by S M Mala
‘How do you know? I thought they were still in St Lucia with Frederick’s sister?’ she said, knowing full well Louisa was coming back and they’d planned to go somewhere else this year.
‘Murray will be annoyed if you don’t. You know it’s a big thing on the island and people-.’
‘Bastards,’ Hatty muttered as Delores raised her eyebrows at her. ‘I told you I’m never going to one of those things again where people like bitch Gina Glory Glory can humiliate me!’
‘She won’t be there,’ Delores said calmly. ‘It’s invitation only and she’s not invited.’
‘Like the trollop she is, she’s bound to find someone with a plus one.’
‘Is that what your education and time in England has taught you? Rude words,’ said Delores with a hint of a smile. ‘Louisa is going to buy you a new dress for the occasion.’
‘I don’t want one,’ she scowled.
‘How are you going to attract customers with a face like that?’
‘When’s Murray coming back? Is he coming for New Year? He better if I’m expected to spend a minute in The Lodge with those stuck up arseholes. Me not able stick it!’
‘He knows you’d kick up a stink so he said you could go there early, use the spa and beauty rooms.’ Hatty noticed Delores look at her grubby hands so she put them behind her back. ‘And most importantly, you can stay the night and run up a bar bill.’
‘Really?’ she half smiled at the idea, loving Murray more than usual. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Harriet Harris you will come. It’s all I ask of you and Murray won’t be back until the second with…’ Hatty knew Delores clearing her throat was emphasising it more. ‘…his son. Have you heard from Jake?’
‘Why should I?’ Hatty said defiantly, knowing this was her chance to act. ‘You were right he was just being flirty, flirty, flirty with me and I realise I was a fool to fall for his charms. But he’s still my lodger and pays the rent so I can’t be nasty. I’ll play up to him and make him think I like him. I kiss him sometimes and he’s a really good kisser.’
‘I see,’ Delores said, shocked at Hatty’s little revelation. ‘And you’re not falling in love with him at all and that’s all you do?’
‘He’s a white American boy wanting a bit of mocha after having a full dollop of caramel slut. What can I do?’ Hatty smiled brightly at Delores who seemed confused. ‘If me marry, me marry an English man!’
‘Child, you’ve been standing in the sun too long,’ she said, gently putting her hand to Hatty’s forehead, pulling down her hat. ‘I think I’ll take you to lunch and see if you can start talking some sense.’
Jake laughed out loudly as Pete tried to stand up. They’d spent the afternoon, after Boxing Day, getting drunk in Jake’s living room while watching DVDs, playing consul games and eating take away.
‘You’re a lucky bastard,’ laughed Pete, pouring out another drink. Jake smiled at his friend’s red face which clashed with his dark ginger hair and freckles. His best friend looked like a naughty teenager after a few glasses of booze. ‘You’ve got a job at the ‘The New York Times’, now you’re staying away on a tropical island and sleeping with beautiful women.’
‘Woman,’ smiled Jake, as he sunk back into the sofa. ‘Just the one now.’
He held up his finger.
‘And Murray doesn’t mind you’re sleeping with his adopted daughter, who is your adopted sister? Does Hatty know you’ve got this new job?’
‘I want to tell her myself when I see her next week. I’m really missing her. You know she’s a crap cook but she’s trying really hard. I don’t know how many times she’s started a fire in the kitchen.’ Jake laughed out loudly and shook his head. ‘I have to get supplies of food in just in case she decides to make something.’
‘She’s crap in the kitchen but I take it she’s good somewhere else?’
Pete raised his eyebrows in anticipation as Jake grinned.
‘Hatty’s amazing in bed. She does everything I tell her to do, mind you she’s good at telling me too, and the sex is hot.’ He let out a little whimper. ‘And I’m desperate to see her again.’
‘You know you’re coming back here at the end of May, what’s going to happen then? You have your fun and leave her?’
‘It’s more than fun,’ he seriously said and looked at his best friend. ‘It’s… hey it doesn’t matter.’
‘Tell me.’
‘I love her.’ There was a moment’s silence as Pete sipped his drink, not taking his eyes off Jake. ‘Aren’t you going to say something?’
‘I’m not the one to give advice on women and especially the affairs of the heart. If you feel like this, how can you bear to be apart?’
‘I can’t. It’s killing me,’ he honestly said. ‘I think about her non-stop. Even in the interview I got scared and added the extra months because I wasn’t ready to let her go, not yet.’
‘But you have to let her go sooner or later, you know that don’t you?’
Twenty two
‘What do you do to ya hands?’ Patricia, the beautician, asked as Hatty smiled sweetly while they were being soaked and scrubbed. The woman was in her fifties and still wore too thick foundation to hide her acne scars. Her lips were light fuchsia pink and her own nails were like talons. ‘Ya feet nice an’ soft but ya hands like a little boy.’
‘I’m an artist,’ Hatty sighed as the woman pulled and played with her fingers.
‘Ya make trinkets for da tourists,’ laughed Patricia, exposing her extremely wide smile and goofy teeth. ‘I see ya sell. If I had de money I’d buy one of ya carved bowls.’
‘Then buy one.’
‘The price ya charge?’ she laughed. ‘Ya not cheap.’
‘I’d give it to you for a reasonable price,’ Hatty smiled, pleased she liked her things. ‘Which one did you like?’
‘The blue one. It beautiful. Match me curtains.’
‘Really? I like that one too. I’m using colour inks to change the wood so they look less like someone from the bush made them.’
‘Ya look like someone who dragged through the bush,’ laughed Patricia. ‘Is it true ya live in ya mother’s old house now?’
‘It is,’ gulped Hatty. ‘I like it there.’
‘And it not haunted?’
‘Only by me,’ Hatty laughed. ‘Is that what people think? I’m surprised they don’t give a bus tour.’
‘Didn’t ya father die there?’ Patricia said, looking at her straight in the eye.
‘He died drunk in a police cell,’ laughed Hatty. ‘Everyone knows that.’
‘No Hatty he died in da house,’ she said seriously. Hatty could see she was being sincere. ‘Or is it he body bury near the house?’
‘He was cremated,’ she said quietly. ‘What else do you know? If you tell me then I’ll give you the bowl for free.’
‘Me can’t talk,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘It wrong.’
‘No one tells me anything and I sometimes wonder why. Jake Logan was trying to find out and then other things started coming to light so I asked him to stop. I know things about my background I didn’t know before and about my mother. It’s wrong no one tells me anything directly but talks about it behind my back.’ Hatty watched Patricia get to grips with her cuticles. ‘You must have been ten when this all happened.’
‘Ya sweet child,’ laughed Patricia. ‘Me was twenty sometin’ an’ me remember seeing Eloise an’ thinking she was the most beautiful gal in the world. Murray Logan was handsome back then, still is.’
‘Me know ‘e like dem dark gals.’ Hatty sniggered as Patricia glared at her. ‘It’s true!’
‘Don’t be disrespectful. He a good man an’ ya aunt tink so.’
Hatty noticed a sneer on Patricia’s face which made her smile.
‘Ya not like me aunt?’ she said teasingly as Patricia quickly glanced at her. ‘Don’t worry, most people think she’s hoighty toighty.’
‘Considering she an American, she embrace the colon
ialism.’
‘She’s okay. She can’t help being…’ Hatty was stuck for words. ‘…a snob.’ She laughed. ‘But her and Murray are a little strange. I mean if he loves her, he'd marry her but he hasn’t so he can’t love her that much.’
‘When she first come here, she look down her nose at us, as if we peasants. She black but she tink she white.’
‘I don’t know where her family are,’ Hatty shrugged and, for the first time in ages, wondered about Delores. ‘Seems she up and left them to look after me.’ Again Hatty noticed the flick of a glance she received. ‘And to help Mister Murray?’
‘Hatty, ya a lovely young woman an’ ya deserve to be happy. Is it true ya have Jake Logan livin’ in ya home?’ Instantly Hatty went red and Patricia burst out laughing. ‘Ya make me laugh.’
‘He’s helping me out so I can offset his rent against my debt against Mister Murray. He thinks he can get to do what he wants but I told him, in no uncertain terms, none of his sluts and easy gals comin’ dem rass into my house!’ Hatty smiled knowing she was still red. ‘An’ he look fit when he take he shirt off!’
‘Ya sound like a scotch man with your accent!’ roared Patricia. ‘Me would ‘ave thought ya be better at pickin’ up local speak.’
‘I do Australian pretty well,’ smiled Hatty suddenly hit by a wave of angst at not seeing or hearing from Jake in nearly ten days, desperately missing his company and sex.
‘Tonight gonna be big here,’ said Patricia, examining Hatty’s hands. ‘Now ya booked to get ya hair done.’
‘No way!’ she said, pulling her hands away. ‘I thought massage, manicure then mojitos. I’ve already been waxed within an inch of my life!’
‘Ya aunt book ya in so ya ‘ave to go,’ smiled the lovely lady as Hatty let out a massive sigh, knowing she hated hairdressers just as much as she hated the sea.
After they released her from the rollers and she brushed out her hair, Hatty realised her current style was like some rag dolls. She was pretty bored knowing in a few hours she’d have to sit at a table and pretend to enjoy herself. Waiting in her hotel room, she flung herself backwards on the bed. Then wondered if she could order some cocktails to make sure she was drunk enough to face the barrage of bastards who would be there, looking and talking about her.
There was a knock on the door.
‘Who’s that?’ she said, not moving.
‘It’s me,’ Louisa said.
Hatty immediately jumped up and opened the door and was met with a massive laugh.
‘What on earth happened to your hair?’ she said, shaking her head in disbelief.
‘I wouldn’t let them cut it so they curled it within an inch of my life and I can’t brush it out!’ she exclaimed, shaking her head of ringlets in Louisa’s direction. ‘Thank god you’re here!’ She grabbed her best friend and hung her fiercely. ‘Me need a drink.’
‘Nah, nah!’ said Louisa, shaking her finger and walking into the room.
‘You look nice in your white trouser suit,’ scowled Hatty, knowing whatever Louisa had in the dress holdall it was probably going to be awful if Delores had anything to do with it. ‘And I hear auntie has been discussing what I should wear.’
‘First thing first,’ said Louisa, flinging off her jacket and revealing a sexy black basque. ‘Ya can’t go down lookin’ like dem picknie from da bush!’
An hour later, Louisa managed to unscrew her curls and softened the waves with water, hair straighteners and plenty of persuasion to keep Hatty still. Knowing her friend loved New Year’s Eve and the chance of kissing some eligible mature man, Hatty even agreed to a little bit of make-up.
‘Now can I have a drink?’ pleaded Hatty, shaking her long waves and pouting her newly red lips.
‘Dress,’ said Louisa sighing.
‘Go on, break it to me,’ said Hatty, staring at the bag.
‘I chose it. Something plain and simple your aunt said.’
‘Was she talking about me?’ laughed Hatty.
‘Something demure?’
‘Obviously not.’
‘Classy?’
‘Come on Louisa, show me nah?’ said an impatient Hatty as Louisa pulled out an elegant black slip dress out of the bag and Hatty smiled. ‘That’s really very nice.’
‘You have your strapless bra?’
‘Yes,’ Hatty said then suddenly felt glum as she sat on the bed. ‘What’s the point? No one’s going to see me.’ Again she yearned for Jake. ‘An’ me nearly bald in between me legs from waxin’ an’ stuff.’
‘Only a few days and he’ll be back,’ said Louisa, walking to the fridge and pulling out a couple of vodka bottles. ‘Let’s start celebrating New Year’s Eve!’
‘I wish he was here with me,’ she grumpily said and watched Louisa make vodka tonics. ‘I’m in love with him and I know he’s going to leave me never to return.’
‘He can visit! His father practically owns the island,’ laughed Louisa, handing her a glass as Hatty tried to muster up a smile but failed. ‘And it’s your fault for asking him not to contact you.’
‘I thought it would make it better not worse.’ Hatty looked at her drink. ‘Have you heard from or about him?’
‘Nothing,’ her friend replied, turning her back and Hatty knew she was telling a big fat fib.
‘You haven’t spoken to anyone from work?’ Hatty slyly asked, seeing Louisa twitch from side to side while drinking. ‘Tell me.’
‘It’s not for me to say,’ she said and Hatty immediately knew.
‘He got the job at ‘The New York Times’ didn’t he?’ she said, confused by her moment of elation and devastation. ‘I knew he would. He’s simply wonderful like that.’
‘Lucky white boy!’ said Louisa and walked towards her, sitting down on the bed, tapping Hatty’s thigh. ‘It’ll be alight.’
‘Do you think he’s going to come back?’ Hatty said and felt pin pricks in her eyes. ‘I want to say good bye to him.’
‘You know he talks about you every day. Always ‘Hatty did this… Hatty did that…’ He really likes you Hatty, he really does.’
‘But does he really love me?’
They sat next to each other at dinner while the ‘adults’ sat further away. Their table was young and loud, with Philip engrossed in conversation with a young English man.
‘Has he heard from Gabriel?’ Hatty whispered to Louisa.
‘Yes. He rang Philip on Christmas Day and said he missed him,’ replied Louisa, looking at her brother. ‘Me not tink me broder be lonely on New Year’s Eve.’ They both eyed up the good looking man he was speaking to. ‘I hear Gabriel screwed Gina Glory Glory and I’m certainly not impressed.’
‘She went for Gabriel thinking I was with him,’ snarled Hatty, sipping on her mojito. ‘To prove she can have any man I can.’
‘Don’t worry, even I know she’s not turning up here tonight,’ said Louisa as they both watched Philip look at his mobile phone and smile. ‘He won’t openly tell me he’s gay, you know.’
‘It’s up to him,’ whispered Hatty. ‘But he’s a fine looking man. I’ll still marry him if he wants to cover up.’
‘Then who will you marry if he’s not obliging?’
‘Who’s going to want to marry me?’ she said, knocking back the rest of her drink. ‘I told Delores I was going to marry an English man. She thought I was suffering from sun stroke.’
‘And she still has no idea you been getting dirty wid Murray son?’ sniggered Louisa, downing her drink. ‘I wonder why Murray doesn’t want her to know?’
‘Maybe because she’ll cause a scene or give him a slap?’ Hatty glanced over at her aunt, who seemed in her element surrounded by the powerful people on the island.
‘Do you think she’d turn on you?’ said Louisa quietly as Hatty looked at her friend. ‘Or maybe she was building up to giving you a slap for years.’
‘More than likely,’ Hatty sighed, glancing at the menu. ‘I don’t like any of this food. Why would I eat salmon mousse? Ther
e’s no salmon from here.’
‘You really are backward when it comes to food.’
‘Where’s the dumplings, salt fish, spicy chicken? And I can’t see any rice!’
‘Ya not ask for a hamburger, ya hear?’ hissed Louisa as she gestured to a waiter for them to get another two cocktails.
‘If I get shit faced I might dance,’ she smiled, looking around the room. ‘Can you see any fit men? You better start looking out for me too as Jake’s not coming back.’ Her heart sunk on saying it as she smiled brightly and was met with a sympathetic smile from Louisa. ‘English ones only.’
‘Ladies,’ they heard Philip say from behind them, making the pair jump. ‘Ya not gettin’ high too early, ya hear me?’
‘When ya become me daddy?’ said Louisa, moving her head from side to side. ‘We always get high an’ party.’
‘When can we leave?’ added Hatty, scowling at Philip who was smiling brightly in her direction. ‘And why the teeth?’
‘Ya aunt tell me to tell ya to behave,’ he whispered. Hatty glanced over at Delores who was looking at her. ‘Which means ya not get drunk!’
‘Me get high if me want! Me not ‘ave to do what people tell me! Me a woman wid me own business an’ me own house!’ she replied, as the waiter put down two drinks. Hatty picked one up and downed it in one as Philip tried to grab it from her mouth and Louisa got involved in the tussle, trying to shove off her brother.
‘Children!’ barked Frederick, standing behind them, as they all stopped what they were doing but not before Hatty finished the drink and started on Louisa’s.
‘Hey!’ Louisa said and grabbed it out of Hatty’s hand. ‘Bad girl!’
‘High girl,’ mumbled Philip turning to his father. ‘Why do I have to baby-sit them?’
‘Because Delores trusts you but not these two,’ smiled Frederick affectionately. ‘And where are you off to?’
‘Got to go and do something. I’ll be back in half an hour.
‘While we remain trapped,’ mumbled Hatty, getting her empty glass and sucking an ice cube. ‘Can’t get drunk, food me not like an’ music too damn low to hear.’
‘Louisa and Hatty, may I say you look positively beautiful,’ smiled Frederick, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Hatty. ‘Murray wanted to make sure you stayed put and enjoyed yourself.’
