Chapter 6

The day of December first was supposed to be a day of joyous celebration but instead, it was now filled with sorrow because Ms. Pamela had dropped down dead and gone forever, unable to now do anything, on this side of life!

Returning home from the restaurant still sobbing and yearning for her mother to come back from the dead, Brown Sugar went straight for the shower, standing under it for hours, wishing to wash away all her pain, frustration, guilt and sorrow, before going to her bedroom and closing the door behind her!

For hours Brown Sugar stayed behind the door moaning the loss of her mother and kept wondering about what she might have seen to put her in a state of shocked, and causing her to death.!

"Was it Edna's tongue inside her mouth or was it her hands forcing its way into her crouch and rubbing against her clitoris that had done her in?"

Brown Sugar pondered!

Whatever it was that Ms. Pamela had seen between her and Edna was now gone to the grave with her, and her lesbian lifestyle remained a secret, since it is said; dead man tells no tale!

After her hours of bawling and bellowing, Brown Sugar finally fell asleep way into the mid-night hour and then began dreaming about her mother's reaction to her same-sex affairs, and Ms. Pamela telling her, that she had seen everything in the passageway with her and Edna...

The dead began speaking!

"I didn't know that you were living that kind of lifestyle Brown Sugar... sleeping with other women, is your flesh that weak, you are from a generation of weak flesh, your uncle and now this... you need to get a husband, you need to get a husband, you need to get a husband...!"

Were the words from Ms. Pamela in her dreams; and Brown Sugar woke up that morning, saying these words out loudly...

"You need to get yourself a husband!"

The dream seems very actual - very real, and Brown Sugar woke from her deep sleep in total fear, shaking and wondering if the dead could actually talk to us in our sleep!

She now perceived her life could become more vulnerable than before because her mother was dead, and she had no one else in the universe who she believed she could positively trust as being in her corner; away from Edna and Paula, who were her lesbian lovers!

For a moment, she questioned herself, contemplating, if she should just walk away from this way of living, rejecting all of their sexual advances, money and gifts; would they actually see her the same way; as one of them?

However, this wasn't the time to be testing out characteristics and loyalties, because her mother needs to be buried in a few months or so, and she needed every help that she could mustered up to make it happen!

Furthermore, if she went back to Naseberry Lane to live right now, it would be pure turmoil, or even turn out to be fatal... mother and daughter dead in the same week! Therefore, Brown Sugar refrained from stirring up any ants nest, and concentrated on getting herself to work!

As her worked scheduled demands, she was up that morning as usual, placed the kettle on the stove and got herself dressed and ready for work, as if, all her pain had disappeared, and it was just another working day!

Brown Sugar was growing tougher and tougher by the minute, and no one at her work could tell that she had just loss her beloved mother, and was in deep grieving over her, since she was all smile and greeting each and every customer, and associate of the company with the uttermost professionalism and manners!

It was Edna who had come into the store and broadcast to manger about what had happened, after she had come there to see Brown Sugar, since she hadn't seen her before her leaving the house that morning.

Her employers suggested that she should take some time off but, Brown Sugar adamantly refused to do so, but instead, expressed to them that she was alright and prefer to keep on working, at least, until her mother's body was buried in the ground!

It was the following morning before Uncle Ben had received the frightening news about his wife passing; from Ms. Connie. When she had gotten there, he was seated around the dining table cussing out Brown Sugar, arguing and complaining by him-self that it was because of her, why his wife had spent the night someplace else, instead of in her damn bed!

He further went on to argued that over the thirty add years, since they had been together, she had never spent even one night under another man's roof, and now Brown Sugar had her on the street looking for a next man!

Ms. Connie could see that he was very outrage, and felt very timid to face him with the bad news all by herself, fearing his reaction could put her in the way of danger! Quickly returning to her home, she brought back with her Cynthia and one of her sons to break the sad news to him!

Upon their return, he was still in the same spot mumbling with clinch fist, as he repeatedly pounded on the table venting out what he was going to do with Brown Sugar the next time he set eyes on her!

It was Timothy, Ms. Connie's son who was the first one to open his mouth greeting Uncle Ben, since the ladies were so afraid to interrupt his quarrelsome mood and his revengeful spirit!

"Good Morning, Uncle Ben!"

Timothy said; with a squeak in his voice!

Immediately Uncle Ben stopped arguing and looked in the direction of where the voice was coming from without saying a word! The face had looked familiar to him, but it was a face he hadn't seen for years since Timothy was a little boy!

"Who are you again?"

Uncle Ben asked, staring at the stranger, as if he could see into his soul or read his mind!

"It is Timothy, Ms. Connie's Son!"

Tim replied.

"You mean, Ms. Connie that comes here and take care of Pamela, her son?"

Uncle Ben asked; not waiting for Tim to replied, he jumped on to say...

"What, she not coming to work today... she might as well not come here because Pamela is not here, she didn't sleep here in the house, last night because that no good Brown Sugar, drag her out on the streets with her, looking for man!"

"I know she hadn't slept here because...!"

Tim replied; unable to complete his sentence, because Uncle Ben shot out loudly...

"You know that she never sleep her last night, then I must be the laughing stock around here... I live in here, and I just found that out this morning; and you living someplace around the lane, and you know that my wife didn't sleep here, into my bed last night.... very damn strange... too blasted strange, for all I know!"

Uncle Ben said; vexingly while cutting his eyes at Timothy, as if, he was the root of all his problems!

A look of evil was now plastered all over his countenance, causing Timothy to wondered if he should still bother bearing him with the sad news that his wife was now dead but, his mother nudged him indicating to him, to still go ahead and tell him so he could understand that she was no longer amongst the living but frozen cold amongst the dead!

With Uncle Ben still staring at the young man with hatred in his eyes, Timothy shot out at him...

"I would prefer if you don't look at me like that Uncle Ben because I am not the problem here, I just came by to tell you that Ms. Pamela is no longer with us... she has passed on to another world!"

"You mean; she gone to foreign and she or no one else, never reveal a word to me! I can bet she took the little money that I have here with her, she and that no good Brown Sugar!"

Uncle Ben responded.

"Uncle Ben, she did not take anything for you... not your money or anything else... listen to me, Uncle Ben, Ms. Pamela is dead; she is not breathing, she is not alive anymore... she is at the dead-depot... she won't be coming back here ever, she is dead and gone forever, you understand me!"

Timothy tried explaining.

Still not sure if the young man was telling him the truth, Uncle Ben upsettingly exclaimed!

"You and she can continue playing those games with death, whenever death really comes, watch and see if any of you can play games with it!"

Uncle Ben fired back!

It was only after he had seen Ms. Connie and her daughter coming from behind the shadows with a grim look on their faces, that he came to realized that there might be some truth about what was being told to him about his wife being gone from this physical world!

Now Uncle Ben was up out of his chair and began making a step towards them; but it seemed like he had been hit by a bolt of lightning, dashing him backwards in the chair!

He fell back down into the chair and began staring at them like he had seen strangers from another planet!

Suddenly, his hands began shaking, then his whole body was trembling aggressively... he was now bursting out with sweat... moments later his eyes were rolling back into his head, like a thousand voltage of electricity had gone through him, causing him to shake vigorously, and more and more uncontrollably!

Now he was on the floor grabbing his chest and trying to say the words Pam-me- la repeatedly but, her name couldn't come smoothly from his lips because the tremors were so abundantly strong and violent, like his body had been possessed with something that only Pamela could release him from!

Fearing he could crack his skull on the floor on against the foot of the dining table, Timothy grab his shoulder and held them down as firmly as he could; so his body could stop from vibrating all over the floor and bring damage to himself!

No one was exactly sure of what to do next... Ms. Connie reached for any rag she could find, wet them and then kept on sapping them all over Uncle Ben's face and chest area, hoping that somehow a miracle would happen that would allow him to stop the jittering and violent shaking... but it just would stop... his body kept on jerking and shaking for at least an hour like he had had jitter-bug soup!

Miraculously, when the violent shaking eventually cease, without any reminder that his wife was now dead, Uncle Ben began sobbing bitterly like a normal human being, grieving for his dearly beloved Pamela!

His face was now wet and his eyes puffy and blood-red like he had obtained the pink-eye virus!

He couldn't get himself to move from off the floor, and so he lay there on his back, bawling and shouting out Ms. Pamela's name continuously as if he somehow could bring her back from the dead by doing so!

She was not responding, she was truly dead and gone forever, so he turned all the fault and blame towards Brown Sugar, swearing on his life, that she was the one who had caused his wife to kick the bucket; since she was the one who had taken her out of the yard... inviting her to some, god damn graduation wanting her to be caught up in some happy affairs that she had no business in!

For hours Uncle Ben sat on the floor, wickedly swearing that Brown Sugar life belongs to him and whenever he caught her, he was going to take her life for Ms. Pamela's own!

There were no amount of comforting words that Ms. Connie or Timothy could say to him, that would allow him, to cease from his threatening words and swearing gesticulations!

It was around mid-day now, and Uncle Ben eventually found his way off the floor and entered the bed room searching for the money he said that he had saved; stating that he wanted to use it and give his wife a proper burial! However, Ms. Connie encouraged him to wait and probably talk with Brown Sugar before rushing to make any such decision, just yet! Knowing that the amount he had hidden could never cover Ms. Pamela's funeral expenses!

Her words had only set fire to his tongue, and he began swearing that he never wants to see Brown Sugar's face around these parts, ever again!

Not long after the many swearing and profanities, the lady with the thick black garb entered the yard covered from head to toe with darkness, and with her large prayer beads wrapped up around her hands, like she was Mary the mother of God in the flesh!

With extreme femininity, she waved hello to the small crowed in the yard while still keeping her face mask away from prying eyes, and then she stepped up into the house where she greeted Uncle Ben with a hug, before taking her position of prayer on the floor mat beside the couch!

Compellingly, Uncle Ben asked Ms. Connie, Timothy and Cynthia to leave his house right away, because his guest was now there and they wanted to start their prayer session with her!

This was the same woman the whole community was gossiping about saying that she was sleeping with Uncle Ben, Ms. Pamela's husband under her roof while she was sick and near the doors of death; but, no one had actually known the truth about her except for Brown Sugar and her mother!

Now Ms. Connie and her children exited through the gates of Uncle Ben's yard, absolutely convinced that the story is very much true, and vexingly questioning how absurd and ludicrous for him to be doing something like this, right in front his wife's face!

Needless-to-say, they were only there to bring him the sad news of his wife passing, and they had done just that, so their work there was done for now.

One month had now passed and Brown Sugar and Edna went ahead and made most of the preparations for Ms. Pamela's funeral, without including Uncle Ben in any of the decision making, causing him to fester more vengeance into his heart for Brown Sugar.

It was the week before the funeral that Brown Sugar decided to visit the house at Naseberry Lane to tell Uncle Ben about the date set for the funeral and to ask him, if there was anything special that he wanted to see Ms. Pamela buried in, and also, to discuss with him about the transportation that would be coming to the district to transport persons to the church and then cemetery.

He was there by the house alone when she had arrived there, and had called his name several times before he decided on answering her, and when he finally did, it just wasn't a pleasant welcome!

"What are you here for, you nasty whore, to kill me like how you kill off my wife... take your barren self from off my property and don't every come back here!"

Uncle Ben demanded irritatingly!

Upsetting and adamantly, Brown Sugar lashed out at him, while within her heart pulsated aggressively, as she wondered how he knew that it was because of her, that Ms. Pamela had died and wondered what else he might have known!

"I am only here to tell you that all the funeral arrangements have been made already, and I wanted to know if there is anything special that you would like to see your wife buried in; something that you like seeing her in! And I would also prefer, if you don't ever speak to me like this again, especially in front of strangers!"

He had meant every word that he wanted to destroy Brown Sugar, so Uncle Ben rushed to the kitchen, grab the machete and came after Brown Sugar with the machete raised in his hand ready to take action while he blurted out all sorts of profanities at her!

Brown Sugar swiftly bolted for the gate when she saw him coming with the weapon raised in his hand, like he was determine to turn her into mints meat; but it was Edna who had quickly taken action, by grabbing the piece of plank that was sitting at the front of the house and hitting Uncle Ben across the back with it, as he made his way after Brown Sugar!

Uncle Ben was not expecting this one, now he was on the ground face down, still clutching to the machete and screaming for back pain!

Edna walked up to him with the plank raised in her hand; ready to give him another crack across his back just in case, he ever made a funny move!

She then kicked the machete from his hand disarming him of it, like she was any professional bounty hunter!

Now she was helping him from off the ground and hauling him across the grass to under the mango tree where he could sit on the stump that was stationed there while firmly expressing to him, not to ever treat Brown Sugar like that again because...

A slip of the tongue was almost made, and Edna caught herself; ready to expose the secret love affair and passion she had for Brown Sugar to a man... her own flesh and blood, who viciously despised her; but quickly she changed her words and instead, expressed!

"This is your niece from what I have heard and all you have been doing to her is treating her like she is crap; what's the matter with you, why you can't pick on your own size and leave her the hell alone? She is now here to talk to you about your wife's burial, so please listen to what she has to say, and stop being a frigging jerk, you ass-hole!"

Edna bolted out furiously, as she released the grasp of her hand from his shirt collar!

Like a lamb I green pastures, Uncle Ben sat there, while Brown Sugar approached him slowly so she could finish conveying to him about his wife's burial, and what he wanted her to be buried him, if he cared to give his input in such matters!

Displeased and annoyed, Uncle Ben nonchalantly expressed that he didn't care what Ms. Pamela would be buried in, and further suggested that since Brown Sugar had started the whole process of the funeral preparation without him, then she should continue doing so without coming there and disturbing his peace!

To reaffirm and confirm that his words were sincere, Brown Sugar repeatedly ask him if he was sure, knowing that whatever decision she would be making would be final, and locked in the coffin with Ms. Pamela forever!

Shaking her head in disbelief, Brown Sugar went to her mother's bedroom and perused through her closet trying to find a nice dress to send off her mother in, to the other side of eternity!

It was a hard struggle to find something nice since she didn't have much in the first place but, after searching for quite some time Brown Sugar found a skirt suite that she thought would be suitable for the occasion, and called Edna's attention to see if she would be in agreement with her decision.

Together, Edna and Uncle Ben came through the door of the bedroom, and it was Uncle Ben who had suggest that the skirt suit would be perfect for his wife to be buried in, after Edna had to keep on jabbing him in his side, quite a few times, before he opened his mouth and approved that the attire was quite suitable for his wife to be buried in while jokingly stating, that she would be looking very fabulous to meet her maker than she had ever done for him!

The hat, the dress, the shoes were now all picked out and placed on Ms. Pamela's bed before placed into a bag and then brought to the funeral home and left there; so the following Sunday, they could have it to dress Ms. Pamela in before they headed out for the church and then the burial ground!

Same place at the house, Brown Sugar explained to Uncle Ben that she had already arranged for transportation to come and bring all the persons who were interested in coming to the funeral of Ms. Pamela, and that transportation, would also return each resident of the community to their home, however, it would be his job to spread the word to the persons living in the community if he wanted to give his wife a good send off!

Still not trusting him too much with that information, Brown Sugar decided to go by Ms. Connie's house and relate that message to her while suggesting, that she did the same... tell the neighborhood that there will be transportation available for them to attend Ms. Pamela's funeral service if any of them were interested in seeing her off!

For right now, Brown Sugar and Edna's work were done at Naseberry Lane, and there they said good-bye to Uncle Ben who was still covertly angry at them, and did nothing but gave them a dirty look while grumbling under his breath, as he called them nothing but pussy-licking whores as they walked through the gate!

"What kind of a woman is fighting for another woman like she is a man!"

Uncle Ben exclaimed, while hissing his teeth, shaking his head with a gruesome look upon his face!

As planned, Sunday was now here and Ms. Pamela's final send-off would commence at three o'clock in the evening at the Borrow Heights Catholic Church where she had been an absentee member for most of her confirmation period.

Unexpectedly, everyone around town came out... the church was jammed packed with the members of the church, the members of Ms. Pamela's community and others who were at the restaurant when she had collapsed and died; including the owner and the manager of the restaurant.

This was Brown Sugar's first funeral... she was not even brought to her own mother's funeral as a toddler and was excitingly pleased to see the wonderful turn out for her mother's ultimate departure, but was very sadden to behold sight of the large box as everyone peek into the coffin to pay their last respect before heading to their seats!

At the front of the church Brown Sugar, Paula and Edna stood like steel bar; strong and in control, refraining from shedding a single tear, while couple chairs down from them Uncle Ben sat sobbing and crying his eyes out, like he had truly lost the love of his life!

During the funeral service, Brown Sugar swore that she had seen Ms. Pamela at the back of the church... terrifying she began screaming... she was in the same dress like she had put on her mother, at the funeral home!

Petrified and frighteningly, Brown Sugar raced up to the priest, begging him to open up the coffin because her mother was not the one in the box!

She just couldn't believe her eyes, she wanted to make sure that it was Ms. Pamela lying in that coffin, resting at the front of the altar!

With questioning eyes, everyone in the church began staring at her and were mumbling to each other; proclaiming that Brown Sugar had gone mad - had become delusional, and was totally insane because she had lost her mother! While some stated that the reality of her mother's death had just hit her!

In front of the entire church congregation and the un-lookers, on the top of her voice; Brown Sugar was beseeching and begging the clergy man to please open the god damn coffin; so she could check and make sure that that was her mother lying inside of the casket!

Afraid of what else could transpired, the priest complied; walking off the podium and pulling away the viewing glass so she could verify that that was indeed her mother, resting peacefully in the beautifully varnish box that Edna had purchased for her final resting!

Carefully scrutinizing the face of the dead and the clothing she had brought to the funeral home for Ms. Pamela to be buried in; Brown Sugar felt satisfied that it was Ms. Pamela, her mother in the sealed box!

Returning to her seat with Edna holding her arm, for comfort, Brown Sugar raised her head once more, and behold, there was the woman again, in the beige skirt suit, re-entering the church, and so she shouted out...

"Mama, Mama, Mama, I can see you; you are still amongst us... I see you Mama, I see you and I promise you, I'll change my life! Forgive me Mama for anything I have done to embarrass you... please Mama have mercy on me; please!"

Brown Sugar proclaimed!

Before falling to the floor, over taken by cold sweat, and in a state of shock and unconsciousness!

Paula and Edna now in shock, staring at the back at the church trying to figure out, what it was that Brown Sugar had seen, and to their surprise, there was indeed a woman looking just like Ms. Pamela, wearing the exact clothing that Ms. Pamela was buried in, standing at the back of the church!

Angrily and inquisitively, Paula raced from the pulpit and ran to the back of the church to further investigate if this person was there to cause trouble; by playing some form of a prank on their friend and also, to find out what she was actually about... why?

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here... you think this is a damn game or something funny, to be coming up in here dress like the decease?"

Paula questioned loudly, causing the entire congregation to turn their head into her direction!

"I am Pamela's sister so I have all right to be here, and who the hell are you?"

The stranger fired back!

Paula wanted to tell her that it was her and her friend who had paid for this funeral, but she reconsidered and thought such words weren't appropriate right now!

Not exactly sure what else to say now, Paula placed her hands on her hips and sternly asked...

"Where have you been all along... why no one have ever heard of you or knew anything about you; you think you have the right to come up in here and disturb people in their time of grieve?"

Not waiting for a replied, Paula swiftly walked away from the woman and return to where Edna and Brown Sugar sat shaking on the floor, with Edna rubbing Barr rum, all over Brown Sugar's face and nostril; so as to revive her from her fainting spells!

"She said; she is Ms. Pamela's sister so she has all right to be here!"

Paula annoyingly whispered her friends.

"Do you know of Ms. Pamela having any sisters?"

Paula asked sternly!

"Yes, she told me about a sister who Uncle Ben had chased from the house because he wanted to get into her panties and she wouldn't allow him to!"

Brown Sugar replied nervously, as she recalled the disturbing conversation she had with her mother, over a year ago when Uncle Ben was antagonizing her for sex during the nights!

"Well, I guess, that must be her at the back at the church!"

Paula exclaimed vexingly as they returned to their seats!

To cease all doubts and disillusionment in the church, the priest began looking over the rims of his eye glasses, staring at the canning resemblance between the living and the dead - the two sisters...

"Certainly, they could be seen as identical twins!"

He thought!

To obliterate all of the doubt, the gossiping, and restore peace and order back into the holy house conducting the funeral service, the priest called to the podium the woman whose resembled looked very similar to that of Ms. Pamela the dead woman, and asked her to introduce herself to the church audience, and also her relationship to the deceased!

Without any hesitation; she did, giving her name as Patricia Patterson from Dutch-hill village!

Right away, Uncle Ben stopped sobbing and exclaimed in a joyous and friendly tone;

"Patricia is that really you... I didn't know you were coming to the funeral; how did you hear about it?"

"My son and my husband told me about it a few weeks aback, saying they had heard it announced on the radio... and I knew I had a sister living in these parts with a husband by the name of Bernard Wilkins; otherwise known as Uncle Ben; so that is how comes, I'm here!"

Everyone in the entire church audience who knew Ms. Pamela, was shock to see the close resemblance between her and her sister, and began applauding her for being there, and also, for the parallel features they both shared as sisters!

During the joyful applauding, Patricia was sent back to her seat by the priest, allowing for the actual commencement of the funeral service to proceed with the priest shaking his head in disbelief and bawling out...

"Their resemblance could have fooled anyone, however... Brothers and sisters, friends and relatives; we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Ms. Pamela Mackenzie and all the hard work she has done as a mother, wife, and a business person in her community and ...!"

Little over an hour later, the church service was done, and all able body persons were marching to the burial ground to witness Ms. Pamela cold body descending into the ground at her final resting place!

While the casket was being lowered into the ground, the Priest declared it ashes to ashes and dust to dust; as some of the moaners began hollering out louder and louder as thou, she was their dearly beloved while others began to disperse from the burial site and started trying to find their ride back home!

Minutes later, the burial ground was practically empty; leaving Brown Sugar and her two friends; the Priest, Patricia and Uncle Ben watching the workmen covering up and cementing off the entire spot where the coffin had been laid to rest!

Probably, unsure if it was the right time, the Priest called Brown Sugar by his side and told her to come and see him the following Tuesday because he had some important document for her to sign!

Without any hesitation, Brown Sugar agreed that she would come by the rectory and see him the following Tuesday during her lunch break from work; presuming that he had some death certificate for her to sign, or that he might have wanted to grant her some counseling, assuming that he might have thought; she was entirely overburden with the loss of her mother and the shock she had encountered when she had seen Ms. Pamela's sister in the church!

Patricia decided to go back to the house with Uncle Ben where she planned on spending the night, seeing that she had come from a mighty long way to be there, and was now on her last stretch of strength.

Brown Sugar left for the house she was now sharing with her friends and promised Uncle Ben she would come by Naseberry Lane the upcoming weekend to see how well he was faring off; but she had no intention of spending the night there alone with him!

The bus Brown Sugar had chartered to transport the community folks to the funeral was parked and waiting for Uncle Ben... he and Patricia were the last ones to get on the bus, and once they were on it, the driver stepped on the gas bringing back everyone to their home safely!

Soon after the priest caught his ride and now the cemetery was left completely empty as if not a single soul had been there before!

Brown Sugar decided to return to her work as usual, not taking any time off to grieve the loss of her mother; she wanted to continue working up to a full year before taking any brake from work; so she could expand her vacation time and save up enough money to go in search of her biological father.

Like the evening when Ms. Pamela had dropped down dead on the restaurant floor, Brow Sugar return home and headed straight for the shower, standing under it for hours, as if, such could wash away all her pain, her frustration, her guilt and her shame!

She was now uncertain of what to do with her life, and not even the sexual pleasures of the flesh could restore joy back into her heart right now, since all that she had envisioned to accomplish with her mother, would never ever materialize!

Certainly, she was thankful for Edna and Paula standing by her side, through thin and thick moments, but for her, life had become alone and very scary as she asked her self; who else, could she ever turn to in her times of trouble?

Exiting the shower, Brown Sugar went to her room to get dressed and then went to the kitchen to fix herself a mouthful before returning to her room and readying herself for bed since her sense of appetite had somehow vanished.

Monday morning would come once again and Brown Sugar greeted her house mates with a warm good morning, readied herself for work and went through the gate hours later heading straight for work.

Her day at work was as normal as most days were, until around three o'clock in the afternoon when she saw her school mate Cynthia came bursting into Max Pharmacy with tears dripping down her face and breaking her the awful news, that Uncle Ben had just been seriously or fatally stab by the woman who had been coming there to pray with him!

It was rumored that she had stabbed him, because, she had entered the house that morning and caught Ms. Pamela's sister, Patricia, hugging up and kissing on Uncle Ben, and was quite upset about seeing them in the position that she had found them in... a compromising one!

Furthermore, he wasn't quite sure if it was actually Ms. Pamela in the house with him, or if it was someone else, since it was reported to her by Uncle Ben that Ms. Pamela had already died and would have been buried the day prior to Monday so they could start living their life there together in peace!

The presumed mistress wasn't expecting to see this from Uncle Ben, especially now that Ms. Pamela was dead and gone and thought, Uncle Ben was toying with her nerves!

She was utterly shock to enter the house, beads and all, to witness Uncle Ben with another woman on the bed fornicating while he was still, presumable banging her, and asking her to be faithful to him since Ms. Pamela had kicked the bucket and was now six foot under!

Cynthia also expressed that her mother, Ms. Connie, had taken Uncle Ben to University Hospital where they were asking for a next of kin for him, so that was the reason why she had come there to get her; hoping she could return to the hospital with her, at once!

After wounding Uncle Ben with the machete several times, the mysterious woman took off, fleeing the scene, and no one knows where to find her, since no in the community had any idea where she has been living at the moment!

Terrified and trembling, Brown Sugar knew that she had to do something to cover up Uncle Ben's secret, or else, he and that property would be marked as condemned in that community forever, if anyone there, should actually find out the truth that the woman coming there praying with her beads, is actually a man!

Now she was frantic and needed answers...

"Is he dead or not?"

"How bad are the wounds; did he look like he was going to make it out of the hospital alive?"

"My God, what is this on me?"

"Mother is gone, now uncle is gone!"

Brown Sugar exclaimed nervously, while clutching to her school mate's hands for comfort and support!

Her entire being and countenance was drowned out with a worried and depressing look!

"When will it ever end?"

She asked herself, as she smacked her fist on the store counter, underhandedly and folded her lips with anguish analyzing her dilemma!

Overwhelmed and tired from the shocking news, she had been hearing; one after the other, Brown Sugar slap her backside back down on the counter stool, stared into Cynthia's eyes without saying a word!

She was wondering how she would manage, if Uncle Ben should fail from his wounds and give up the ghost now!

Where would she get the founds from to buried him since she had put most of what she had into Ms. Pamela's funeral even though, Edna had paid for most of it!

What if anyone should ever find out that Uncle Ben was dancing in the front yard as well as the back yard too - sleeping with both men and women!

After some moments of deep breathing and a drink of water, Brown Sugar finally got her thoughts together, and told Cynthia that she would come by the University Hospital to see Uncle Ben after her work period was done, and she was welcome to stay around and wait for her, so they could go there together, or she could leave now; whichever choice had pleased her.

Gladly, Cynthia decided to stay around until Brown Sugar work was done and she had check off purchases and signed out from work.

The first bus that came along they were on it, making their way to the University Hospital, and fifty minutes later, they were off the bus and at the hospital front desk enquiring where they could find Bernard Wilkins, a male patient who had been admitted there today with chop wounds!

After instructions were given on where to find him, Brown Sugar and Cynthia made their way to the ward where they had already transported Uncle Ben and had him laid up with all sorts of tubes plastered all over his body and grasping oxygen through a plastic tube!

They had already patched him up... stitched up his gaping wounds, and had him stabilized on a hospital bed with Ms. Connie by his side; pouring comforting words into his ear, hoping he would return from his state of the subconscious to consciousness and then respond to her words fully, right now!

For hours the three ladies sat by Uncle Ben's bedside hoping to see him respond to their voice, but he had lost too much blood and no signs of him responding to them were forthcoming for as long as they were there!

However, Brown Sugar gave the medical staff all the information they needed from her, and what she wasn't able to give them right then and there, she promised them, she would make it available for them as soon as she has obtained such information from Uncle Ben's job, or she would go by Naseberry Lane and try to acquire it for them.

Two days had now passed and gone, and thankfully, Brown Sugar remembered her appointment with the priest and showed up at his rectory Wednesday afternoon on her lunch break from work, just like she had promised him, she would; and there the priest offered her a seat before relating to her the surprising news!

Stepping to his safety cabinet, and then returning with piles of papers in his hands, he drew out a thick sheet of paper with bold marks and stamps of distinction, indicating to her right away that it was something very important that he is presenting to her... something more than just a death certificate!

As he laid the long piece of document in from of her, he asked her if she could read!

Looking at him strangely, presuming that he had known about her education background; she nodded and said yes, so he then asked her to read it out loud for him!

First, the very big word was printed at the top of the sheet of paper that said, "Deed" which Brown Sugar wasn't sure what that was about at the time!

With further observation of the thick paper document, Brown Sugar saw her name, and the words typed on it said; Ann Cornelia Wilkins is the rightful owner of fifty percent of the property at Lot 338 located at Naseberry Lane in the county of Cornwall with Bernard S. Wilkins also the owner of fifty percent of Lot 338 located at Naseberry Lane.

Brown Sugar stared at the paper in amazement, like what seems for hours, before saying another word to the priest!

"What does this means, Father?"

She asked, with a surprise look written all over her face!

"Well, it means that your mother saw it fit for you, to own half of the amount of the property you and your father is now living on which, she used to own before she died... she had left it all to you... whatever was hers is now yours!"

The priest expressed.

With eyes wide opened the priest stared at her in astonishment when he saw that her reaction was not what he had been expecting!

He was expecting screams... thank you Lord, for this great blessing... a hug, some jumping up and down; showing a great deal of excitement and gratefulness!

Instead, he only say a young girl sitting in front of him with the worries of the world upon her shoulders, staring at the legal documents in front of her like they were documents designed to bury her and not uplift her... they were of no importance to her!

However, in the midst of her dazing stares, Brown Sugar thought about Uncle Ben's tragedy and how with this land ownership deed in her possession, it would be possible for her to pay for his final resting place, if he should ever croak on her unexpectedly or before his time!

Time was coming up for Brown Sugar to return to work, so she thank the priest for informing her of the will and ask him to please hold onto it for a while longer. She wasn't expecting this surprising news, she was certainly in a state of shock and needed some time to process all that she was being told by the priest about owning part of the land on Naseberry Lane!

"How would Uncle Ben take this news, if he should ever wake up and recover from his wounds?"

She asked herself!

With extend hands, Brown Sugar shook the priest hand, told him thanks once again before leaving the priest lodging place and returning to work!

On her way back to work, Brown Sugar kept on reflecting on what she could do with her portion of the land, because she knew for sure, she could never live there in peace while Uncle Ben is still alive; knowing damn well that he would be a thorn in her flesh, both day and night!

She thought about having the property physically divided and putting up a structure on her side of it, but considering Uncle Ben's devious and cruel ways, that he might just douse it with gasoline and then set it ablaze!

Considering how much she would be tormented by him for just living there, Brown Sugar charted out another plot in her head, thinking that she could sell her portion of the land then use that money to further her education.

That would be the most sensible thing and wisest decision for her, she thought, but she needed someone else to bounce her ideas on, so she could get their input on the whole scenario before making her big move.

She thought about talking to Edna about her good fortune she had received and her ambitious intensions, since she too had come into a lump-sum a while back and had invested some of it in her education and real-estate!

Many days after Brown Sugar had been visiting the hospital to see Uncle Ben, miraculously he came around and began talking, and weeks later, he was looking much better! And within a period of two months, he was discharged from the University Hospital and sent home with scares tissues as big as a green plantain, all over his gigantic body!

Although, Brown Sugar somewhat despised him, she was happy that he hadn't went under; kicking the bucket, giving up the ghost and moving to the other side of eternity!

Because she knew, sourcing the funds to bury him would be near to impossible for her, especially since, she knew not of another soul on the planet to deem as her flesh and blood neither to him or her; that she could go seeking some assistance from for his burial!