All In Another Time

By Ann M. Roberts

I went to her room but she was not there. I found her in the bathroom. Her tears rolled down her cheeks. I became very frightened and I cried without knowing what happened to her. We had a close relationship and as a result I felt her pain. She was like a daughter to me. Whenever she experienced pain I felt it too. Although I was dying to know w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Printing UK
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781911596943

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All in Another Time

Copyright © Ann M Roberts 2018 All Rights Reserved

The rights of Ann M Roberts to be identified as the author of this work have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author or publisher.

Spiderwize

Remus House

Coltsfoot Drive

Woodston

Peterborough

PE2 9BF

www.spiderwize.com

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblances to real people either living or dead are purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-976-8204-97-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-911596-94-3

ALL IN ANOTHER TIME

ANN M ROBERTS

SPIDERWIZE

Peterborough UK

2018

A special thank you to Mrs. Aine Brathwaite for the advise, encouragement and all the contribution she made throughout the the entire process.

Thanks to Conny Hermann for the cover design and your support.

To my wonderful family Rhanisha, Raniqueka and Victor. Other relatives and friends Leo, Elsa,Kimanii and Anthony. I appreciate your love and support.

The book is dedicated to my daughter

Leona V. R. Roberts.

CHAPTER 1

It was an extremely hot day, although occasionally I felt the coolness of the breeze as the wind brushed against the branches of the trees. I debated what I should do on such a wonderful day. Usually on my day off, I would help my friend Tamara Charles with the washing of her children’s clothes. Tamara had five children. Her firstborn, Abalyne was my goddaughter.

I lived alone in a two bedroom wooden house painted in blue and red. I lived close to Tamara. She was an extremely gorgeous lady. She had a figure that the lady folks in the village envied. All the curves were in the right place.

She always ensured that she dressed appropriately to show off her fabulous figure. She was irresistible but she never seemed to show any interest in the male folks in the village. However, we noticed her well proportioned body was getting out of shape. The villagers thought at first that she was just putting on weight but eventually we observed that her stomach grew bigger and bigger. It was apparent to all the villagers that she was pregnant. Ultimately, she bored five children. Abalyne was her first born followed by Milton, Melon, and the twins Emily and Emilia. The villagers were inquisitive as who the father of her children was. It was a mystery to all of us in the village because no one saw her courted by any man.

Martina who was the village gossiper was not able to spread news about the father of Tamara's children. Martina said Leona gal ah see you friend have bread in the oven. She doh know who the father is but she walking with her head in the air as a peacock. I listened to Martina but did not contribute to her remarks.

Tamara and I discussed many things but this was one topic which she avoided. In spite of her five pregnancies she managed to still keep her elegant figure.

Tamara worked as babysitter in the great house on the estate with Mr. and Mrs. John Thomas. She worked there for a number of years prior to her first pregnancy. After the birth of Tamara's first baby Abalyne, she started to work in the boucan cleaning nutmeg and mace. She mentioned to me that she preferred to clean the nutmeg and mace than to work in the main house. Her previous job as a nanny required her to stay on the job for the whole day. Due to the birth of her children she thought working on the estate would give her more time to care for them.

I usually assisted her with the washing of the children’s clothes. I loved to wash clothes but I had an issue being in the river alone. Fortunately, I was lucky to meet someone in the river whenever I went there.

The main source of water in the village at that time was the river. That’s where everyone in the village washed their clothes, had their baths and used the water for household purposes.

Tamara was off from work on Saturday and Sunday. I too worked with the estate owner as a domestic worker in their home. Every Thursday Tamara thanked me in advance for washing her clothes on her way to work.

That Thursday morning in particular I did not hear her call. This was due to the fact that I overslept that morning. I went over to her house and looked on the porch where she usually put the clothes for washing. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate it in the regular place. I thought she too was late for work and did not have sufficient time to put it out.

Since my best friend Olga migrated to England, Tamara and I had become close friends. Over the years our friendship grew stronger. The main reason for our close relationship was her daughter Abalyne who was my goddaughter.

I ensured that Tamara received monetary gifts for occasions like birthdays, Easter and Christmas for Abalyne. Abalyne was well mannered and was always thankful for the gifts she received from me.

Abalyne always wore a smile on her face. She was like a little angel.

I never saw her unhappy. I told her mother that Abalyne had all the qualities to become a nun. I engaged in conversation with Abalyne as often as possible. My aim was to have her come and live with me.

Despite the fact that Tamara had five children she made sure that each one of them attended school on a regular basis. I enjoyed assisting her because I do not have children of my own. I loved the fact that I used my day off to assist her with some chores. Her work started at eight a.m. and ended at four p.m. Caring for five children could be a tiring job especially as she was a single parent and a full-time worker. Abalyne who was the eldest of the children had a great responsibility. She assisted her mother with some of the household chores and cared for her younger siblings. This was a normal thing for the older siblings in the village at that time.

Although I created the precedent and assisted her on Thursdays, I welcomed the break. This free time could be used to do something very special for myself. The question was what can I do? That thought did not come to me often so I had great difficulty in figuring out what to do.

CHAPTER 2

At first, I had an idea to visit St. George's where I could buy a couple of things which I needed for myself. Suddenly I remembered that I did not enjoy the long drive to the city.

Eventually I decided to take a walk on the beach and take a nice soak in the sea water. The sea water was very therapeutic for me. I usually swim as far as I can being cognisant of the fact that big waves can be dangerous. Many persons lost their lives while bathing in the sea. The villagers used to say It is very fishy ah tink dey sell dem to the devil. They were not convinced that someone could drown in the sea water.

When Nucker drowned in the sea last year the villagers accused Mr. Nook of selling him to the devil. At that time Mr. Nook just launched his new boat. In order for the boat to be successful on the sea the owner of the boat was supposed to sell a soul to the devil.

We had to be cautious and alert while we were in the sea water. The beach was approximately three miles away from the village. It was very breathtaking to walk through all the fruit trees and the lush vegetation.

The idea was good but the thought of walking that lonely road was rather disturbing. The older persons related stories of Spirits and La Diablesse who paraded on the road in the night and in broad daylight too, seeking persons whom they can take away with them. The older folks said the persons they took disappeared and were never seen in the village again.

During my lifetime I did not know anyone who was taken by these supernatural beings. What I can attest to was that a few women were raped while using that same road. These were stories we heard repeatedly. Even without the facts we were convinced because the fear was instilled in us since we were very young. The older villagers supported their stories and named persons that were taken by these Spirits, La Diablesse and Jumbies as they were referred to.

The houses were situated right at the top end of the village. The villagers walked a lot because transport was not readily available. This was a form of exercise which kept the villagers healthy. Walking was the normal thing for everyone. The primary school was situated approximately three miles away from the village. The children walked to and from school every day. There was no choice as we did not have an alternative.

There was only one vehicle in the village owned by Mr. Bistro Glade. It was an open back truck with a wooden tray. It was the only form of transportation in the village. It was often used by the villagers for many different purposes such as a trip to the doctor or the hospital. His truck was also hired to transport green bananas to the ship in St. George’s, as well as nutmeg and other produce. When we travelled in the truck we were packed like sardines in a tin. We travelled to neighbouring villages and attended cricket games, beach parties and other social events like a trip to the hospital.

Mr. Glade was also a farmer and the only builder in the village. He constructed many houses in the village, assisted by the skilled villagers who he taught the whole concept of building houses. The majority of the houses were wooden and consisted of one or two bedrooms and a dining and sitting area joined together. The kitchen was a separate building from main house. Everyone was quite contented with their home. Inside of the house was nicely furnished the best way as they could with the limited resources that were available at the time. Most of the houses had a table with four chairs, a two or three-piece mahogany sitting room set, a centre table, a cabinet with all the glassware and chinaware, a four-poster mahogany bed or just an ordinary bed with the mattress made out of dry grass stuffed into a case and a bureau or dressing table. The furniture was always well polished and shone brightly.

There was no birth control available and some women had approximately fifteen children. They too lived in a one or two-bedroom house. No one felt indifferent because that was the normal housing arrangement in the village at that time. My mother who was a single parent had eight children. As a child I remembered we were quite comfortable, living in our small wooden house.

I was a little puzzled up to this day since as small children we never noticed our parents with any form of love making. We never knew when someone was pregnant. The midwife delivered the babies at home. During the process of delivery, the children were advised to stay out of the house until the completion of the delivery. If it happened in the night the children were sent by the neighbour. If it was in the daytime, we were sent outside to play.

I mustered my courage and decided to take the long walk, although