Wonders Never Cease

31, Jan 2000
This is my constituency," Mr K shouted to the marchers. 'And I say we going down Socorro.'

'It was the first time that Billy felt proud for having walked away from obvious confrontation. He was elated.'

Ross jumped into the air to better see the front-line of the band of marchers that was now being confronted by the police. He cupped his hand to this mouth and shouted over and over as he jumped: "Blow 'way de police! Blow 'way de police!"

At that moment, Mr K, himself, took the bull-horn from Inspector Ramdawan. "This is my constituency," Mr K shouted to the marchers. "And I say we going down Socorro."

Then, with a politeness that appeared to underline a certain disdain, he turned and said to the Inspector of Police, "I take full responsibility for this march. I call on you, Mr Inspector, to move your ranks from blocking this intersection." It was an order rather than a supplication. The marchers cheered wildly. Mr K smiled broadly once again.

"We have diverse eats and drinks awaiting you after this demonstration," he continued, and in response to the thunderous applause and blasting whistles that came from the crowd, he too put his hands together in salutation to his own wisdom.

Yes, Billy thought to himself, wonders never cease... the usual rum and roti...

Inspector Ramdawan pulled the candidate aside and they huddled close in a tete a tete that lasted mere seconds, then they nodded to each other.

Billy looked closely at the two men, so alike in physical attributes, who only moments ago seemed headed to open confrontation arising out of their sacred vocations. What could they have possibly agreed on so quickly? Billy had cause to wonder. The Inspector ordered the line of policemen to move away. They complied in quick time like robots. The band moved into Socorro.

"Run, yuh run, Pooransingh, oh, run yuh run!" the marchers continued to sing their song as they moved on.

Ross in his own malady and ever the creative mischief continued to inject his own lines. Now he was shouting above the music: "We go show dem who is boss in this country, we go show them who is boss in Augustus Long's Island!"

Even during the short impasse between the Inspector and Mr K, Billy did not stop strumming the cuatro but he could no longer sing the words far less mouth those specific interjections churned out of Ross' mind. Indeed, he had become quite apprehensive.

A strange feeling had suddenly gripped his insides and refused to allow such words out of his mouth. He felt certain that they were all being set up.

Deep inside Socorro the streets were deserted. Neither the white-washed mud ajoupas nor the huge modern houses on stilt-like pillars seemed to contain life. Windows facing the streets were slightly ajar and Billy could almost feel the piercing eyes.

Rumours began to circulate throughout the band of suspicious postulants.

Jake came over to Billy and said: "Dey saying man wid guns behind dem windows and even up in de trees."

Billy nodded and he looked up, his fingers still strumming, but he could see no one pointing guns from trees. Yet he was suddenly aware of a greater presence of Adidas-bag handlers around. The drums were now much louder, almost frantic, and the pace got hotter and wilder.

The words of the song were being given a much more vitriolic expression. Ross was spinning and jumping and shouting and twirling and cussing like a man possessed.

Following Ross' lead many of the marchers brazenly drifted into yards and stuck their flowers in roofs, in holes, anywhere they could reach to lodge their emblems.

Suddenly, the road forked and to the left there stood a line of Indian men, legs apart, arms folded across their chests. They stood silently, defiantly, some 14 of them, under a huge banner which read:

"Vote NDP! Pooransingh for Prime Minister!"
The marchers instinctively veered to the left heading straight towards the men. Mr K was no where to be seen. Even Inspector Ramdawan seemed to have disappeared into thin air. And when years later the latter was declared as a long time CIA operative in Long's Island, Billy would recall that day and be further convinced that his apprehension and disquiet then, indeed, were quite justified and probably the initial sparks to a new consciousness.

A police sergeant suddenly came into the picture. It was the first time that Billy had laid eyes on his huge, black, six-foot giant of a man. His face glistened with sweat that also soaked his gray, wool tunic. He gave no commands but simply stretched out his gargantuan hands like the Biblical figure on the cross.

Only then did Billy stop strumming as he stared upwards at this inhuman, blessed sight. The line of policemen behind the figure readied themselves once again just as they had done before at the previous intersection. The sergeant gave no commands. But it was clear to all the marchers, even Ross and the Adidas-bag handlers, that to proceed any further, blood had to be shed. The senselessness stung Billy.

He pulled Ross back by the scruff of the neck and the rest of the immediate circle followed as they made their way back to main East-West roadway. The entire band argued for a while then turned to do likewise. Mr K still could not be found anywhere.

Billy felt a mellowness as they walked. They spread out wide across the entire breadth of the street not much unlike the 14 or so Indian men under their banner down in Socorro. It was the first time that Billy felt proud for having walked away from obvious confrontation. He was elated. He began to strum the chords to another song. It was a happy song:
"Walk, children, walk/walk in the middle o' de road/and we drink we rum and we mash up de British/walk in de middle o' de road..."

At the Junction an Indian man stumbled out of a bus, he looked at the youths some of whom held emblems in their hands and bellowed indignantly:
"When Pooran win dis election, all allyuh setta stinking, dutty nigger go such salt in Long Island..."

He could not finish for they sprang on him like enraged tigers. The man panicked and ran towards the police vans parked at the corner. He crawled into the van but could not escape the reign of blows that fell onto his head and body. Two policemen in the van, who had heard the outburst, turned their faces...

"That's enough!" one shouted eventually. "Get to hell out of dis van," he added. "All of you!"

Billy walked to the side and vomited into the canal...