Ditta Sylvester, Contributor

It was then that Michael told his father of the proposal that his girlfriend had made to him on the evening before.

Harry was more puzzled than ever and no closer to finding an explanation for why the girl should lay such a charge against his son. The two decided to go to bed, but neither slept much that night. Harry was still awake when Audrey knocked on his door early the following morning. He let her in and offered her a seat.

"I sorry to hear of you problem Teach, but I don't believe Michael woulda do dat at all."

"At least one person believe in him!" Harry said drily.

"No Teach, I don't believe it at all," Audrey said again. "Dem people is wicked, you know, sir. How you believe dem come by what dem have? Obeah an wickedness, man!"

"Maybe. But that is of little interest to me now, Miss Audrey."

"So why you believe dem so well, want your boy to married to dem daughter? Because di young man have good prospects. All dem interested in is money."

Harry had no response. Audrey drew her chair closer to his and continued:

"You rememba dem man who did come make di new road, Teach?"

"Yes,"

"One a di young man dem did well like my girl, you know. Yes man! Till di little bad gal Venice come between dem. She don't good, Teacha. Not for Michael."

Harry was getting bored with this and was about to tell Audrey that he had to get about seeking the services of a lawyer when Audrey said, "I have something important to tell you Teach: I believe say is pregnant dat little gal pregnant fi dat man who she did take way from Sarah. An now dat him gone, she want pass off di belly as your gran pickney! Dat is why she want married to Michael who wasn't even here when dem tings was happening."

Harry just stared. Then for the first time he realised that this was the closest thing to an explanation that he had heard since the whole thing began.

"What!" he finally said.

"Yes, sir."

"But how you know she is pregnant. She doesn't look pregnant."

"Di belly young an only a experience woman can see it."

"What is this!" the teacher said.

"You have to do something to save you boy, Teacha," Audrey advised him." Even if him married to her and compromise di case, him reputation goin spoil forever. Everybody goin believe him is a rapist. Not to mention di jacket what him have to go wear fi di rest o' him life."

Harry did not know what to say and he told his visitor so. She knew what to say:

"For every problem dere must be a solution, Teacha."

"And what do you see as the solution?"

Audrey hesitated. Then she spoke,

"A problem like dis need a good workman. I know a good man in St Thomas an I coulda show you where him is."

"Oh," was all Harry said.

"I know say you don't too inna dem tings," Audrey continued, "but sometime we have to do what we wouldn't ordinarily do for di good o' we children. Like my one pickney, Sarah. I woulda do anyting for her to get a good husband like your Michael."

Harry had suspected that Audrey's interest in the matter was not a purely unselfish one. Now he was sure. She wanted his son for her own daughter. He thanked her for coming and told her he would think about what she had suggested.

He lost another night's sleep wondering how to get to the real truth of the situation. He wished he could talk to Ellen. Then he decided that he would visit Viris and Venice the following day. The task was a daunting one but for the sake of his son, he had to find out whether or not the girl was really pregnant and tying to use Michael as a scapegoat.

Viris saved him the journey when she turned up at his door the following morning.

She told him how sorry she was for the present rift between their two families after they had been friends for so long. Then she said she had heard that Audrey had visited him the day before and that anything she had told him was a lie.

"How you know what she told me Miss Viris?" Harry asked.

"Don't she tell you say Venice pregnant?'

Harry did not answer.

"I don't know why people won't mind dem own business?" Viris continued. "Jus' because her daughter don't have no man, she don't want anyting good to happen for Venice."

"Like a wedding?" Harry asked.

Viris gave him a defensive look. Then she said,

"Every girl want to get married."

"Yes but why now? Why the rush?"

Viris said nothing.

"Is she pregnant?" He had said it. But Viris remained silent.

"You realise what this accusation of committing rape could do to Michael?" Harry asked.

"I don't know what did happen between dem," Viris said evasively. "I wasn't dere. Is Michael word against Venice an I not goin call my daughter a liar."

Then Harry was almost sure that he had got the answer to his question as Viris got up to leave. She had bid him goodbye and was halfway down the steps when she turned and said,

"So is what if Venice pregnant? Look from Michael an' she a frien'? If is so, a mus fi him baby!"

Harry questioned his son to find out if the baby Venice might be carrying could be his. To his surprise and relief, Michael told him that he had never been in a sexual relationship with the girl. He had wanted to on New Year's Eve night but her talk of marriage had turned him off.

When Audrey heard of Viris' visit to the teacher's house, she felt sure that the woman was trying to cut a deal with Harry. Maybe she had even gone to talk them into accepting the 'jacket' to avoid the publicity that a trial would attract. Everybody knew that Ellen and Viris had been best friends and that the former would have agreed to a union between her son and her friend's daughter.

She dropped by one evening to find out if Harry had given thought to what they had discussed. He told her that he was not sure what to do and that he was hoping that time would sort things out. Audrey was not about to take any such chance. Michael Beckford would kneel at the altar with her daughter, Sarah. Not with Venice Russel.

"I have a little business to fix wid dat same man I was telling you bout, you know, Teach. I wonder If you coulda carry me Saturday night?" she asked.

Harry said he would. He needed the money to fight his son's case.

"An' you can check him bout your problem to," Audrey suggested. "Kill two bird wid one stone!"

Harry was still willing to wait so Audrey took matters into her own hands that Saturday night. On their way back from the obeah man, she told Harry that she had asked the man to look into his problem too. The workman had said that Venice was indeed pregnant and desperately trying to con Michael into a trip to the altar. When he replied that he already suspected that, she admitted that she had asked the man to straighten things out. Harry was a little alarmed.

"What you mean 'straighten out'?" he asked her.

"Well ... fix tings. You know ... cause di problem to go away. "

"I hope you an' that man not planning to harm that child you know, Audrey."

"No man," Audrey answered. "Don't worry youself. Everyting soon a'right."

Not many days later, Venice pregnancy became obvious to everybody who saw her. There was much speculation as to who was the father while the older women said among themselves that there was something "funny about the belly". Two weeks later the girl's whole body was swollen and she was dead. Viris was beside herself with grief. At this point, she was not ashamed to admit that she was mourning for two - her child and grandchild. Harry tried to console her as they buried the young woman.

"What a ting!" Viris was saying between sobs. "I can't believe say she dead!"

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh ...," Harry started to say.

"Is not no Lord take my daughter life, Teacha," Viris interrupted. "Is a wicked person from dis very place. An I want you to help me to identify an' punish di one."

What!.. how?" Harry said in surprise.

Viris dried her tears. Then she said,

"I want you to carry me to di best obeah man money can buy."

Harry looked at her. Then he looked into the crowd and saw Audrey busily helping to dispense the boxes of food to those who had attended the funeral. Audrey's eyes met his and she smiled triumphantly. Harry turned back to Viris. He said to her,

"Just let me know when you ready to go."