Dear Nesta,
CHILE, I jes’ had to write an’ tell yuh wuh happen to muh de ethuh day! I had sech a wonderful dream I was hopin’ it would go on an’ on! Mebbee it was ’cause I went sleep ’pon a full stomach whichin I don’ nusually do. As soon as I put muh head down I went fas’ asleep! An’ all dese marvellous t’ings dat I gine tell yuh ’bout, begin to happen!
I was walkin’ down a long road an’ aldoh I realise dat durin’ de night we had nuff rain, I c’n see no water settlin’ any place! As a rule, as soon as li’l rain fall fuh mo’ dan half-hour nowadays, mos’ areas turn into a river an’ all yuh troubles begin!
But not dis time, de rain might be fallin’ but water wasn’ gettin’ a chance to settle. It seem we had a big clean-up campaign! It turn out guvment was now seein’ to it dat all wells was gettin’ clean in a proper way, fuh de mos’ part, litterbugs was now usin’ de bins put dey fuh duh use, an’ all garbage was gettin’ pick up in a reg’lah manner!
I only notice one small puddle, an’ jes’ as I reach it, a car fly pas’ an’ wash muh way wif de dirty water. I blink when I see de driver start to reverse! When ‘e reach me, an’ push ’e head out de winder to apologise fuh soakin’ muh, I near drop in de same water dat was dey! I so ’custom to gettin’ splash by dese road hogs!
At dah moment, a ZR van pass muh, an’ Ness, I din see one bit o’ de nusual nasty black smoke dem vehicles – an’ ethuhs – always sen’ out in de atmosphere! Somebody tell muh de Law was at las’ in force an’ all traffic had to get reg’lah overhaulin’! Road manners get tek up too! ZRs an’ minibuses c’n jes’ stop any an’ evuhwhey no mo’ to let off passengers, duh had to use bus-stops all de time! An’ duh dare not stop in de road side by side, high mornin’, to chat wif one anethuh!
Befo’ when it happen, any car behin’ dem, jes’ had to wait ‘til duh conversation finish! Now, t’ings was becomin’ orderly! Dis new fashion behaviour o’ people doin’ wuhevuh an’ whenevuh duh like, regardless o’ rules, was disappearin’! We din seem to be so unruly no mo’!
I went in a store an’ de cheerful pleasant way de girl come up to ax ef she could help, ketch muh completely off guard an’ I could only ax she to help muh to a chair, befo’ I faint ’way wif de shock! Wuh, it never happen to muh befo’! I start to wonder ef Chris’mas did come in early, ‘cause at dah time people seem mo’ pleasant, but when I check, it was only October!
Somebody come up to muh an’ explain dat nuff t’ings was now diff’rent! Duh tell muh when people put duh ole fambly in a home, dun don’ jes’ drop duh an’ fuhget de address! Ole pensioners don’ get duh cheques t’ief by young fambly members nor get lef’ no mo’ in de horsepittle at de mercy o’ de guvment. All ’bout, people had time fuh one aneduh an’ was showin’ mo’ love fuh duh nighber!
I was so glad to hear ’bout dis change dat I turn to ax anethuh question an’ in turnin’, I wake up! It was mornin’, an’ from de way I hear de rain peltin’ ‘pon de galvanize sheets, I realise dah was goin’ on all night! I look out an’ muh eyes meet wif de nusual sight! Water risin’, cars stallin’ an’ bizness as nusual! Back to de nightmare!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie
