No Pain Like This Body by Harold Sonny Ladoo Page B

none.”
    â€œBut Rama is you bredder,” Nanna reminded him.
    â€œI still not want none.”
    Nanna knitted his brows. He thought for a long time.
    Then he told Panday how dead people were the best people, because they couldn’t harm anyone. But living people were worst than cats and dogs.
    â€œI know dat Nanna,” Panday said.
    â€œWell drink de coffee.”
    â€œOright.”
    Sunaree and Panday emptied their cups. Nanna carried the
    cups for Nanny in the backyard. She took the cups and asked, “How Sunaree and Panday doin?”
    â€œDey doin oright.” Then Nanna scratched his head and asked Nanny, “How me dorta drunk?”
    Nanny put the cups down on the ground. She looked at Nanna sadly, then she told him about Ma. Ma was lying down on the ricebags in the kitchen. She was drunk, but she wasn’t drinking the rum on her own will; she never really liked rum. She wanted to be sober; she wanted to be sober just to tell the villagers about Pa: tell them how he chased the children out in the rain and the wind; he ran them out of the house in the wind and the rain; tell them that he was drinking rum some­place in Tola when Rama got sick; just let the people know that when Balraj and Rama were stung by scorpions, Nanna went out into the night and searched for Pa; Nanna searched and searched, but he couldn’t find Pa. But Ma couldn’t tell the people anything. Pa like he knew that she was going to talk. He gave Pulbassia and Jasso bottles and bottles of rum; he gave them the rum telling them to keep Ma drunk; she was weak, he wanted her to sleep. And Pulbassia and Jasso were real rum suckers; they were glad to be in charge of rum, but they couldn’t figure out why Pa wanted them to keep Ma drunk all the time. Nanny knew what was going on, but she couldn’t do anything. All the other women in the wake were only interested in listening to stories and drinking rum. Nanny had to boil the coffee in the backyard because the vil­lagers were quarrelling for coffee and rum all the time.
    The villagers were quiet. It was as if they were still thinking about Rama. But the priest was eager to tell another story. He scratched his beard and said, “All you lissen to me. Now I go tell all you a story about Hoodlee.”
    â€œTell we! Tell we!” the villagers shouted.
    Just as the holy man was ready to begin, Nanna came again with a pot of boiling coffee. Nanny carried the smallwooden tray and shared out the biscuits. Pulbassia passed around the rum. When Nanna offered coffee to Jasso she said, “Oldman behave you ass nuh! It have rum here. You tink I go leff rum to drink coffee?”
    â€œBut you coud talk better dan dat,” Nanna said.
    â€œShe talkin so because she want a good man,” the priest declared.
    Jasso lifted her dress above her waist. Her legs were long black and smooth.
    The priest licked his lips and said, “You like you really hot tonight.”
    â€œYeh. I want you to cool me down Baba.”
    â€œI old now,” the priest cooed. “Besides I is a man of God.”
    Jasso sat down on the earthen floor. She took the rum bot­tle from Pulbassia and swallowed a few ounces. “It eh have notten better dan rum,” she said.
    â€œAll you Madras people does drink de most rum in de world,” the one-legged man said.
    â€œKiss me ass One Foot.”
    The priest lifted his hand. All the people became quiet. “I goin to tell all you de story about Hoodlee.”
    â€œTell we! Tell we!” the villagers shouted.
    â€œOright. It had a time Hoodlee was livin in Karan Settle­ment. Dat was a long time now. Lissen good. All you open all you ass and lissen. Hoodlee de just finish servin he five years bound in Bound Coolie Estate. So Hoodlee de mindin some cows and workin for de white people too. Well in dem days, John Sharp was a big man in Bound Coolie Estate. He and Hoodlee was friends. Not close friends, but