“Constance been here too-too many years—so we call her we oldest.” Miss Benedict stop to look over she shoulder. Outside People facing Miss Benedict, but they eyes look like they searching for someone and no one at the same time.
“People fly to your country like bees to a honey pot,” Miss Benedict continue. “Most of we have someone up there. Constance mother is one of them bees. But she only get visa for she-self, not for she daughter. The day she leave she take Constance to the airport and tell she child to wait where them sell sweets and things. The poor thing just stand there for two-three hours before the man at the counter ask what she doing there—not because he care but because he think the child making ready to steal something. That how Constance remember it . . . what she tell the police when the man call them to take she away.”
“You mean her mother left her at the airport? I can’t believe it!” Outside Lady say, wiping something from she eye.
“She been waiting for she mama to come back ever since.”
“This is outrageous! Surely the State can assume legal guardianship of an abandoned child! Why in God’s name hasn’t she been adopted or fostered, at the very least?” Outside Man say, using big word and looking impatient like Paper Man.
“People don’t get too much help for that sort of thing here. If the child got family, the family usually take them. But is much more complicated when plenty family live Outside. And not many people willing to feed another mouth when they got so little to survive on. Besides, is not like before; now the Ministry trying hard to keep we pickney here . . . .” Miss Benedict not able to finish her thought because House Mother come back and say something to Outside People.
“Oh no! We were hoping to spend some time with the girls! And give them some of the toys . . . ,” Outside Lady say. She try to smile again but she face look like Meena face the day the small-small woman leave her with us without saying so much as a good afternoon. It raining hard-hard that day and the woman float into the house with a river of water dripping from she clothes and hair. When House Mother put Meena in we room we couldn’t tell if she wet from the rain or wet from she tears. Like someone rip open she sky.
“Maybe another day,” I hear House Mother again. “The Ministry not supposed to send visitors whenever they feel . . . I mean so close to suppertime, after the babies put down for the night.”
Outside People not come back the next day nor the next day after that. Tracy laugh and say the jaguar steal they shadow. She say same thing happen to mama too.
What Tracy know about that? What she know about Miss Benedict stories.
