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Story Title: Rhythmic
Chapter Number: Three
Chapter Title: Talk To Me
Author Name: Dev-Ra Alyn
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Crafts Market - West Kingston, Jamaica
The sweat was pouring off tourist faces as they peered through the many small shops in the Crafts Market. Dee Jay decided to pay a visit to his friend Kalib, as he worked the day, for tonight he had a performance at the Dancehall Theatre with Bounty Killer and then after the show he would have to catch a flight out to Thailand.
Kalib noticed a lady holding a small portable fan in front of her face. The sweat beads dripped off her chin and down to the cemented floor. Her eyes looked exhausted as she rummaged through some items that Kalib had for display. Kalib grabbed a straw hat from a mannequin next to him and handed it to the lady.
"Ma'am. The heat be fierce. Would you like to buy a straw hat to keep ya head shaded?" The lady grabbed the hat from his hand and reached into her purse to pay him.
"Thank you, young man." She thanked as she handed him the jay (money). "I'm just not used to this tropical climate. It's scortching out here."
"Actually, ma'am. It feels like it's around 80 degrees. Usually, scortchin' be around 112 or so." Dee Jay glanced at the lady who had already placed the hat on her head and was now continuing to fan herself. "Where you from?"
"Iceland."
"Eww." Dee Jay and Kalib both chimed in unison exchanging looks.
"You mus' be meltin'." Kalib added.
The lady nodded and continued to walk to the other shops. Dee Jay looked on to the many tourists around him, browsing around the market. He picked up his bottle of Appleton rum and drank a bit of it. It was hot out. Not too hot, but enough to were Dee Jay had shed his tank top. He glanced over at Kalib sitting in his chair. Perspiration lined under the arms of his faded blue tank top. His shorts were khaki and came down just enough to view his knobby knees. The sandals on his feet was what he always wore everyday. Even with suits! Two straps that crossed just above his toes and another slung around the heel. They were his "comfy shoes".
"So you gon' go see me perform tonight?" Dee Jay asked with his trademark grin.
"Shoo'. Miss a Bounty Killer show?" Kalib teased. Dee Jay humored and reached over to nudge him a little.
"C'mon now. You wanna see Bounty tear 'da house up but not me? I don't believe that, man."
"Irie." Kalib laughed. "Bounty Killer don't got rhymes like... THE SOUTHERN COMET!" He shouted between laughs. The crowd of tourist turned to see this 'Southern Comet' but only saw two natives conversing.
"So you finally got hook ups to open for Bounty, eh?"
"Yeah, man. The sweetest gift given to me this year. Hopefully this show will open more of the peoples ears to me. I wan' to be as big as Bob Marley himself!" Dee Jay said.
"That's a big goal, my Brotha. But yea, yeah. I be there." He shook his stiff right hand with a cringed face.
Dee Jay focussed his eyes to the ground, "So, um. Mi be leavin' after the show. A little business I have to take care of--"
"Wait. You leavin' again? Wha' for?"
"Business." Dee Jay said shortly.
"Yea, got that, but what kind? Street fighting or music?"
"Eh, street fighting... I be back in a few days." Dee Jay spoke over the rim of his bottle before taking a sip.
"You ain't tol' me this."
"I told you now." Dee Jay gazed at Kalib who was doing the same to him.
"What be wrong, Dee? You actin' a little funny. Somethin' different 'bout you, man. Where's that spirit you used to be carry?" Kalib continued to stare at him even when Dee Jay's head hung low staring at the floor. "You ain't even gon' talk to me 'bout it?" There was a long pause between the two. Kalib just couldn't believe Dee Jay was closing up on him. He always talked to him about anything and everything. Something just wasn't right in his head.
"Ayo, I... uh, I'm gonna go get ready. Rehearsal and soundcheck at 8 and I want to be fresh. So I'm a leggo di ends fo' home and get a shower. I give you a call, may be."
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"Hey wait for me!" A voice pleaded.
Two olders boys were running around the top of one of Kingstons highest Blue Mountains. They were racing to the top were a magnificent view awaited them. One smaller boy tagged along way behind them, trying to keep up with their incredible speed. One of the older boys turned around to see his little brother running as fast as he could to catch up with the two.
"Hurry up, he's catching up with us!" He shouted to the other older boy.
The voices echoed through the mind.
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Dee Jay stopped in front of the sandy shore of the beach. He glanced around at his surroundings. The beach was unusually bare without the mass amounts of tourists that it usually carried; so it was quiet. Just the waves rushing to shore, the slow swaying of the palm and banana trees. He kicked off his shoes and laid back in the soft white sand. The slight inclination of the beach let him stare out into the Caribbean Sea. He needed this peace. Just to relax and think for a while with out interruptions of someone. Dee Jay closed his eyes, feeling the slight breeze coming from the sea's direction and the warm beams of sun soaking his dark skin.
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The two boys continued to run higher and higher up the mountain side.
The older boy looked behind him again and grinned, "He's still tailing us, man!"
One of the older boys stopped and grabbed the other (who was still taunting at his little brother) to keep him from falling over the side of the mountain. The words "whoa" escaped from their mouths. Looking down at it's extreme height. They didn't know it at the time, but they both were thinking the same thing: That's a long way down.
They both quickly turned to their right were a tree stood with a number of branches spread out in a nice climbable formation. The boys began to climb up it quickly, taking tight grips on each dark branch. The little boy began to try and climb up the tree, but kept loosing his grip. By the time Dee Jay and his childhood friend, Mackenzie, were at the top, Carl had fallen from the tree. They watched in terror to see him rolling uncontrollably down to the drop off of the mountain. Both Dee Jay and Mackenzie immidately began climbing down frantically crying out to Carl. As the boys touched ground a sign of horror seeped through both their eyes. Carl had fallen over. The two youngin's eyes started swelling with tears as they looked over the drop off to see him fall out of sight and his scream fade away.
Dee Jay remembered the sorrow in the house that day.
Mom was screaming and crying out in so much pain alone in her room. Her heart was tearing up to pieces. Grandaddy remained silent. Tears were meant to show, but he never once shed one. Grandma was baking me cookies in an act to cheer me up. But I knew better. It was her way of dealing with it. Mackenzie didn't speak much. Infact, a few days after, his family decided to ship him to America and put him in a reform school. There goes my best friend. The only one who could understand my pain and confusion of this whole mess. I mean, I was just shocked. I couldn't believe what had happened. I asked grandaddy if may be Obeah had taken him away from us. He gave me the coldest look and moved to an unoccupied corner of the house. Rastafarians in the neighborhood would come by to say a few words. I remember them saying that he's I-n-I. I had heard that saying before, but didn't understand it. Grandaddy was very supersticious and never fell into the Rasta movement so I never really knew what it meant. But after a while, I think I figured out what it means... Carl-n-Jah ... I-n-I. One in the same. I remember hearing the Rasta's chanting their prayers outside and beating their drums. The smoke from the ganja seeped inside the house and filled the atmosphere with an even more grim feeling. After a while, mother had finally unlocked herself from the solitude of her room to come down and sob at me. She pointed her finger directly at me and told me that she never wanted me nor Carl going up those Blue Mountains. She always told me that it was dangerous up there. No one lives up there, so you can't cry for help. She pleaded, "Why you didn't listen? I don't tell you these things just for them to go in one ear and out the other." She then went on saying how Carl looked up to me. How I was the big brother and I'm supposed to set the good example. Instead, I lead him to danger and to his death. This is when I felt a strange and heavy weight make it's home atop my shoulders and heart. What kind of big brother am I? I'm not... anymore. There I felt the whole room of people looking at me. Grandaddy had come out of his corner when he heard mom. He stood there at the foot of the stairs. His stare was the coldest and most hurtful of them all. I hated Obeah that day. He took away everyone I ever loved that somber day... Carl, Mackenzie, grandaddy, mother and my spirit. Well, at least it felt like he took it from me. Grandaddy and mother became quite strict on me and nothing was really the same around the house.
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Dee Jay opened his eyes. These were memories and feelings he spent years trying to forget. Everything he had done was just for the now, but all of a sudden, these bad memories have resurfaced and were eating at him. He wasn't quite sure if it was because he felt guilty for taken an invitation to work for Shadowloo or if it was just his time to deal with it. Either way, it was wrecking him. His friends were seeing it. He was seeing it. It was actually changing him drastically.
Kalib is right. I haven't been talking to him. I need to talk to him.
He got up from the ground and dusted some of the sand off of his pants and sweaty back. He shook his feet a little before slipping back into his shoe's then started walking down the beach towards his house. He swung open his front door and stepped inside. The house was decent. Wasn't too sloppy, aside from the dish towel that was draped over his couch and a few dancehall magazines strone on the floor. He tossed an empty bottle of rum in his trash basket and walked into his room.
His room was lit well. The light shined brightly through the large glass sliding door and it gave view of the beautiful beach side. He grabbed a few clothing from his chest of drawers and headed into the shower.
I don't have enough time to talk to Kalib tonight. I'll do it when I get back from Thailand.