The Empty Hammock (14 page)

“There is nothing frightening about death,” Orocobix tucked her head further under his chin, “especially if life is not worth living.”

“That’s why some of your people would have rather died than lived under Spanish rule. They killed themselves.”

Long after he had fallen asleep, Ana held unto him desperately. Not even the future seemed worth living in after this.

She loved him, and did not want to be parted from him ever again. Even being buried in a cave seemed preferable than life without him. She tried to gain some perspective as her mind went haywire. She was an intelligent thinker of the twenty first century and here she was clinging to what would be known as a primitive man, refusing to let him go. Refusing to accept that the future would happen exactly as it should.

There must be something she could do.

The niggling thought that there were no Tainos in twenty-first century Jamaica sent shivers up her spine. She would lose Orocobix and her new friends and even her family. She thought of Basila and even the jealous Tanama; vibrant people who loved and lived and were happy would be snuffed out. But if the past were changed even marginally, what would she go back to in the future? Would there be a Carey or Clara?

She had to choose: the past or the future.

A little voice at the back of her head mocked her silently, “It’s not your decision. This is just a dream.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Ana was disoriented and groggy when she woke up the next day. She went to bathe with the women of the cacique’s house at one of the streams.

Yuisa had made a sweet smelling soap from animal fat, the day before; to this she had added jasmine blossoms. It shocked Ana that the round crude looking soap bar smelled so good. She was learning more about the versatility of the Tainos everyday.

The women of the chief’s house included his wives, unmarried daughters and his sisters.

Yuisa led the group down to the stream. She was obviously happy. She smiled at Ana, “I have always wanted to make jasmine scented soap. Oromico loves the scent and I have tried and tried to get it into the soaps and now I have!

She held up the big chunk of soap and pressed it into Ana’s hand. “Smell it.”

Ana inhaled the soap and smiled, it was indeed sweet smelling.

“I will make some for you to take to Bieke.”

“Thank you, Yuisa.” Ana was feeling a little emotional since waking up in the past beside Orocobix, every gesture brought tears to her eyes. The unfeigned kindness of Yuisa made her feel like crying rivers at the feet of the unsuspecting woman.

They headed down to the crystal clear stream. Smooth stones could be seen at the bottom of the gently moving water. It was cold to the touch and Ana yelped when she put her finger into its depths.

Yuisa broke off pieces of the soap and the women took theirs with glee. They jumped and splashed in the stream, rubbing themselves with their chunk of the bar.

“Yuisa you are the only wife who doesn’t have a child,” Ana said, while Yuisa splashed beside her.

Yuisa raised her hand above her head and her ample breasts jiggled. “I made peace with that Ana, I am sure Basila told you what happened,” there was a hurt expression on her face and Ana felt like a heel. How could she know what happened? She wasn’t the one that Basila told.

“I am sorry.” Ana said softly, “I seem not to remember some things.”

Yuisa sighed and sat in the middle of the stream, the rushing waters bubbled around her middle as she hung her head for the water to run through her hair.

“I was captured by the Caribs when they came to Maima many moons ago.”

Ana gasped. “But you are here now.”

“Oromico’s father was the chief then. They carried away most of Oromico’s sisters and they got me too.” Yuisa gestured for Ana to come closer and Ana splashed in the water and sat on a stone near her. “You are the only one I am going to tell this to Ana.”

Ana nodded solemnly.

“The chief of the Caribs, on the land we call Cubanakan, was Barshka. He looked frightening when he carted us away but when we left the shores of Yamaye, they put away their warrior costumes. When they washed away the warrior paint they looked like ordinary men,” said Yuisa. “Barshka was handsome. He claimed me for himself. I was promised to be joined with Oromico and I knew that he loved me; so I felt guilty when I developed feelings for the fierce enemy. I did not want to be returned to Maima, Ana. I pretended that I did for the sake of the others who were captured. They killed the men by pushing them out at sea after cutting them and then took the women that they fancied. I struggled to look tearful for Oromico’s sister’s sake, but I loved what Barshka did to me.”

Ana was bowled over by the story and she could only nod as she stared at the gentle features of Yuisa.

“We stopped in Bohio, for another raid,” Yuisa licked her lips, “Guacanagari and his men, rescued me from the Caribs. They killed Barshka and I had to pretend that I was happy,” her eyes clouded over. “The medicine man in Bohio gave me a mixture to prevent me from having a child. I never recovered from that. Oromico came to claim me shortly after; I was the only one that was rescued. The Caribs escaped with the others.”

“Wow, what a story.”

“I found my true love amongst the Caribs but I am happy now with Oromico, his other wives are good women and they give him the children he loves so much. I sometimes wonder how the others feared out. What I realized from that experience is that the Caribs are ordinary men who love war.”

“Do you think,” Ana asked thoughtfully, “that there are any pure blooded Caribs, since they captured the Taino women so much? There must be some of your peaceful nature in their bones.”

“They are men,” Yuisa answered carefully, “like our men. They do what they grew up knowing.”

Agita came to join them then and they had to stop discussing the Caribs.

******

Oromico, Orocobix, the Behique and ten elders were in the council hall. It was a hut with many stools that the elders used for meetings; it was in close proximity to the Chief’s family house.

Ana could smell the tobacco smoke before she reached the brow of the hill. They believed in the spiritual powers of the tobacco and it was an essential part of their dances and their meetings—one day she would give a lecture about the effects of tobacco on their health. It was amazing, how the Spaniards came to the Caribbean and adopted the bad habit from the Arawaks.

The effect of smoking was known in modern times as a major killer, but could it be that the adaptation of this one vice was payback for the thousands of Arawaks that died by the hands of the explorers?—the Arawaks were enslaved but they introduced their masters to another form of slavery. She shook her head at the fanciful thoughts.

The Behique appeared at the door of the meetinghouse as Ana climbed the hill. He gestured for her to come to him. She headed toward the old man slowly, his expression was stern and he held himself straight. Probably she was going to be reprimanded for interrupting the sacred naming ceremony.

She felt herself getting unaccountably nervous. She was going to face the Cacique and his men officially. Then she shook herself. She had chaired staff meetings before and made presentations to leading men in Jamaica’s corporate world, why was she nervous about standing before naked men who were long dead?

The Behique stepped aside as she entered the dim interior of the meetinghouse. He went to sit down at his place in the circle, he indicated a stool near the center that was empty and she sat down hard, underestimating the height of the stool, her buttocks screamed in pain. She silently winced and glanced at Orocobix who had a half smile on his face.

“We have been discussing your revelations,” Oromico said quietly.

The elders nodded. “Your husband made a good case for you Ana.”

Ana stared at them bemusedly, through the smoky air she could see their expressions, one elder who seemed to be the oldest was regarding her with paternal pride.

“You were always a dreamer, my father used to listen to you keenly, as will I now.” Oromico looked at her and grimaced, “I do not like this vision.”

“It does not matter if you like it,” Ana said, clearing her throat. “It will happen. This world, as you know it, is coming swiftly to an end. History records that you greeted these men with joy and peace. Well, I’m asking you to go against your nature and arm yourselves. Do not make it easy for them. Kill them when they come here.”

There was a collective gasp in the hut.

“We are the good people,” one elder said, Ana recognized him as Guam, the husband of Agita the foreigner.

“The good people are the dead people,” Ana said forcefully, “this will be a war that cannot be solved by offering food. This is a war that has to be fought with weapons, like bows and arrows and poison in the food.”

I am a revolutionist,
Ana thought, like Joan of Arc she felt her head getting bigger as she watched the expressions of the men in the circle; she would have an impact on history. When she woke up, her name would be splashed in history books as the woman that led the Tainos to defeat the Spanish.

“We do not have many weapons Ana.” Oromico said sighing. “We always uphold the way of peace.”

The lack of weapons could pose a problem to her world dominance plans. “Well you have to gather everything you have, all your bows and arrows; the time will be upon us soon. Have you heard of Guacanagari’s vision?”

The elders nodded, “every Taino has heard of this vision.”

“Well it is true, and it will come to pass. The evil men will first arrive at Bahamas and then sail for Cubanakan and finally to Bohio. They will be shipwrecked and forty men will be left on Bohio to keep a fort. There the evil will begin, they will try to steal women and they will anger the people.”

Orocobix had a pained expression on his face when Ana glanced at him. The rest of the elders sat stone faced, one had a look of fear in his eyes, the Behique’s hands were trembling and he shuffled his feet and folded his arms.

“Go on,” Oromico said and gestured with his hand, he was eagerly waiting for the next installment of the story, his eyes looked excited.

Was he crazy? Didn’t he realize the danger ahead?

“Well, your people, the Tainos, will peacefully accept these men but Caonabo, the half-Carib and his clan, will kill these evil men. The outrage of what they did became too much for him. They will rape the women, keep as many as four per man, and ill-treat the men, sometimes setting them afire, just to see them burn.”

“Yes.” There was fire in Guam’s eyes and Ana realized what she was doing, she was unnecessarily stirring up these peaceful men about events that were probably not hers to reveal.

“On May fourth 1494 they will come here. They will come near Oromico’ village first, but will land at Bieke; modern Jamaicans will call it Rio Bueno. That’s at your spot Orocobix,” she closed her eyes, if history was accurate any at all, what she said would be true. She always preferred her father’s version that they landed first at Rio Bueno which would mean Bieke in this time.

“The evil men will be stranded here at Maima, nine summers later. Here they will spend a year. They are not to be trusted. They only want gold, and they will do anything for it.”

Ana sat rigidly and breathed out deeply. She was about to say something else, when Yuisa ran up to the door of the Council house. A short man was behind her, his face was heavily scarred with tattoos.

“Oromico.” Yuisa was excited, her eyes shining. “Bajari has brought great news from Bohio.”

Oromico nodded and then he turned and looked at Ana, his eyes blazing. Ana could see the stark fear in his eyes. He had finally realized she was not a storyteller or weaving a fable for entertainment. He felt in his bones that the news would not be good.

“What is it Bajari?” Oromico’s voice was harsh.

The elders were still; the excited Bajari sensed their tension and his broad smile slipped a little.

“There were strangers, many of them. They came to us many moons ago.”

She was in the middle of the making of history. This really happened; it was not just book talk. It really happened. She felt excited…overwhelmed. Then she glanced over at Orocobix and saw the dread on his face and she sobered up a bit.

“Tell us about them.” Oromico said, his voice sounding raspy.

Nobody replied and Ana looked up from her reverie and realized everyone was looking at her, including Yuisa, who had no idea of what was going on.

“Might be he should tell you,” Ana gestured to Bajari, who looked disappointed, that his news was met with such pessimism. “I too would like to know.”

“They were tall men of great girth,” Bajari enthused, “they had on yards and yards of cloth. Their skin was as pale as the froth on the sea. They came in huge canoes with cotton cloths attached to them. They have different hair colors and eye colors, some were as green as the grass, others as blue as the sky.”

Guam gasped his eyes opened wide. “Agita,” he whispered, “they are her people.”

“Their giant ship sunk and they stayed on our land,” Bajari gushed on. “Chief Guacanagari greeted the white haired leader with a hug. They spoke a funny language and they smell like wet ducks. My mother says that’s the smell of the gods.”