Then, the greedy sinkhole somehow swallows all three of us.
I cling to a root as thick as Tully’s leg, my frail arms and thin fingers wrapping tightly around the vine. Is this what happens when you try to help someone out of a hole?
I slip and can’t stop falling.
Now, all three of us might be lost. Tully will be heartbroken. Maxi will be sad and my father—how will he feel? Inconsolable?Or will he pack my body into a box and ship me back to Chicago like a stolen crate of rum?
“Vivian Jean! Reach up, Vivian Jean. Keep grabbing. Keep holding on to the roots above you.”
Another voice joins in the chant. “Come on, Vivian Jean. Climb!”
I feel a hand helping me rise while another hand pushes me from behind.
“I don’t know if I can,” I mutter softly. The thin muscles in my arms burn and my skin is raw from grasping limestone rocks, roots, and clumps of mud. Then, I find myself stuck. “I can’t move,” I cry. “If I let go, I’ll fall.”
“If you don’t move, you’ll die.” This voice belongs to Zinzi, who is below me, the owner of the hands pushing my bottom up from beneath.
I’m not sure I can do as she tells me. My head is hurting. The duppies in the silk cotton tree are talking to me.We won’t take another husband from you. The ancestors don’t need him. Not now.Tully will survive. Momma Hazel will work her magic and take great care of him.
Mud is caked on my face, lodged in my throat, and weighs heavily on my chest.
“Come on, Vivian Jean, don’t give up,” I hear someone say, as powerful hands hold me up.
I push myself upward. Just one more push. My foot slips, but Othella holds on tightly. Damn, she’s strong, and she’ll need all her strength to pull me out of this hole. Othella keeps pulling, and before I know it, I’m on my stomach, dirt surrounding me.
“Are you okay?” Othella asks.
I grin, feeling like kissing the ground beneath her. “I’m great.”
“Good, now we need to hurry,” Othella says. “Zinzi is still down there.”
CHAPTER 47
ZINZI
The Cockpit Jungle, St. Elizabeth Parish
Igrip the vine, clinging to the strangler fig as I push through the crumbling mud. It feels sturdy and supports my weight. All I need is the strength to hold on. The sounds frighten me. The sinkhole is opening, and an echo rises up the walls. It is deep and getting deeper.
Othella has freed Vivian Jean and pulled her from the sinkhole. I hear their cries of joy, but I am weakening. Who is strong enough to save me? It isn’t Vivian Jean—her frail body will crumple. So, who can lift me from the swirling mud and water creeping up from the caverns and lakes below?
I am bone-tired, my limbs weary from holding on. If this is my end, I only wish to finish what I started. I dream of Byron and me sitting at the edge of a stage in front of thousands, looking out at the crowd of union employees while Allan delivers one of his brilliant speeches.
Jamaica will never forget that day. The promise of the island’s future is near. The labor union will triumph. It’s no longer a dream or a goal, but a reality that requires more work, persistence, and leadership.
I believe in that dream. I will write that speech. I will stand side by side with Allan and Byron. If I have a child, I will raise him to be a man like the ones I have known and loved.
My thoughts are like a boat drifting on a river, moving from shore to shore. Now, I yearn to hear my mother’s voice more than ever.
“Momma, what do you think I should do? Should I stay here and hide from the world because I’m having a baby?”
“No, Zinzi. Don’t give up. With all the pain you’ve survived in your life, I can’t imagine you letting go. Hold on to that vine and bring me that grandchild. If it’s in your body, I want to meet her.”
“What about Byron’s family? What if they find out about this baby and try to take him away from me?”
“Why would they? What old man Tynesdale cares about is sugar. You will teach him a lesson by raising a child as smart, savvy, and resilient as their mother. And I mean you.
“Stop worrying, Zinzi. Your life will be filled with love and purpose, and Byron, if he is who you want,”her mother says.“You’re strong enough to face any obstacles that come your way. Just remember that you can love deeply more than once.”
