Katani's Jamaican Holiday by Annie Bryant Read Free Book Online Page B

breads and put them in boxes that Selvin then loaded inside the back of the van onto racks. Each box held about ten loaves. I guessed there were two hundred loaves in all. That seemed like a lot, but I wasn’t quite sure.
    Then Grandma Ruby introduced me to her helpers. One was Miss Gloria, and the other, a much younger woman, was called Precious. They nodded at us and continued their work. Miss Gloria kept tapping her watch. She obviously wasn’t interested in any idle chitchat. “Precious, dem customers need their Bliss. We got to get a move on.” It was clear that people were very serious about business in Jamaica.
    I asked permission to use the computer to send a message to the BSG, and Grandma Ruby said it was fine. It tooka while for Olivia to make the dial-up connection, so it had to be a very short note because Selvin was ready to leave.
    To: Maeve, Isabel, Avery, Charlotte
From: Katani

    Hi, BSG,

    Just getting a chance at the computer. Reached Jamaica safely. Going to beach soon with my cousin Olivia, nearly same age as us. Just saying hi to let u know I’m OK. So much to tell u! Met an aristocratic “bumptious” goat who doesn’t like me. LOL. Sorry, Maeve, no cute boys yet. More later.

    —Kgirl
    A Bit of Jamaica-style Shopping
    We soon arrived in Ochi, which is what Jamaicans call the town of Ocho Rios. While Selvin delivered Banana Bliss to the distribution depot, Olivia and I went to the gas station to get a soda to go with our warm slices of Bliss that Precious had snuck to us before we left. The place was super busy, with small and large tour buses and taxis and private cars zigzagging everywhere. There was even a cruise ship in the port, one so big it looked like a gigantic apartment building floating in the water. “Olivia,” I said, sighing, “doesn’t that ship look so glamorous? Can’t you just imagine all the beautiful people dressed up in fancy dresses and dinner jackets?”
    “Girl”—Olivia looked at me like I was crazy—“the sun has gone to your head.”
    “Maybe.” I laughed. I realized that I was beginning to sound like Maeve, who loved all things romantic and fancy.
    Suddenly, Olivia spied two of her school friends and called them over. They skipped across the street, dodging cars and taxis, and she introduced us. We chatted for a little while—I mostly listened, because they were talking in patois so fast I couldn’t keep up. Olivia told them I would be coming to their school on Monday. As they were leaving, they reminded her about the green blouse for her costume.
    “Help!” she exclaimed. “I completely forgot. And Aunt Faith is not there to make it for me. What am I gonna do?”
    If I’d had a sewing machine, Grandma Ruby and I could have helped her in a second. But not having a solution, I shrugged.
    “I’m going to have to buy one today,” she decided. Happy day! That meant I would get a chance to go into the stores. I couldn’t wait to get a look at the local styles.
    We went looking for Selvin, who gave her some money and told her to be as quick as possible. We crossed the road, which was a death-defying exercise because there was no pedestrian crossing and traffic was wild—cars honking and lots of people pulling out in front of one another. A couple of people yelled at us, but Olivia just grabbed my hand and zigzagged us across the road. Good thing Grandma Ruby wasn’t around for this scene. I breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the other curb.
    As we ducked in and out of shops I pulled out my Island Inspiration notebook and started taking notes.

    Some of the stores carried large pieces of cloth that could be used as headwraps. Everything was brightly colored, lots of green and red and purple and yellow flowers and birds, and these amazing abstract designs on the materials. I saw a piece of cloth in the black, green, and gold colors of the flag and thought it would make a fabulous skirt.
    “It hopeless to try to find anything here!” Olivia