Devil’s Music - Chapter 125: From Jamaica

As Geon entered Trench Town in Kingston, he marveled at the vibrant faces of the impoverished yet cheerful people, making his way toward the Bob Marley Museum. The buildings along the streets, seemingly erected in the 1800s, bore weathered paint and showed signs of considerable decay. Despite sitting idly in front of their homes, fanning themselves, the locals greeted each passerby with smiles and waves.

Geon reciprocated the smiles of the welcoming locals, pondering, “Jamaica has a sorrowful history. Why do so many people here seem so happy?”

Recollections of Jamaica’s past, researched before Geon’s arrival, flooded his mind. Once a colony of Britain and Spain, Jamaica was a hub for slave auctions, where millions of Africans were brought as slaves. Over ten million were forcibly taken to Jamaica, with over a million perishing during the journey. Even after gaining independence, the nation was riddled with gun battles between two political factions, claiming many lives well into the late 1970s.

It was a country barely forty years into peace. The scars of war and poverty still fresh, with Jamaica having a per capita GDP of less than $5,137 (about 5.7 million KRW). Geon couldn’t fathom how people in such circumstances could radiate such happiness, especially when compared to Korea, still healing from wounds of a war over sixty years ago.

His astonishment grew as he witnessed a 60-year-old man, missing a leg, dancing with fervor using a crutch. A child, seeing Geon’s bewildered expression, took his hand and led him to the center of the merriment. Soon, the surrounding crowd joined in, laughing and swaying to the music.

Geon wondered, “How can people with such a history and economic status appear so content?”

As Geon awkwardly danced to the lively rhythm, children pointed and laughed joyously. Adults chuckled at his comical moves. When Geon, drenched in sweat, removed his hat to wipe his forehead, the bustling ambiance hushed instantly. Geon surveyed the suddenly silent crowd.

All eyes were on him. Some raised their fingers and shouted.

“It’s Kay?”

“Kay!”

“Wow! Kay!”

“The black hero!”

Though feeling embarrassed by his misstep, Geon smiled warmly at the admiring gazes and raised his hat in acknowledgment.

“Hello, I’m Kay!”

“Wow!”

“Give us an autograph!”

“Me too!”

As Geon hugged each child, signing their sketchbooks, an elderly man, revered by the community, approached. The man, dressed in Rasta-style attire, smiled kindly at Geon.

“Natty! Kay’s in our village!”

With a gentle laugh, Natty nodded, then turned to Geon.

“So, your name is Kay?”

Geon straightened up and replied respectfully.

“Yes, sir. I’m Kay.”

Natty waved his hand dismissively.

“Call me Natty Grandpa, none of that ‘mister’ nonsense. You’ve come all the way to Jamaica; you have to have a proper cup of Blue Mountain coffee. Follow me.”

Geon followed Natty into a beige-colored house nearby, where the Bob Marley Museum was visible. Natty, after seating Geon on the sofa, approached with a dish of roasted coffee beans, ready to grind.

“With coffee, you’ve got to grind it roughly like this, not too fine. That’s how you get the depth of flavor.”

Geon chuckled as he watched Natty grind the coffee beans, then glanced at the photos on the wall surrounding the sofa. The wall was adorned with numerous pictures of a young Natty and Bob Marley taken in their youth. Geon, examining the photos, suddenly asked,

“By any chance, are you the one mentioned in Bob Marley’s song ‘Natty Dread’?”

Natty, revealing his white teeth as he ground the coffee beans, chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s right. We were close. It was an honor to have him sing about me, hehe.”

Geon looked at Natty with renewed interest, and Natty began pouring hot water into a filter.

“Here you go, Jamaica’s pride: Blue Mountain coffee.”

Geon carefully took the cup, filled almost to the brim, and took a sip of the steaming coffee.

“Wow! The flavor is really deep!”

Natty laughed heartily as he took a sip of his own coffee and sat opposite Geon.

“Yeah, it sure is. So, are you here to see Marley’s museum or just sightseeing?”

“Both, haha.”

“I see. You seemed quite famous earlier. What do you do?”

“Uh… well, I’m a student…”

“A student? How come a student is famous? Aren’t you an entertainer?”

“Well… to put it simply, I’m involved in music, haha.”

Natty nodded thoughtfully, looking at Geon with a curious gaze.

“Is that so? So, you’ve come to trace Marley’s footsteps.”

“Yes, that’s right. He’s a musician I admire.”

Natty nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, he’s essentially the founder of reggae.”

Geon asked with a surprised expression,

“Really? Reggae was founded by Bob Marley?”

Natty chuckled lightly.

“Well, before Marley, there wasn’t this genre of music, which mixes African folk music with American rhythm and blues. So, you could say he’s the pioneer.”

Geon nodded in understanding. Natty continued,

“The first Jamaican band to tour the United States was Marley’s band, the I-Threes, so you could almost consider him a founder. Of course, he’s more respected for the peace he brought than his music.”

Geon nodded vigorously.

“Yeah, I saw a documentary where, during the ‘One Love’ concert, seeing the leaders of the two warring parties shaking hands and saying those words gave me chills.”

Natty looked at Geon with a playful glint in his eyes, and both of them simultaneously exclaimed,

“Now, there’s peace in Jamaica!”

Natty and Geon exchanged smiles and laughter. Natty, appearing cheerful, glanced at his wristwatch.

“Ah, this won’t do. There isn’t much time left before the museum closes. But since it’s fate, I’ll personally guide you. There’s hardly anyone who knows about Marley as much as I do.”

“Wow, really? It’s thrilling to be guided by someone mentioned in Bob Marley’s songs, haha.”

Natty chuckled and headed towards the museum. Upon arriving at the museum, Natty spoke up.

“Well, see that red truck over there? That’s the car Marley used to ride. It’s pretty much wrecked now to even call it a car. And that light blue truck over there was Marley’s first car. He used to drive it to Montego Bay Beach a lot.”

Following Natty’s guidance, Geon wandered around. Contrary to expectations of crowds, apart from a few people, there wasn’t much hindrance to viewing. Natty entered the museum, pointing out a black guitar in a glass case.

“This was Marley’s first guitar. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a classic guitar with no brand. But he created numerous songs with this.”

Geon sat on the floor, examining Marley’s guitar. Though old and worn, with the black paint mostly peeled off, the strings didn’t seem rusty, thanks to proper maintenance. Natty, noticing Geon’s deep interest in the guitar, gestured towards the next room.

“Marley’s last guitar is also preserved over there. The rest are exhibitions of Marley’s photos and albums, so there’s no need for explanations. I’ll be sitting here, take your time and explore.”

After shaking hands with Geon, Natty left for the museum courtyard. Geon explored other rooms. Though smaller than expected, the museum’s scale allowed one to feel Marley’s presence through various items used during his lifetime. As Geon concluded the brief tour and exited the museum, he noticed Natty, who had fallen asleep on a bench in the courtyard.

“He must be tired due to his age. My apologies…”

Watching Natty sitting for a while, Geon’s eyes caught sight of a large tree with inviting shade across the street. Walking over and sitting under the tree’s refreshing shade relieved Geon’s tired body from Jamaica’s scorching weather. As the cool breeze eased away, lifting his spirits, Geon’s eyes slowly reopened.

The scenery reflected in Geon’s eyes had changed. Natty, who was visible across the street, had disappeared, along with Bob Marley’s museum. Though the buildings remained unchanged, the roads vanished, replaced by dirt paths. As Geon glanced around and noticed the absence of people except for himself, he saw another person sitting under the shade of the tree, looking back at him.

With a slight grimace, the person took a drag of marijuana, then chuckled upon locking eyes with Geon. Seeing his laughter, Geon smiled back, thinking to himself,

“It’s another dream again.”

>

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