SHORT STORY: Push and pull in the market

Sunlight danced prettily on puffy clouds that were drifting so slowly across an azure blue sky that they seemed to be making no progress at all, until you stopped and stared and watched their shapes change as they inched along.

Judy squinted in the sharp morning light and sighed. She flexed her tense fingers around the strap of a bag slung across her arm and buried snug in her armpit, swallowed to alleviate her throat that had suddenly gone dry and mentally steeled herself. Her heart was drumming unnaturally fast and she could feel the queasy excitement adrenaline wrought turn her stomach over, as she took her first tentative steps into the melee in front of her.

“There,” she murmured hesitantly, moving deeper into the mess of shouting men and women, squealing children and the cacophony of hooting vehicles parked nearby, “See? It’s not that bad…”

Judy’s words cut off as she gasped, an unusual feeling coming over her as her feet left the ground. A vice like grip on each of her arms and two warm bodies sandwiching her accompanied the unexpected sensation, and all Judy could do was clutch onto her bag and her senses as she was carried along.

“Here Madam,” Judy was dumped into a rickety plastic chair that buckled dangerously under her weight, as a strong friendly voice spoke somewhere above her head, “We’ll have you looking beautiful like this,” two pudgy fingers appeared and snapped in front of her eyes as the voice went on, “You know we’re the best…”

“The best!” Another voice, thinner but still very animated, jumped in, “Don’t bother going to these others, me and Kimi here are…”

“The best,” the strong voice cut in and Judy, still stunned, felt a rush of cold air engulf her head as her head-wrap was whipped off. The chill jolted her to awareness and she leaped to her feet panting with righteous anger and irritation.

“I don’t want to do my hair!” she yelled exasperatedly, snatching back her scarf and quickly tying it on again. Then, facing the two women who had the audacity to look annoyed, she bit out, “You can’t just grab people like that, it’s…”

“Then you should have said so,” one of the women interrupted, her thin voice now devoid of all fake enthusiasm.

“Ehe,” Kimi’s strong voice jumped in again, “You’re wasting our time,” she said shortly, then together with her friend they turned and strode off, leaving Judy sputtering with impotent frustration.

The day was getting hotter. Though plenty of large clouds danced in the sky moved along by a strong wind and frequently blocked the piercing sun, a muggy heat sat in the market place; a creation of numerous warm bodies moving like irregular waves, hundreds of tiny eateries frying, boiling and roasting various delicacies on open air grills and small fires lit from sooty coals to imbue food with a tantalising burnt salty flavour, and the countless salons where not a few women sat sweating under dryers and blow-dry machines, or wincing under the heavy handed grip of gossiping hairdressers.

The market was alive. Grocers, trade’s people, hawkers of every possible ware one could imagine; second-hand clothes, cheap radios and gadgets, car accessories, traditional herbs and cures for baldness and ring-worm.

Then of course, there were the street urchins, miserably thin and sadly hungry with desperate eyes and quick fingers, watched hawkishly by even bigger thieves lounging casually on every corner with sharp bloodshot gazes. Judy stood in the chaos for a moment, frazzled by her encounter with the women, but the crowd around her heaved and bustled with such energy, it was impossible to be still. Reminding herself she had things to do, she steadied herself, set her face in an aggressive scowl and pushed her way through the masses.

“…Juicy! Farm fresh!” a young man, stooped over a large selection of colourful vegetables and fruits called out, his sing-song voice catchy in the noise.

Judy, her face grim, fought her way over to him and began picking out the produce, mentally checking things off her list. Lettuce that was crisp and cool to the touch, round red tomatoes, firm yet plump with the promise of succulence, carrots which glowed orange and wafted sweet scents; Judy was spoilt for choice. As her shopping bag filled up, she began to feel the settled satisfied calm of a successful trip, almost beginning to enjoy the commotion about her.

Straightening up with a heavy bag dragging at her shoulder, Judy smiled at the young man and told him to keep the change. The two truculent hairdressers were a distant memory, she was feeling good. She had go home, take a long shower, then treat herself to a nice meal. She was already salivating over the sauce she would make with the tomatoes...

“Here you go madam,” a loud voice in her ear made her jump and a firm grasp on her arm caused her to grab her bag with both hands, “Ok driver, let’s go!”

Judy, eyes round saucers in a startled face, found herself in a moving bus to God knows where, the sleazy conductor yelling for monies, dancing to blaring music as he pretended not to see the now livid expression colouring her features. He didn’t even ask where she was going! The nerve of him! Then suddenly, she slumped down into a chair as all the fight went out of her, managing only an indignant look as she rudely tossed him her fare then stared out the window as the bus sped on.