The Bet (Persaud Girl)

by Mott, Teisha

  “It will all be worth it,” he thought, as he got back into his car “when Jeremy Malcolm has to admit to everyone that he is a stinking, lying, john crow!”

  It was ten minutes after five. He gunned the engine, backed out of his parking spot, and headed for Norbrook.

  ***

  Andie was on pins and needles. She was sitting with both pairs of her grandparents on the pool deck. Grandpa James and Grandma Joyce had been briefed that Nathan was joining them for dinner. Grandpa James and Grandpa Ravi were formulating a series of questions for Nathan, to ‘find out who the wise guy really is’, as Grandpa Ravi had so delicately put it.

  “Nathan is really cool and really smart!” Andie said. “So whatever you do, Grandma and Grandpa, please don’t embarrass me, okay?”

  “Why would we do that?” Grandpa James asked.

  “I know you wouldn’t purposely embarrass me, Grandpa,” Andie explained. “But sometimes what we want to do and what we end up doing are two totally different things!”

  Christopher looked up from pushing his trucks around his grandparents’ and sister’s legs. “It’s like the apostle Paul said, ‘what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do’!”

  Five pairs of eyes looked at him.

  “How do you know the Apostle Paul said that?” Grandma Sylvia asked.

  Christopher shrugged. “I don’t know that he said it, Grandma. Nursey said the Minister at her church said he said it, and I don’t think Nursey or the Minister would lie!”

  Before anyone could comment, Samantha came out. “I just buzzed Nathan in,” she told Andie. “Go meet him at the door.”

  Andie jumped up, immediately forgetting Christopher and religion. She gave her grandparents one last, pleading look. “Please, please….”

  “Go fetch the boy, Anne Dru!” Grandma Joyce sounded exasperated. “We aren’t going to eat him, you know!”

  Andie scampered to the door in time to see Nathan removing stuff from his car.

  “Hello!” She called.

  “Hey!” His back returned. “Come help me!”

  Andie curiously walked to the car, smoothing her sweaty palms on her short cotton sundress.

  “I know you told me not to bring anything,” Nathan continued, putting a huge cake box on top of the car, “but I thought it would be impolite to come empty handed.” He looked at her, and smiled. “You look nice.”

  “Thanks,” Andie said, feeling very pleased. She had tried her best. The dress was one that Aunt Elisabeth had sent for her. It was a bright green halter, with a fun turtle print, and Andie knew she looked good in green. She had pulled her hair up, in a high ponytail. Neither her mother nor Samantha, or worse of all Grandma Sylvia could complain when she had emerged from her bedroom twenty minutes earlier.

  “What’s in the box?” She asked.

  “Lychee cake,” Nathan informed her. “It needs to get into the fridge.”

  “I’ll take it,” Andie offered.

  “Not yet,” Nathan held on to her arm. “I have something for you first!” He whipped the bouquet of roses from the car. “These are for you!”

  “Nathan! Oh my gosh, these are so pretty! Thank you.” Andie’s face was flaming with delight.

  “I know. Just like you.” Nathan said. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

  Andie turned bright red. She could not have been more delighted, if she tried. “Let’s go inside,” she told him. “My grandparents are dying to meet you.”

  “I hope your grandmothers like chocolates.” Nathan pulled out the four gift bags that held the chocolates. “I brought some for them, and your mother and Samantha.”

  “Well aren’t you prince charming, trying to butter them up!” Andie laughed. “It just might work – trust me.”

  Nathan smiled. He walked behind Andie to the front door, carrying the cake box in one hand and the gift bags in the other. Andie was clutching her roses as though they were a new born baby. Samantha met them at the door. Nathan was stunned to see her wearing glasses.

  “Hey, Nathan!” She greeted him. “How’s studying for Micro going?”

  “Fine,” Nathan told her. “I have Slutsky down to the tee. How ’bout you?”

  “I was at it all yesterday, and a part of this morning,” Samantha told him. “If Dr Gordon doesn’t bring it, I am going to kill him.”

  Nathan laughed heartily. “Amen to that. I brought you something.” He handed her one of the gift bags.

  “Aw… You give me a toothache!” Samantha said, taking the bag, and peeping in. She smiled when she saw the chocolates. “Literally! Thanks, Nathan.”

  Andie saw her sister smiling at Nathan, and felt a pang of jealousy. She did not like Samantha smiling at Nathan. She was still finding it difficult to fathom that Nathan might actually like her. In the back of her mind, she was scared that he might change his mind, and like someone who suited him more – someone like Samantha; Samantha, who was looking absolutely lovely, as usual, in blue jeans that hugged her hips and a white tank top, with her hair in a loose bun. Brown/blonde tendrils fell around her face. Even in glasses, she looked lovely. Not only was she smiling at Nathan, but Nathan was smiling at her. Andie thought she had to say something, but she could not think of anything smart or witty.

  “Nathan brought me roses and a cake!” She found herself blurting out. To her ears, she sounded like a small child, comparing who had the prettier dolly.

  “A whole cake for you?” Samantha asked, a questioning look on her face.

  “The cake is actually for desert,” Nathan said.

  “But the roses are for me,” Andie added, feeling foolish.

  “I have a vase you could borrow for the roses, Andie,” Samantha told her. “I’ll arrange them for you, if you like.” She turned to Nathan. “Let me take the cake to the kitchen.”

  “Thank you, Sammy,” Andie said, placing the roses on top of the cake box. She knew Samantha had figured out that she was feeling a bit insecure. Andie blushed, wondering why she was worried about Nathan liking Samantha. Sammy was her sister, and even if she had any interest in twenty-year-old boys, which she did not, she would never be interested in one that Andie liked.

  She turned to Nathan. “Ready to meet the grandparents?”

  “I can’t wait!” Nathan said, being a good sport. He followed her inside. “Where is everybody?”

  “They’re out by the pool,” Andie informed him. “Everybody except Daddy and Uncle Marcus. Daddy went off on some secret mission, but he’ll be back in time for dinner. Uncle Marcus couldn’t stay. Some government minister or another invited him to dinner. Walk this way.”

  Nathan followed Andie down the hallway. He admired the coloured prints on the wall, and the shiny parquet floors.

  “You have a really nice home, Andie,” he commented.

  “Thank you,” Andie said. “We have been living here ever since I was two. I think we lived at College Common first. My parents had it made from the floor up.”

  “How many rooms are in here?”

  “We have five bedrooms upstairs and two downstairs,” Andie told him. “We also have a TV room, and Daddy’s den and Mommy’s studio. My mommy decorated the entire place herself, and she redoes it every year. I’ll show you around later.”

  Nathan nodded absently. The Persauds’ home was nothing like his modest home in Montego Bay. He ingested the high domed ceilings and the bone white walls. The furniture was elegant and yet understated. It was evident that Mrs Persaud had taste, style, and an unlimited budget. Nathan followed Andie through the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. Two uniformed housekeepers were there, putting the final touches on dinner. One, a plump, dumpling of a woman, was glazing what appeared to be chicken breasts, while wearing a broad grin and the other was tall and lean, and had a mean expression.

  “Hi, Theresa! Hi, Rosilda!” An
die greeted them.

  “Hello, my darling,” the plump cook said, looking up, her grin getting wider. The lean cook barely offered a grunt.

  “This is my friend, Nathan,” Andie said. “Nathan, this is Theresa, our cook, and our housekeeper, Rosilda.”

  “Hi!” Nathan said.

  “What a way yuh hair nuff and pretty!” Theresa commented.

  “Yes, I need a haircut,” Nathan agreed with a laugh. He was a bit sorry he had not pulled it back into a ponytail.

  “Yes!” Theresa said, laughing. “And if I wasn’t cooking, I would grab you and comb it out properly for you!”

  Nathan decided he liked Theresa. Rosilda, he was not sure about. She was sorting silverware, and had not even looked up at him.

  “Nathan brought the cake,” Andie contributed. “Did Sammy give it to you, Theresa?”

  “It in the fridge,” Theresa confirmed. “I will cut it up for the dessert.”

  “Cool! Come, Nathan. This way to the pool.”

  They ducked out the kitchen door and down the path to the pool.

  “Isn’t it odd how different Theresa and Rosilda are?” Nathan asked.

  “That’s the first thing everyone always asks,” Andie said. “Theresa is always nice and pleasant, and Rosie is a grouch. Mommy says Nursey balances them out.”

  “Who’s Nursey?” Nathan asked.

  “Christopher’s nanny,” Andie told him. “She looked after Samantha and me when we were little too.”

  Nathan recalled the days when he had a nanny. She was a Mexican woman called Soledad, and she had stayed with him until he started the second grade. His father had said he did not need a nanny after that. What he needed was a mother who did not spend all her time at the free clinic, tending to vagrants and scum. He had listened to his parents argue for hours that night. His father’s main bone of contention was that Mom did not need to work. He was doing well enough to support them very comfortably. Nathan grimaced. He was doing well enough, all right – speculating with his firm’s money and pocketing the profits. Joie was not lucky enough to have a nanny. She was not even lucky enough to have met her father.

  Andie’s cold hand brought Nathan back to reality. “You alright?” She asked him.

  “I’m fine,” he said shortly.

  Andie was not convinced. She could not help wondering whether she had done something to upset Nathan.

  “You looked sad just a little while ago,” Andie pressed. “Did I do something?”

  “Of course you didn’t do anything, Andie!” Nathan exclaimed. “Relax. You’re cool.”

  They walked in silence down the brick on sand path that lead to the pool. Andie noticed that her mother and sister had joined the grandparents on the pool deck. Mrs Persaud spotted Andie and Nathan and smiled.

  “Hi Nathan!” She called. “Welcome back.”

  “Hello, Mrs Persaud,” Nathan said, smiling back.

  Christopher abandoned his trucks and marched over to Nathan. “Did you try any funny business with my sister last night?” He demanded.

  “No,” Nathan told him.

  “Good man,” Christopher said. “Smart and sensible.”

  Nathan could not help but smile at Andie’s precocious little brother.

  “Christopher, you are so harassing at times!” Andie said with a frown. She turned to her grandparents. “Grandmas and Grandpas, this is Nathan Hansen. Nathan, my grandparents – Ravi and Sylvia Persaud, and James and Joyce Moreno.”

  Grandma Sylvia gave Nathan a cordial smile, and Nathan could not help but wonder how beautiful and charming she must have been fifty years before. Grandma Joyce showed equal signs of having been quite a catch in her day. Her skin was rather lined and specked with age, but Nathan could tell she used to be as fair as Andie. In fact, a patch of red hair on one eyebrow pointed out where exactly Andie had gotten her colouring. Grandpa Ravi and Grandpa James were no surprise to Nathan. Either or both were on television almost every evening.

  “Grandma, Nathan brought chocolates,” Andie said, taking the gift bags from him, and passing them around.

  “What a thoughtful boy you are!” Grandma Joyce said, peeping into hers.

  “And so pretty!” Grandma Sylvia added. “Sit next to me, Nathan, dear, and tell me which of your parents is white.”

  Nathan was taken aback. Of all the things he thought Andie’s grandmother could ask him, ‘which of your parents is white’ was the one he least expected. “E-excuse me?” He stuttered.

  Grandma Sylvia patted the lounge chair next to her. “You are obviously mixed with something,” she said. “Sit, and let’s figure it out.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out, ma’am,” Nathan said, sitting next to Andie’s grandmother. “My father was white.”

  “Andie told us he died,” Mrs Persaud said, nodding sadly.

  “Last May was ten years,” Nathan confirmed.

  “Was he sick?” Christopher asked.

  Nathan felt himself blushing uncomfortably. “He had an accident.”

  “What kind of accident?” Christopher continued. “Was it a car accident? My aunt Janine had a car accident – long, long ago. I wasn’t born yet.”

  Nathan did not want to talk about his father anymore. Andie noticed his agitated look, and butted in.

  “Don’t ask Nathan questions to make him sad, Christopher,” she said. “If anything bad happened to Daddy, would you like anybody asking you about it all the time?”

  “No,” Christopher decided. “Sorry, Nathan.

  “No problem,” Nathan said, giving Andie a grateful smile. “It was long ago. I wasn’t much older than you, so it doesn’t make me too sad anymore.”

  “Where are you from, Nathan?” Grandpa Ravi asked.

  “Montego Bay, sir,” Nathan told him. “I lived in New York until I was nine, and then moved here after my Dad died.”

  “Andie says your mother is at Mobay Mercy,” Grandpa James put in.

  Nathan nodded. “She’s been there ever since we moved here.”

  “Growing up without a father must have been hard,” Grandma Joyce commented.

  “I have my grandfather,” Nathan said. “He filled in nicely.”

  “I’m sure he did,” Grandpa Ravi said with a smile. “You don’t look like you turned out too badly. I hear you do very well in University – on a scholarship and all... What’s your major?”

  “Economics and International Relations,” Nathan said, pleased they had come off the subject of his family.

  “And what do you plan to do with all that?” Grandpa James asked.

  “I was hoping to go into Foreign Affairs, sir,” Nathan said, then hastened to add, “like you.”

  James Moreno smiled. “It takes more than an IR degree to do what I do, Nathan,” he said. “You need to know at least one language apart from English, you need to rub noses with just the right people, and you will have to, and I mean have to get a haircut!”

  Nathan did a double take. He was about to protest when he realised that Andie’s grandfather was only teasing him. He chuckled.

  “I don’t think the Kojak look would suit me, Mr Moreno,” he said. “But I’d try it out, if Andie approves.” He winked at her, and Andie blushed. “As for the languages, I am conversational in both Spanish and French. How many languages do you speak?”

  “Eight,” Grandpa James informed him. “Most of them I picked up having been posted in different countries.”

  “Being a career diplomat must be the coolest thing in the world!” Nathan sighed.

  “It’s not all fun and games, son,” James Moreno warned him. “The job comes with a plethora of responsibilities and a whole lot of politics is involved.”

  “What job comes with a plethora of responsibilities and politics?” Andrew Persaud asked coming on to the pool deck. He leaned over and pla
ced a quick kiss to his wife’s cheek. “Is your father trying to encourage one of our children to go into Foreign Affairs?”

  “Just explaining the nuances of diplomacy to Nathan, Andrew,” Grandpa James defended. “We all know your children are going to be Economists!”

  “And don’t you forget it!” Dr Persaud confirmed. He turned to Nathan. “And you, young man, can be whatever you want to be, and be damn good at it, too. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Dr Persaud,” Nathan retuned, accepting Dr Persaud’s outstretched hand. “And yourself?”

  “Fine, fine,” Dr Persaud replied. “I didn’t know you would be joining us this evening.”

  “I invited him, Andrew,” Sylvia replied. “I was afraid either himself or Andie would die from withdrawal if they did not see each other today!”

  The remaining grandparents chuckled. Andie turned bright red. Theresa saved the day by coming out to announce that she would be serving dinner in five minutes.

  “Andie, why don’t you take Nathan inside so he can freshen up?” Mrs Persaud suggested. “And take Christopher as well.”

  “I can take myself, thank you,” Christopher declared. He started racing up the brick on sand path that lead to the house. Andie and Nathan followed him slowly.

  “I am sorry about my grandparents!” Andie apologised.

  “Why?” Nathan asked. “They seem like perfectly cool people.”

  “Yes, but what Grandma just said…”

  “I don’t know about you, but from where I stand, I don’t think she is wrong!” Nathan said. “You would not have been able to sleep tonight if you hadn’t seen me today!”