Chapter 9
Amelia should have been happy; every day she was making at least five paper money. The ocean kept on providing beautiful shells. Every day she was amazed by their colours, shapes and patterns. She was proud she could provide something so beautiful, and became more and more confident selling to tourists. She spent her money on food for her and Prince and the other children. Prince noticed that she had been looking sad, so every day he said they should have a treat: an ice-cream, a fizzy drink. Amelia was still upset by the way she had been conned by Rosa Ann. She resented the way people still called her abandoned. She didn’t know how much longer she would be living in the shed for. What if Melchior came and took Prince away? What if he said she was not his family and cast her out? The fisherman had said he was kind, but could you trust adults? Look at Aunt Flo, she had said that the people on the beach were kind and there was lots of food, but many children went without. Fisherman Papa would still cook for the children, but Amelia would stop everyone from having three portions and go and look by the side of the road for more hungry children to come and share. George and Beno said she was crazy as she desperately shared out the fish. She would tell off fisherman Papa saying,
‘Why don’t you catch more fish? Why don’t you feed all of the children on the beach every day? Why are you always laughing?
George got angry and told her not to speak to his Papa like that; he was the only one giving away something, but fisherman Papa said,
‘You are right little one. I must work harder and pray for more fish for all my little fish faces. I spoke to my boss and he said I can keep your friends as long as they don’t go toilet around the hut.’
‘You mean Pinky and Pearl can sleep here?’
‘Pinky, Pearl, you want to sleep here? He asked
The two girls shrieked and ran and hugged fisherman Papa. Jasper looked sadly at his shoes. Amelia felt bad. He probably needed a better place to sleep too.
‘We have to find a place for you too Jasper,’ she said
‘Don’t worry about me man. I don’t want to smell of fish, and I like the road. I have plenty of friends with the town boys. I can never get in a fight because a town boy will always defend me.’
Amelia remembered that he sewed fishing nets.
‘Hey Fisherman Papa, Jasper can sew and fix nets if yours have a tear.’
‘Really little man? I can sew too, but I will share your name about to the other fishermen.’
‘Thanks’ said Jasper. He had on the t-shirt Amelia had given him. He had been wearing it for two weeks. Amelia always felt sad looking at jasper. He was kind of sweet and intelligent. He ought to have a Mum to look after him, and a new t-shirt every day. No matter what improvement Amelia made it was never enough. There was never enough food; their clothes always looked old compared to the tourists and town picnickers. Why were there two kinds of children: rich children and poor children? Thought Amelia. Couldn’t somebody see that the children needed more? Were the people blind? Were they made of something different as they pushed you away from their children and called you abandoned?
Amelia didn’t say ‘thank you’ to fisherman Papa for taking in Pinky and Pearl. She just started to shout at him that he would have to give them milk for their teeth. They would have to brush their teeth. Prince’s fisherman had brought her a toothbrush after she told him Rosa Ann had said beach children didn’t brush their teeth. She didn’t tell him she had been robbed. Realising that she was shouting and spoiling the fish feast, she walked outside to calm down. She really had a jealousy for the Fisherman Papa. He could sing and dance and make jokes and was always smiling. Amelia just felt sad and low. She could never imagine singing anymore. In the city with her grandmother she had been quite quiet and lonely. Her grandmother hadn’t let her play with other children as she said that there would be too much mischief and she was too old for that. Sometimes there was a school in a church, but it was only for two hours. Amelia spent too much time listening to make friends. She wanted to be able to read. She had heard people cursing other people as stupid for not being able to read the paper.
Amelia went back inside and thanked the fisherman. He thanked her for bringing new fish to see him. There were about twenty new children eating fish. Their eyes were shining as they ate it. They had all recently arrived. One of them cried that his mother had died, and Fisherman Papa hugged him and told him his mother was an angel looking down at him. Everyone began to tell sad stories and the mood saddened. Fisherman Papa went outside and put up two sticks and an old piece of net.
‘Come on everybody! Outside, Volleyball!’ he said and started to throw a ball into the air. The children came outside and he showed them how to play. At first, Amelia didn’t join in thinking she would be too bad at hitting the ball with her hands, but Prince, who had come to the feast, joined in and pulled her in to the game. Amelia ran and hit the ball. Fisherman Papa clapped. She hit the ball every time and started to enjoy herself with all the other children.
When the game was over, Fisherman Papa said,
‘You will all remember this party on the beach. You have sad memories, but you have to live for the day. Those rich children you all want to be like, do you think they had as much fun as us today?’
All the children shook their heads and smiled at each other.
‘Tomorrow we will hear the greatest musician in the country. The great Star-Strummer! He is from a village near mine. Not many people know of him yet, but when he plays the guitar, you have to dance!’
‘I can’t imagine dancing to a guitar,’ said Peto
‘Yeah what is that? I dance to Reggae, Soca or Pop. Who dances to guitars?’ said Beno
‘You will see. It is not just him; he has someone playing percussion, shaking it making you go crazy; someone playing the trumpet like salsa! It will be a treat not to be missed. I will be on the boat so I will not see him until later, but you should all go and dance, be happy, forget sadness. He is playing up near the hotel. Don’t forget his name; Star Strummer. Speak to him and tell him fisherman Papa sent you.’
Amelia looked at Prince
‘You going?’ she asked him
‘I only like rap, not some old thing,’ said Prince.
They got ready to go and meet their fisherman back at the hut. She watched Jasper sadly walk to the road. She would have to see if she could help him. There were a lot of huts just quiet and empty near theirs. She had tried asking their fisherman if more children could stay, but he just shook his head. Maybe she could find another hut owner to help. She would keep some shells as presents, or buy friendship bracelets from her friends as offerings to the hut owners if she saw them. Some of the older boys of thirteen or fourteen turned mean and joined gangs because there was no one else to look out for them. Amelia wouldn’t like this to happen to Jasper. There was Peto too, always so cheerful. She began to feel sad again that the world here was not kind to all the children. Sometimes all kinds of mad and dangerous people would try to hurt them. Who was in charge? Why didn’t they change it? She didn’t even want to be rich anymore if everybody else couldn’t be rich too. Thinking like this made her head hurt. She was a bit thirsty so she told Prince that she was going to get water before night. She walked to the tap, pausing to speak with Raindrop who was looking after five little toddlers she had found abandoned on the beach. She said that she had been saving up to go and visit her husband as she wanted to go back to sleeping in a bed, but she kept finding these little toddlers all alone. They were so adorable she stopped, and paid them attention, and bought them some milk. She couldn’t stand to see the hollowing in of their eyes and cheeks. Amelia cuddled one, a little coffee skinned boy with spiky black Indian hair standing on end. It was strange but Raindrop seemed happier than she had ever seen her as she sang and chatted to the little ones, but it made Amelia feel sad. She told Raindrop she was off to buy water, and offered to bring some back for her. Nearby she saw Melons so she called out to him, and he came bringing melon for all the lit
tle ones who showed smiled showing off their pearly little teeth.
‘How is your shop?’ asked Melons as he was leaving.
‘Oh I am doing big time at my shop making lots of dollars!’ she shouted back. She smiled as she walked off, but then she felt a firm arm grab hers.
‘If you are making a lot of dollars, then surely this is against the law. The council does not know of any such shop. You are Amelia who sells seashells, you told me this yourself.’ Said the policeman who she had spoken to at the tap
Amelia looked into the policeman’s face, afraid. What if he was going to throw her in jail?
‘If I told the council you could go to prison where it is very dark and dangerous. Let me think, shall I tell them?’
‘Please don’t tell them Sir, I am not a criminal. It’s just I need the money for food, and I give food to all the children,’ she begged.
‘If you have money to give away, you can give money to me. I have a system; I usually take fifty percent from traders to avoid trouble. So I will come and see you, and you will give me half of what you make.’
Amelia felt furious, but afraid of the big Policeman. She said nothing.
‘If you would prefer jail, I can arrange that tonight,’ he said menacingly.
‘No Sir, I will give you the fifty percent,’ she said.
‘Good. I will come tomorrow. Don’t try, and tell anyone or you will be in the worst jail with the rats.’
He let her go. She felt devastated, and quickly ran to the tap. She felt so bad that she did not even feel like telling her problem to Raindrop or Prince, but kept it bottled inside, hoping it would go away.