De Evo Stick

It wasn't that I didn't want to go home with Frankie. In fact I loved the race to get the back seat, hang my head out the window and wave to other school children as they rushed down High Street Sparia to get a taxi.

It was that some days I just wanted to explore the unknown. I waited until I was in Form 5 and I could get away with an excuse to stay in school late, and I would by pass Frankie, casting side glances at him in case he saw me hiding behind the trees, and make my way down to Siparia.

When I was sure he was gone, I would relax and stroll along with Sharlene, pass the court house, the police station, the library and head towards High Street. When we got to the little Savannah, I would stop to reminisce about the school boy who made a hole in a paw paw tree and tried to have sex with it. I never remember if that was where he did it, but somehow it always brought the memory back. I wasn't even sure if I knew him personally, but I definitely told the story like I had.

In front of us a group of older boys kept glancing back. We knew for sure they weren't looking at us, with our knee high bunched up socks, teased hair full of gel and my mouth full of metal, but we liked to think that maybe they just might be, so we give them some winning smiles. They quickly turn away. One of them kept shoving something into his back pocket and I became intrigued. Slowly I start to drift into a memory I wasn't quite sure was my own.

I nudge Sharlene to ask if she remembers when some boy stole a piece of sulfur from the chemistry lab and put in it his back pocket and his ass blew up.

"What de ass Nadine. That never happen."

"You sure?"

"umm no"

We walk on. We get to Diptee's inconvenient store and begin to browse. I kept looking at a bunch of dust covered calligraphy pens, the same ones I've been staring at for the last five years. No change except for the amount of dust. The entire store still smells of old paper and glue.

We wonder out onto the street in time to see the Cowboy man gearing up for some action on de corner. Dressed in a 400 gallon hat and cowboy boots, he was the talk of the town when he came out. Mostly because the rest of the time he spent in Ward 1 of San Fernando General Hospital licking the walls.

"Is time for you to go home"

So we head to the Fyzabad taxi stand and Sharlene gets me a taxi. Once I was seated and looked safe enough, she would wave and leave. I settle in to my journey, happy that I decided to take a little adventure today.

"Sniff..."

I turn side ways to look at the girl sitting next to me.

"yuh cud crack de window dey chick"

I open the window and turn back slowly to stare at her. With eyes half open, she sniffed lovingly at the can of Evo Stick clutched in her fist. With every sniff, she sighed. With every sigh she looked like she was about to fly. I was intrigued.

"aye wut you doing"

"mind yuh blasted ass! shitting indian, always in somebody business. yuh see TTT write on meh forehead, gyul mash eh"

"hmm"

"yuh want some?"

"alright"

We make our way to Avocat and I jump out feeling very odd. My toes tingled and so did my head. I walked lazily up the road, turn on Jebodhsingh Avenue and head home to Kerrisse Valley. I see my dad swinging in his hammock up by his "hideout"

"madam"

"yes?"

" like u was drinking or what"

"stueps eh"

I walk into the house and head for my room. I close my door, lie down on my bed and close my eyes. I could feel my world spinning and felt great. All from ah little black chick and her evo stick.