Ditta Sylvester, Contributor

Teacher Harry Beckford was as much a part of the community of Gunnings as was farming, food or obeah. He was a son of the soil whose father before him had made it his chief objective in life to make Harry into a teacher. He had succeeded and now Harry himself had a son. But, unlike his own father, Harry had no intention of making his son into a teacher. He had learnt from hard experience that teaching paid very little.

Harry married Ellen, a girl he had met in college, and their son Michael was born one year after the wedding. Not many weeks later, Mrs Viris Russel also gave birth to a daughter. It could have been their similar state of pregnancy that drew these two women together. Viris had given birth to two boys before and Ellen was happy to listen to the predictions of the more knowledgeable Viris, as they both shared the joys and difficulties of child bearing.

Harry was a little more wary of her. Maybe because he had so often heard his father refer to Viris and her relatives as "rich but wicked". They were the most well-off of all the people in Gunnings. Viris' family occupied a fine house and her husband drove a van which most of the villagers used to transport their goods to the market. Harry always found a reason to excuse himself when she dropped by to swap pregnancy experiences with Ellen.

It was on one of these occasions that the subject of Audrey and her newborn came up:

"She have a girl few weeks a back," Viris told Helen. "It nearly kill her."

"You talking about Mr. Harold's daughter?" Ellen asked.

"Yes. Nobody did know say she woulda have children again. Maybe is di whole heap a groun' food what she eat why she did have such a hard time!" Viris said maliciously.

"Why don't you like Audrey?" Ellen asked.

"She an her daddy feel say dem can use food buy frien!"

Ellen looked at Viris in silence. Then she asked playfully,

"You jealous my frien'?"

"Jealous! Jealous a what?"

"You are my best friend Man," Ellen reassured her. "Audrey and her dad are kind people. They give us yam, banana and whatever they can but that is not to buy our friendship."

Viris said nothing. Then Ellen asked, "What is the baby's name?"

"Sarah. Ole woman name!"

Ellen did not agree and the conversation began to lag. Viris left not long after.

Time passed

Michael Beckford was born three weeks before Viris' daughter, Venice. The latter was a pretty girl who became as close a friend to Micheal as her mother was to Ellen. Time passed and the children became young adults. Michael entered university to read for a law degree and Harry bought a small car.

Within months of his making this purchase, Ellen fell ill and was diagnosed with cancer. Things didn't look good, the doctor told him. Harry would not accept that his wife was dying and took her to several other doctors. Then Viris suggested a 'workman' who might be able to help. Harry did not like the idea but he was desperate. He gave in and, with Viris showing them the way, Harry and his wife made their first visit to an obeah man. Ellen died a few weeks later.

After the funeral, Harry realised that almost all his savings had been depleted and that he was now in debt. How would he finance the rest of Michael's education? His answer came from a most unexpected source. Since Ellen's illness, he had developed a much better relationship with Viris, so when she asked him to take her back to the obeah man one night he felt obliged to agree. Her husband's eyesight had gotten bad and he couldn't drive at night.

Harry was happily surprised to discover that taking somebody on one of these clandestine journeys could yield as much as twice the regular fare. Soon, he was making as many as four trips a week to take somebody, who previously depended on Viris' husband, in search of obeah.

When Michael came home that Christmas he thought he would be in for a wonderful holiday. There was more food than he could remember seeing in the house for some time. His father, though still sad sometimes, appeared to be beginning to accept and settle into his life as a widower.

End of Part 1.

Follow this exciting three part story in next Sunday's Gleaner!