Protoje – Kingston Be Wise

Protoje – Kingston Be Wise (Official Music Video)

 

 

Shoes shine. Clothes press nice and crisp. Hair perm over the weekend. Yes, Kingston was ready for her first day of high
school. Only thing was the old mash-up car her father owned, which went only so far up the hill. She end up having to
strut her stuff half the way to the front gate. When she finally reach and was catching her breath, she surveyed the scene.
Youths were playing here and there in the yard before the morning bell. Scrimmage here, marbles there, but the largest
gathering was underneath a prominent baobab tree. Kingston was curious to see what was going on there but a familiar
face caught her eye. It was her older cousin, Portau, also called Princess. The two of them weren’t the fondest of kin and
did not hold a decent conversation in years, but Kingston went over to greet her respectfully. As she approached, it was
impossible not to notice how thin Princess had become.
„Lord ‚amercy, Princess! You turn skin and bones!“
„Everyday they take my lunch money,“ her cousin replied.
„Who?“
„Every single day, Kingston.“
„Who take your lunch money, Princess?“
„Them.“ She pointed toward the baobab tree. „Never go over there. Better if you play with the younger ones.“
Kingston was a little girl indeed but her vision was big. Instead of kneeling in the dirt with marbles, she went off in the
direction of the baobab tree, where it seemed like the entire world was at play.
Princess shouted after her, „Wait! Kingston, be wise!“
Kingston never bothered to heed the warning though, and was soon underneath the shady tree. Everyone was huddled
around in a loose circle and she manage to squeeze in just enough to catch a glimpse of the center. Sitting there were two
of the biggest boys in the yard playing a game of tic-tac-toe. For a while she took in the scene, this pair of players and
intensely focused speculators. Next to her was one boy who suddenly noticed her presence.
„Who are you?“
„My name is Kingston. And you?“
„You should not be here, Kingston. Leave quickly.“
„But I want to see the game,“ she insisted.
Noticing the interaction, another boy butted in. „Who the bloody hell are you chatting with, Abuja?“
„Nobody,“ the Abuja boy replied. „Just a new girl I was telling to go away.“
The next chap stared intently at Kingston and she returned his gaze. Immediately she recognized him. When she was
younger, her father used to be his family’s gardener. She even remembered his name – London. On the other hand, she
couldn’t discern whether or not he remembered her. His loftiness was not easy to interpret. Flashbacks invaded her mind,
recalling a time when he would abuse her all in the name of „good fun“ as he used to put it. He and his friend, Madrid
would take turns pushing her around as older, aggressive boys tend to do to defenseless, younger children. It was a
wretched existence for her. She supposed that London must have remembered her but simply chose to pretend otherwise.
Maybe Kingston was going to jog his memory right then and there but for an irritated call that came from the center of the
circle.
KINGSTON GOES TO SCHOOL
(New Rebel Folklore by Dutty Bookman)
„Somebody’s breaking my concentration, dammit!“
„It’s London and Abuja,“ came a voice from the other side of the circle.
„No, no,“ Abuja was quick on the defensive. „No, there’s a fledgling here who got lost in the yard.“
„I have it under control,“ London intervened. Then, turning to Abuja, he said, „Need I remind you that you too were a fledgling
once? Only last semester in fact! We should have you both banned from the tree right now.“
„Enough,“ the voice in the middle commanded. „Send the new one to me!“
And a pathway open up to Kingston. As she started walking toward the center, Abuja whispered to her, „Be wise, Kingston,“
and the closer she got to the tic-tac-toe table, the more she recognized one of the two players. It was Washington, a name
that made her very heart race. He was only the most popular boy on the planet. His face was always on TV, in magazines, all
over the internet. He was an all-out celebrity. Everybody wanted to be like Washington.
„Well what do we have here? A fair little lady!“ He insisted on being loud every time he spoke. Kingston felt very self
conscious being put on display, let alone by none other than Washington himself. The Washington!
He continued, „You remind me of someone!“
„Like who?“ Kingston was smiling a little now. She was star-struck.
„Paris!“ Washington turned around to face another boy. „Doesn’t she look a bit like that other one. What’s her name? Portau?“
„Yes, I think zat is her cousin,“ Paris replied.
„Oh, I see!“ And he turned to face her again. „Very interesting!“
For the longest five seconds, Washington undressed Kingston with his eyes. He examined her from her legs up to her relaxed
hair, back down to her hips, then her feet and back up to her face. He saw her sandy complexion and her pretty smile, and he
was charmed. He wanted her around. She was someone he could use for his reputation, for his benefit, for his pleasure. He
could pay her short visits once in a while when he wasn’t too busy. Maybe when she grows up, he might consider her for a
steady partner. Unlikely. But he relished the taboo anyway. He knew how to use his Barry White voice after all.
Washington kept on peering into her eyes when he asked, „Did you bring your lunch money today, sweetheart?“

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