On the anniversary of that that fateful day, there was a sense of reflection and solemnity among the people

of the lane. Brother man had long recovered from the injuries he had suffered, and through it all Minette was right there beside him. Through her presence and compassion, Brother Man began to relearn .no, truly learn what love between a man and a woman was. It was respect and care, all of which was already there. He saw it all when he looked into Minette s eyes. And so from that realization and from his inner strength as a man, he proposed to her. The time to make her his wife was long over due. The people of the lane proved their genuine support for them by the sheer happiness they exuded and the gifts they bore them. Still and of course, their happiness was nothing compared to Minette s. She had waited so long for what had finally come. She was Mrs. John Power, something she had day dreamt of with each meal she had made for him, with each innocent brush of her hand against his bearded face. And so when finally she stood beside him as his wife, she held her shoulders as far back as she could and her spine as straight as she could and her head as high as she could. It was a monument of their love and commitment to each other in front of all those people, when the Rasta Fari priest whom had conducted the ceremony said, You may kiss the bride. News of the death of Papacita and Cordellia, of course, had circulated throughout the community like wild fire. Yuh hear say girlie murder har man, Papacita? What a wicked gal, eh? Him deserve it! True true! What a man, treated the poor chile like dog It was the duty of Jennings and the rest of the police force to deal with the matter of the homicide, and in the end Girlie was sentenced to life imprisonment. It was a harsh sentence and it seemed too much for her as it was not too long before news came out of the penitentiary that she committed suicide-she had drunk a gallon of bleach the janitor had left unattended. The suicide of Cordellia too, was big news among the people. Everyone was shocked and expressed sympathy to her sister Jasmine. Not only did she lose her sister, but her nephew as well. She mourned the lost of the only family she had ever had, and even though it was hard for her she managed to pull through. The presence of Shine had a whole lot to do with it, as he was the ever kind and considerate man he had made himself out to be. She had come to believe that their relationship indeed could go somewhere. He was a good man, and in spite of all she went through, she had the good sense to know a good thing when she saw it. And so now-the anniversary of that fateful day-everyone was out as usual. But the talks they had were of a different nature. It was not the sussu talk that had come to be the trade mark of that chorus of

people. It was a talk of brotherhood and sisterhood, a talk of thankfulness to God and to Brother Man, a talk of reminiscence and memorial for Cordellia and even Papacita. It was the revisiting and letting go of the ghosts that had held them bound. It was a breaking free and starting a new sort of day. And Brother Man saw this and thought that it was good. The womenfolk led them in a song of praise, singing: Thank you for giving me this morning, thank you for the birds that sing Soon everyone had joined in and they held hands with the person beside them- all except Bra Ambo. He was bitterer than he had ever been before. In his eyes, he had lost. Not only had he lost but his entire reputation was debased. Everything he worked for, everything he tried to get people to believe in was stripped away because of the silent strength of a Rasta Man. The same Rasta Man he had been perversely delighted to see be made the under dog, had emerged the victor because of the same people who had caused his demise. These people in acknowledging their wrongs and in hope of repentance had begged Brother Man for forgiveness. They thought that if he forgave them, somehow God would be more inclined to do the same too. It was as simple as this: they believed Brother Man to be a true prophet, sent by the Most High Himself. He was, in fact, their Jesus Christ.