Chapter 8: Struggling to Survive

Marching one by one, Dion and Devon came to the veranda of their house, with Ella walking behind them, guiding them along by their shoulders. Seated on the veranda chair, Corporal Banks handed each child a bag of crackers and cheese, with a box of chocolate milk in each one of them.

Soon, Corporal Banks began aiding the children with opening their bags of crackers and carton box of milk.

Ella, could easily manage hers, even though, her hand was hurting.

Phillip who was in the backyard, now came to the front of the house, where everyone else was seated. He said not a word, but only stood there taking in his sisters and brother taking a bite into their morning meal and then sips at a time, of their chocolate milk.

He was feeling raw, but refuse from interfering in the feast that his siblings were enjoying. And before Corporal Banks open his mouth to divulge the good news to the children’s mother, the corporal went into his pocket, brought out some paper bills and then handed them to Phillip; telling him to go and get himself something to eat. While, Ms. Nella on the other hand, kept on sneaking a cracker here and there from the bag Dion and Devon had on their laps.

Corporal Banks seeing this, ignored her, pretending as though, he hadn’t seen her stealing the children’s food and went on to divulge the news to her about her husband’s soon release from the hospital.

Hearing that her man would be coming home soon, immediately, Ms. Nella’s face lit up, even though, she didn’t bothered to ask, what specific date he would be coming home. But, the happiness in her heart and the grin on her chubby face wouldn’t last for too long, after Corporal Banks began lecturing her once again. Giving her strict warnings that if, she continued abusing her children the way she has been doing, then her children would possible be taken away from her and then given up for adoption.

It was a bitter sweet moment for Ms. Nella hearing, since her and her common-law husband way of handling their stresses; were badly or, in most cases, violently spanking their children.

Their actions didn’t have to be much, and yet still, a large stone could be felt in the back of the head, along with many profanities blazing in the air. It didn’t have to be any misbehavior on the children’s part, for them to feel the stinging of the bicycle breaks while sleeping, or the hot clothing iron, in their backs or anywhere else on their bodies.

Nonetheless, Corporal Banks in his state of generosity and good will, had accomplished that morning what he had set out to do. And now that it was done, he bid the Bradshaw’s household farewell and drove off their property. Phillip also soon followed behind, because he wanted to get something to eat at the store with the money the officer had given to him.

His appetite desired the crackers and cheese his siblings were having, but such was too light for him. He needed something more substantial to eat… something that could hold him for an entire day, as the folks in their community would usually say.

There were starchy provisions already on the lush piece of land they were living on. But, he now needed something to go along with it; something fatty, something juicy, something delicious, so he opted on buying a tin of corn beef and two pounds of sugar.

Yam, banana and corn beef would be the meal for the day.

Philip, then return home, started the fire, cooked his meal and soon began enjoying the finish product. Meanwhile, Phillip’s mother would ever so often, come to the back door of the kitchen, looking out into the yard where he had the wood fire blazing and began looking at her own son with scorn.

Her heart was still heavy because, he had slapped her with the machete on the side of her face. And knowing how she held things inside of her for a very long time, unable to easily forgive, she would never get over his actions for a very, very long time.

Feeling good and contented in the gut, Phillip began walking the land, searching for a piece of spot where he could called his own. And also where he could start farming some short term crops for earning an income and also for his own consumption as well. Especially, if his mother would have seriously started, rejecting him from her cooking pot, permanently.

Clearing out the piece of land, less than a quarter of an acre, with his bare hands, for planning things like watermelon, tomatoes and such delights. Ms. Nella hearing the plowing of an ax on her land and immediately began walking through the land to investigate with her own machete in hand. Seeing that it was Philip plowing the land, she shouted with vengeance in her voice.

“What the fuck you think you’re doing?”

Philip with aching back and sweat dripping from off of him, like an ice-cold glass of lemonade, stood up straight, and made mention to her that he was only clearing out a spot of land to plant some things. What things he was planting, however, he didn’t make mention of such to her.

“Did you buy or lease any fucking land hear to be plowing land?”

Phillip’s mother ask loudly, while firmly holding onto her machete and positioning it to hack at him with it; if he approached her.

Refusing from arguing with her or open his mouth to say another word to her, Phillip dropped the fork in the mud and began walking away from the presences of his mother.

Even though, furious, he tried containing himself and walk back to the veranda where he sat day quietly and began staring into space. He was contemplating on what to do next with his life. Where could he go to get a job, or find his daily bread, or even find some financial resources that would allow him to pay his way to school. A breeze of hopelessness was presently blowing on him now. But one thing was for certain, he didn’t want to walk the pathway like his sister, Lillian had done; climbing up on a mango tree and taking her own damn life.

The crackers and cheese, Ella and her brother and sister, were eating was now completely done, and she too, was quietly seated on the veranda still. Her eyes were upon her brother, Philip, reading his thoughts like she was gifted with psyche powers. But before she spoke, her mind went drifting back to how handsome her brother’s face was; before her father had wickedly dismantled his face while beating him and now have his face looking like something someone would wear as a Halloween costume.

All four siblings were sitting there speechless, until Ella decided to gush out these words;

“Brother, I hope you’re not thinking about walking in Lillian’s footstep!”

A sigh and a grunt came from Philip’s throat while turning his head to gaze upon his sister, being a bit startled about hearing her voice. Because his thoughts were so far long gone, even though, his body was right there on the veranda.

Soon, a nervous chuckle came from Philip, and then he spoke.

“I know, that’s what this bitch wants me to do, or even worse, hack the shit out of her with Dada’s machete! But, I’m not as weak as Lillian, and neither am I going to prison for her either!”

Having express those words, Phillip got up from where he sat, brush off the behind of his pants and headed for the streets while saying to his sister;

“I’m taking a walk down by Crusher to see what’s going on there. Maybe, I can pick up a little roast for my pockets down there!”

Crusher was in walking distance from where the Bradshaw family was living, and it was a place where stones were being crushed on a daily basis for making small gravels or sand for building concrete structures around the country. And this was Philip’s last hope for gaining an income and making himself self-reliant where his ride to school and food were concern.

Upon reaching the grounds of the stone crushing company, Philip saw men working… swinging buckets of gravel from one location and then heaping them up at another.

He wasn’t quite sure who to ask about this stream of labor taking place in front of him.

He only knew that he wanted piece of the action and was determined to make sure that it happened to him on that very day.

Not even caring, how much the pay would be for this kind of back-breaking sort of work!

Philip then hastily approach one of the shirtless men with sweat dripping from head to hips and enquired who was responsible for giving the okay on the job.

Keenly looking at Philip, he could tell that he was only a boy, not more than fourteen age of years, and quickly presumed, he must be in some desperate state of shit for him wanting to be there and seeking for a daily bread. He also was pretty much aware that an extra hand would help get the job at hand done even faster.

Looking up at the bright yellow sun, the shirtless man could easily determine that it was close to twelve o’clock at the time. Therefore, he turned his head towards Philip and said;

“See that empty bucket over there, take a hold of it and start piling gravel like you see the other men are doing over there!”

Hastily, Philip ran and fetch the bucket and began dipping it into the freshly plie of crush gravel, oozing out of the gigantic machine onto the surface of the ground. Feeling confident that he would be picking up a few dollars before the sun had traveled far west beyond the top of the mountains in front of them.

After six hours of toiling in the hot sun, the shirtless man directed Philip to the back of the gigantic machine where a rustic building stood. And there he rapped on the iron grill and introduce Philip to a man who seems to be the foreman or the one responsible for paying out dough to the workmen on the job.

“Mr. Marshall, here is a green one for you… did his portion from eleven to five, and hardly stopped; not even for water to drink!”

The shirtless man informed his boss.

“Thank you, Tiger!”

Mr. Marshall replied while taking a good look at Philip.

Staring at Philip’s disfigured face, he couldn’t help but to ask;

“I know… well, I believe, you weren’t born like this, so who did your face like this, young man?”

Mr. Marshall asked.

“My, my, father, Sir!”

Philip answered stutteringly.

“Your own father did your face like this… how he expects you to prosper or even obtain a good woman, after messing up your face like this?”

Mr. Marshall exclaimed asking while shaking his head in disbelief.

“Eleven to five… well that is six hours!”

Mr. Marshall then said while turning towards a gray filing cabinet and pulling out the bottom drawer.

“That will be three thousand dollars for you!”

He then said while taking the money from a sack and then handing it into Philip’s out stretched arms.

“When can you come back and assist us?”

The foreman then asked with both hands on hips and staring Philip dead straight in the eyes.

“Anytime you want me to Sir, anytime!”

Philip answered eagerly.

“So you’re not in school?”

Mr. Marshall ask with some concern showing on his face.

“This is a yes and no answer that I have to tell you Sir. Because, my mother is claiming that she won’t be paying for my bus fare for school anymore, and I’m not sure, what stand my father will take whenever he return home from the hospital.”

Phillip express while drawing his breath between each word he had spoken.

“Young man, you need to be in school… a matter of fact, what school are you attending and what shift or you on?”

Mr. Marshall inquired.

“Forthsea Secondary School, Sir. That’s where I and my elder sister is now attending. And we both do the morning shift, Sir.”

Phillip responded.

“Oh, so you have brothers and sisters… how many more of you your parents have?”

Mr. Marshall began digging for answers.

“It was six of us in the house recently, and one left from the city few months a back, and the other, she committed suicide just few days ago, Sir!”

Philip responded chokingly and with watery eyes.

Covering his mouth with his hands, the foreman dropped to his chair in disbelief. He couldn’t believe what he was actually hearing. Because, the same girl whom everyone was talking about in and around the community, who had allegedly killed herself, by tying a sheet around her neck in a mango tree, had her brother standing right in front of him now.

For a while, Mr. Marshall sat on his chair in a state of disbelief and speechless before opening his mouth to utter another word.

He wanted to call both Philip’s parents heartless, coldblooded and wretched, but instead, he held his tongue and with a sad look on his face, he said;

“You and your other siblings are going to need some very serious intervention… someone has to interfere, or else, I don’t know what is going to happen to your younger siblings if your parents continue mistreating you guys in this manner.”

Hungry and tired, Philip didn’t care much to hear anything about a pathetic speech or receive any form of sympathy from anyone about his circumstances at home and within the family. Even though, he knew that his two younger sibling needed to be shielded from the brutal hands of both their parents, who were absolutely merciless. Because, it was only a matter of time, before they would be facing the heavy hands of the stinging bicycle breaks on their tender skin. Possibly, making them become disfigure, as he was presently.

“So, Sir, can I come in the evening after school and help with the moving of the gravel, Sir?”

Philip ask with a straight face, trying to sound enthusiastic.

“Why not!” Mr. Marshal said excitingly; “If you can manage to carry out this work and then keep up with your schoolwork, well, you’re welcome to come here and work; okay!”

“Thank you… Thank you, Sir!”

Philip said and turn to leave the tiny office space.

Unable to remember the name of the young man just standing in front of him, Mr. Marshall shouted;

“Hey, screw-face, come back here for a minute!”

Philip immediately turned himself around and face his new found boss, eye-to-eye, with an expression stating that he wasn’t pleased being called; “Screw-face”. But, Mr. Marshall, could never detect that Philip was angry with him because of the severe disfigurement on his face.

But within that very moment, Mr. Marshall’s hand was stuck into his pocket and bringing up a pile of cash. And from that pile of cash, he handed Philip, two one thousand dollar bills.

“Make sure, your brother and sisters have something decent to eat tonight!”

Mr. Marshall said while stuffing the two thousand dollar bills into the palm of Philp’s hand.

Nodding his head, Phillip took the money from his hand and began stuffing it into the pocked of his short while making his way off the grounds of the Crushing Company with a very angry heart.

“If you didn’t put this money into my hands this night, I would have told you, who the fuck, you should go and call, Screw-face… look at your fucking belly in front of you, and you calling me; Screw-face!”

Philip said mumbling and cussing angrily to himself, as he left from the tiny office space, around the corner of the building and then towards the gates of the Crushing Company.

He was hurt, nonetheless, he was happy to be in possession of some reasonable amount of change inside of his pockets. And off to the food store he went to obtain another two thins of large corn-beef with the intention of using something from off the land to eat with it.

The ground provision was there at the house all right, but, when Philip had entered his bedroom to snatch away the money he had worked so hard for, and sat on his bed, he realized that the whole damn mattress was soaking wet. And not only his but also the bed that Ella and her two younger brother and sister slept on as well. Because, their mother was adamant about teaching them a lesson pertaining to her being the head of the house.

An act which had now triggered Philip to do something much evil than slapping her across the face with the machete. Now, he wanted to ram his hand beneath her damn ribs and pull her fucking heart out!

He was furious and now he wanted the woman who had squatted and pushed him out of her fucking womb, dead!

Soon, he began wondering, where were his sisters Ella and Dion and also his brother Devon, since he hadn’t seen or heard them anywhere around the house.

He knew for sure that his mother was locked inside of her bedroom, because he overheard her inside her bedroom fumbling, grumbling and mumbling. But where were his offspring, he was clueless.

Forcefully, Philip try calling Ella’s name, as loudly as he could. But because of his facial deformity or disfigurement, the sound of his voice could only go so much in the distance.

Walking through the bushes like a mad man, he began searching through the land.

“They couldn’t have gone too far!” He thought; “Unless, Corporal Banks had returned to the house and gotten them.

Deeper and deeper down into the bushes he went searching, calling out his sister’s name.

And at the slope of the hill where the everlasting plum tree stood, spreading out its massive branches over fifty feet long, Philip found his elder sister along with his two younger siblings, hard at work constructing a hut against the large June-plum tree.

“What the hell happen here today after I left?”

Philip inquired with eyes blazing red and looking wild.

“Mama just started cussing like a damn broke street-side merchant, went by the stand pipe and began catching buckets after buckets of water, and then started pouring them out on your bed, then mine!”

Ella responded.

“I swear to god almighty above, I’m going to split that bitch head in two like a coconut husk!”

Philip expressed while shaking both his fist in the air.

“Then what is going to happen to you my brother… are you really ready for prison life?”

Ella asked logically.

“You tell me, how much more of this are we going to fucking take, in Jesus name?”

Philip responded with eyes bulging staring into his sister’s face.

“If you can manage to take one more day of this shirt, then I can’t stand taking one more minute of it!”

Philip continued on angrily.

“What went on with you and those persons down by the Crusher Company?”

Ella questioned, trying to change the angry mood of her brother.

And before he could open his mouth to respond to her question, she continued to comment.

“I had this strange feeling that you might have picked up something down there to do, especially, when I didn’t see you return to house within an hour time or two!”

“It went well, and the boss man said I can come in the afternoons when I return home from school.”

Philip responded while dipping into his pocket and taking out the two thousand dollars Mr. Marshall had given him to provide food for his siblings.

“I bought two thins of corn-beef to fix something for dinner!”

Philip went on to say.

“And where is it?”

Ella asked with an element of surprise on her face.

“On the kitchen table!”

Philip answered.

“You must be damn skipping in your mind!”

Ella lashed out.

And before she could open her mouth to say another word to him, Philip was bolting back to the house to fetch the two thins of corn-beef from off the kitchen table. Swearing to the skies that if, they weren’t there, he was going to be in very serious trouble with the law.

Thankfully, there were at the same spot where he had left them on the table. So quickly, he pick them up and brought them back into the bushes where his relatives were preparing a place to rest their heads for the night.

By now the darkness was seeping all around and getting thicker and thicker. And whatever little evidence of sunlight that had shown itself from the heavens previously had now disperse – scattered from the entire physical atmosphere.

Hurryingly, Philip began gathering pieces of stick and wood to start a fire ablaze so as to begin with his cooking. Meanwhile, in the dark, Dion and his baby brother Devon was right behind his tale, helping in carrying whatever amount of dry sticks their little hands could manage.

Ella with her bottle torch raced to her mother’s house to gather whatever food provision she had there snatch away in the corner of the kitchen.

Certainly, Ella did not want to be in any confrontation with her mother, so very quickly, she gathered up whatever food that she could and hasted back into the bushes to get their second meal of the day up and rolling.

The yams and potatoes were going to take a while to cook, but the corn-beef would be very easy since it was already precooked in the thin. And the next thirty minutes or so, the pot was boiling and Ella didn’t care too much of the foods were fully cook. Once the fork could sink into each piece of food and it could be bitten into, it was ready for both the plates and the belly.

Bright moonlight overhead and clear blue skies with a dash of stars sprinkled all above, the four siblings happily devoured the meal in front of them. And just after chatting for a while, Ella wet a rag and wipe down the skin of her younger brother and sister before placing them inside the hut at the spots where they would be sleeping for the night.

Philip on the other hand, had to come up with a quick solution of where he would be resting his head from the night. Because, Ella out rightly, made it known to him, that there was no way he could join her and the little ones inside that tiny hut.

Exhausted and utterly tired, Philip threw himself to the surface of the ground, in front of the hut his sister had just built, and declared out loudly, the rudest prayers ever being heard by god or even man, before closing his eyes and going off to sleep.

And with all seriousness and sincerity he uttered;

“Father God, I pray neither fucking rain, mother-fucking mudslide nor that evil woman inside that house, come right here and take my life tonight; Amen!”

Rude, ungracious or not, Philip’s prayers were certainly answered that night. Because, throughout the entire night, all four siblings slept very peacefully without not even a roaming bug, interfering with their rest under the moonlit and open heavens.

But, the greetings of another day, would be a totally different story.