A Speedeet & Wilar Story

De rain start Friday night and didn’t stop.

By Saturday morning, Pike Street was a river.

Not a deep river. Not a dangerous river. But enough water that Little Sanjay from down de road was already wading through it with he shorts hiked up, looking absolutely delighted.

Speedeet press he face against de window and watch him.

“Bai,” he say to Wilar, who was sitting at de kitchen table doing absolutely nothing dangerous, “you see what I see?”

Wilar didn’t look up from he book. “I see flooding.”

“I see OPPORTUNITY.”

“Dat is de same ting right now, Speedeet.”

But Speedeet was already pulling on he old sneakers — de ones he mudda always say he should throw away. De ones he keep specifically for situations like dis.

Wilar watch him.

“You going outside.”

“Obviously.”

“In de flood.”

“Is not even deep.”

“Last time you say dat, you was up to yuh waist in de drain by Mr. Persaud shop.”

“Dat was DIFFERENT. Dat drain had unexpected depth.” Speedeet tie he laces. “You coming?”

Wilar look at de water outside. He look at he book. He look at de water again.

He put down de book.

By de time dem reach Sanjay, three more children from de street had appeared. Nobody plan it. Rain does do dat — pull people outside de same way sunshine does.

Keisha was already organizing.

“We doing a race,” she announce. “Down to de corner and back. Fastest one wins.”

“Wins what?” Speedeet ask.

“GLORY,” Keisha say, which was always her answer.

Speedeet nod like dis was a perfectly reasonable prize.

Dem race.

Speedeet was fast — faster than everybody on Pike Street, everybody knew dat. But wet road and old sneakers was a different calculation. He hit a slick patch near Miss Doreen gate and his feet went one way and he went another.

He land in de water.

Not hard. Not dangerous.

But SPECTACULARLY.

Water spray six feet in every direction. Sanjay scream. De Marcus twins fell over laughing. Keisha shake she head but she was smiling.

Wilar wade over and look down at him.

Speedeet was lying flat in six inches of floodwater, looking at de grey sky.

“You alright?” Wilar ask.

“I win,” Speedeet say.

“You did not win. Keisha win.”

“I win de SPLASH competition.”

“Dat was not a competition.”

“It is now.”

Later, sitting on de front step in wet clothes while de rain tapered off, Wilar said: “Next time de government fix de drains properly, you go have less splashing opportunity.”

“Den I go appreciate it while I have it,” Speedeet said.

Wilar think about dis.

“Dat is actually a reasonable philosophy.”

“I have dem sometimes.”

De sun try to come out. Not all de way. Just enough to remind everybody it still exist.

Pike Street start to drain.

It always do.

— De End —

Speedeet & Wilar is a weekly story set on Pike Street in Kitty, Georgetown, Guyana. New adventures every Sunday.