Each week we will be running a series of extracts from books written by Barbadian, Caribbean, or international authors. We will also, from time to time, bring book reviews. Today we continue to feature Born In The Briar Patch, a novel by Bev Clarke.
“Be careful Nellie,” said Miss Una. “You got a lot of money. “You got to be careful who you let in your life.”“I don’t have anybody in my life Miss Una. All I say was that Francois and me had supper together last night.”“See what I mean? Just yesterday he was Mr Bertrum.”“Bertrand,” said Nellie correcting her.“Bertrand, Bertrum. As I was saying, just a couple days back, it was Mr Bertrand. Now it is Francis.”“Ma, leave Nellie alone. Let Nellie enjoy her life.”“Thanks Clyde. I don’t know why your mother making such a fuss. We are only friends.”“Ignore Ma,” Clyde whispered under her breath.“What you say Clytie?” her mother asked. “I old but I ain’t deaf.”Clyde and Nellie had a chuckle about it and then Clyde became quite serious.“You like the solicitor Nellie?”“He real nice. He different from JB, but he talk real gentle and he don’t behave like these idiots from the plantations.”“You got to be careful with those married men,’ Clytie continued.“He ain’t married?”“What?” asked a rather surprised Clytie. “Such a good-looking man with all that learning and he don’t have no wife?”“He say he spend all his time trying to get his business going.”“He don’t have no girl friend neither?”“Not that I know.”“Find out if he got a brother Nellie. Lord you is one of the luckiest women on this earth.“Clyde, I didn’t say that something going on between Francois and me?”“If you ain’t interested Nellie, you can invite him over so I can meet him.”“I did not say that if I had a chance I won’t take it. I like Francois, but I don’t think he even think of me that way; not only that, it won’t make JB too happy.”“Wake up Nellie. JB long dead and gone. And I know he wouldn’t want to stand in the way o’ your happiness?’“You right Clyde,” she said thinking out loud. “You right.’“I almost forget to tell you that you get a letter from Emily today.’“Give it to me,” she said running towards Miss Una. “Where is Emily letter?”Miss Una took it from the cash cage and handed it to her. She sat down and looked at the writing on the front and ran her fingers over it. Miss Una was beginning to run out of patience because she too looked forward to Emily’s letters although they were meant for Nellie.“Open it Nets,” said Clytie. “Open it.” Dear Miss Nellie,I can hardly find the time to do much writing anymore since I’ve got so much studying to do. Next week I will be taking my final exams and then it will be time for me to start Law School. I am so looking forward to coming back to that precious little rock than I can hardly stand it. Of course it won’t be the same without Miss Ella. I can hardly believe she is no longer with us. Mama said Clyde would be spending lots of time with you since she here. It was so good to see Mama and all the nice things she brought from Clytie. I especially loved those brown sugar cakes. I could almost smell the molasses floating through the air, just like it used to at Bottomsley. It is possible Mama may stay a little longer since Grandpa is not at all well. They say he’s going senile. I guess that means he is slowly losing his mind. You would love him. He is a very kind and gentle man. How is Hurley? Does he miss me? I hope he will be there when I return. Does he still steal the flying fish when you leave the kitchen? I must go now. Mama is waiting for me to go into London and I am hurrying to post this letter when I’m there. Please tell Clytie I will write to her soon and give my fondest greetings to Miss Una.Warmest wishes,Emily BottomsleyNellie read the letter over and over and cried each time she read the words on the page.“Nobody ain’t hear nothing else about that demon that disappear?” Miss Una asked changing the subject.“Ma, you know how I feel about that. Don’t even talk about Thomas Hurley. I get the nerves whenever I think about what I do to him.”“You ain’t do nothing child. And even if you do something to that demon, he deserve it,” Miss Una said hoping her words would lighten Nellie’s load.“I don’t know Ma. Nobody ain’t say a word more about him and it is more than three months now.”“I never trust that man. Suppose he ain’t dead.”“Why you say that Miss Una?” asked Nellie.“Suppose he park that car out by the cliff and then walk away, so we would believe he jump over?”“He was bad Ma, but I don’t think he had enough gumption to do something like that.”“Miss Una, you could be right,” said Nellie. “That didn’t even cross my mind.”The old woman was now totally confused because of Nellie’s reply. If Nellie and her sister had accidentally killed Thomas Hurley, Nellie would never have agreed with her or was Nellie trying to trick her?“I think the sharks eat him ever since,” said Clytie. “That potion Dootie the obeah man put on him was just too strong.”“Clytie, you talking foolishness,” her mother said. “You think that if obeah could kill, we would suffer so much hardship in this life?”“But I thought you believe in obeah Ma?”“I didn’t say that I don’t believe, but girl there is something much stronger than obeah and it is he,” she said pointing to the sky. “If you believe something will hurt you, you bet it will hurt you.“But Hurley didn’t know I went to the obeah man for him.“He didn’t know, but he was no good, and they say that if a man live by the sword, he will certainly die by the sword.”“What sword Ma?”“Sometimes I worry about you Clytie. What I mean is that as a man live, so shall he die, and he was a right bastard. He only get what he deserve.’Nellie no longer took part in the conversation, because she was busy re-reading Emily’s letter while the mother and daughter conversed about Thomas Hurley and his untimely demise.
