of the books and he held the other, and for a moment I gazed into his eyes. I turned pink in a split second and grabbed the books and sat down to adjust my glasses. He smiled and walked away leaving words unsaid, a puzzle unlocked but not solved and so many questions unanswered.
It was at this time my cowardly friends decided to show up
“Cassie wah happen?”
“Mi go bathroom lef yah study and come back come see yuh inna fight”
All these questions but I didn’t have an answer.
The only thing I knew was that I felt something, and I knew he felt it too.