by S M Mala
‘Maybe she’s protecting her, have you thought about that?’
‘You’ve suddenly changed your tune since Christmas,’ he said, leaning forward. ‘Did she tell you?’
The woman’s face turned pink as she looked away.
‘I don’t want you making a mistake. I mean, it’s a fling. Who was the last one? That local girl? And not to mention poor Serena nursing a broken heart back home? Surely you can’t have run out of beautiful women and turned your attention to Hatty?’
‘I was attracted to her from the first moment I set eyes on her and she wasn’t playing ball. Sure, I had some fun but it’s a very rare thing to fall in love.’ Jake noticed Caroline double blink and was suitably shocked by what he said. ‘You thought this was just a fling?’
‘Jacob what are you thinking? You, more than anyone, have never been able to commit to anything let alone anyone. The fact you managed to complete your degree was a miracle in itself and now you’re talking about ‘love’. In love with Hatty? Surely you can see how absurd it is.’
‘If you’ve come here to make me change my mind about how I feel about her, it was a wasted, and now a dangerous, journey.’ Jake quickly stood up. ‘Don’t try and pull us apart. We’ve had a bit of a rough ride over the past few months, with one thing or another, but I love her, I really love her and if you love me you’ll understand and accept it.’
‘I love you but I’ll never accept it, not in a million years because it’s wrong, totally wrong. And there are things you will need to know before you can seriously decide what you want from life.’
‘This is just silly!’ Hatty announced as she stood outside the kitchen on Murray’s estate the following evening, hands deeply set in her dungaree pockets. ‘How much boarding up do you need to do? He’s got metal shutters on the windows and doors so I don’t see how wood’s going to-’
‘Hush child,’ interrupted Ethel, wearily putting things away. ‘Ya know da hurricane is comin’ soon. ‘Hurricane Hatty’. Bet it has a big wind like you!’
‘It’s seems a lot of fuss and it’s not necessarily coming for us. I hear it’s going to go to St Lucia so that’ll shake that island up a bit and the tourists,’ she said, smiling brightly. ‘And look, not a cloud in the sky.’
‘Me hear Mister Murray say Master Jake sure it gonna come,’ said Ethel as she banged around inside the kitchen. ‘Me not see Master Jake for weeks. What ya gone an’ done to dat boy?’
‘I didn’t see him last night and I’ve done nothing,’ she said, standing in the door, realising Ethel was wrapping all the glass up.
Hatty shook her head from side to side.
‘‘e sick of ya?’ laughed out Ethel. ‘’e not be de first.’
‘His Aunt Caroline turned up out of the blue so he met her for a drink, then they went to dinner last night. Because he’s busy working, he stayed in a hotel,’ she said, trying to hide her disappointment when he told her his plan the previous night. ‘He also said he needed some sleep because I was mumbling in my dreams.’
‘‘e is sick of ya me knew it!’ shouted Ethel as Hatty frowned then she noticed Gina coming out of the office.
‘Slut,’ she mumbled under her breath.
‘Mind ya mout!’ snapped Ethel, packing the glasses away as Hatty glared over at her and the old lady looked across. ‘Now ya see what ya done? She comin’ over.’
‘She can shove it,’ said Hatty, marching across the porch and stopping before Gina stared hard at her and stood a few steps away. ‘Problem?’
‘Jacob out last night,’ she said smugly. Hatty knew the woman was on the offensive. ‘Me self, saw him in a hotel. He obviously saw de light an’ ran away.’
‘He was spending time with his aunt,’ she said and knew a burning jealousy was starting in her gut but she wasn’t going to succumb to the teasing.
‘Ya not invited? She probably not like ya tail.’
‘If she dislikes me as much as I dislike you then I’m in trouble,’ Hatty said flatly, only to be met with a wide smile from Gina. ‘Hey Gina Glory Glory, got a new man?’
‘Hatty, oh Ha Ha Hatty,’ laughed Gina glaring at her. ‘Jake not really interested. Ya know last night me was wid a friend an’ ya man couldn’t take his eyes off me.’
‘Must be trying to clear the shit from his vision only to realise it’s you,’ Hatty said as Gina flashed a filthy look.
‘Ya man fucks well, doesn’t he? He love to fuck me, Jake did.’ Hatty immediately knew the woman had the upper hand as her self-conscious insecure feelings started to surface. ‘Jake probably want to take ya virginity an’ make out he care, when he don’t.’
‘How would you know?’
‘Just look at ya! Ya dress like a boy child an’ everyone know ya mad. What ‘e see in ya, gal? Surely it not take a fool to see ‘e gonna leave ya an’ break ya stupid little heart. Hatty, ya not good enough for no man!’
Gina started to walk around Hatty and she knew she was being looked up and down, her rage now building with capacity at her need to thump the bitch. From a glance, she could see the sneer on Gina’s face as she stood her ground. Suddenly she felt Gina’s breath on her ear.
‘Me give ya sumtin, ya ‘ave a lot in common don’t you? His fader fucked ya whore of a moder when ya were in her belly. He must be so proud to be wid ya an’ especially as Murray look after ya sorry rass. Do ya tink ‘e gonna want to drown ‘imself like me broder to get away from ya?’
Not knowing what overcame her, Hatty turned around and smacked Gina hard in the face, watching her fall to the ground, screaming.
‘Simon was a wonderful person, the fact he was your half-brother was unfortunate for him!’ Hatty shouted bending over and seeing a shocked Gina, before hissing. ‘You make out you’re the innocent party but you’re not and one day I’m going to tell everyone what a dirty little slut you are. Simon told me everything, he told me what you made him do and to you own brother!’
‘Ya gat a filthy mout’!’
‘And you gat your filthy mout’ on him! How disgusting to look down on Jake taking my virginity, when you did it to Simon!’ Hatty watched Gina’s face distort in pain. ‘He told me what you liked, I know you like a little bit of rough, a lot of it dirty. So stop being a filthy tart and talking about me or I’ll talk about you. I have proof. I have his diary.’
‘Ya lie!’ screamed Gina, jumping up to her feet and Hatty was scared seeing the woman tower over her.
‘I’m not lying and you know it! He told me about you coming to his room when your parents were out, how you’d play with him, get him aroused and I’ll give you credit for one thing, he knew how to satisfy me but the biting was a little bit distasteful, very much like you!’
With that, Hatty didn’t see the punch in the stomach coming her way which winded her completely as she fell to the ground.
‘Ya disgustin’!’ screamed Gina starting to kick her side. ‘Who are ya to look down ya filty nose at me when ya from a nasty beginnin’ an’ will be a nasty end!’
Hatty quickly grabbed her ankle and pulled her down to the ground before jumping on her. Something in her couldn’t stop punching and pulling Gina Glory Glory, who equally fought back. Hatty didn’t know how she did it, but she bit her really hard on the arm when she realised she was going to be suffocated.
‘Ya bitch!’ screamed Gina as Hatty spat out the cheap taste of perfume from her mouth.
The next thing she knew, she was being pulled off and Thomas was holding her back then she noticed Barney had come out from the bushes and was yapping frantically at them.
‘Hatty!’ Thomas shouted. ‘Stop!’
As she took a deep breath, she saw Ethel standing close by with a rolling pin but Hatty was so angry she just kept pushing and shoving Thomas until he lifted her up, threw him over his shoulder and carried her away.
‘Ya a lyin’ bitch!’ screamed Gina.
Hatty looked up at her and noticed she was crying.
‘And ya a dirty slut whore!’ screamed Hatty,
struggling to get out of Thomas’s arms as she heard him laugh then realised she was being carried towards Murray’s house.
He deposited her on the balcony facing the gardens. She was just about to run back and thump Gina some more when she felt another pair of arms wrap around her, realising Murray was trying to hold her back.
‘Thank you Thomas,’ he said as Hatty struggled and eventually freed herself while trying to control her anger. She stood there for a moment looking at the ground. ‘She might call the police about assault.’
‘I don’t care!’ shouted Hatty. ‘I’m sick of her making comments about me and now about Jake. She’s nothing but a dirty slut and I’m going to slap her harder next time!’
‘Calm down,’ he said, turning her around and holding her shoulders. As Hatty looked up, she realised it was the first time she’d seen him since Jake told him about the engagement and her discovering his secret. ‘I was watching you and the next thing I know, you’re hitting Gina.’
‘I won’t have her taunt me! I’m sick of her bullying and no one protects me so I have to protect myself.’
She watched Gina get up and angrily look towards her and the next thing she saw was her kicking Barney.
‘I’m going to kill her! No one touches my dog!’ Hatty shouted and jumped over the balcony, not seeing the car coming in her direction.
Jake braked harshly as he saw a flash of blue pass in front of him at a high speed, before realising it was Hatty, who didn’t even bother to stop.
‘Jesus fuck!’ he shouted, his heart pounding at a speed then noticed she was running towards, jumping in the air and pulling her down. ‘What the hell!’
He ran out of the car towards the pair fighting on the ground.
‘Ya stop it now!’ shouted Ethel, holding her rolling pin in the air but seemed unable to stop them.
Her mouth had dropped open and her dentures were protruding through her lips.
Thomas had run across and Jake immediately yanked Hatty off, whose fists were flying out into the air. Firmly, he pulled her by the waist and grabbed her dungarees to get her to stand as she started to kick towards Gina.
‘Hatty will you stop it!’ he shouted but she struggled to get to Gina, who was in tears.
‘I hate you!’ screamed Hatty as Barney barked beside her. ‘I wish I’d punched you years ago!’
‘Ya wid a mad woman! Ya see she kill ya like she kill everyone!’ screamed Gina, who was about to approach Hatty but Ethel got in the way.
‘Leave Hatty alone! Ya bad mout’ ‘er so much it only time before she break! Get ya rass out of here!’ the old lady shouted as Thomas grabbed Gina’s arm and pulled her away.
‘She lie! She filty moder an’ filty fader produce a filty liar!’ screamed Gina.
‘Well at least I didn’t fuck my brother and have a termination that made me barren!’ screamed Hatty. Jake noticed how everyone suddenly froze when she said it. Gina just became more hysterical as Jake noticed Hatty stopped moving and stood still, then he realised Murray was standing behind the pair of them. ‘I’m not going to hit her again. I’m finished.’
She shrugged Jake off and walked away followed by Barney into the house.
‘Did ya ‘ear what she say?’ Ethel gulped, seeing Gina run to her car and get in.
‘Do you think that’s why they hate each other? Because Hatty knew?’ said Murray quietly and glanced at the house.
Jake realised he had to find out if she was telling the truth.
‘As if my day wasn’t bad enough,’ he sighed and went to the jeep, removing the bags in the back. ‘I haven’t even told her we’re staying here until the storm passes. She’ll just say she needs to be in the house.’
‘How many days do they say?’ Murray asked, taking a bag out of his hand and putting an arm around his son.
‘Five to seven? Who knows? It’s going to build up speed because it’s coming into warmer air and all the plotting’s not totally correct. I was talking to another journalist and it’s the flooding people can’t cope with. How’s this island going to survive?’
‘The hotels are safe and made for these sort of things. We could fly out tomorrow but I need to think it through,’ he said. Jake glanced at his father and noticed he didn’t look too well but put that down to seeing the cat fight on his lawn. ‘How was Caroline last night? Did she say anything?’
‘Fine and nothing that I didn’t know,’ he replied and walked into the house, where they were met with the loud sound of the television blaring out from the study. ‘I better go and speak to my own little hurricane Hatty now. Wish me luck.’
‘Dinner’s at eight,’ said Murray, smiling tiredly. ‘She makes me laugh, Hatty. I’ve never seen her run so fast in my life and she looked like a little child punching Gina. What on earth have you got yourself into?’
‘You wouldn’t be the first person to ask that question,’ he said wearily.
‘Whatever Caroline says there are two sides to the story. You know she never approved of me adopting Hatty. She’s made it very clear she never wanted that child to be a part of the family. Did you tell her everything?’
‘I told her I was in love but I didn’t mention the wedding.’
‘Wedding?’
‘We’re getting married on April 13th next year,’ he said tentatively. ‘Hatty thinks it’s going to be when I’m fifty but I want to do it next year when things have settled down.’
Jake smiled, his heart filling with love for the currently bad tempered woman in the other room.
‘Don’t tell anyone yet, you promise?’ Murray said softly. ‘Especially not Caroline. She’s likely to stir something up.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like things to upset Hatty and yourself,’ he said, taking the other bag out of his hand. ‘I take it you’re staying in the same room.’
‘All depends how this next conversation goes,’ smiled Jake, taking a deep breath and walking into the study to find Hatty sitting down on the sofa with her arms firmly crossed, staring hard at the CNN channel. ‘Hello.’
‘Hello,’ she replied as he sat down next to her, trying not to laugh at her current state.
She had grass in her hair, her dungarees were covered in dirt and ripped on the knees plus her face was sweaty and red.
‘Do you want to talk about what happened outside?’ he gently asked, moving a little closer as she turned and glared at him. ‘Hey, what did I do?’
‘She said she saw you last night and you were giving her the eye,’ Hatty replied and he could see she was furious. ‘I trust you Jake but I don’t like what comes out of her mouth especially when she said…’ She looked around. ‘…that you’re a good fuck!’
‘Did she say that?’ he smiled, momentarily impressed by the compliment as Hatty sat there aghast. ‘She was probably trying to point out how lucky you are.’
‘Lucky!’ she barked. ‘Lucky to get teased and bullied by her for the last thirteen years, lucky to let her tell me I’m nasty and disgusting, lucky when she says you’re going to end up dead like everyone else I love!’
Hatty stood up and marched off out of the room and up the stairs.
‘Great!’ he said, shaking his head from side to side, looking at the news and seeing more reports about the bigger hurricane.
Jake got up and walked out. following her before seeing Ethel look at him sympathetically.
‘Why are our bags here?’ Hatty shouted then ran to the landing and looked down at him. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I wanted both you and Jake to stay here while we find out more about the hurricane,’ Murray said, walking into the corridor. ‘I didn’t tell you as you’d put up some sort of resistance and probably barricade yourself in your house.’
‘This is silly! Nothing’s going to happen!’ she shouted back. ‘All this fuss and bother.’
‘You’ve still not watched the news then?’ Jake said and glanced at his father.
‘Leave me alone! And you don’t even have a mosquito net
over the bed!’ she screamed and walked into a bedroom, slamming the door shut.
‘Oh dear, she seems a bit upset,’ said Murray, smiling over at Jake. ‘Good luck son!’
He saluted him before walking out of the house.
‘I see,’ said Jake, walking slowly up the stairs and towards his bedroom. Hatty had emptied her bag and was throwing clothes around the room. ‘You’re not in a good mood and I haven’t seen you since yesterday morning.’
‘Gina Glory Glory’s right. I’m not good enough for you. I know it and you know it. Now Caroline has probably confirmed it. And I hate Gina Glory Glory I really do!’ she said standing up and looking at him, wiping angry tears away. ‘And if I could, I’d hit her harder!’
‘I think you need a bath,’ he gently said as she let out a little whimper and nodded, picking up some clean clothes, her mosquito repellent and walking out towards the bathroom.
Jake bent down and put her clothes away then followed her. She was standing in the bathroom, staring into the mirror, rubbing her eyes.
‘I’m not crying,’ she said defensively. ‘I’m just annoyed.’
‘Come here,’ he said and undid her dungarees as she looked down then bent over to turn on the taps on.
He walked back a few steps and sat on the toilet seat, holding her hands, seeing she was covered in cuts and scratched then noticed red marks on her side. Jake stroked them gently as she flinched.
‘Bitch kicked me when I was down. She’s a dirty fighter,’ Hatty said with pursed lips. ‘She kicked Barney. How dare she!’
‘When you’re the only one allowed to do that,’ he smiled and looked up at her scrunched up face.
‘I shouldn’t have said what I did,’ she quietly mumbled and turned around to check on the bath. ‘I was angry.’ Hatty took off the rest of her clothes and stood there. Jake could see she was unhappy as she slumped forward. ‘He’d be mad with me.’
