Read Online Breadfruit by Célestine Vaite - Free Book Online Page A

salesperson writes
Materena Mahi
and
Five hundred francs
in the black book. “When are you coming to get the shirt and pay the rest?”
    “Tomorrow, girlfriend, after I get paid.” Materena counts her coins and gives them to the salesperson.
    The salesperson counts the coins and puts them in the cash register.
    Materena asks if she needs to sign the book.
    “
Non,
you don’t need to sign. Why do you want to sign?” asks the salesperson.
    Materena doesn’t particularly want to sign, unless her signature is required. No, her signature is not required.
    “That shirt is for my husband,” Materena says. Materena just can’t stop herself from thinking of Pito as her husband. They’re
     not married yet, but in her head and in her heart they are. “It’s his birthday in three days.”
    “Ah, it’s good. Lots of women bought that shirt for their husband.”
    Materena is pleased with the information. That shirt
is
popular.
    Materena goes and picks up the shirt the very next day. She wraps it in silver gift paper and ties a red ribbon around it.
     She hides Pito’s beautiful present under the mattress and pats the mattress. She’s happy. Pito thinks she’s not going to get
     him a birthday gift this year. He’s sure going to be surprised.
    Two more days and it’s Pito’s birthday.
    But she’s going to give him his birthday gift right now. Two days, it’s too long to wait. Materena is impatient to see Pito
     with that shirt on. And what if the shirt doesn’t fit him? It’s better that she finds out about it now rather than in two
     days in case she has to take the shirt back to the store and exchange it for another shirt. She hopes the shirt is going to
     fit Pito. That shirt will really suit him. She can picture him wearing it.
    So here she is, standing behind the sofa, hiding the silver specially wrapped gift behind her back. Pito’s watching the TV.
    “Pito,” Materena says.
    “I’ll take out the garbage tomorrow morning,” Pito says before she can continue.
    “
Ah oui,
it’s fine.”
    He turns his head to look at her, and she gives him a look of tenderness. She knows that he thought she was going to annoy
     him about the garbage.
    Usually she pesters Pito to take the garbage out at night, because when you take the garbage out in the morning, you can miss
     the garbage truck. The garbage truck doesn’t always come through at the same time. Sometimes it comes late and sometimes it
     comes very early. And when it comes very early, Materena is stuck with a full garbage can and she has to jump on the plastic
     bags to fit more plastic bags of trash in the can.
    And usually there’s a little argument—which Pito always wins because nothing can make him take the garbage out at night, because
     he prefers to take the garbage out in the morning. When you take out the garbage at night, the dogs knock the garbage cans
     over and there’s a mess and you have to clean up the mess
illico presto
because everybody in the neighborhood knows which garbage can belongs to whom.
    Materena chuckles.
    “What’s with you?” Pito asks.
    Ah, it’s so nice when you’ve got a gift for someone and that someone isn’t expecting it. She hands Pito his birthday gift.
    “What’s this?” he asks.
    “It’s your birthday gift.”
    “Eh, didn’t I already tell you —”
    She doesn’t let him finish his protestation. “Just open that present, you’re going to like it.” Materena’s heart is beating
     with excitement. She can’t wait to see the look of joy in Pito’s eyes.
    He prods the package. “Is it a towel?”
    She wonders why he would think she’d get him a towel for his birthday. “Why, do you want a towel?”
    No, he doesn’t particularly want a towel. He was only guessing.
    “It’s not a towel. Open the present and you’re going to see.” Materena’s eyes are sparkling.
    Pito rips the silver gift paper. He scratches his head and grimaces. There’s no look of joy in his eyes.
    “What? You don’t