Nobody does starve in dis place

This morning as I woke up I hear…
“Boy what you doin dey dis early morning?” The old lady from across the road in she nightie hobbling across by the big house with the huge golden apple – that the children always stonning, and the breadfruit tree in the yard, on she walking stick.
“Ah pickin a breadfruit dey”, the young man answered, calm and cool. No “why you doh mine you damn business woman or shut you so and so mouth or why you do hawl you mudder so and so or any profanity of the sort. He just standing in the Government road, as we say and he jookin he ting…he jookin something up in the branches hanging over the road.
“So who tell you you could jus come and pick de people breadfruit now eh? Leave de people damn breadfruit alone.” She taking purchase on she stick and she under the breadfruit tree now….fuming, knocking she stick on the ground as she talking. And the breadfruit tree is not even hers…is the same way she does cuss and chase the youths when they pickin the golden-apples. She prefer they just fall and rot on the ground! Is this a Caribbean ting?
Anyway, partners en saying nottin..he just aiming straighter and jookin harder..and she standing up there with she cotton hair making her look like she supposed to be a nice ole lady- watching and I looking through me window (machoing?) thinking he must be real desperate for ah oil down because although is true, the tree take a real good load for the season, all I could see is little baby breadfruits that have a good time to go still..but this young man still jookin!! And I thinking maybe he seeing something we en seeing…maybe it have one that was busy busy to mature, leaving the rest behind…and I thinking good for you boy. Jook with all you might. Because man must eat! And once breadfruit around, nobody starves in this place. Oil down on the beach later…I limin dat!….And a big big shout out…with sincere thanks to Captian Bligh!!

Boy we like to direc’ traffic!

Road works in full swing so people could make a little panquai for the Christmas….when you see road works you know Christmas coming..just like the cool breeze we getting  on evenings now, and parang playing on the radio…anyway…since before 5am the gang out, because I hearing cutlass slicing  bush, the pling pling of cutlass hitting  stones…( I heard someone say this area is known as The Stones…). And this man busy because I sure he have another day work to go and make when he finish here…so he getting on with it. He en talking, he en pausing for nothing. There are four of them…one other woman serious too..she band she belly and she ready for hard work. She raking up the bush and gathering them for gang member number 3. Now number 3 en ready for that kind of work at all. She in she skinny jeans and  ballet pumps, and she holey vest  exhibiting  all she bosom and she  bulges  and them..but the weaver well protected under she scarf. I bet she finger nails and them long long too….and she doing all she can not to have to pick up them bundle of grass with she pretty nails!  And then number 4 is the overseer..the leader. Now you could tell that she is a woman you don’t mess about with. She skinny like a rake and look as tough and strong as an old mahogany trunk…she holding a rake but for her it’s minimal work..she is the ‘Foreman’ – that’s the word I was looking for…Foreman. So she just monitoring things…so when the car coming down meet up with the one going up the hill….on that narrow narrow road and we know one has to do something to give way to the other…she take charge right away…

“Man just go back nuh! You en see she cyan pass. Jus pull out yourself from the damn drain and trow youself on the side dey”. Pointing to the muddy side road that all man afraid of…because unless you have 4wheel drive, you know you well stuck!

“Man jus throw youself on the side nuh man let the lady pass!”  And you know why she saying the lady and not the woman eh!  All you know?  Anyway…Driver reverses now,…cautiously…looking very nervous.. just far enough so the lady could squeeze pass.

“Yea man. Down the road lady!”

All’s well again. The little crowd gathered to watch this little scenario disperses now…school, work, lime, fishing…wherever.

Grenadians like to direct traffic. A car just has to make a mistake and stop for a second, and someone ready to give directions!

And me… I like listening to all that juicy stuff going on outside my window! A little maccoing never hurt nobody yet!  Or has it? You know when I used to live in a little village out in the sticks ..not long ago…I wrote a piece called “ Nothing Happens on Primrose Close” Might share one of these days.

But talking about maccoing…last night it was a young lady and she boyfriend…sounded like he apprehended her mobile phone! Drama!! For another time though. Somebody jooking breadfruit outside again and I going and see if they go jook one for me too!