From The Domino Masters of Demerara by Khalil Rahman Ali

“DOUBLE Six!” shouted Vishnu Prashad, the captain of the Anna Catherina Dominoes Team, called ‘The ACES’, as he slammed the first domino onto the sturdy wooden table. The seven dominoes remaining from the pack of 28 shuddered from the vibration, but remained face down.

Vishnu’s two other opponents in the final game of a very closely contested championship match of Dominoes between teams from the three neighbouring villages of Leonora, Anna Catherina, and Cornelia Ida, on the West Coast of Demerara, Guyana, South America, stared at him with deep suspicion. They knew that Vishnu, whose nickname or ‘call name’ was ‘Double Six’, had an uncanny knack of picking out this, the highest value domino, regardless of who shuffled the pack with all the numbers facing down.

The referee for the contest had tried to conceal all the dominoes by moving them around with the palms of his hands as swiftly as he could. But once Vishnu’s sharp brown eyes had locked onto his favourite domino, no amount of cover or artistry in the shuffle could deter his gaze. Then, as the referee allowed the three players to choose their seven dominoes each, Vishnu knew exactly where to locate the Double Six.

He sat upright on the well-carved wooden chair made from local mahogany wood, and with the stealth and swiftness of the jaguar’s attacking instinct, he pounced on his prize. He then quickly gathered up the six other dominoes he needed for his set.

Vishnu ‘Double Six’ Prashad was of Indian heritage, dark brown in complexion, very slim, and about five feet and nine inches tall. He was wearing a light-blue, short-sleeved cotton shirt which was tucked into a pair of khaki trousers held together by a narrow black leather belt. He loved wearing white yachting shoes, which he always kept in tip-top condition. Normally, he appeared a few years younger than his age of forty-five. But as captain, he always seemed to frown a lot as he took his responsibility very seriously. He had earned this recognition through several years of greater success than failure at Dominoes. He was also an accomplished card player, and claimed to be a good student of any games or sports he played, always willing to listen and learn from others.

Afzal ‘Mule’ Amin, the captain of the Leonora team called ‘The LIONS’, was also of Indian descent, and an imposing figure of about six feet tall, with large hands. He tried to draw his seven dominoes from the area that Vishnu targeted, but failed to intercept or block his opponent’s reach for the Double Six.

Afzal was forty-six years old, and wore a red tee shirt which seemed to be under great pressure from his powerful, muscular upper chest. The sleeveless tee shirt allowed his large and well-defined biceps to be displayed for all to see and admire. He wore a pair of blue denim shorts to emphasise and show off his bulky thighs and calves. He prided himself as being one of the strongest men across the whole of the twenty-mile-wide West Coast of Demerara.

He would often walk with a deliberate swagger, pushing out his large chest, and smiling at all his admiring onlookers on either side of the wide tarmacked main road that passed through all the villages. Young men and children would often walk up to him, admire his muscle-bound frame, and try to pose like their hero, even though most of them were scrawny or, in some cases, very overweight. Afzal preferred to wear smart, modern, designer-label sneakers specially obtained from his relations in the United States of America.

The audience of about sixty very excited and partisan supporters of the three teams stood in awe, as they also knew of Vishnu’s trick. They had been warned by the referee, who was an African Guyanese gentleman from Hague village, which was next to Cornelia Ida and not connected with the finalists, to remain silent throughout the most important game that would decide the champion team and village for the entire region of the West Coast of Demerara.

This deciding game was specially reconvened from the official finals day of the preceding Sunday which had overrun and had to be stopped due to darkness caused by a disruptive and irritating power cut. The village hall, located in Anna Catherina and owned by Arthur Ching, a member and vice-captain of the ACES team, did not have a reserve electric generator, and thus the tournament was left undecided.

Arthur Ching was a forty-year-old Chinese businessman, and about five feet ten inches tall. His height and weight caused him to stand out amongst other Chinese in the district. He was an affable man who was very popular amongst the villagers, and always wore a gentle smile which caused his small eyes to almost shut. He loved to wear very brightly coloured short-sleeved cotton shirts, khaki shorts, and loose-fitting brown leather sandals.

Peter ‘Smokey’ Ramdin, of mixed African and Indian heritage, was the third competitor, and captain of the Cornelia Ida team called the ‘COBRAS’. He was about forty-five years old, dark brown, slim, and about five feet six inches tall. He was also a very friendly man who was extremely popular in all the villages. His very toothsome smile would always light up any room.

The blackout had created great tension amongst the supporters of each team over the following two days to Tuesday, the 6th of August, 1985. The final showdown was the main point of conversations and argument within any gathering of two or more residents of the three villages. Small bets were waged as to which of the three captains would finally prevail in the deciding game.

Afzal flexed his bulky chest and arms as if he was preparing to control the mules belonging to the Leonora Sugar Estate. His job of minding the six mules was unique, and began when they were retired and replaced by tractors to pull the punts with the cut sugarcane from the fields, along the canals, to the weighing site of the factory.

Every year, when there was the local sports day at the Leonora Park Cricket Ground, a special race track was cut out at the unused land beyond the northern end of the cricket field. The mule race was a special treat for the spectators, and Afzal’s mastery in controlling the six large animals was a spectacle in its own right. The mules responded to every command by their keeper and were soon ready for the race. This began with the official starter firing his pistol raised high above his head. The starter then made a frantic dash to get well out of the way of the galloping giants, much to the delight of the spectators.

Other events on the day were the “Greasy Pole” climb, and the “Catch the Greasy Pig” race.

The greasy pole was a metal pipe of about twenty feet long and four inches in diameter. It was covered in black grease and placed over the trench that flowed on the right-hand side of the cricket ground. The competitors had to climb along the pole and grab a prize which was firmly tied at the end of it, dangling high above the slow-moving, murky water of the trench. The crowd was well entertained as each competitor tried their utmost to crawl along the pole; they quickly lost their tenuous grip and plunged into the trench. Eventually, as further attempts were made and much of the grease slid off the pole, one determined climber would succeed in reaching the end. The winner would grab the prize and, much to the delight of the hundreds of spectators, dive into the trench whilst holding the prize aloft.

The greasy pig race consisted of a continuously squealing specimen which was covered liberally with black grease. The pig would be given a fifty-yard start to run for its freedom. The chasers made their mad dash to try to catch the pig with their bare hands, and failed time and again. The pig would scamper amongst the spectators in its frenzied effort to escape the clutches of the diving chasers. This caused much mayhem amongst the spectators as they tried to avoid being soiled by the animal. The eventual winner would successfully catch and hold aloft the screaming pig as the prize.

Peter glanced at Afzal, and then fixed a gaze at Vishnu who bowed his head and avoided eye contact with his rivals. The players were not allowed to speak to each other, and the spectators were encouraged by the referee to remain as silent as possible.

Michael turned to Arthur who was standing next to him, and he whispered to his friend, “The Double Six is the best domino to draw in the game, simply because it has to be played before any other, and also, this means that Vishnu has already gotten rid of one of his seven dominoes. Besides, the number sixty-six is very significant in our history. On the 26th of May in the year 1966, we became an Independent Nation. It was the birth of Guyana. We were not British Guiana anymore. We were free!”

Some of the spectators overheard Michael’s whispering, and stared at him in a way to urge him to be quiet. He ignored them, and continued to provide Arthur with more of his historical knowledge.

He said, “You see, our President was then the Premier, and then he became the Prime Minister on that fateful day.”

Arthur brushed Michael aside, and said, “I know all about this. What has this got to do with this game of Dominoes? Please keep quiet, and watch our own leader and master of Dominoes at work.”

The referee turned around momentarily, and felt pleased that Arthur had helped him to retain silence amongst the spectators. He quickly refocused on the game and awaited Afzal’s play.

Carlos winked at Michael, and whispered, “So, we became independent from our British masters, only to go on to fight amongst ourselves?”

Michael smiled, and said, “This battlefield is full of brothers, close relations, and friends from our three villages. Sometimes I agonise about why we must do such battles against each other. What benefit can we gain from humbling others?”

Nazir said, “Yes, let us prepare to watch our leader do battle, and not spare his opponents. I only wish to celebrate an ACES victory. I do not care about the losers.”

Ramesh Prashad, the nineteen-year-old only son and child of Vishnu and Parvati, glanced at his wristwatch, scanned the room briefly, and after staring at his father, quietly slipped out onto the roadside. He mounted his 250cc Kawasaki motorcycle and roared off eastwards in the direction of Cornelia Ida.

Michael looked at Vishnu, and caught him smiling with some pride.

He said, “My friends, there goes our ACES captain’s dashing chip off the old block! Young Ramesh was born in May 1966, and is a greater gift to Vishnu and Parvati than our country’s Independence!”

Nazir smiled, and said, “That young man must have many more important things to do, than to stand around here to witness this game.”

Carlos nodded, and said, “Hmm, I wonder what he is up to now.”

Continued next week…