by S M Mala
‘Protecting her.’
‘Dat a funny way!’ laughed Ethel.
‘Dad and Delores had a massive row this morning about Hatty. I think Hatty heard but I’m not sure. She was still drunk. Delores was so angry and dad was furious. I don’t get it.’
‘Ya doin’ de same ting as ya fader, of course ya get it.’
‘Doing what?’
‘Sleepin’ wid one an’ lovin’ de oder but ya know one is easy an’ de oder is gonna take ya heart.’
‘Are you talking about Gina and my woman in New York?’ he said, shifting in his seat as he put a massive chunk of omelette in his mouth.
‘Don’t take ya eyes an’ pass me!’ she snapped before glaring. ‘Ya know exactly who me talkin’ about.’
‘I’m not in love with Hatty,’ he said, a bit too loudly, as his heart raced at the thought. ‘I like her and she lives with my father in a roundabout way.’
‘Then why boy, do ya sniff aroun’ ‘er since ya got ‘ere and promise to find out about ‘er? Ya ‘avin’ fun wid Hatty to pass time?’
‘That’s not true,’ he said, offended by the comment. ‘I offered to help and she was going to ask me.’
‘Why ya eye Gina when she sit near ya? Ya not see ‘ow upset Hatty get? Ya a stupid fool! Ya tink Glory just like ya? She gettin’ at Hatty cos she know she like ya. Glory watch ya every day.’ Ethel cleared her throat and moved closer. He could smell lilac talc on her skin. ‘Every time Hatty like a boy, Glory take ‘em from she since Hatty a child and me see dat little gal cry an’ cry. Ya bigger sport and ya making Glory do it again.’
‘I’m having fun with Gina.’
‘Ya ‘avin’ fun wid Hatty?’
‘Why did Delores take on Hatty when she didn’t really want to?’
‘Ya tink me gonna tell ya anytin’ now me see ya nasty to me little Hatty. Carry ya rass an’ leave Hatty alone.’ Ethel then sucked air through her teeth before hobbling away. ‘Me tought ya was a nice boy but ya all da same.’
‘Upsetting more people I see,’ said Murray, walking onto the balcony as Ethel shuffled angrily past. ‘How comes Hatty stayed the night?’
‘She was too drunk to go home and collapsed on the bed.’
‘Is that so?’ his father said, grabbing the newspaper off the table and sitting with his back to the offices. ‘I heard you both come in and it seemed Hatty was drunk but not as drunk as you were making out.’
‘I can’t remember,’ he said, glancing over his father’s shoulder at the office and then looking at the bungalow. ‘Dad.’ Jake took a deep breath. ‘Why did you say Delores was threatened by Hatty? And why did she say she did this all for you? I thought Delores was Eloise’s best friend and-.’
‘Jake, please don’t push for anything, not right now. I’ll tell you when the time is right but not now.’ Jake noticed the pained expression on his father’s face. ‘Do you think Hatty heard any of it? I don’t want her get upset. It’s hard enough for her as it is. Last night she asked me about her mother’s heart condition and if it was the reason she died after having her. I just don’t want to talk about it.’
Murray put his head in his hands before looking up, his skin drained of all colour.
‘Okay dad, I promise, I won’t ask anything but you will tell me when the time is right, won’t you?’
‘He’s a shit!’ hissed Hatty to Louisa. ‘A complete shit!’
‘Hatty it’s ten and I’m at work. Can’t this wait?’
‘He’s still screwing Gina Glory Glory and then he says he wants to fuck me too! What a slut! And he better not think I’ll do it the same time as he does Gina Glory Glory!’
‘I have to go.’
‘Then there was this really bad quarrel between aunt and Mister Murray this morning. I heard her screaming at him and he was shouting back. I know it was about me and I’m making people so angry and upset. I don’t know what I’ve done.’
‘What did they say?’ she asked quietly.
‘She wants me to go away and he doesn’t. I think she’s sick of me failing my exams and-.’ Hatty gulped for a minute. ‘She said all Jake wanted to do was fuck me.’
‘She used the ‘f’ word?’
‘Sure did. And I heard them talk about my mother really loudly but Jake was mumbling something to me so I couldn’t hear.’
‘Jake?’
‘He passed out on his bed and then, oh, I fell asleep too. Nothing happened, not that he could’ve done anything. Then I woke up to this shouting but I couldn’t hear much because he was snoring in my ear.’ There was silence on the phone. ‘I know you’re busy. I’ll speak to you later.’
Hatty hung up and put her secret mobile phone in her satchel pocket, zipping it up.
She’d snuck out the back way and went to the house, locking herself in and working hard on goods to sell on Sunday. Hatty kept glancing at the mirror she was making for Jake and wondered if it was worth all the effort as the chards of stones she’d picked up in the cave were placed near it.
‘Why am I bothering?’ she mumbled, still jealous about the way he looked at Gina.
Hatty realised if she was to win him over, she should sleep with him but knew it wasn’t the right thing to do. She concentrated on making money, working on the boxes and mirrors, still unsure how to transport them to market. Her feelings for Jake were growing but something was wrong with Aunt Delores and it was all down to her.
Spending two nights with Gina hadn’t helped his train of thought. Jake decided to do the honourable thing and leave Hatty alone, realising his father’s life was too messy already for him to screw his lover’s adopted child. The unforeseen problem Jake faced was he couldn’t get Hatty out his mind. He wondered if it was because he just wanted to sleep with her as he wasn’t ready to admit it might be something else.
Hatty had heard pretty quickly Jake was with Gina. She’d spotted them leaving together and spied on him returning home in the early hours while holding back her tears. Now she hated him with every ounce she could muster, which wasn’t very much.
She counted the days down until he’d go away and she could go back to being on her own again, knowing she liked him very much but realising he didn’t feel the same way about her.
If indeed he felt anything at all.
‘Oh my god Hatty!’ screamed Delores, running towards her as Hatty returned home the following Thursday, covered in saw dust as she hadn’t had time to wash. ‘You passed! You passed!’
‘Oh bollocks!’ she mumbled as Delores hugged her fiercely before pushing her back.
‘Where have you been?’
‘I went to the saw mill. I thought Philip would be there,’ she said and half smiled. ‘I’ll wash and change.’
‘You passed Hatty, you can become a teacher! How wonderful!’ Hatty looked at her aunt and couldn’t remember the last time she saw her smile and genuinely felt happy for her. ‘And look! You got such good marks! I knew you could do it!’
‘Thank you, I wouldn’t have done it without your help.’
‘We’ll go out and celebrate tomorrow, yes?’
‘Of course!’ Hatty said, forcing a smile and giving her aunt another hug. ‘I better get changed.’
‘Are you still going out to the party tonight? I know you don’t like Gina but Jake invited her for drinks to the house and what could I say? You know Murray has to do these things and you never come. Do you want to come today?’
‘No,’ said Hatty, knowing she hadn’t seen or spoken to Jake for a week. ‘Anyway, the Isaacs asked me to come out for dinner to try and cheer up Louisa since she got made redundant.’ Hatty looked down and pursed her lips, knowing Louisa walked out after having a stand up row with the married lover. She found out he was having a bit of fun with someone in make-up. ‘We’re going to Murray’s hotel down the road and I like the chef’s food.’
‘Are you okay?’ Delores gently asked. ‘You’ve been very quiet.’
‘I’ve been thinking quite a lot.’
�
�Hatty, did over hearing the quarrel I had with Murray the other week. Did it upset you?’
‘No, that didn’t upset me. I was quite happy. I didn’t hear anything but you sorted it out. It’s good to clear the air once in a while.’ Hatty took a deep breath. ‘What do you think I should wear to make Philip propose to me tonight?’
‘You don’t seriously want to marry Philip?’ laughed Delores as Hatty wheeled her bike to the fence.
‘He’s the only man who’s ever going to like me,’ she said, trying to shake off her rejection from Jake. ‘And he’ll make me safe.’
‘But do you love him?’
‘I like him and I trust him.’
‘Are you in love with him?’
‘Does it really matter when it comes to me?’ she honestly replied.
‘One day you’ll meet someone who you’ll fall in love with and you’ll want to be with them all the time and your life...’ Delores let out a little sigh. ‘Your life wouldn’t be complete without them.’
‘I’m twenty three next month. I’ve never truly been in love or independent.’ Hatty bit her lip knowing the first comment was a lie. ‘Maybe after I do this teaching I should go out in the world and find out how I fit in, if I fit in and if anyone will love me.’
‘What’s going on child?’ Delores stopped Hatty and looked down directly into her eyes.
‘I don’t know,’ she honestly replied. ‘I want to go away.’
‘Where to?’
‘Spain? Italy?’
‘You’re going to London next month that’s good enough and you can’t just disappear when you start a new job. We had to negotiate to get you a week off.’
‘Say if I got a job abroad, you wouldn’t mind would you?’
‘I’d be delighted,’ her aunt said, giving her a massive hug. ‘You don’t know how happy that would make me, you really don’t!’
‘Aye, lady in red!’ shouted out Philip as Hatty walked into the party later on. ‘Me hear this time last week ya drunk as a skunk then Louisa get sacked.’
‘She got made-.’
‘She told me. Me laugh!’ said Philip, sniggering. ‘If dat gal not listen to me, what me gonna do. Married men are a ‘no, no’.
‘Philip will you marry me?’ she said, for the umpteenth time.
‘Dat bad?’
‘Yep,’ she said and turned to see the Isaacs extended family sitting at a table around the pool.
‘Hatty, congratulations!’ said Elena, running up towards her.
‘I told your mother you accepted my marriage proposal. She made up,’ she mumbled to Philip who laughed and shook his head.
‘Passing your exams at long last!’ chuffed the woman as he started to laugh louder.
‘Now me see why ya upset!’ he hollered as Elena scowled at him. ‘Oh Hatty, tings are lookin’ bad.’
Jake bounded down the stairs and saw several people on the patio by the gardens. He glanced at the pool to see candles were lit and the view of the sea looked tranquil. Once again, Jake pushed all thoughts about Hatty to the back of his mind. Then, as normal, he’d have a little pang and miss her knowing he had a week left before he went home.
He’d done the right thing and avoided being around her, not going up to the house and concentrating on having fun before he returned to New York, potential work and Serena. Jake did a double take when he saw Gina flirting heavily with the men, as the wives and girlfriends looked on with scorn. She smiled when she saw him and he thought she looked stunning in a flimsy peach dress. Then he remembered Hatty hated peach colour flowers and felt something spasm in his gut.
‘Hi baby,’ she said, kissing him gently on the lips. ‘Why ya took so long to come down?’
‘I was emailing,’ he replied, smiling at the people then walking towards the pool. ‘It’s really stifling tonight.’
‘Thank you for inviting me,’ she said and he noticed the sincerity. ‘It very kind.’
‘It’s not kind, you’re my friend and I have a right to invite who I like, though you can’t spend the night here as that’s not acceptable,’ he smirked and kissed her on the lips, seeing his father from the corner of his eye speaking to Delores.
‘You’re joking!’ Murray said, and turned to see him trying hard not to laugh.
‘The letter came today and I told her this afternoon,’ said a delighted Delores. ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’
‘What did she say?’
‘Oh you don’t want to know,’ said Delores, grimacing. ‘But I take it she’s relieved it’s all over.’
‘Tell me?’ smirked Murray as he removed his jacket. ‘The exact words, please.’ Jake noticed Delores compose herself for a moment. ‘Say it quickly.’
‘You know what her language is like,’ she replied, taking a deep breath and hissing. ‘‘Oh bollocks!’’
Murray hollered with laughter as Jake tried not to smile seeing Gina was staring at him.
‘So where’s the teacher?’ Celebrating or commiserating?’ Murray said and Jake noticed the sarcasm in his voice.
‘She’s gone to the Isaacs for dinner at the hotel as she didn’t want to come here. The most fascinating thing is Hatty, herself, said she should consider working abroad. The girl’s growing up.’
‘Let’s take each day as it comes and make sure she starts the job before we go to London?’ said Murray, trying to force a smile.
‘London?’ Jake said, turning to walk towards his father. ‘Why are you going there?’
‘To visit her mother’s grave. We do it every year for a week or so,’ he said, agitated. ‘I need to get changed.’
Murray rushed off and Jake knew Gina was behind him.
‘And the best thing is,’ smiled a delighted Delores to Jake. ‘She’s even thinking of going to Europe.’
‘I thought you’d be heartbroken if she left,’ he said, trying to hide his glare and sudden fear of not knowing where she’d be.
‘Hatty should go far away as possible,’ hissed Gina. ‘Make everyone life happy.’
‘Do you mind?’ snapped Delores. ‘That’s my niece you’re talking about.’
‘Me don’t care and she not really ya flesh an’ blood. She create problem since she arrive and don’t ya know it,’ said Gina.
Any affection Jake had for her that second quickly seeped away.
‘Unless she marries Philip Isaacs as she threatened to tonight,’ snapped Delores. ‘Then she won’t be going anywhere.’
‘He not want her!’
‘Just because he didn’t want you doesn’t mean he won’t want her, does it?’ Delores said, turning her nose up as Jake felt a monumental wave of panic wash over him.
‘It’s funny,’ said Hatty, propping up the bar as Louisa’s face was like thunder. ‘I know you don’t think so now but you will see he wasn’t the guy for you. All his smooth talk and wife. It wasn’t a good idea.’
‘I haven’t got a job,’ Louisa moaned. ‘There are only two stations on the island, what am I going to do?’
‘Apply to the other one?’
‘What if they’ve heard what happened?’
‘Say he seduced you and told you if you didn’t act like his sex slave, he’d sack you.’
‘I can’t tell mummy and daddy.’
‘Then don’t. And you can write so work on a paper, go abroad and do something. You’re talented and beautiful. Fuck him! He’s a twit.’ Hatty watched the kids running around the pool. ‘And talking of twits, that’s dangerous.’
‘The kids won’t fall in,’ she laughed.
‘No, I mean six year olds are dangerous and they expect me to look after them,’ she grimaced. ‘I’ll just be sitting in the class, chewing gum and listening to their rubbish.’
‘Delores wants you to do this then you must even if only for a month,’ said Louisa, turning to face the bar tender and getting two more white wines. ‘And you still can’t remember exactly what Murray and Delores said when they quarrelled?’
‘It was about me,’ she said, le
tting out a little sigh and feeling guilty, once again, for something she didn’t know about. ‘And I’ve not thought too much about it.’
‘How’s Jake?’
‘Don’t know. Like I said, I haven’t seen him for a week.’ She scowled trying to hide how much she missed him. ‘Do I look really gullible because I must be for him to spin me so much shit?’
‘Dat boy look like ‘e were gonna eat ya last week,’ sniggered Louisa, handing Hatty her glass of wine. ‘Do you think we drink too much?’
‘Nothing else to do when nobody wants ya,’ she sighed and took a sip as one of the children playing spotted her and promptly marched forwards.
‘Ha Ha Hatty. Me mammy say ya gonna be me teacher,’ the boy said, kitted out in a superman t-shirt, long trousers and trainers. ‘But me tell me mammy everyone tink ya crazy.’
‘Is that so?’ Hatty replied, looking down at the very dark skinned boy with shaved hair and a cheeky little face. She knew he was called Bennett. ‘Bet ya can’t wait far me to teach ya.’
‘Is it true what dey say about ya?’ the child continued as Louisa smiled at him while Hatty grimaced.
‘And what is that little boy?’ asked Louisa.
‘Ya is a mad gal who should be dead and ya a ghost?’ He innocently blinked at her after asking the question. ‘Can ya disappear?’
‘Shoo little boy,’ said Louisa, shaking her head. ‘Ya too rude and should disappear!’
‘Me can, Bennett,’ smiled Hatty, admiring the child’s nerve. ‘Ya see when me returned from da dead, me promise when me go back…’ She bent over and looked directly into his eyes. ‘Me gonna take little boys and carry dem to de bottom of da sea!’
‘What?’ he said, stepping back. ‘Ya mean me?’
‘Shhh, not tell everyone me secret. Dat why me becomin’ a teacher. To sniff dem little boys out!’
The child ran away to his mother as Hatty stood up and grinned.
‘And that’s ya bein’ a carin’ teacher?’ laughed Louisa, tapping her arm gently.
