She watched as her uncle bite into a big slice, the juice from the fruit running down his beard. His beard and whiskers were well trimmed, running straight on both sides of his face. Ignoring the liquid on his face, he asked between bites. ‘Where is, ya brother?’‘He is still asleep, uncle.’ Suzie replied. Uncle Tomas then glanced at Pa who was still leaning on the window sill facing outdoors, and addressed him.

Getting up abruptly from the coconut stump, Sean started pacing.‘Great, just bloody great! What am I to do with two hundred dollars?’ Sean shouted. Tomas glanced guiltily towards the house and mouthed. ‘Keep ya voice down. I duh want Abigale to overhear our conversation.’Ignoring his comment, Sean continued on his rampage. ‘I gave you five hundred dollars, Tomas. You screwed up big time! I

Locating her bag, Suzie removed the arithmetic textbook, along with some scrap paper and pencil to do some practice questions. After about an hour, she felt a headache coming on. Massaging her temple, she placed the textbook aside. Mathematics had never been one of her strong points. She needed some help. She could ask Pa to assist her, he was good with numbers, but he was not a patient teacher. Suzie would prefer someone who could break down the sums to her step by step, so she could fully understand. Jerald was her next option. He was Mr. Richie’s only son, and Suzie heard that he was a Maths genius. She would need to ask Pa’s permission first, though. Her father would not approve of her going to spend time at Jerald's

***Sean stretched out on a blanket under one of the coconut trees. His long, sinewy legs surpassed the length of the soft material but he hardly noticed. He casually placed a wad of cloth under his head to cushion from the rough dirt as he tried to relax. His face was turned towards the night sky. For tonight, right at this moment, he was content. There were so many stars out. They were scattered across the heavenly body and twinkling brightly. The sky reminded him of a Christmas tree decorated with only white lights. He wondered what was going on up there. It seemed like the stars were playing a silent symphony with all that twinkling. He wished he was among them. The stars were carefree with nothing to weigh them down. Inhaling deep

Suzie dreamt that she was bathing under the spring. The water was cool and refreshing as it ran down her body. The day was hot and the sun actually burned her skin. Looking around her, Suzie realized that there were several girls her age from the neighborhood, bathing alongside her. A few feet from them, she saw her brother and his cousin bathing in one of the small pools, laughing and horsing around. Going to a nearby rock, she retrieved a piece of soap and started vigorously washing her hair. All of a sudden, the foam turned slimy and her hair started knotting, making it difficult for her hands to push through the roots. Turning towards one of the girls, she opened her mouth to ask for help, but no words came out. Frantically, she