narrative glimpse #2

Just a little something to sink your teeth into...

Taking off my sun glasses I felt blinded as my eyes took a while to adjust to the bright light. It was overwhelming and the distant slapping of sea wave to sand helped me to focus my scenery. The grey plastic frame was cool glued to my sweaty hot palm and I was able to admire the white sanded beach in its true colours. Not the various tones of blacks and greys that my eyes were enslaved to since I jumped of the bus. It is called a bus but it is a mini van. A shiny blue rectangle box on wheels driving along the mountainous lanes believing its name is Ferrari. Vomiting a dusty cloud of pollution its sickly smell of gasoline flooded through the opened windows and consumed all the passengers. The weight of the passengers caused the bus to groan at every sharp turn and my red painted nails had fearfully gripped the cling-film textured seats. The bus balanced close to the side of the cliff creating a glass road effect. Its birds-eye view was frighteningly beautiful and was unspoiled by the radio blasting the latest calypso tune. Lush green bush smothered the vista of mountains which were scattered with an assortment of tropical flowers and plants. Seat belts did not exist in this bus and our squashed bodies were free to knock about like wooden pins on a bowling alley. I kept apologising to the old lady sitting next to me. She smelt of coconut oil and looked so fragile but she managed to nod and smile a toothless smile at me. Her smooth brown skin was wrinkled with time and wisdom and I loved her style of dress. There was no connection between her paisley patterned bandanna head tie, stripy red and white top and outrageously flowered skirt. But I could relate to the array of silver Grenadian style bracelets and bangles that danced round her thick wrist like a hoola hoop on a waist. They reminded me of my Gran.