Benji and the Cliffside Crew
Cliffside
The neighbourhood that Benji watches over.
Cliffside, Portmore
A working neighbourhood in Portmore, Jamaica — close enough to Kingston for the buses, far enough to keep its own rhythm. Houses with zinc roofs, gates with bougainvillea, lanes that curve toward the cliff edge above the bay.
The square
The centre of Cliffside life. The Saturday market sets up here. The domino table sits under the almond tree. Miss Icie sells pastries. Miss Hyacinth sells hard dough bread. The shop on the corner stays open until the last customer leaves.
The bakery
Miss Hyacinth’s. Open from 4 a.m. for the morning rush, closed by noon. Smells of yeast and burnt sugar. The side door faces an alley that nobody much uses — except when somebody does.
The school
Cliffside Primary. Standard Five is Omar and Clevie’s year. Standard Six debates happen in the upper-floor classroom that has the loose floorboard near the cabinet. The Friday assembly is mandatory.
The harbour
A small fishing harbour at the bottom of the cliff. Three or four boats come in at eight. The harbour master keeps a cat and a quiet temper. People bring things in and out that don’t always belong to them — which is why Benji is sometimes there at sunrise.
The hill
Cliffside Lane runs up the hill. At the top: an empty house, an old water tank, a view of the whole neighbourhood. Things that appear at the top of the hill tend to mean something is about to happen at the bottom.
The cliff
It is exactly what it sounds like. The cliff that gave the neighbourhood its name. There is a track along the edge that grown-ups tell children not to walk. The track gets walked anyway.