Love, Anger, Madness_ A Haitian Trilogy - Marie Chauvet [129]
“But,” the Gorilla added as if suddenly himself again, a mean and cunning rabid dog, “was it to talk about your daughter that you wanted to speak to me alone?”
“My son would like to wear the uniform,” Louis Normil replied very quickly, “and I was counting on you to recommend him to your people so he receives special consideration.”
“Now there’s a wise decision!” the Gorilla exclaimed. “I admit I was a little suspicious of him. He’s distant and avoids greeting me. I’m always wary of malcontents since there are so many around me. Our organization has set things up to satisfy everyone, but they’re insatiable. You look to me, such as I am, but I am only a cog in an immense machine. The one who gives us our orders is like God, invisible and all-powerful. We get our orders and we carry them out. That’s all. We often know nothing about the reasons for the things he asks of us and we just blindly obey. Your son holds me personally responsible and quite imprudently swells the ranks of the group of malcontents.”
“Maybe he thought you wouldn’t let him join,” Louis Normil added very quickly.
“Don’t try to play me,” the Gorilla protested. “He has reasons to be unhappy after we took his land and his sister. You were the first to be struck. Soon, all those who’ve been resisting will feel our heavy hand on their heads.”
He looked intently at Louis Normil as he spoke but was unable to decode his enigmatic face. Normil answered with aplomb:
“I know your reputation, you are feared and respected. Under your protection, my son will go far quickly.”
“Hey, hey, you’re laying it on a bit thick now, aren’t you …”
The Gorilla leaned over to him as he glanced at the uniformed men who had formed a circle around him, and whispered:
“They’re always pestering me and I can’t make them all happy at the same time. I have a tough job: that’s the price I pay for my position. Go tell them that your land still belongs to you, and you and I will figure an arrangement. You seem reasonable and you do what you’re told. Your daughter cares about you. I like people who do what they’re told. You know what, why don’t you handle these sales for me? Rid me of these birds of prey and you’ll get a nice cut.”
“All I want is to help,” Louis Normil affirmed, astonished by this turn of events.
“But remember, don’t double-cross me, eh, or you’ll regret it. I promised your daughter that I’d return the papers you signed, and I will keep my word. If you keep yours, everything will be fine and you’ll make good money. But the important thing is to make sure these people leave me alone.”
“You mean you’re authorizing me to sell these properties on your behalf and mine?”
“That’s exactly right. I would never dream of giving away free land to these vultures and ending up looking like a Simple Simon.”9
“I understand,” Louis Normil said and got up to leave.
Seeing this, the Gorilla hung on to him and insisted that he eat with him. When he was able to free himself two hours later, he felt so weak and in such pain that he dragged his feet all the way home. With a bitter taste in his mouth, he went up to his room and got in bed, refusing all food, and buried his face in the sheets as he brooded over his conversation with the Gorilla. He couldn’t help being haunted by obscene images of this runt fornicating with his daughter, and he was filled with cold rage. He kept furtively looking over at Rose, listening to her conversation with rapt and morbid attention as if hoping that she’d suddenly shout that she had played a dirty trick on the Gorilla, that he had never touched her. He let her kiss his forehead and watched her leave for her date and waited up for her late into the night, listening, agitated and appalled.
Nevertheless, as soon as the next day, under the authority granted by a powerful figure, he began advertising and selling the properties. Stone-faced and resolute,