The Bet (Persaud Girl)

by Mott, Teisha

  The crowd had subsided from the stage, and her father was by himself slowly erasing the whiteboard. Andie walked up to him.

  “You wanted to see me?”

  Dr Andrew Persaud looked at his eighteen-year-old daughter. She looked more and more like her Aunt Janine every day. He was never Janine Moreno’s biggest fan while she was alive, but in spite of his prejudices, he could not help marvelling at how beautiful Andie was becoming.

  “Walk with me to my office,” he said.

  They walked in silence across the campus to the Economics department.

  Dr Persaud opened his office door and turned on the air conditioning, before taking a seat behind his desk. Andie threw her backpack on to one of the leather settees and looked around her father’s office. It certainly was unlike the other lecturers’ offices—far more sophisticated and comfortable. Her mother, Janise Moreno-Persaud had hired a whole battery of interior decorators to do the office when Dr Persaud had become Dean of the Social Science faculty. There were drapes and couches, all in brown leather, and the mahogany desk took up most of the office. The pine shelves were stocked to capacity with Economics and Finance texts, and the walls were dotted with framed awards and degrees that he had received over the years, including his Bachelors and PhD from Stanford. The desk was neatly stocked with papers and periodicals and there was a laptop as well as a PC complete with printer and fax machine. There were countless framed photographs of Mrs Persaud and the children, and a gold plated apple -- a gift from his wife when he had gotten tenure at the University.

  Dr Persaud looked at his daughter. She was looking at him through big, dark eyes.

  “Sit down Andie,” he said with a sigh.

  Andie obeyed, and continued staring at her father. He stared back at her, so intensely, with his chin on his fist, as though he was trying to read her thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

  “Andie, it is my responsibility to talk to you as your lecturer.” He said. “I cannot stand when my students don’t pay attention or they act bored in my class. It’s the repressed entertainer in me, I guess—always wanting to grab and hold the attention of others.” He paused and Andie fidgeted. “I don’t get what’s missing with you. You know the material, yet you appear to be one of the biggest loafers in the class. A whole bunch of loafers have passed through my classes, and they always end up with a failing grade. As your lecturer, I have to warn you that if you don’t get your act together and start paying attention in class, and start completing your tutorial sheets and start taking some notes, you’re going to fail this course. And don’t believe for one second that I would think twice about failing you. When I’m grading your paper, you will not be my little girl, who I taught to ride a bicycle, and check on every night after you fall asleep. You are just like any other student. Now you’re a very smart young woman, and you have a whole lot of potential, so I suggest you start using it. Today!”

  “Yes sir,” Andie muttered. She could guess he had never spoken to Samantha like that. Then again, it was unlikely that his ‘Samantha Doll’ had ever given him reason to.

  “Good!” His smile softened his expression. “Now for the talk as your father. I love you very, very much. Your welfare means the world to me. I want to see you do well, and get a good degree, so you can get a good job. I don’t want you to be a trust fund brat, you know!”

  Andie smiled weakly.

  “And,” her father continued, “as your father, consider this due notice that if you don’t settle down and start working hard, you will be spending June and July at summer school, repeating whatever courses you fail, while the rest of the family is off on vacation. Further, you will spend August with your grandparents getting familiar with the second year syllabus, while your sister and brother are getting familiar with the sites of Europe. One F, or one C for that matter, and you will not have a summer. Do I make myself clear?”

  “As crystal,” Andie whispered.

  Dr Persaud rose from behind his desk. He crossed the room and kissed his daughter’s head. “Remember, I love you.”

  “I know you do, Daddy.” She got up to leave.

  “Oh, I want you and your sister home early this evening. Your grandparents are coming for dinner.”

  “Do I have time to stay at the library for a bit and work on my paper?” Andie asked.

  “And you’re sure it’s your paper you want to stay and work on?” Dr Persaud taunted. “I saw you and Nathan chatting it up earlier. He seems to like you!” His brown eyes twinkled mischievously.

  “Daddy, it wasn’t like that!” Andie said, blushing. “He was just giving me some pointers for Uncle Marcus’ paper.”

  Dr Persaud chuckled. “Mmhmm. I was young once you know. I know all the little games boys play...”

  “I’m ignoring you Daddy!” Andie said. “So may I stay?”

  “Yes you may, as long as you’re home by six,” her father conceded. “You know Grandpa gets miserable when his dinner is late.”

  “Thanks Daddy!” Andie slung her backpack over her shoulder, and turned to give her father a quick hug. “Later.”

  “Bye sweetheart. Be home by six!” Dr Persaud repeated, as Andie bounded out of the office. “And don’t forget to tell Samantha!”

  35

  The Bet

  chapter two

  “We have to be home by six!” Andie flung her books on to the table in the commuting students’ lounge and sat.

  Samantha did not look up from her Macbook. “Why?”

  “Because Grandma and Grandpa are having dinner at your house this evening.” Klao reported.

  “In the middle of the week?” Samantha questioned. “Why?”

  “They’re going away this weekend!” Dylan, one of Klao’s twin brothers, informed her.

  “Uh-huh!” Darrin, the other twin, grinned mischievously. “So you know we have the entire house to ourselves, yeah?”

  Dylan, Darrin, Klao and Bianca all had the ‘fortune’ of living with their grandparents, Ravi and Sylvia Persaud during their tenure at University. Five years earlier when Dylan and Darrin had gotten into Medical school, their father, Dr Michael Persaud, had toyed with the idea of buying the twins an off-campus apartment. That idea was quickly nipped in the bud however, as Grandma and Grandpa Persaud had not taken kindly to the fact that their well-appointed, palatial home on Paddington Terrace, which was less than 20 minutes from the University campus, had been overlooked in this way. Dr Persaud had no choice but to concede and allow the twins to move in with his parents, in the house where he had grown up. It was far more economical, and the children would be thoroughly supervised.

  At first it had just been Dylan and Darrin; then Bianca and Klao joined them when their turn at UWI came around. They had been mortified at first by the idea of living with grandparents, but as time went on they realised that the benefits—24-hour housekeeping and room service, at-home movie theatre, Grandma’s insatiable appetite for showering them with presents, among other things—far outweighed their need for privacy and independence.

  Ravi and Sylvia Persaud had spent most of their lives building Persaud Enterprises, the largest conglomerate to ever originate in the Caribbean. Persaud Enterprises was Real Estate, Banking, Publishing, Fashion and Health Care. Ravi P Hotels dotted various corners of the globe. Persaud Financial Services had corporate, commercial and investment banking offices in the Caribbean, New York and Latin America. Izzy ready-to-wear and couture designs were runway and department store staples. Its publishing arm also produced a range of fashion, finance and lifestyle magazines. Their venture into healthcare was purely philanthropic, for Ravi had always felt that Jamaica had contributed greatly to his success, and it was his duty to give back to his country. He and Sylvia had also made sure to raise their children with the same sense of social responsibility. When Ravi got the idea to build a network of hospitals across the island, his children, led by h
is eldest son, Dr Michael Persaud, became personally and passionately involved. Within a few years they had built Montego Bay Mercy Hospital, Ocho Rios Mercy Hospital and Mandeville Mercy Hospital. Now Ravi and Sylvia had retired, happily turning over the reins of Persaud Enterprises to their five children. They settled comfortably into their twilight years, and shared their time between spoiling their beautiful grandchildren and travelling. Their latest excursion was a four-day getaway to Mexico.

  “You guys coming over for diner too?” Andie asked.

  “Nope!” The twins—Dylan and Darrin, Klao and Bianca all answered in unison.

  “Why not?” Samantha asked.

  “It’s Tuesday,” Bianca pointed out. “Tevin is phoning me tonight.” She was referring to her boyfriend, Tevin Pederson, an Engineering major studying at the UWI’s St. Augustine campus in Trinidad.

  “Darrin and I will be on duty at the hospital,” Dylan said.

  “So what about you, Klao? What are you doing?” Andie asked.

  Klao shrugged. “Nothin’. I just don’t want to come.”

  “Whatever!” Samantha finished typing the page of her paper and turned off her computer. She checked her watch. It was five minutes before three. “I have a three o’clock tutorial,” she declared. “Andie, meet me at the car by four ten.” She picked up her books and waved goodbye. “Tomorrow, guys.”

  “We better get going too,” Bianca said, turning to Klao. “We have that heinous FD English class now.” She and Klao gathered their books. “See you guys.”

  Soon Andie was alone with Dylan and Darrin.

  “So wha’pen Andie-Cap? You good?” Dylan asked, giving his cousin a warm smile. He and his twin brother were mirror images of each other, but Andie had always felt closer to Dylan. Of all her cousins he was the kindest to her, plus she was eternally grateful to him for accompanying her to her graduation ball. It was much better to go with her tall, handsome cousin than not go at all.

  “I’m okay,” Andie said. “I have a paper to hand in next week.”

  Remembering her paper made her remember Nathan Hansen. She glanced casually around the commuting students’ lounge. It was unlikely that Nathan would be there since he lived on hall, but she could not help but hope.

  “And all your classes are going well—even the one with Uncle Andrew?”

  Andie blushed remembering how her father had caught her in dreamland, and the firm talking to she had received because of it.

  “Yeah, they’re fine. Even Daddy’s class.” She assured her cousin. “My only problem is the paper due next week for Uncle Marcus’ class. I have to do the paper and present it at tutorial, and then give him the written piece. It’s freaking me out!”

  “Don’t be scared of Uncle Marcus. You just do your very best. I know you don’t believe it, but you’re a very smart girl, and Grandpa is counting on you to take over Persaud Financials after you get your Banking degree!” He smiled. “But no pressure!”

  “Right. No pressure.” Andie said, smiling back.

  “And you know you can call us for anything, right?” Darrin finally put in.

  “I know, thanks. I’m going to go to the library now. I have stuff to look up for my paper.”

  “Want us to walk you?” Darrin asked.

  “Is okay,” Andie assured him. “I’ll be fine. I just wish you guys were coming to dinner tonight.”

  “Me too,” Darrin said. “The food at Kingston Public Hospital cafeteria always tastes like cockroach was walking in it!”

  “And how you know what cockroach taste like?” Dylan inquired sarcastically. “Yuh ever eat it yet?”

  “I can make an educated guess...” Darrin said.

  Dylan shook his head. “I swear, if it wasn’t for the fact that we’re the splittin’ image of each other, I’d wonder if we’re related.”

  Andie laughed and picked up her bag. Those two were always at it. She knew she would miss their shenanigans tonight at dinner. “See you!”

  She walked to the library, leaving her cousins arguing about what a meal that cockroach walked in could possibly taste like.

  ***

  Tuesday evening 6.30 pm

  “So where are the children this evening Sylvia?” Janise Persaud asked her mother-in law. “I thought they would have come along for dinner.”

  “Those young people are something else,” Grandma Sylvia replied, tossing her wavy, silver-grey hair. “They all claimed they had other things to do m’love.”

  “Well, I think the twins have duty at the hospital tonight,” Grandpa Ravi contributed. “Darrin is at the University Hospital, and Dylan is at Kingston Public.”

  “No dear,” Grandma corrected. “It’s Dylan who is by the University and Darrin is at the KPH.”

  “If you say so Sylvie,” Grandpa Ravi conceded. “Sometimes I can’t even tell those two apart. It’s like they look more alike the older they get.”

  “So what about the girls?” Dr Persaud interjected.

  “Bianca insisted on staying home tonight,” Grandpa said. “It’s Tuesday, she informed us, and her young man is phoning her all the way from Trinidad!”

  “Klao decided to stay home with her,” Grandma added. “If you ask me, I think Bianca and that boyfriend of hers are far too chummy. For teenagers, they’re too stuck on one another.”

  “I was stuck on Andrew from we were twelve!” Mrs Persaud pointed out.

  “And if you ever know how distressed it made me, although I never spoke of it!” Grandma said. “I think young girls should explore and have plenty of young suitors; not settle down from the ripe old age of eighteen.”

  “Bianca and Tevin have been together since Bianca was fourteen!” Samantha reminded her grandmother.

  “So what about you, Samantha doll?” Grandma Sylvia asked her. “You must have plenty young men buzzing your way, eh?”

  “Absolutely not, Gran!” Samantha said. “I find the boys my age repulsive. They’re so coarse and crude, and they have no idea how a woman should be treated, and Daddy won’t let me date older men.” She looked at her father. “You know this one guy in third year, Daddy. His name is Jeremy Malcolm. I hear that as soon as he has even one date with a girl, he tells everybody that he slept with her!”

  “Boys have been doing that from time immemorial, Samantha.” Her father told her. “You know how many fights your uncles and I got into, trying to preserve your aunts’ honour?”

  “Well that certainly doesn’t make it right!” Mrs Persaud said.

  “What about you, Andie?” Grandpa asked. “Any youngsters at school looking your way yet?”

  “If they’re not looking Samantha’s way, why on earth would they be looking at me?” Andie mumbled.

  “What’s that, honey?” Grandma asked.

  “No Gran,” Andie said, taking a bite of her broccoli. “No boyfriends or prospects yet.”

  “Well that’s not exactly true, is it Andie?” Dr Persaud said, grinning wickedly behind his seltzer.

  Andie blushed, knowing exactly where her father was going. “Daddy…” she began.

  “What you talking about Andy?” Mrs Persaud quizzed her husband.

  “Just today,” Dr Persaud related, “I saw our little Anne Dru here looking quite chummy with a handsome young man, right before our Econ class.”

  “Daddy, I told you he was only helping me with Uncle Marcus’ paper…”

  “And he gave her his number, and told her to call him…”

  Andie thought her face would explode. She could not believe her father was doing that to her.

  Mrs Persaud smiled. “Really? Is that true, honey?”

  “Mommy, you know Daddy exaggerates,” Andie stuttered.

  “Which boy is this, Andrew?” Grandpa asked. “You know him?”

  Dr Persaud nodded. “He’s one of my students. He’s in fin
al year…very bright. His name is Nathan Hansen…”

  Samantha choked on her sip of water.

  “Nathan Hansen? Daddy, yuh joking right?”

  “Nope.” Dr Persaud said. “Nathan was in full flirt mode with your sister, and she didn’t seem to mind one bit!”

  Samantha looked at her little sister. “So after that big to-do the other evening when we were talking to Nathan in the library, you get caught schmoozing with him?” She chuckled. “I wish the girls were here to witness this!”

  Andie was getting cross. “For your information, Nathan was the one who came up to me while I was waiting on Daddy’s class to start. He wanted to know what I was reading, and then he offered to help me with my paper. He does not want to be my boyfriend okay!” She put down her fork and looked at her grandparents. “Matter of fact, he was probably chatting me up to get an ‘A’ from Daddy.”

  “Well, just know that if you choose to date Nathan Hansen…” Samantha began.

  “I’m not dating anyone, Samantha!” Andie interrupted. “You are such a moron sometimes. Jeez!”

  “If you choose to date Nathan,” Samantha repeated, “just bear in mind that despite his cuteness and despite his sweetness and despite his brilliance, he hangs around with that wretched Jeremy Malcolm. If they’re friends, they can’t be that much different. I don’t want to hear your name on campus.”

  “Well, you won’t,” Andie said. “Because I’m not going to be dating him.”

  “I have a girlfriend at school Grandma,” Christopher piped up. “She’s older than me though. She’s nine, and in grade four.”