My Brothers Keeper

My father died when I was two years old.  My father’s brother went to prison when I was five years old on a 22 year sentence.  I live in a tenement yard this is where you live among all sorts of people.  My mother was forced in to motherhood as I was her second child when she was nineteen years old. My name is Elijah but they call me Lucky.  My uncle, my mothers younger brother took up the responsibility when he would show up. My mothers common law husband is a waste man when him ready him raise him hand and beat mi mother. This has been going on for as long as I can remember and the situation caused a strain within my family and between me and my mother.   But she will not leave him so I go round it and when my visits he   disappears.  Many times mi haffi discipline this drunken man and because my mother beg fi him life mi spare him.    My uncle has been hiding in the country for as long as I can remember the police have not caught him because they are not looking for him.  When I was fifteen years old I stopped going to school  because it is not  my thing.   Lucky for me I can read and do calculations not just mathematics and English I am forced to read people.  I am the best gambler around here I can read any game this is the only thing I learned from my mothers waste man.  Which is good because where I live life is a gamble.  We see a lot of things and live in a divide that was caused by politics.  Everything around us had to do with politics.

My best friends name is Isaac aka Stop, I have known Stop all my life, Stop is cool and we discuss everything and we go everywhere together. Stop and I used to go to Sunday school together and we like to read the bible and we take it everywhere we go.  Stop was raised by his Grandmother `Ms Gem` along with his younger brother Marcus aka Genius. His  mother “get off her head“ or as they say people “obeah ar“.   I never knew who was his father that was the only thing we never discussed we just discussed things around the topic.  Stop Grandmother is a nice lady she makes food and sells it at her gate.  Stop Grandaunt also lives in my yard `Miss P`but she behaves very strange.  Miss P is a lady that don`t sleep at night only a few hours in the day.    But a ghetto wi live and those people are there.  Me and Stop decide that we must have a trade since we can build toys out of anything we decide that we would learn mason and carpentry.  So we decide to learn from Ms. Gem husband and after three weeks we start master and such so wi cut because wi have di ting lock.

Personally, I was only interested in making money and helping my mother, sister and grandmother. I know Stop was very concerned about Marcus education and his Grandmother’s well being.  My grandmother left for the country two years ago with my sister.  The reason was clear to everyone, my sister got pregnant at the age 16 for a deacon in the church that my grandmother attended for many years.  Shame and disgrace caused my grandmother to move, my mother had an altercation at the church with the deacon’s wife and everything came out in open air.  Some of the church members left the church and some condemned my sister, so I stopped going to church and so did Stop.  Things got rough on us because granny used to clean the church and bring in income and the deacon used to assist my mother with my sister’s schooling. The little gambling and dice throwing was not carrying in as much money.   I decided that I would have to go and find some work.  My uncle told me that he could get us some road work and Stop and I would report to work early Monday morning.  Stop was excited about the new opportunity and so was Marcus because he said that he wanted to buy a scientific calculator and he already saved half the money.   When we went to the site some men were working and others were sitting and we were a part of the working men.  The second week on the job “Fyah” the head on the site told us that the big man run een some tings and he wanted to talk to us.  Fyah was always smiling but he was very serious so when he said to me “yu eva kill any body yet yute ?”  I said “no”. He turned to Stop and ask him the same question and he replied the same.  By this  time Fyah started talking about the guns and how they were clean and pretty and how people haffi dead fi mek man live and such. Anyway he gave us each a piece and said that we don’t have to come to work so early we must just patrol the place late a night and guard the heavy equipment because man wi wah mash dem up.

Months pass and we still on the site, everybody start respect wi and ting.  We don’t do any work and we still get paid nothing too big but it still better than pushing hand cart a town. But me and Stop did still a wonder how wi could a get some more money.   Needs and wants pile up pon wi like a tonne a brick and wi jus never know weh fi do.    One night when wi a patrol wi si Fyah oman a let out wah yute out di room weh shi live.  Fyah deh bout him business and oman a look bout fi ar business from a yute weh nat even live bout deh.  After that night Stop said that he feel that the yute will be back tonight and we should approach the woman after he left.  So said so done the yute walk right back and about three hours after the “Mrs Fyah” let him out.   “Oman dangerous eno Lucky, yu cah tell Fyah nutten bout di bleach out gyal eno, and look how shi move.”  (Lucky’s response) “cool nuh man, di gyal know weh di gun dem deh so yu know how dat go.  ”  It was daylight and we decided that we were going to approach “Mrs. Fyah”  we walked out to her house and called out for “Fyah!”.  “A who dat ?” Rachel said. (Lucky responded) “a we man yu know fire workers dem man”.  Rachel told us that Fyah was not there and she didn’t know where he was and he could come back anytime.  Anyway Stop went straight to the point “maybe you can help wi find weh wi a look fah”  Spot said.  “wah dat?” Rachel said.  “Weh yu mean wah dat, a machine wi a  look fah”  Lucky said.  “Unu nuh easy unu tink seh because unu a par wid Fyah unu run roun yah so, gwaan weh yu a go yah” Rachel said.   “If yu nahna par wid dem stranger bwoy deh wi woulda haffi a look fi rise machine, but since yu can defend yu self everyting good.” “Come met wi cut Lion.” Lucky responded.  “No, no weh unu a deal wid?”  Rachel responded.  “A yu fi tell wi cause is like wi  a watch yu a let out man out yu place night after night.”Stop replied.  “Wait, wait father God unu hol it dung man fyah wi done mi, please mi a beg unu.”  Rachel said. “Oh so a now yu know seh Fyah wi done yu ova yah, machine fi sen on.” Stop said.  Anyway without hesitation Rachel lead us to where the guns were hidden and she begged us not to say anything to Fyah cause she neva wah dead.  We get a link and wi sell di machine dem and mek some money, Marcus get two new Khaki suit and the calculator and Mama get a new fridge so shi can juggle ice and bag juice.

Guns are like diamonds where I live, very valuable and me and Stop are diamond thieves.  We get regular visits from di `big man` because of our ability to move guns out of people sight.  We know where to go we study the place study the people and make our move when the time is right.  This was a dangerous job, and the site work with Fyah did not work out because the “big man” did not get any proper explanation for the missing guns.   My uncle is the one who got us on to the link but now our ting is much bigger than when we just started.  I have never gone to Spots house and call him out and he has never done that to me so we never leave our house when anyone strange voice calls us out.  It is strange but if  I wanted to meet up with Spot I would go to the back of the yard and he would appear and the same for him.  Miss P always say that we are under heavy science and tell us how she would love rub up wid fi wi ting.  But is not nothing like that we were just like brothers.  Right now people look for us regularly so sometimes we have to hide.   Spot tells his grandmother that we are going on a site work and well I just tell my mother that I soon come that is sufficient. Beside all a dat wi neva interested again to move things fi people because it never worth the risk.  We visit the country regularly because we have two girls up there and we go there for weeks at a time.   My Grandmother and my sister also lived up there and are always happy to see me.

Miss Gem was not doing well and she went to public and the doctor said she had `sugar“ so my friend come to me  about the illness.  Things get worse when we found out that she would need tablets and insulin and the money available could not really help. It could not be a worse time because Stop “catty“ pregnant and him have dat on his plate now him granny sick.  Marcus was going in to second form at school and school fee and things like book was needed and he was very bright and focused.   Well wi decide seh di ting tun up so wi haffi tun up fiwi ting.  The first time wi go out pon di road mi decide that I should leave last because he had more to live for.  I told him that if I got shot or whatever happen him mus still run and don’t look back just keep going.  Well good for us nothing never happen that we never prepared by the time I reach at the meeting place Stop was already there.   When we count out the money we had about 35,000 plus 15,000 and that was good enough for that time.

Everything sort out and Miss Gem get all her pills and food sen off fi di Catty and now di ting look easy so wi continue.  So we hide a lot of money around and help who we can help and Marcus got to go to school every day and we were happy about that.  We start to mash bigger work and one night we nearly get set up and decide that wi have fi cool out and go country.  Stop decide that him a go build a place fi him catty live and wi get board and cement and do di ting fix it up nice.  Due to the things that was going on we could not really stay in the country because my mother was alone and Ms. Gem needed to get care.  When wi touch back inna di place Miss Gem never really look good is like shi age over night and shi tell Stop that shi nuh bathe three days now.  Stop was a girls man and although him did have di girl a country him did have a girl that live in the area so him sen  fi ar and shi deal wid Miss Gem.

Some things never change an Marcu come tell mi seh mi mada end up a doctor jus after mi gone because di man beat ar up bad.  Well this man violate mi mother and all di talk mi a talk him nah get it so mi decide seh him fi dead.  Since is a man weh love liquor wi buy some “john crow batty“ drunk him and gi him some blood clawt kick and  lick him couldn`t walk fi weeks.   That is life so things did still have to go on so we get it sort out and well thats life.  We continue to do what we do but due to circumstances we have to carry on a lot of things on our head and when it drop it drop pon wi shoulder.  Marcus was old enough to understand what was going on  but we did not want him involved.

“Wah gwaan genius, yu a mash up di school work.” Lucky said.  “Ye man yu done know, if yu nuh have nuh education yu life deppon pon pause,” he replied.  “Lucky mi hear seh some man a pree unu hard from wah day eno, a seh unu a move hard.”  said Marcus.  “A hear yu mi boss, a dat a gwaan.” I replied.

Spot thought  it would be better if him could spend more time a country and carry Miss Gem with him cause him seh him wah sleep weh him yout sleep.  Things did a change up and some yout did a move like dem badmind so wi seh it better if wi cut and this was a way out.    It was the easiest thing wi eva do it did just too easy.  But it work out and Stop and I have enough money now and made a lot of plans so we could move and go elsewhere.  Stop also said that he wanted Marcus to go to University and finish his studies because he had the ability.   We got some  information from a girl that work at a place where they had a lot of foreign exchange that we can get  easy.  She said that she locked the door at night and she could leave it open and we could go in and it would look like a robbery.    I never really trust that girl because shi always a move with some stranger yute and it look like shi did like Stop but he was not interested.   We made a  plan and decide that it would be good because right now the money well needed. Everything go good and wi get di money and Stop tell me seh mi mus carry di money but I never wanted to do that because that was not the plan.  He turned to me and said after this we good we nuh need fi do this no more and I shaked my head. Then we both ran in opposite directions.    But I went with it when I arrived at the meeting place Stop was not there.  I buried the money and ran about a 1/4 mile and saw my friend in the bush with blood all over his body.  Ì was nervous and angry because he did not look good and he said to me “Weh yu come back fah, how yu know seh a yesso mi deh and I replied “ weh yu mean, mi nuh know whappen“ and he said “di bwoy dem shoot mi, dem shoot mi,di gyal set wi up tek care a yu self tek care a mi yute and look bout mi granny .“  I took out di bible out of his pocket and read Psalms 23.  My friend  told me to run and don`t Stop and said Amen.  And I took off my shirt and rest it under his head and he said “thank you my brother“ and with that I started running. I went back for the money and it had some US dollars and English Pounds as well as other currency.  This was equal to well over 6 million Jamaican dollars when I went back in the yard I was crying and digging up the other money from behind  Miss P house.   She heard me and  outside and said to me “yu bredda dead, yu neva know seh a yu bredda di two a unu have one fada, yu haffi go careful.  Cause a same so unu fada dead go weh go hide and mek sure seh yu lef a ting fi yu mada and carry di gun come gi mi.  Strangely I did what Miss P said.

When I went it to the house to see Ms. Gem she started to cry and ask me where Isaac was I didn`t answer her because I could not.  I just told her that she should not worry because I was there.  I sent for my sister and asked her to take care of Miss Gem and that she should stay there until I get back and gave her some money for her and mama.  I told my sister that Stop was dead and she needed to identify him so they could bury him and I left money for that.  Marcus was gone to school but came back home because he said he felt sick I told him what had happened and he cried like a young baby.  At that time I felt helpless but I still had to go on because I couldn’t not miss it.   The Baby was about to be born and I did not want to tell the girl that was happened, but the minute I walked up the hill and she did not see him she dropped to her knees and went into labour.   The baby was delivered by a mid wife and it was a boy I named him Psalm so his name would lead him to the bible.  Now I have children of my  own and I still man up to all my responsibilities. Regardless of how it was done I moved my family out of the situation gave Ms. Gem the best care and a good funeral,  found Spots mother and cleaned her up.  There is no shame in what I did but there is a lot of guilt because I am a child of politics and slavery.  I own many houses and I am well comfortable.  I have children of my own and they go to prominent schools and they don’t really know anything about hardship.   I know that I cannot go to prison so I slowly cleaned up myself. Marcus is going to university he wants to be an architect hand doing very well he gives me a lot of guidance in business and such and I made sure that he is taken care of, without worry.   I still read my bible and take care of Psalm he calls me daddy  and every time I see him I see Isaac and I feel joyful.   Which reminds me every time that not because Isaac  is gone I am still my brother`s keeper.