God Has Spoken (5 page)

Tiny shivered slightly as she sat in the back of the bus staring out the dirty glass window. Clutching her knapsack close to her chest, she watched the trees and houses dash by as the bus zipped toward Kingston City.

Earlier that morning, Aunt Madge had taken the scary little creature to Mother Sassy's before she left to plant yams in the field. True to her word, Aunt Madge never asked Tiny to tend to the baby again. Instead, she made arrangements for Mother Sassy to care for the baby when she was at work.

Soon after Aunt Madge left, Tiny withdrew her knapsack from under the bed where it was hidden. Yanking the zipper open, she reached in and pulled out a wad of money. It was the money that she had saved from her affair with Officer Gregg. This was to have taken her away from the country to an exciting life in Kingston, but that was before she got pregnant.

Tiny's mind flashed to her old friend Dolly. “I wonder if Dolly is still acting in Kingston,” Tiny said aloud. Suddenly a plan began to formulate in her mind. Tiny giggled excitedly. She hurriedly stuffed a few pieces of clothes and other personal items into her bag and in a few minutes she was ready to begin her new life. But first she had to make a stop.

As Tiny took slow, calculated steps up the long driveway, she barely glanced at the beautiful flowers and manicured trees along the way. Her sobered eyes stayed locked on the huge, magnificent house looming before her. “I have to do this,” Tiny repeated over and over. “Aunt Madge is going to need some help with the little, scary creature.”

Still unsure but fully determined, Tiny walked up the steps to the huge mahogany door. She knocked and waited, nervously wringing her hands together. Not getting a response, she knocked harder as an unexpected wave of anger invaded her body. “So you are going to kill me, huh? We have nothing while you and your wife have everything,” Tiny muttered furiously.

Suddenly the door opened and a smiling Mrs. Gregg stood before Tiny with her little bundle of joy in her arms. “Hello. May I help you?” she asked Tiny pleasantly as she gently rocked the baby.

Tiny's mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. Puzzled, Mrs. Gregg stared at the young lady standing before her. She vaguely remembered Tiny from church and wondered what she was doing at her front door.

“He said if I told anyone that he is the baby's father that he would kill me and my aunt,” Tiny said quietly as she stared unblinkingly at the beautiful woman before her.

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Gregg was perplexed. “What are you talking about?”

“Please, I'm begging you, talk to him. Aunt Madge is going to need some help with the creature. Hmmm, I mean the baby.”

Mrs. Gregg's eyes widened as the impact of Tiny's words slammed into her gut. “Little girl, are you saying that you have a baby and
my
husband is the father?” she asked.

Tiny nodded her head and looked down at the floor. The courage she felt a few seconds ago was slowly creeping away. “I'm sorry for everything,” Tiny mumbled, her eyes still fixated on the floor.

“You
are
sorry! Look at me when I'm speaking to you, little girl!” Mrs. Gregg screamed.

Awakened by his mother's loud voice, the frightened baby began to cry. But Mrs. Gregg was too angry to tend to him right then. “Now listen to me and listen carefully.” Mrs. Gregg took a few calculated steps toward Tiny, and the terrified girl stepped back in fright. “Take your bastard child and go and find the idiot who knocked you up. Leave me and my family alone.” Her face became ugly with anger and hatred as she continued on her warpath. “If you ever go around spreading these lies about my husband,
I
will be the one to have you and your aunt killed!”

Tiny whimpered in fear. She turned away from the livid woman and quickly ran down the steps into the yard. Taking a frightened glance over her shoulder, Tiny screamed, her enlarged eyes glued to the big clay flowerpot flying at her head. Ducking in time, it zoomed by her, smashing in pieces near her feet. “Help!” Tiny yelled as she dodged another flowerpot that exploded in front of her.

“Help?” Mrs. Gregg shouted furiously. “You need help, huh? I got something for you.” With the shrieking baby draped over her shoulder, she grabbed another flowerpot with only one hand. Bitterness poured from her eyes as she took another shot at Tiny, hoping to have a better aim this time.

Tiny was yelling and hopping over sharp pieces of flowerpot as she tried to make a getaway. Constantly looking over her shoulder, she finally made it to the walkway where she sprinted away from the house and the pissed-off woman as fast as her legs could go.

By the time Tiny got into town, her blouse was soaking wet with perspiration. Huffing and puffing, she bent over with her hands on her knees, sucking deep breaths in her exhausted lungs. Now there was no doubt in her mind that she had to leave the community and she could not return. She knew if Officer Gregg did not get her first, then surely his crazy wife would.

Tiny hopped on to the next bus heading for Kingston and went and sat in the far back with her head held low. She did not want anyone who knew her or Aunt Madge to see her. Luckily for her the bus filled up quickly with passengers and in less than ten minutes she was moving away from a haunted life . . . and unbeknown to her . . . into a hellish nightmare.

The bus zoomed into the noisy bus terminal in downtown Kingston. Tiny stared wide-eyed through the window at the craziness outside and began whimpering in fear. It was her first time in the big city. “Maybe I made a mistake,” she whispered fearfully. “But I can't go back home. Officer Gregg or his wife will kill me if I do.”

“Lady, are you getting off the bus or coming with us to the garage?” the conductor shouted at Tiny.

As if coming out of a trance, Tiny looked around the bus and realized she was the only one left on it. Slowly she made her way down the aisle and stiffly stepped off the bus, clutching her knapsack to her chest.

Her bright eyes expanded even more when she saw the hundreds of people rushing about in every direction, the loud animated voices ricocheting in her head. Tiny placed a hand on her forehead where a massive headache was brewing.

“Beeeeppppp!”
Tiny jumped back in fright as the side of a fast-moving buggy car swiped by her leg.

“Get out of the road, fool,” the rude driver shouted at her before plunging on ahead, his hand planted firmly on his horn causing numerous people to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.

Tiny stood on the pavement trembling in disbelief. “But I wasn't in the road,” she said to herself. “I was standing on the sidewalk.” But she would soon realize that no one cared. It was every man for himself.

Still visibly shaken, Tiny asked a passerby for directions to the Ward Theatre and hurried off down North Parade to find Dolly.
Wait until Dolly sees me,
Tiny pondered.
She's going to be so surprised.

Soon Tiny stood outside the huge doors of the big, white building of the Ward Theatre, staring up at the symbol of Jamaica's rich cultural heritage in awe.

“May I help you, ma'am?”

Tiny turned around and noticed a short man standing a few inches away from her. He had a mop and a plastic bucket in his hands.

“Yes,” Tiny replied and walked closer to him. “I'm looking for my friend who works here.”

“Well, the theatre is closed to the public today,” the man informed her.

“What?” Tiny felt her stomach drop. She hung her head, wondering what she was going to do then.

“The casting director is inside working.” The man's voice snapped back Tiny's attention to him. “He's been working here for over twenty years. I'll get him for you. Maybe he knows your friend.”

“Thank you so much,” Tiny replied with relief in her voice. “I'll wait here for him.”

The maintenance worker hurried through a side door, disappearing from Tiny's sight. Moments later he returned with a tall, light-skinned, distinguished-looking man.

“Hello, I'm Mr. Edison,” the man introduced himself to Tiny. “How may I help you?”

“Hi. My name is Tiny, and I'm looking for my friend, Dolly Bell,” she said as she stared at him anxiously.

“Hello, my name is Dolly Bell, but I'm fabulously known as Rockin' Dolly. And I am about to become your biggest star ever,” Mr. Edison mimicked Dolly. He flung his arms in the air dramatically, spun around, then posed with his hands on his waist.

Tiny threw her head back and laughed out loud. “Yup, that's Dolly,” she said with a deep sigh of relief. “When is she coming to work?”

“Well, she doesn't work here. In fact, she never did,” the casting director informed Tiny. “After her audition I suggested she take some acting lessons and come back in a few months. But, of course, she wanted to star in her own play right then. So she stormed out of the auditorium in anger.”

Tiny stared at him with her mouth wide opened. Dolly was not working there? Lord have mercy on her now.

“But I did see her a few days ago,” Mr. Edison added.

“Really? Where?” Tiny's face lit up. There was some hope after all.

“My cousin was visiting from Westmoreland and I took him to a club in New Kingston.” Mr. Edison looked away from Tiny, his face flushed. “Hmmm, Rockin' Dolly works there.”

“Yes! Thank you, sir,” Tiny said excitedly. “Can you please tell me how to get there?”

“Sure. Wait here and I'll go and write down the address for you,” he replied before walking off. He came back shortly and handed Tiny a piece of paper. “The club opens around eight p.m.,” he told her. “The buses are over there, across the park.” He pointed with his index finger. Tiny turned around and looked in that direction. “Tell the conductor that you are going to New Kingston. He'll let you know when you reach your stop.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Tiny had a big smile on her face. “I'm going to surprise her.”

“I bet she will,” Mr. Edison mumbled before he walked back inside the theatre.

She waved good-bye to the kind maintenance man who was trimming some trees at the side of the theatre before she skipped away.

Tiny decided to do some sightseeing around Parade before heading to New Kingston. The bar wouldn't open until later that night anyway. Weaving around carts of roast corn and jerk chicken, Tiny stopped by some vendor's stalls with jeans pants, colorful blouses, fancy dresses, shirts, and fashionable shoes. As she licked an ice-cream cone, Tiny looked on in fascination, her face tinted with excitement and curiosity.

Walking past the shops, restaurants, and stores, Tiny stared in amazement when she came to the two-story building which was Jamaica's Supreme Court. “Wow, this is awesome,” Tiny said in a low voice. “I think I'm going to love Kingston.”

Downtown Kingston was a huge part of the Jamaican economy. As Tiny stared up at the old high-rise buildings that rose up in the sky, she purred in pleasure. The streets were crammed with hardware and wholesale stores filled with anxious, screaming, shoving consumers while the buses and cars narrowly navigated their way around the masses in the marketplace.

Sitting in the middle of the chaos is the famous Victoria Park. This was in honor of Queen Victoria of England. Tiny remembered reading about this park in a book that Dolly had lent her, and she grinned in excitement as she looked up at the statue of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.

As she wandered around the huge park, Tiny gasped at its beautiful landscape, which included a wide variety of flowering plants and trees such as the royal palm, the lignum vitae, and the national tree of Jamaica, the Blue Mahoe. Nature lovers fanned out everywhere while small kids ran around playing. Everyone was enjoying the park, including Tiny. She found a cool place under a big tree. Lying on her back in the grass, she closed her eyes contentedly. A few minutes later she was sound asleep.

Tiny's stomach grumbled in protest as the hunger kicked in. Slowly opening her eyes, she stretched her hands over her head and yawned. Night had fallen, and it was dark under the tree where she slept. Moving her body into a sitting position, Tiny glanced around and noticed that the park was almost empty. The dim light from the few working street lamps scattered around fought against the darkness as the large trees now cast eerie shadows on the ground. It was a huge contrast to the scenes earlier that day.

Reaching out her hand to the side, Tiny fumbled around for her bag but felt nothing. Alarmed, she jumped to her feet and frantically looked around, but there was no bag. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Surely her mind was playing tricks on her! She opened her eyes and looked down at her feet again, but the bag wasn't there.

In a panic, Tiny ran around the park hysterically searching for the bag. Tears ran down her face as she looked under trees, crawled under benches, dug down in Dumpsters, felt around in the grass, and checked behind the fountain walls, but there was no bag. The bag was gone.

Exhausted, Tiny sat on a bench and wept. All her money and clothes were in the bag. Now she had nothing. Her stomach grumbled again, and Tiny felt a cramp in the bottom of her tummy.
What am I going to do?
she wondered. She had only planned on getting some rest before taking a bus to New Kingston to look for Dolly. Instead, she had fallen asleep for hours while someone stole her bag.

Tiny got up and sluggishly walked out of the park into the street. Wandering around, she noticed a handful of buses and a few cars while the shutters of most of the businesses were closed. The crowd from earlier was gone, and the few people remaining were packing up to go home.

As Tiny dragged herself up the street, she passed a small car parked by the side of the road. The left front door was open, and a man dressed in all-white stood in front of it.

“Hello, beautiful. How ya doing?” the animated driver asked, a toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth.

Tiny paused, shrugged her shoulders, then walked away.

“Wait!” the man shouted at her back. “Hold on a minute.”

Tiny stopped and turned a long sad face to the man, her teeth gnawing away at her bottom lip.

“What's the matter, baby?” the man asked. “Come here. Tell me what's going on.”

Tiny took a few steps toward the man. She had no money and needed a ride to get to Dolly. Maybe this kind gentleman would help her. “Someone stole my bag in the park with all my money. Now I don't know how I'm going to get to my friend in New Kingston,” Tiny said solemnly.

The man noticed the look of despair on Tiny's face and instantly his face lit up. “Maybe we can work out a little something,” he said to her, licking his lips as his hungry eyes roamed over her body. “A beautiful girl like you will have no problem getting a ride.”

Tiny looked at him horrified as it dawned on her what he was implying. “Are you suggesting that I sleep with you in exchange for a ride?”

“Listen, baby.” The man leaned his back against the car. He crossed his ankles and folded his arms. “It's obvious you have no money. You have something I want, and I have something you need. Yeah, exchange is no robbery.” Grabbing his crotch, he winked at Tiny.

Tiny's mouth popped open in shock. Without another word she turned and hurried away, the man's mocking laughter trailing after her.

Once again in the park, Tiny sat on a bench squeezing her legs together. Her full bladder wasn't cooperating. Unable to hold it any longer, she crept behind a tree and sheepishly looked around. Bending down, she quickly relieved herself and hurried away.

After a while, Tiny sat in the grass, her back against a tree. This one was directly under a street lamp, but it gave her little comfort. She noticed a homeless man sleeping on a bench across from her and another a few feet away under a dark tree. At least she wasn't alone. “I'll just stay here until morning,” Tiny said aloud. “Tomorrow, I'll ask someone for directions and walk to the club to find Dolly. Then everything will be all right.”

As the hunger pain slammed into Tiny's body, she ignored it as her mind flashed back on Aunt Madge. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I love you, Aunt Madge,” Tiny whispered. “Please forgive me, but I just had to get away.”