by Inia Jardine
'Go away you evil being. You are making my legs weak and there is no way I am having phone sex with you, it is way too frustrating.'
He quietly starts singing ‘Softly whispering I love you, echoes of your voice are calling still through my dreams…’
It sounds so familiar…and he continues. ‘…a world that we walked hand in hand, in a day of gold coloured by the glow of new love…’
I feel my knees grow weak and I sit down on the bed. ‘Oh Jonah, that’s so lovely. Really.’ I recognise the words of the old song by The Congregation. ‘Nobody has ever done this for me before. Nobody.’
'What would you say if I told you that I really, really, really, would like for you to come here for Christmas? To my home? Would you be able to get away again in about 6 weeks’ time? I miss you.'
'Jonah, nooo don't do that to me. I have just started working again, this job is still new. And my cats, they have missed me so much. I can't leave again so soon. Can't you rather make the trip here?'
'Just for a week please Lilia, most people take off work, businesses close etc. between Christmas and New Year’s anyway. Your work won't suffer and I will ask Bella nicely to look after the cats again for you. I will even send her a ticket too but I know you would not leave the cats with a stranger. What do you say? Please?’
‘I can't leave here right now, maybe next year sometime. My work does not allow me to leave at the moment.'
‘Are you sure Lilia, is that your final answer or would you like to phone a friend?’
'It is 3 o'clock in the morning and you expect me to be able to think? Phone me again when it is not dark, what is our time difference? It's about 5 hours or so.'
'Hey it's not even midnight here so I will give you until you get back from work OK? If you don't come here I am going to have to look for another tourist to alleviate my frustrations. I am only a flesh and blood man Lilia; I really miss you.'
'Well, seeing that you put it so eloquently, you horny old man, I will see what I can do. Now go away I need to wee. I lust for you too but nature calls. Bye and don't play too roughly with yourself now. I will come and visit you over Christmas then - if I can manage it in any way, is that promise enough for now?’
‘Fair enough. Can’t wait Lilia, can’t wait…and I feel your face, ever close to my lips…and the scent of you invades the cool evening air…’ he continues singing the song.
Yeah. That does it for me.
Hearing his throaty chuckle, I put the phone down and run to the loo. Bloody hell it's cold tonight. Maybe a bit of Jamaican warmth would be nice. Jonah is correct, a week won't make any difference at this stage, everything is right on track with the Conservatory construction and I might just bring a few seeds back to start our Caribbean section. It is too cold to think here anyway.
5
Hibbert Estate - Gorgoleta Estate - St Thomas Jamaica
The first time I see the Hibbert Estate, called Gorgoleta Estate, Place of the Butterflies, I am almost speechless (a first for me), at the grandiosity of it all. With the flamboyant single storey white homestead and magnificent colourful gardens teeming with butterflies, the estate is perched atop Rocky Point hill with a sweeping and imposing 180◦ panoramic view over one of the bays of St Thomas. The Blue Mountains lie behind it in all their splendid glory.
I turn back from taking in the view and recognise bougainvillea of all colours, magnolia, countless hibiscus with huge blooms, frangipani, wisteria - it is just overwhelming.
It is like a botanical gift box.
Huge trees which I don’t recognise but have to be hundreds of years old surround the outer edges of the wild gardens where azaleas and impatiens flourish in their shade. Hummingbirds flit around with the countless colourful butterflies and my mouth just hangs open. I am astonished at so much splendour. This is surely what Hieronymus Bosch looked at when he painted The Garden of Earthly Delights – I expect a unicorn to come prancing by at any moment.
It is paradise, the original Garden of Eden.
‘Oh Jonah, how can you ever want to leave here? It is unbelievably stunning. I have not got any sufficient words to describe its beauty.’
‘I agree with the statement regarding the beauty but there is too much pain associated with this place. I have actually grown up hating it. I look after it well, we only produce coffee & coconut as well as some indigenous fruit now, but it is very sad – fact is that I cannot wait to sell it.’
I hug him tightly and kiss his cheek. ‘I respect that. Sounds somewhat like how I feel about South Africa.’ I bite down hard as I choke up all of a sudden.
‘Show me around the gardens please Big J, just for this poor girl not used to such tropical splendour?’
As we walk along various pathways through the extensive gardens and orchards surrounding the homestead we come across a long forgotten, weathered garden gazebo. It is covered with the biggest wisteria I have ever seen.
I immediately feel Jonah become a bit rigid in his conduct.
Instinct tells me that I should not ask questions and we eventually get to the old sugar cane fields.
‘I see it is still partly a working farm although you are rehabilitating the cane fields. What is going to happen to these workers if you ever sell the estate?’
‘They are free agents Lilia, like all of us. They are not slaves any more. Most of them are seasonal workers anyway. They can stay on with the new owners if they so choose or leave for other employment on the Island. I am not responsible for them. I have paid good wages and all of them have housing and enough food to feed their families. A few of my managers even share in the profits, I find that it is a good incentive to push up productivity. I must add however that since meeting you my mind is not on that kind of productivity any more...’
‘Sorry I did not mean to imply that you were responsible for them, just a question. As you know I have this preoccupation with slavery and injustices of the past. Not of the present so much! Except maybe...'
‘Feel this Lilia...’ he murmurs as he puts my hand on his jeans which I must add he fills out gorgeously.
‘...Oh my goodness Big J, are you perchance still happy to see me...?
‘It has been about two months Lilia. How can that be, and how did we survive on phone calls alone?’
He takes my hand and we rush up to the house. A blur of white, white, white, everywhere in this huge house, a profusion of white as we rush along through the myriad unnecessary rooms.
White walls, white carpets, flimsy white curtains. I get a fleeting glimpse of the only colour in the rooms being unpainted rattan chairs with upholstery of a faint green pattern and light green scatter cushions. There seem to be some colourful art on the walls. The overall effect is quite calming but I presume fairly boring when you have to live with it on a daily basis. For instance, I would paint all the walls purple.
I catch a glimpse of something cool and dark blue in a courtyard but before I can enquire about it we reach huge double doors.
White.
'In the Master suite, you do the master’s bidding’ and with that he picks me up and deposits me on the (yes you guessed it) white comforter on the rattan bed. A beautiful white mosquito net is draped from the ceiling and tied on the sides.
Jonah must be the only man I have ever known who is able to pick me up with such ease.
‘For this master I will do most anything. I said that I will be your love slave for a whole week didn’t I? You owe Sir James for giving me this time off.'
'I will send him some of my finest coffee. Now shut up.'
The master proceeds to ravage my mouth and I ravage his back. He really is the most amazing kisser ever. We have kept up appearances since my plane touched down a few hours ago as there was a bit of an awkward unfamiliarity at first. My body has been yearning for him though, as I am now very sure that his has craved mine.
He is rock hard and does his old trick of entering me without even removing my clothes. It must help that I am sopping wet for him and h
ave a loose fitting dress with no knickers on! When I told him this at the airport after a passionate kiss that lasted about ten minutes, he threatened to pull me into the nearest bathroom. So it’s been a bit strained. We need to get rid of our frustrations as soon as it is possible and decent.
'Hmm that was all I dreamed it would be. So glad I came. Once you get used to something this impressive it is hard to live without.'
'Wow, you sure talk straight.'
'What, like a man?'
'Yes I’m amazed. The women I have known are all so different. So …Yet, you look like a woman.'
'Hey watch it big boy. Being like me is my not so silent protest against all soppy stories ever written about fragile, innocent women being rescued by strong virile men. It irritates the living shite out of me!'
'You mean you are not fragile? Nor innocent? My word. But did I not rescue you from the rain that day?'
'You mean you didn’t notice that I was not a virgin? Ha! ' I shove him hard and he almost rolls off the bed. ‘You did not rescue me you were lustful.’
'Ha-ha Lilia yes I noticed. I noticed very well indeed. Come here you strong ample woman you – so much more for me to devour.'
'Leave the devouring to me! You may be strong but I have other strengths…'
'Can't wait to find out what they may be.'
'Big boy, I forgot to ask before we go any further, you never told me. Are you going to take me dancing again?'
'So what does that have to do with anything?'
'Everything. I just love to dance and have not done so in years except for those few short dances with you at the Institute. You have awoken some long dormant thing within me. Things. Plural. It is quite hard to waltz, do the cha-cha, the tango and the two step on your own. Like other things.'
'I am sure that we will move beautifully together to music as we do without, Lilia. We actually have a Christmas Dance in town later this week. You wanna go with me? Then I can show you off.'
'Yes please! Do I need to employ bodyguards to ward off all jealous women?'
'Nah. I'm enough.'
A full two hours later as we lie sated under the gigantic wicker ceiling fan reality sets in. As this is my first time at Gorgoleta Estate - an old sugar plantation, I cannot help but see the slaves of days gone by in my mind’s eye. Working themselves to death creating all of this for a very few privileged individuals to enjoy.
‘I understand you better now Jonah, but you were wrong not to bring me here when we first met.’
‘Lilia, don’t take this the wrong way. You know that I have fallen in love with you. Hey?'
‘Yes, I am fairly sure of that my darling.’
‘Well, with all my other conquests’ (this is where I hit him hard on the shoulder) ‘sorry, I guess I deserve that and more. As you know I was a bit of a cad in my pre-Lilia days, I never knew whether they liked me for being Jonah or whether they liked me for being Jonah of Gorgoleta Estate.
That is why I have learnt over time that my image of a nerdy and not very well-off Professor of Geology would serve me much better in finding a real honest to goodness woman. And guess what, it worked. I snagged you didn’t I?’
‘I don’t know whether I must hit you again or kiss you. On the one hand I agree with you but on the other hand you should have developed some people skills. You should have been able to sift the chaff from the wheat so to speak before you even contemplated kissing a girl. I have never been materialistic but most women are. They look for the man who can give them nice things.'
'I thought I knew all about women but they surprise me all the time.'
' Well I suppose after you learned to speak all those languages mister, and got to know your Frenchies, Chinese, Turks, Egyptians...you were actually more like Marco Polo or Christopher Columbus than Jonah Hibbert. You explored more countries than they did!’
‘I want to explore a little more of Britain, oops sorry, South Africa, down south my love - what is this that I feel under my fingers’ he whispers while rubbing me where it matters most.
I go all jelly-like in his hands. ‘Oh Jonah, yes... oh...’
As he climbs off the bed, bends down on his knees and pulls me over to the edge of the bed I see a movement out of the corner of my eye. I fear a repeat of our last unwelcome visitor but it appears to be only the fan billowing the curtains. I have something else to concentrate on anyway as I first push him away but then pull his head closer to me. With him all boundaries have been removed, I am free to be a wild wanton woman with him, a harlot, even a slattern. Because I know that he is mine and I am his. I will not share him with anyone ever again. Call me possessive; call me jealous, I will kill the woman who steals him away from me.
I explode under Jonah's expert mouth and he climbs back on top of me.
‘No my darling, come here first, I give as good as I get.’
The blue movies I have watched in my wild youth have taught me a few tricks of my own and Jonah soon has a detonation.
'Lilia! You little minx! Where did you learn that?’
‘Debbie does Durban...or was it The Ice Cream Queen...’
‘OK, seeing that we are on titles, let me show you some new ones a little bit later. I have quite the collection. But I need the pool now - I am so hot!’
‘Yes you are my love, and don’t you know it!’
We amble buck naked past the double patio doors previously hidden by the billowing curtains, through the white tiled courtyard and jump into the crystal clear rock pool. Strangely enough painted not white, but a very dark blue, almost black. The water in the pool is lukewarm but still refreshing. It is a master of design, natural rock brought from who knows where to create this gem.
Majestic tree ferns surround the natural lines of the pool.
Hanging baskets on each pillar around the courtyard containing dark trailing plants with round fruit, dot the courtyard at regular intervals. An oasis within an oasis.
How wonderful it must be to live here. 'Jonah what are those vines?'
'They are cox-nuts, similar to passion fruit. I love their taste. Here, try one.'
'Hmm, it is like passion fruit, only better in a way! I love it.'
But I forget, it is easy to forget, that slavery was the price for this overindulgence. It was paid for in blood, sweat and tears of people torn from their families in by greedy pirates, abductors of healthy men from tribes throughout Africa.
‘Jonah, this is wonderful but I feel that I cannot enjoy it fully, knowing what must have happened here. I support you entirely in your wish to sell this glorious but painful place. It is sad. We could have been happy here were it not for the past.’
‘Thanks Lilia, you are the first woman ever to agree with me on that point. You will make a life for yourself in Arumvale, I know you will. I plan on coming to join you soon, for a while if you will have me. At fifty I am not getting younger.’
‘You know that I cannot offer you anything even remotely on this grand scale back home but what I will offer you is my best shot at making you very, very happy. I love you. I know that for a fact now. I can also tell you something that might make you feel a bit better about your riches. I found out while reading through my, or ‘our’ dissertation on slavery.
Sugar estates effectively ended slavery.’
‘What?’
‘One of the strongest arguments for slavery had been the cheap cost of sugar production.
However, mismanagement had driven up the cost of sugar. In return, the British government sharply taxed sugar imported from other sources, including European beet sugar. By 1829, most British people could not afford sugar because it was so expensive.
I hope that you noticed that I take my coffee without sugar.
British laws to improve the life of slaves were endlessly rejected in Jamaica, but the argument for cheap labour had basically disappeared. The legislature was no longer sympathetic to the problems of the white plantation owners. In 1833 a bill to free all slaves was presented to the British Pa
rliament and was accepted the following month.
So, sugar effectively ended slavery. Sugar Estates are not all that bad.’
