The Cost of Sugar(47)

He loosened her grip and said steadily, “No, Sarith, not this, not any more,” and left the room.

“What did Sarith want?” asked Elza when, to her relief, Rutger returned promptly.

“Oh, she wanted me to look at something or other on her back.”

“It just never stops, does it, hey?” said a now angry Elza, “And next time she’ll succeed in getting you so far.”

“Elza, Elza, think about your promise that you’ll not be a jealous wife,” said Rutger. Now or never, thought Elza. I must – absolutely must – act now, and she thought of what Maisa had said about fighting. If she couldn’t remember exactly how Rutger had replied when she had asked that such a relationship should not happen in her own house, then Rutger probably did not remember, either. “Why must I keep to my promise when you don’t?” she asked sharply.

“What do you mean?” Rutger had already lain down, but sat up again.

“Don’t you remember, when you said I must promise not to be a jealous wife? Then I asked that such an incident or relationship should not happen in my house. And what did you say?”

“I will have said no, it wouldn’t,” replied Rutger.

“Don’t you have to do what you promise, then? Is the relationship with Sarith not in this house, or is this not my house?”

“Of course this is your house, Elza,” replied Rutger, now thinking that she was in fact quite right: the conversation had gone like that. And, indeed, he had not kept his word.

“Well, since this is my house, I don’t want Sarith lodging here any longer, and especially I don’t want my child to get fyo-fyo.”

“Oh, stuff and nonsense, that fyo-fyo. Don’t start believing in all this black superstitious nonsense.”

“Superstition or not, I don’t want Sarith staying here any longer.” Elza sounded most decisive.

“Tell her, then,” said Rutger calmly.

“No, absolutely not: it’s you who must tell her. After all, it’s you she’s here for.”

Rutger got out of the bed and said, “All right. I’ll have her called right now.” He opened the door and called to Mini-mini, who was sitting at the top of the stairs, “Mini-mini, ask Misi Sarith to come here.”108

A little later Sarith stood there with them in the room, still dressed in the thin shirt. “Sarith, Elza does not want you to stay here any longer,” said Rutger.

Sarith looked at them both and then said to Rutger, “And what do you think?”

“Well, I think my wife is right,” said Rutger.

Sarith’s inside froze with anger. So she was being sent away, simply expelled. “Right, I shall go. I shall go right now and never come back. Of course everyone will be astonished, and will wonder why I’m suddenly no longer welcome in the house of my dear stepsister.” The last words were spoken really hatefully.

“Tell them the truth, Sarith.” Elza sounded really calm. “Just tell them the truth. Tell them that your dear stepsister doesn’t want you in the house any more because you keep trying to get her husband into bed. Tell them that, and then everyone will understand.”

Furious, Sarith turned away and left the room.

Voices had been decidedly not soft, and Maisa and Mini-mini had heard everything from the stairs. Maisa danced down the stairs. “Just what she deserves. Misi Elza has got that skunk good and proper now.”109

From her room, Sarith called Mini-mini to pack her things, and she herself made so much noise throwing things around that no-one got any rest that afternoon.

When Rutger came out of his room later that afternoon for his bath, she was waiting for him in the passage, and said, “Rutger, when I’m somewhere else, will you come and visit me?”

“Certainly not, Sarith, that’s something I shall not do.”

“So I won’t see you again?” Sarith’s voice was tearful.

“Oh, Paramaribo is so small, we’ll be sure to see each other.”

“But you’re sending me away. Everything’s over and done for, isn’t it?”

“I think this is better for all concerned. Good bye, Sarith.” And Rutger hastened towards the bath-house.

An hour later Sarith left the house in the Wagenwegstraat. She had never felt so humiliated. Oh, she would get her own back. She would find a way to repay this rejection and insult.





SARITH


Still angry, Sarith arrived back at Hébron Plantation a few days later. Mother Rachel was surprised to see her daughter back at the plantation so soon, but, used to the girl’s whimsical nature, she enquired no further. Sarith grumbled around the house, threw things around in her bedroom, continuously scolded Mini-mini, who could do nothing right. In short, she was abominable.