Part 3 - Naturalized Flies

When Ena arrived in Kingston, she realized just how ready she was for the next step in her journey. She swallowed hard as she tried to adjust to the new sounds and smells of the hurried environment. Droves of people in noisy shoes, smoky smells from the many motor cars, and boisterous vendors begging for patronage pounded desperately on her senses. She shut her eyes so tight that they hurt and started to hum to herself. She’d been to Kingston with her father once before, when she was seven years old, but she’d remembered it to be more magical and less irksome. It was as if she’d been swallowed by a cow that had just gulped down a swarm of bees. She was much more accustomed to dirt roads, animal crossings, and the smell of ground provisions and drum-pan cooked meat. Her busiest days were spent herding goats and chickens, and helping her brothers in the family field. 

“Child, keep your wits about you as we walk, otherwise you goin’ to end up selling peanuts on di street!”  Mrs. Playfair had noticed how Ena curled into herself like a turtle in its shell.  Once they had settled in on the plane, she would delve into Ena’s beautiful brain and find out how the last two days had left her.  They hadn’t spoken much since Ena got to Mrs. Playfair’s house, as Mrs. Playfair wasn’t at home much at all.  She had used the time to make visits and run errands and prepare her house for the boarders who would arrive two days after her departure.  She longed to dive into Ena’s thoughts, but no time for that now, because they had to take another bus to the airport, and get to their gate in time to catch their flight. Ena opened her eyes, and as they maneuvered through the crowd, she caught sight of a vendor’s stall across the street.  Her stall stood out because of its array of colors and materials that seemed fit only for the most royal of families. 

“Miss, look on those pretty materials! I could buy one for you, you know, because my daddy give me some silvers.” Mrs. Playfair nodded quickly as they continued to make their way through the throng. Ena wished they’d gotten to Kingston in time for her to tarry a bit. She would’ve purchased some royal cloth from that vendor. She wanted a souvenir that she could give to Mrs. Playfair to commemorate their private exodus.  They had journeyed together before, Ena and Mrs. Playfair, but in the sense that Mrs. Playfair took Ena away from the chaos in her mind.  This journey however, was the most important, and it was Ena’s secret to bear that it would be their last.

 It was only two days ago that Ena arrived at Mrs. Playfair’s, her big brown eyes filled with resolve, ready to go to America. Ena had literally run away, seven miles to be exact, to travel with Mrs. Playfair to America where they would study for six months.  Ena’s father, Mas Jas, had secretly completed the necessary forms and brought them to Mrs. Playfair without anyone else’s knowledge, including his wife, Madeline. He knew she would never allow their only daughter to venture out of their district, much less off the island. If Madeline had her way, Ena would stop going to school and start “being of use” to her family. But the Universe had given Ena her own bona fide rescue brigade consisting of Mas Jas and Mrs. Playfair, her teacher. 

“Miss, please if we can go over to dat stall to look on di material dem?”  Ena tugged on Mrs. Playfair’s shirt as like a four-year-old asking for ice cream. 

“Girl child, we don’t have time for dat now, Mrs. Playfair responded. “Pick up those long legs yu have an set dem in motion, di bus soon come!” Even when Mrs. Playfair was being stern, Ena could still see compassion in her eyes, and safety routes along the deep lines on her face. 

There were many nights that Ena lay awake in her small bed thinking of how her life might be different if she belonged to Clara Playfair. She’d imagined everything from being her daughter to being her favorite hair brush. Ena loved her with a sense of purpose.  She felt that Mrs. Playfair was God’s way of reminding her that He existed and that He remembered her.  She only hoped that God would understand what she had to do when she reached America. 

“Please take care of Mrs. Playfair,” she prayed silently. “And please mek sure she forgives me.” 

Boom-Boom-Bap! Boom-di-Boom! The bus radio was loudly blasting Dancehall music just as her friend Kezia had told her the city buses often did. She grinned and gripped her belongings as she approached the bus conductor to pay her fare. As she stepped onto the bus, she closed her eyes for a quick moment, to remind God that she’d told him she’d be needing a little extra attention that day.

Next stop, Norman Manley International Airport!

When the plane landed, Ena felt the mixture of aches and uncertainty lift from her body like an unwanted burlap cloak. She was not accustomed to sitting in one place for so long, and the rigid seats were unkind to her bony backside. She was very nervous as the plane landed, but once it did, her mind returned to the state of wonderment that she’d experienced since she realized she was actually leaving the island.

Ding!  Clip. Clip. Clip. The seat belt symphony began as passengers shuffled about to reach their bags and line up to depart the plane. When Ena stood up, she felt certain her legs had transformed into those of a healthy young horse, like the one Mr. Gabidon, the sugar cane man, rode, and she absolutely knew that she could gallop right off the plane, onto the tarmac and into…something…wonderful. 

“Child, you look like you on di startin’ block on Sports Day!” Mrs. Playfair laughed as she observed Ena. “All you need to do now is move dat head from side to side and flash your hands before you tek off,” she continued. 

Ena giggled as she reached below the seat in front of her to grab the only bag she carried. She was jittery, and felt that the plane could no longer contain the sense of urgency that was moving from her new legs and up into her spine. Great! The line is moving. The corners of her mouth could have touched her ears as she smiled a smile of impatience and awe. As she exited the plane and entered Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she inhaled deep, taking in the essence of what was to be her true birthday.

As they sat in the yellow taxi and rode to the campus, Ena could not believe her eyes.  Tall buildings and roads devoid of potholes bewildered her. Even the trees looked like they were each assigned a care-taker to make sure not one leaf grew out of place. She wondered if she might have been dreaming, because she just couldn’t believe her eyes! She was especially taken aback by the sight of flies swarming around a garbage can at a stop light. Flies? She didn’t know that America had flies! Back home she was swatting them like crazy, and now she finds out some of them actually made it all the way to America. What good fortune they had, and now she could truthfully say that she had good fortune as well. Mrs. Playfair reached over and held Ena’s hand. She looked into the girl’s eyes and noticed that something seemed different. She had known Ena since she was a preschool aged child, and had taught her for the past four years. Never had she seen this particular look in her eyes, and she wondered what Ena was processing. 

“You look like you have a plan to save di world, child,” Mrs. Playfair tilted her head to the side as she stared onto Ena’s face. “You and quiet was never friends, so how come you using him now?” 

“Am I being quiet?” Ena asked in her most genuine tone. She had been fixated on the streets and was feeling hurried as she wasn’t sure how much time she had left. “I jus, I jus really need to use the bathroom. I cannot hold it any more, but I didn’t want to tell you,” she continued. “Please if we can stop around here somewhere, Miss?” 

The taxi driver, overhearing their conversation, adjusted his mirror to look at Mrs. Playfair and said, “Hey, I can pull over at this next gas station and fill up while she goes, it’s no biggie.” 

“What is no biggie?” Mrs. Playfair asked, confused.

“Huh?” said the taxi driver. “So should I pull in or what?” 

“Yes, please,” she responded.

Ena stepped out of the cab with her bag in hand. “Why, pray tell, do you need to bring the bag, Ena?” Mrs. Playfair questioned. 

“Miss, I have my female tings in there and I need them,” she had already rehearsed her response. 

She stared at Clara Playfair one last time to etch the topography of her face into her brain, hoping she had somehow figured out her plan, and had already forgiven her deep down. She said her silent prayer again, and headed off to the bathroom as Mrs. Playfair went inside to get herself and Ena something to drink. When the coast was clear, Ena darted out of the bathroom and made good use of her new legs. 

“Happy Biiiiirtdaaaay to me,” she whispered.

Surely, if flies can make it all the way to America, she could make it to another town. 

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