jaggy

m a r l e y

jamaican: "hey my good man. what brings you here?"

jaggy: "vacation. oh im just looking for some beaded necklaces and some t-shirts."

jamaican: "well, city boy, take a look over there."

He points across the crowded room of gifts - wooden vases, countless t-shirts, googly eyed stuffed marine life. He leaned over toward me and made me look down his arm, He pointed with one eye shut as i focused on the end of his index finger. there was a wooden box with a carved face of a man with serpentine-like dreads which wrapped around the sides of the box.

jamaican: "do you know what that is?"

He turned to look at me with wild eyes. Silence drowned the gift shop stand. We remained like stone statues for a few seconds.

jaggy: "a box?"

jamaican: "no no, look at it again."

jaggy: "uh, ...............jah?"

The tall and thin young jamaican man cackled like an evil super villain. As i tried to drum up another response for this box before me.

jamaican: "no city boy. it is the face of bob maaaarley."

After he said that i did sort of see a wizard-like bob marley face carved on the side of the little wooden box. But he was trying to tell me something.

jamaican: "do you see the face of bob marley, man?"

jaggy: (pause) "Yeah. I guess."

jamaican: "look closer. "

I stared so hard I could have burned a hole through that box. A small warm gust of caribbean air gently blew some gift shop wind chimes and i suddenly smelled a soft wisp of incense. I wondered what this man wanted me to do or say next.

jamaican: "well city boa, go ahead and open it."

I hesitantly walked over to the box and picked it up. It was made out of cheap driftwood and painted in a glossy clear coating. I began to pull open the top of the box which has hinged. it creaked as I opened it with caution. inside the box was at least half a pound of lizard green and golden ganga.

jamaican: "Do you now see the face of bob marley?"

jaggy: "Yeah, I see it alright."

So much for beaded necklaces and t-shirts. I spent all the cash in my wallet and the spent the rest of the vacation in an oceanside hottub high as fuck sipping red stripe. I can now say that I've seen the real Face of Bob Marley.