here, could make the same mistake. I mean, they could make a man who went to Oxford look like a damn fool. So, I asking you, Bernice, to remember if you tell Estelle all the things she had to do … Did Estelle have a passport, though?” Both Bernice and Dots ignored him.
“Don’t mind him! Estelle coming, gal. She ’bliged and bound to pass through this door.”
“The worst things that could happen to Estelle, according to that black fellar, the red cap fellar … ”
“Look, Boysie, nobody ain’t asking you for no opinion, man!” And to show him how disgusted she was with his attitude, Dots moved to the other side of Bernice, far from him. She rested her hand on Bernice’s shoulder. “Christ! man, you is nothing but a black cat in my path, bringing me bad luck on top o’ bad luck.”
“Sometimes, gorblummuh woman, you makes me feel you too decent for a man like me, you don’t know? You sorry you married me?”
“We are not asking you for no advice, Boysie!”
Boysie fell silent. Bernice fell silent. And after this, Dots herself was silent. For some time, they remained standing in front of the new crowd which had gathered; waiting, waiting for Estelle to appear from inside. Bernice had already made up her mind that the “worst thing” had happened. Dots thought the worst
had
happened. Boysie was sure it had already happened. Still, none of them said what he really thought. Then, a voice belonging to one of them, shouted something. It took some time for them to realize whose voice.
“Look, look!”
Boysie was pointing at something inside the glass partition. “Look!” he exclaimed. And they looked. But they saw nothing. Dots was about to swear at him again. “Look at that valise, man! the valise there, tied-up with a piece o’ string, a piece o’ string that could only come from one place, namely, Barbados. That is
we
string, man!”
“Oh Christ, yes!” Bernice was jumping up and shouting. “And look! the valise has Estelle’s name on it. And it address to, to …
care of Miss Bernice Leach, Forest Hill … ”
“Oh God, she come!” Dots said.
“She here, man, she here!”
“She come, she come, Estelle come!” Bernice said. “And didn’t I tell you all the time she …”
“Estelle in the land, and I did know all the time, that you two stupid womens was only moaning …”
“Looka, Boysie, shut your damn face, do! You were guessing. How the hell could you alone, outta the three o’ we, have known a thing like that?”
They waited a little while longer before they saw Estelle come out. She was mad. Carrying a parcel in one hand, her passport in the other, she was looking round for a face she knew. The black woman sitting on her side of the fence was still there; and Estelle looked at her, and said within her heart, I beat you, you bitch! but still it saddened her to see the black woman sitting so long on the bench; and without much hope. And then saw Bernice; and she wanted to scream for joy, for relief; but she realized that many people were watching; and she restrained herself. And she wished she was back in Barbados, because back in Barbados, she wouldn’t give a damn, she would shout as loud as she liked because she was home andfree to shout,
Bernice, good Jesus Christ, girl, I land, at last!
She glanced round and saw the black woman, exiled on her bench, smiling. She too, would know the feeling of exhilaration, had
she
been back home. “Little, little Estelle, who I used to hold in my hand, when she was a little baby …” Bernice began; but tears were in her eyes now. She took out a lace handkerchief which Mrs. Burrmann had given her for her birthday, and she moved it in front of her face; and when it reached her mouth, she rested it there for a while, while the water continued to come out of her eyes. And when they passed the fatness of her jaws, they stained the glass because she was still leaning against it. “Little, little Estelle …”
“She
“Don’t mind him! Estelle coming, gal. She ’bliged and bound to pass through this door.”
“The worst things that could happen to Estelle, according to that black fellar, the red cap fellar … ”
“Look, Boysie, nobody ain’t asking you for no opinion, man!” And to show him how disgusted she was with his attitude, Dots moved to the other side of Bernice, far from him. She rested her hand on Bernice’s shoulder. “Christ! man, you is nothing but a black cat in my path, bringing me bad luck on top o’ bad luck.”
“Sometimes, gorblummuh woman, you makes me feel you too decent for a man like me, you don’t know? You sorry you married me?”
“We are not asking you for no advice, Boysie!”
Boysie fell silent. Bernice fell silent. And after this, Dots herself was silent. For some time, they remained standing in front of the new crowd which had gathered; waiting, waiting for Estelle to appear from inside. Bernice had already made up her mind that the “worst thing” had happened. Dots thought the worst
had
happened. Boysie was sure it had already happened. Still, none of them said what he really thought. Then, a voice belonging to one of them, shouted something. It took some time for them to realize whose voice.
“Look, look!”
Boysie was pointing at something inside the glass partition. “Look!” he exclaimed. And they looked. But they saw nothing. Dots was about to swear at him again. “Look at that valise, man! the valise there, tied-up with a piece o’ string, a piece o’ string that could only come from one place, namely, Barbados. That is
we
string, man!”
“Oh Christ, yes!” Bernice was jumping up and shouting. “And look! the valise has Estelle’s name on it. And it address to, to …
care of Miss Bernice Leach, Forest Hill … ”
“Oh God, she come!” Dots said.
“She here, man, she here!”
“She come, she come, Estelle come!” Bernice said. “And didn’t I tell you all the time she …”
“Estelle in the land, and I did know all the time, that you two stupid womens was only moaning …”
“Looka, Boysie, shut your damn face, do! You were guessing. How the hell could you alone, outta the three o’ we, have known a thing like that?”
They waited a little while longer before they saw Estelle come out. She was mad. Carrying a parcel in one hand, her passport in the other, she was looking round for a face she knew. The black woman sitting on her side of the fence was still there; and Estelle looked at her, and said within her heart, I beat you, you bitch! but still it saddened her to see the black woman sitting so long on the bench; and without much hope. And then saw Bernice; and she wanted to scream for joy, for relief; but she realized that many people were watching; and she restrained herself. And she wished she was back in Barbados, because back in Barbados, she wouldn’t give a damn, she would shout as loud as she liked because she was home andfree to shout,
Bernice, good Jesus Christ, girl, I land, at last!
She glanced round and saw the black woman, exiled on her bench, smiling. She too, would know the feeling of exhilaration, had
she
been back home. “Little, little Estelle, who I used to hold in my hand, when she was a little baby …” Bernice began; but tears were in her eyes now. She took out a lace handkerchief which Mrs. Burrmann had given her for her birthday, and she moved it in front of her face; and when it reached her mouth, she rested it there for a while, while the water continued to come out of her eyes. And when they passed the fatness of her jaws, they stained the glass because she was still leaning against it. “Little, little Estelle …”
“She
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