Calypso Summer (20 page)

‘I don't want to be rushing things,' I said all cool.

‘You're not rushing me at all. It's just not right time tonight, not the right time of the … you know ... month.'

‘Oh,' I said, understanding and feeling a bit shame.

‘It's a bummer, I know,' Clare just said with a smile like it was all cool.

I kissed Clare on the forehead and told her, ‘Well I'll dream of you then.' I held her for a while, running my hand across her beautiful face before I jumped out of the car and walked around to give her one last kiss.

‘Remember, call me straight after you've talked to Gary.'

I started walking up my stairs and then stopped to watch Clare reverse out of the drive. The ‘Resident Parking Only' sign written in bold red and positioned in the centre of my block of flats annoyed me.

When I reached the top of the steps I could see a neighbour peering through her curtains. When she realised I had spotted her, the curtain snapped back into place. ‘Nosey old bugger,' I thought, ‘Get a life.'

°°°

I sat out the front of Mystic Dolphin bright and early reading up on the one-day game and waiting for Gary to rock up. It was suspected that the West Indian wicketkeeper Devon Thomas had broken a finger in the test match but he'd been cleared for the one-day game. I was pretty happy about that and sitting there reading and watching all of the fitness enthusiasts pass by. When Gary
rocked up, he looked like shit and was drinking a cup of takeaway coffee. ‘Looks like you had a good Christmas,' I asked.

‘Nah, hate Christmas,' he said. ‘It's good for sales but. Why are you here so early?'

‘To tell you the good news.'

‘Your family keen?' he asked as he unlocked the shop door.

‘Yeah, they've got some stuff they want to show you.'

‘What is it, soap or something?' he asked sparking up.

‘Bath and massage oil, it bubbles and fizzes … smells good and even makes you horny too they reckon.'

‘Sounds bloody great! When can I have a squiz?' Gary asked as he opened the French doors.

‘Well Uncle Ray wants to come and show them to you. He lives up Port Germein way.'

‘Right,' said Gary.

‘Probably best to meet him on a weekend.'

‘How about New Year's Day? Shop will be closed and I'll bloody well need a pick up.'

‘I could ask.'

Gary told me later that he'd borrow a portable spa bath from a mate, and set it up in the store to try the stuff out. He reckoned we could keep the spa in the shop for a while and put the bath oil in it during the week to give people a sneak preview. I had to tell him that we weren't rushing into things and that my family just wanted to show him. He also told me that he might need to get someone else to check out the bath and massage oil with him, someone with a bit more expertise. I told him I had to speak with Uncle Ray and the mob first.

Like clockwork Gary took off to Estia's Café at lunch. I was glad because I wanted to call Clare.

‘What did he say?' she asked as soon as she picked up her phone.

‘Can you come down?' I said.

‘What did he say?'

‘It's all good. I'll explain when you get here.'

‘I'll be down once I've finished with this client.'

Clare looked hot when she came into the shop. There weren't any customers around and she gave me the wickedest little kiss before pushing me away and asking, ‘So what did he say?'

I explained how Gary was going to get the spa from his friend, how he wanted this other person to check out the stuff with him on New Year's Day and how I'd have to check things out with Uncle Ray first.

‘Uncle Ray will be alright with it,' she said. ‘Your family are onto it. But we'll have to take it pretty easy on New Year's Eve.'

‘Well I was hoping you'd come back to my place after the cricket.'

‘Course. But only for a little while.'

‘It'll take more than a little while,' I told her.

Clare laughed and said, ‘Good. But then I want you to come with me to Mum and Dad's for a party. We've got plenty to celebrate, Calypso,' she said before we kissed again.

‘You want to go for a swim after work or what?' I asked, keen to see her in those bathers again.

‘Gotta work late you know, with New Year's coming up and all.'

‘No worries,' I said. ‘Well, you know where to find me.'

‘We'll have some time to ourselves soon, I promise,' she said when a customer came in and she had to get back to work.

When Gary came back into the shop, he pulled out his wallet and winked at me. ‘I've got your Christmas bonus mate.' He came over to the counter and handed over three hundred bucks. I didn't know how much to expect but three hundred was alright. It would help to pay a few bills. There were plenty more notes in his wallet too. Made me wonder why he didn't just hand over some cash a few days before Christmas like he said he would.

First day back at work after Christmas and I couldn't wait to get my arse out of the place because Gary was going on about what we should call the products we were going to create. Dreamtime this, Dreamtime that, he reckoned. Did my mob have any lingo names we could use? I changed into some board shorts in the storeroom and cut it straight to the jetty. I asked a bloke hanging out with his kids if he could keep an eye on my bag, walked straight into the water, fell back into it and then just let myself float. The ocean was glassy, warm and salty and had me floating like a piece of foam. I just hung there looking around at the people on the beach, the reflection of the water beneath the jetty and the seagulls flying around. I shut my eyes and let myself relax.

Life was sweet. Gary was still being a bit of a wanker but at least he was trying. I knew that any day now I'd be going at it with Clare. The only thing I had left to do was to call Uncle Ray and let him know about the update to the plans.

18

We caught the bus from Henley Beach Road to the cricket. Clare said it would avoid parking hassles and we'd be able to make a quick getaway after the game. A lot of other people had the same idea. The bus was packed with people in their Australian cricket shirts. There were old fellas listening to the pre-game commentary on their radios. I was wearing my new West Indies one-day international shirt and red, green and gold tam pulled down over my dreads, with some of them jutting out the back. I knew that people were staring at me but it was alright.

One old fella turned to us and asked me, ‘Do you reckon your blokes will bat or bowl if you win the toss?'

In my best Jamaican accent I told them, ‘Veerasammy Permaul will send dem in to bat first mahn, for dare to be some type of competishon. I could tell that Clare was just about to crack up but I kept spinning the old fella a yarn. ‘It would be marder for Australia to bat first. Our bowling is tap natch mahn. De will have little opportunity of makin any ruhns. It will be gayme over very early.'

‘Yep, I think you're right, or else it might be a short day at the cricket,' the old fella said and then placed his earphones back in his ears.

When we entered Adelaide Oval through the Victor Richardson Gates a little girl came up to me and said, ‘Can I touch your hair?' I bent down and said, ‘De tek a long time to grow yu nuh,' as she carefully pressed one of my dreads. The little girl's mum spotted her daughter and walked over. She took the girl by the hand and said, ‘Leave the man alone.' I smiled at the woman
and tried to tell her it was okay but she dragged her daughter away before I got to speak with her.

‘I thought you had another girlfriend for a while there,' Clare said and then a pack of blokes started taking the piss calling out ‘Calypso, Calypso, Calypso.' They came up to us holding their beers and slapped me on the back. ‘You should be playing out there today mate,' one of them said almost yelling. Another fella leaned in close and said, ‘Hey Calypso, you know where I can get some ganja?'

‘Yeah mahn,' I said, ‘Jamaica! But I got nothing.' The blokes cracked up and moved on, leaving us alone.

‘I've finally got my own West Indian cricketer,' Clare said as we pushed through a pack of people to get to where I wanted to go on the hill. ‘And I reckon you might be a rich Nukunu fella soon too when your business takes off.'

Her comment made me a bit nervous. I thought Clare was alright about me not having a car and that you know but I started thinking I might have been wrong.

Some pissed fellas called out, ‘I don't like cricket, oh no, I love it,' when they saw me walking around the boundary. Clare cracked up at all of the attention I was getting from people as we walked over to a spot on the hill where I knew all the West Indies supporters would be standing. I'd made friends with a few of them and it was best hanging out with them at the cricket. Not just because they're West Indies supporters but because most Aussies on the hill just spend their time getting pissed instead of really watching the game. ‘It's usually only girls in bikinis that cause so much fuss, you know Calypso,' Clare said.

‘Ah you know what they're like, they love having something to poke a bit of fun at,' I told her.

‘I love you,' Clare said.

It freaked me out. She just came out with it just like that. I leaned in close to her and said ‘I love you too' before giving her the smallest of kisses because I knew getting stuck into her would rev up the mob on the hill. But someone yelled out, ‘Get a room you two,' and a mob of hooligans started wolf-whistling. As we walked on I told her, ‘I've never told anyone that before you know. Never. True as god.'

My Caribbean friends Liston, Cephus and Mardi were sitting down by the boundary in line with the scoreboard where they always sat, even at Australian matches when they weren't playing the Windies. Liston was beating on his steel drum and when he saw me they asked, ‘How you doing mahn?' and gave me high fives. I introduced Clare to my Jamaican friends who had been living and working in Australia for a while. I didn't really understand why they'd want to leave Jamaica but they reckon it's not all cruise ships and sandy beaches.

A roar went up around the ground when the West Indies, led by their captain Veerasammy Permaul, walked onto the oval for a warm up. ‘Look, there's Kraigg Brathwaite,' Clare said, bouncing on her toes and pointing in his direction. ‘Yeah, I see him,' I said, watching him walking along side Delorn Johnson and Devon Thomas who was slapping his keeping gloves together. ‘I better get some shots,' Clare said as she pulled her camera out of her bag. It looked flash as, with a big lens and all. I was impressed as, watching her snap away, and then she turned around and took a shot of me.

Liston began beating out a tune on his steel drum to the delight of the crowd. ‘I can't wait for the game to start,' Clare said, letting her camera hang on its strap and rubbing her hands together. ‘Can't wait,' I said, looking around the crowd for Run and Robbie. Wasn't even worth trying because the Australian side stepped onto the oval and the Australian fans rose to their feet and began cheering … ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oy oy oy.'

‘Look, there's Clarke,' Clare said, tugging on my shirt. ‘Do you reckon he will make some runs?' I was doubtful, given his recent string of ducks.

‘Well, like I said to that old man, if they win the toss and bat first, let's hope that one of the Australians makes runs or we'll be home well before dinnertime.'

But Clarke did win the toss and sent the Australians in to bat. There was a hush around the ground and I reckon the Aussie crowd were shitting themselves.

As both of the teams made their way back into the change rooms I turned and peered up into the crowd on the hill again. Clare asked, ‘You looking for Run?'

‘Yeah, I thought he would be here. Evelyn bought him his ticket for Christmas and all,' I told her, shaking my head.

‘I'm sure he's here somewhere.'

Liston held out his drumsticks and asked Clare, ‘You want to have a hit sister?' Clare looked at me a little uncertain and I said, ‘Go on, play some Bob Marley,' before I cracked up.

Clare took the drumsticks and asked Liston, ‘What do I do?'

‘Yuh jus hit di drum in difren sections to get difren tones,' he replied, taking a stick from Clare and showing her.

Clare hit the outer of the drum softly with her right drumstick and I could tell she was surprised by how deadly it sounded. She hit the drum again, followed with a strike of her left, and then continued hitting different parts of the drum. Almost sounded like she was getting a rhythm happening.

When Clare stopped, people started clapping, hey. She was smiling big-time when she handed Liston back his sticks. Liston, Cephus, Mardi and me laughed and nodded our heads in appreciation. ‘Yeah mahn,' Cephus cheered. ‘You sirton you're nuh Jamaican,' Mardi asked Clare. She couldn't help but giggle.

The West Indian team and the two Australian opening batsmen Clarke and and Warner made their way out onto the oval with the umpires and the crowd went crazy. Fathers put their kids up on their shoulders to get a good view.

A kid threw some beer cups into the air and I felt someone poke me in the back. I turned around and there was Run and Robbie. Their eyes were red and they were laughing. ‘Ey you fellas, where you been?' I asked tapping our fists together.

‘We just had some business to take care of,' Run smirked.

‘Yeah, some business to take care of,' Robbie said looking around the oval. You could tell the crowd and atmosphere was spinning them boys right out.

‘Pretty obvious what you fellas have been up to,' I said, leaning in close to them and looking straight into their bloodshot eyes.

‘Cut it out,' Run said. ‘Like we're not the only blackfellas here, everyone's checking us out as it is.' Run was right. Apart from the West Indians on the field and my Jamaican friends, we must have been the only other blackfellas there.