C5 SECRET WOUNDS - BOOK 1

The loud clattering on the front door woke everyone up with a start. Suzie quickly got up from the bed that she shared with her brother and ran to the front door. Flinging it open, she saw her uncle Tomas at the door with two roosters under each arm.

‘What is going on?’ her Pa asked. He was directly behind her.

‘Gwo dimanch bonmaten zòt ka dòmi toujou,’ her uncle answered, giving her a sloppy kiss.

‘Lévé tout moun! Time to get up lazybones. I have come for breakfast.’

Not waiting for an answer, he brushed past the occupants of the house and walked into the kitchen. Suzie smiled, looked up at her Pa.

‘It is going to be a long morning,’ she whispered.

Suzie loved her uncle's visits, rare as they were. He always had some funny stories, and he always made Ma laugh. Pa, on the other hand was furious.

Uncle Tomas was Pa's middle brother. He was tall with a slim build. His eyes were huge and he had thick black hair which he always combed slick, away from his face. His hair was soft and nice, but Suzie suspected that he used the hot comb to straighten it. He was also handsome. A long thick, gold chain hung around his neck, and on his arm, he wore two watches, only one of which was working. Today he wore a shockingly bright green shirt with a pair of black shades. His wardrobe was always colourful. Suzie wondered why he needed the shades because the sun was not out yet, and he was inside of the house. Suzie could not help the giggle that escaped her. She placed her hand over her mouth and faked a cough as her Ma looked sternly at her.

Her uncle was a strange sort. He liked to give the impression that he was wealthy. As Pa liked to say, this was all a show; not even the skin on Uncle's backside was his. They knew better, but this did not diminish the love that Suzie felt for him. In fact, it made him more approachable and likable to some people. He had a contagious smile and when he opened his mouth to laugh, it was infectious. Uncle made a room come alive. He was so carefree. Nothing daunted him, the total opposite of Pa.

Suzie started for the kitchen. Ma would need her help this morning with another mouth to feed. She made her way outside to the chicken coop, wriggling her nose at the stench of chicken feed mixed with droppings. Quickly she withdrew five eggs. Thankfully, few of the chickens were up and about. The mother hens were not too happy when their space was invaded.

Back inside, Ma was already in her housework attire and was laughing at something silly uncle had said.

‘I tell ya’ll,’ her uncle was saying, ‘Tibway la manjé tèlman koko sèk by de river dat he got weak, an’ couldn’t stand; still I had to carry him home. Ain’t that stupid huh? I tell ya’ll Miguel owes me big time. He gave his people a big scare too. From dat time he eh eating koko sèk again.’ Without waiting for an invitation, her uncle grabbed the cantaloupe on the table, pulled out a knife from his back pocket and sliced into it.

Suzie studied her uncle; his speech was all over the place. He was not as educated as Pa who spoke better and was good with numbers. She recalled Pa saying that Suzie’s grandpa (his Pa) tried hard with Tomas, but academics were just not everybody’s area. His skills lay elsewhere. Pa said that Uncle Tomas was good with his hands. Everyone knew how much he loved trucks and cars; everything about machinery and parts intrigued Uncle Tomas.

He was a good mechanic and he had to move to the village in order to earn a living. No one in Larouse owned a vehicle, not even a cart, so Uncle Tomas’s skills were useless there. It was good to have someone in the family with such skills. Suzie doubted that even the village had enough work for someone like her Uncle Tomas. He seemed to always be on the go, like a nomad unable to stay in one place for too long.

‘Hand mi ah plate, Suz.’ he asked, smiling at her and revealing one of his front gold teeth. Her uncle always called her ‘Suz’. Reaching up behind her Ma, Suzie took one of the large tin copper plates and placed it on the table. She realized that at the outer end of the plate there was a dry piece of food. She had missed a spot while washing the dishes yesterday. She drew nearer to the table, casting a glance at Ma to see if she was watching, and pulled off the offending piece and dropped it on the floor. She must take better care when washing the dishes. Ma would not be happy to see that; she would surely have gotten a tongue lashing later.