Part 2, Chapter 9, of RFV.

NINE

 

    “’Got to have Kaya now!! Got to have Kaya now!! Got to have Kaya now, for the rain is fallin!!’” sang Hub Cap and Clarence along with the fabulous reggae music booming from the speakers in the red sports car. They were smoking a large fat spliff.

    Hub Cap glanced in the passenger rear-view mirror. “Well hea comes the bro now!” he announced, spotting Roger strolling up the street.

    Clarence turned the music down a little and Hub Cap turned and waved to him. Roger grinned and waved back.

    “Where the hell you bin, Rog?” Hub Cap asked as he strolled up to them.

    Roger grinned sheepishly (or wolfishly). “I was out meeting some of the local folk,” he replied.

   “Ah well that’s cool then, my man, no harm done,” said Hub Cap.

    “Quite,” agreed Roger.

    “Hey, climb on in an meet Clarence.”

    Roger nodded and slipped into one of the rear seats.

    “Hey Clarence, this hea is Roga, the dude I was tellin you bout,” intro’d Hub Cap.

    “Roga, my man! How’s it hangin?” asked Clarence, turning round.

    “It’s hanging pleasantly lightly,” replied Roger, recalling his recent enjoyable encounter with Scabby Sue.

    Hub Cap and Clarence laughed.

    “You see, the bro’s cool,” said Hub Cap. “Hey shake hans wit Clarence.”

    Roger leaned over and shook hands. “Pleased to meet you,” he said politely.

    “An you, Roga.”

    “Clarence gonna help us wit the execution s**t,” explained Hub Cap.

    “Why thank you,” said Roger. “Is everything still going to be okay?”

    “Shua is!”

    Roger grinned. “I say, that cigarette Clarence is smoking smells rather nice. What is it?”

    Hub Cap and Clarence laughed again.

    “This hea is the finest ganja, my man,” Clarence told him, holding up the spliff. “Try a coupla draws.”

    Roger hesitated. “Oh…bugger it!” he said and took it. He put the fat spliff to his lips and tentatively took a short draw. As expected, being a non-smoker, even this light drag was followed by a short coughing fit. His eyes also watered but he persisted and took another draw.

    “Take the smoke down deep,” advised Hub Cap, “an hold it.”

    Roger nodded and did as he was instructed. He took another light draw, repeated the process then handed the spliff to Hub Cap.

    “Give it a coupla minutes,” Hub Cap told him. “then you find tings start to…change!”

    “You dig reggae?” Clarence asked Roger, pointing at the speakers.

    “Well…yes!” Roger heard himself say. ‘Actually I think I do!’ he thought and started swaying slightly with the music.

    Hub Cap laughed. “That’s the weed kickin in, bro,” he told him. He took a deep draw then passed the spliff to Clarence.

    The bold Roger however intercepted it. “Think I’ll try some more!” he announced.

    Hub Cap and Clarence hee-hawed. Roger took a couple of deeper draws then passed it on.

    “Well we best head back to Big Lucas,” said Hub Cap. “Rememba �" we has an execution lata.”

    “Oh yes,” agreed Roger. “Mine!” He giggled. “I say, Hub Cap, why does Big Lucas want to execute me anyway?”

    “Well you sees, bro, you caught him at a bad moment when you landed hea,” explained Hub Cap.

    Roger frowned. “Was he having trouble with the people or something?”

    “Naaa,” drawled Hub Cap, “he was awake!”

    They all giggled.

    “Anyways jus relax, bro,” Hub Cap told him. “Everythin fixed. You just go through wit it. But you won’t come to no harm.”

    “Sure?”

    “Yeah. Clarence hea’s gonna help out. Ain’t that right, man?”

    Clarence nodded. “Executin the bro jus cos he’s wite is bullshit.”

    “Teacha’s gonna help out too,” Hub Cap told him. “Rememba Teacha? That foxy chick from the kid’s school?”

    “Oh yes,” said Roger, nodding.

    “You see, bro. We has everythin organised. No needs to worry.”

    “Nice timin,” said Clarence. “Check out the next track.” He turned up the stereo.

    ‘Don’t worry, bout a ting!! Cos every little ting, gonna be alright!! boomed from the speakers.

    Although he hadn’t heard it before, Roger found himself singing along with Hub Cap and Clarence as the red sports car took off up the side street.

    Hub Cap produced another fat spliff, fired it up and handed it to Roger. Clarence turned the reggae down to background.

    Roger drew more deeply this time and didn’t cough. “I must say, this is beginning to feel rather pleasant,” he admitted.

    Hub Cap laughed. “Shua is, bro!” he agreed.

    “An it gets better,” added Clarence.

    Roger took another draw. “Oh ship ahoy!” he declared then passed the spliff on. He was definitely looking at things thru new eyes. Thru a new mind. Everything seemed different. Softer. Mellower. Floaty. Funny. He started to snigger.

    Hub Cap glanced at Clarence who grinned. “Whatin the hell you laughin at, Rog?” he asked.

    Roger tried to compose himself. “Just thinking,” he said.

    “Bout what?”

    “You know that game called ‘Charades’?”

    “Oh yeah, where you gets a movie title or somethin an you has to act it out so folks guess it?”

    “Yes…imagine trying to play that with blind people!” said Roger and sniggered.

    Hub Cap and Clarence hee-hawed.

    “Yep, that ganja is most definite kickin in,” said Hub Cap.

    “Shua is,” agreed Clarence and tweaked up the stereo. “Check this one out, Rog,” he said over his shoulder.

    “Okay,” agreed a nodding Roger.

    The song came on. ‘Ah wanna love you an treat you right!! Ah wanna love you every day an every night!!’ began booming from the stereo and the red sports car and its occupants boogied along the road.

    The song floated thru Roger’s head as the red sports car floated thru cartoon New Harlem and out into the lush countryside.

    Roger gazed out the window. ‘Wow!’ he thought, gazing at the trees �" he had never seen such rich lush greenery. ‘Wow!’ he thought, gazing at the river �" he had never seen such sparkling tumbling water. ‘Wow!’ he thought, looking at the sky �" he had never seen such exquisite creamy blue.

    Hub Cap passed the spliff to him and he took a couple of deep draws then passed it to Clarence.

    “You know, Hub Cap,” said Stoned Roger, “I never really wanted to be a Fleet Pilot.”

    Hub Cap nodded. “So what did you want to be, man?”

    “I wanted to be superficial…loudmouthed…insecure…big headed.”

    “So you wanted to be an Italian!?” Hub Cap asked and they all laughed.

    As they drove on, Roger leaned back and continued to gaze out the window as the world floated pleasantly by. He hadn’t felt this relaxed since…since…well, come to think of it, he had never felt this relaxed. He grinned at everything. A little further on he noticed a sign by the side of the road. It said, ‘NEXT JOKE’.

    “So there Ah was, lyin in bed wit ma woman,” drawled Clarence. “We’s smoking some good weed. She turns to me an says, ‘I hear you’s a paedophile’.”

    Hub Cap whistled. “Bullshit, man.”

    Clarence nodded. “Ah knows. So Ah turns to her an says, ‘Paedophile? That’s a mighty long word for a thirteen year old to be sayin.’”

    There was a moment’s silence then they all hee-hawed. Hub Cap slapped palms with Clarence as did Stoned Roger.

    “Shua had me for a moment there, bro!” admitted Hub Cap.

    “Me too…I think,” muttered the stoned one.

    Clarence laughed, turned up the stereo and they all sang their way back to Big Lucas.