“She might never come into she full age, though,” One-Eye say. “I ain’t know what Aislin make she live for. She only a burden.”
Claude scowled at him. “Quamina quiet, and she sweet, and she does help Aislin round the place.”
One-Eye hugged Claude to him, patted him on the back. “All right, sweetness! I ain’t go badtalk your woman daughter.” He kissed Claude on the mouth. Claude returned the kiss, his scowl clearing slowly. He took One-Eye’s hand and went up to the door, stopping to tousle Quamina’s hair. She smiled. He rapped on the door and called out, “Inside!”
“Claude? I here,” a woman’s voice called happily from inside. Claude’s face lit up. “What crosses you come to bother my soul with today?” the playful voice said.
“We bring you a new boyfriend, Lin.” He showed Antonio and Tan-Tan inside. “Only one thing, though; he reach in two pieces, and you have to put he back as one again.” He stood with his arms round One-Eye, waiting for her reply.
Chichibud limped over to an examination table. He put his slings down beside it and climbed up onto it. The woman washing her hands in a bucket looked up and smiled at Chichibud. She didn’t look pretty to Tan-Tan. She had little baby plaits sticking out of the kerchief she’d tied round her head. Her eyes were creased up at the corners as though she was used to frowning all the time. Although she straightened up from the bucket to greet her visitors, her shoulders had remained stooped. When she saw Antonio, a look of horror came over her face. Antonio sighed, then said, “Well, Aislin; is you? Like me and you meet up again.”
Aislin! Nursie’s daughter that had climbed the half-way tree! Tan-Tan tried to see Nursie’s face in Aislin’s.
Aislin looked good at Antonio. “Mayor Antonio? Is Antonio allyou bring to my clean hospital for me to treat?” Her voice rose. “This… this piece of trash?” She strode up to him, waved her fist in his face. “Yes, you hear me right! I glad Toussaint throw you away to this hell! You ain’t mayor of nothing any more. Here I could name you for what you is—dung that dog does mash in the street! You do me wrong…”
“You mean to tell me your conscience really clear, Aislin?” Antonio asked softly. “You totally innocent?”
Aislin’s face purpled with rage. “Don’t give me none of that, I won’t listen to it! You do me wrong, I say! Then you send me away from my old mother so you wouldn’t have to look on your own deeds, send me away to rot here behind God back, and now look; you end up here your own self. I know it would happen; I know your liard ways would catch up with you one day.” Aislin started to laugh, but it had tears running down her face. “Take he away, Claude. I ain’t looking after he.”
One-Eye frowned. “What he is to you, Lin?”
“My baby father.” Aislin hugged Quamina, who had come in to see what all the comess was about. “You see, Antonio? You see what does happen to the child when you send a pregnant woman up the half-way tree? You greet your daughter yet?”
Antonio said nothing, just stared in repulsion at Quamina. Tan-Tan pulled on his pants leg. “Daddy? Why that lady so vex?”
“Hush, doux-doux. I go explain you later.”
“Why you don’t explain to she now, Antonio? Tell she she have a sister, nuh?”
A sister? Tan-Tan looked at Quamina. She didn’t understand. Aislin wasn’t her mummy. Quamina smiled her wet smile at Tan-Tan and held out her doll. Tan-Tan released Antonio’s hand and went to stand in front of Quamina. She reached out and touched the dolly with the tips of her fingers. It was still warm from Quamina’s clutch. Quamina released the dolly into Tan-Tan’s grasp and Tan-Tan grabbed it like a lifeline. She held it and stroked its head. She said to Quamina, “You want to play with me?”
“Tan-Tan!” Antonio shouted, “get away from that mad girl!” He made to pull her away, but he forgot and used his broken arm. He bawled for pain and would have fainted dead away if One-Eye hadn’t supported him and helped him onto the other examining table. Chichibud chewed on a piece of jerky from his pouch, simply watching.
“Aislin,” One-Eye said, “I know how this must be paining you, but you is we doctor; you have to help this man.”
Aislin just shook her head. Claude went and held her hand.
“Choonks, I know now who this man is. I know what he do to you, for ain’t is me who shoulder you bawl on when Quamina did born bassourdie? But you have a job to do, darling.”
Aislin just stood frozen, her face set hard. Tan-Tan had seen that expression plenty of times before. “Is just so Nursie does do she lip,” she said.
Aislin’s face softened. “Mamee still alive?” she asked Tan-Tan.
“Yes,” Antonio muttered. “I taking care of your mother good-good in my house. And she visit she sister all the time. I ain’t leave she lonely with no people to share she life with. She all right.”
Aislin made a soft noise, like when you standing outside the sweetie shop window but your mummy won’t let you go in.
“Maybe Tan-Tan should go outside and play with Quamina after all,” Daddy said to her.
Aislin sighed. “Yes, Quamina; show your sister the swings, all right, sweetness? I have to do some doctor business now.”
“All right.”
“You better stay here, Claude; you and One-Eye. I need someone here with me to mind I don’t poison this son of a dog instead of giving he medicine. Stay and watch me, or it might be me allyou putting in that galvanized box tomorrow morning.”
Chichibud walked with them down the steps to the gravel path. “Trail debt between we done, pickney. You reach safe.”
“Thank you, Chichibud.”
Carrying his bounty, he limped back towards the bush.
Quamina took Tan-Tan to an almond tree in the middle of the village. A rope swing with a plank for a seat hung from one of its low branches. “I go push,” Quamina said shyly. Tan-Tan climbed on, still clutching Quamina’s doll in one hand. She squeezed its arm and the swing’s rope together in one fist. She let the older girl push. “Where you come from?” Quamina asked.
“From the half-way tree. Yesterday morning.”
“Mummy say you is my sister.”
“I ain’t know. Push a little harder, nuh?” Tan-Tan pumped and pumped her legs until she was swinging high over the village. But all she looked out over the bush, she couldn’t see the shift tower. It was daylean; the sun was lowering to dark. The ringing in her ears was back. She shook her head, trying to clear it.
She pushed Quamina in the swing for a while, then she taught her how to play Midnight Robber. Quamina had to be the Faithful Tonto and just follow what Tan-Tan did. Her mind was too young for anything else. They made up brave deeds for the Midnight Robber: “And then, and then she say, ‘Oh, bad mako jumbie, I going chop your neck for you and send you far away up in the half-way tree!’”
As it got darker a woman with a ladder came out and climbed the lampposts in the village square. She lit the lamps. The flickering light put Tan-Tan in mind of the nation ship hat she’d worn at Jonkanoo time. Were the tongues of flame singing, or was the sound just in her ears?
A little after nightfall, Aislin came to look for them, her face set and unsmiling. She hugged Quamina tight, straightened her dress. Quamina chortled and kissed her mother. “Come, Tan-Tan,” Aislin said. “You could have dinner with me and Quamina, and then I go take you to Antonio.”
“Daddy staying by you in the doctor house?”
“No, child. I can’t have that man near me. One-Eye and my Claude carry he over to the mash-up hut where old Zora used to live till she pass on last year. The two of you could stay there.”
“Daddy go get better?”
“Yes, darling. Your father tough like old boot. In two-twos he go be back on he feet, up to he old tricks. And Granny Nanny help we then.”