A disappearing Desroy-a short story by Austin Mitchell

A Disappearing Desroy

by A.G. Mitchell

   

                That Saturday evening Desroy followed us up to the village square. Then he disappeared, so that by eleven that night when we were ready to go home there was no sign of him. We knew that he smoked marijuana and had in fact seen him talking with some ganja smokers. We felt that if he was leaving the area, he should at least have told us as he was a stranger. We checked various marijuana sellers, but nobody knew where he had disappeared to.

             We had reached part way when he sprang up out of some bushes. He showed us a gun, but we didn’t know anything about guns. Then two other guys came out of the bushes, they also had guns.

            “We’re going on a little mission. Tell my mother and aunt that I’ll soon be home.”

              We knew better than to protest as the other two men, Boyd and Duncan had just returned from prison.

            Desroy was the son of my uncle’s woman, Beulah. They had come to spend the week-end with us along with Beulah’s sister, Claire. Actually, my uncle had arrived from England the previous week.

              When I reached home I told Miss Beulah that Desroy would soon be home.

            “That boy, I can bet it’s some new girl, he has found,” she remarked.

            “Let the boy enjoy himself, Beulah,” my uncle said.

            “He has two baby mothers already and he’s just twenty three. I hope he doesn’t get mixed up with any more girls while he’s up here,” Miss Claire in turn said.

            “I just hope it’s not bad company he’s keeping. He’s gotten into enough trouble already,” Miss Beulah finally remarked.

            That Sunday morning Desroy was still not home. Miss Beulah was sure that he had gone to sleep with a local girl, Precious, whom she had seen him talking to.

            Miss Beulah became more worried as the Sunday morning wore on and there was no sign of Desroy. She complained of a headache and used bay rum to swab her head. At ten o’çlock the police came to our gate looking for him.  He, Boyd and Duncan had been caught breaking into a shop in the village square. In the ensuing shoot-out Boyd and Duncan had been shot and wounded but Desroy had escaped.

            “We held the other two, but he escaped. We believed that he was shot. He’s Desroy Buckle, a member of the ‘Thugs’.”

              We had all heard about the Thugs. They and the Scrappers were always at war. The gang had killed several policemen as well as innocent civilians. That Sunday evening, Miss Beulah and her sister returned home. Then we started to receive threats. It seemed that the short time Desroy had been in the village he had been able to form an offshoot of the Thugs. They were called the Samson gang because their leader was a huge giant of a man, called Monk.

            I was working in Kingston and only came home to visit my parents on some weekends. I left for work that Monday morning, still feeling worried about my relatives and the fact that Desroy hadn’t surfaced as yet. My uncle also returned to Sligoville where he was staying.

            About Wednesday of that week I had to rush to Sligoville when I heard that my uncle had been attacked and wounded. He was now resting comfortably in hospital.

            That Saturday morning I met with several men who were opposed to the Samson gang. The gang was now taxing all motorists plying the various routes in our community. They were also taxing the various business operators.

            The police still believed Desroy had been shot despite Boyd and Duncan being tight lipped about it. They also reported that he hadn’t turned up at the gang’s base. I again left for Kingston that Monday morning feeling depressed and fearing for my relatives. About Thursday of that week a thought struck me and that was from the crisis began we hadn’t seen Precious. That Saturday morning I went to the police station and told them of my suspicions.

            At Precious’ home we found her parents. We had to coax them to talk to us. They told us that Desroy had kidnapped Precious and warned them that if they told the police anything about him she would be killed. They dispelled the police’s theory that he had been shot.

            A manhunt was now launched for Desroy. Curfews were set up in the Thug bases and the Samson gang became inoperative because of police pressure. Still, there was no sign  of   Desroy. His mother and aunt appealed to him to surrender to the police and release the young girl. Then a thought struck me and I went to the policemen with it. They liked my theory and got help from Kingston and Spanish Town. Sure enough, we were greeted by gunfire that night when we went to Precious’ home. Precious’ mother and father managed to escape through a side door, but Desroy managed to hold off the policemen until he ran out of bullets. We heard Precious in the house crying and begging him to give himself up and then we saw her bolt outside. Desroy tried to escape through a backdoor but but he couldn't outrun the police. Many of the members of the Thugs and the Samson gangs were arrested that same night and are in jail waiting to go on trial. The End.

marijuana- also called ganja, weed, herb among other names in Jamaica.