HOW LIFE WID YUH, chile? I see wunna had Budget Day las’ week. I hope yuh en get hit too hard. Down hey, it been hot enuff, an’ I en only mean de wevver.
Firs’, de news dat CLICO facin’ a lawsuit from de ex-CEO fuh ten million dollars set off one bariffle o’ angry policyholders dat still waitin’ to get back duh hard-earn money.
My frien’ Philomena in dah onfortunate group, an’ when she hear de news, she rush over at me, wavin’ de newspaper an’ hollerin’ ’bout how onfair life is. I c’n blame she, but I still had to try an’ calm she down befo’ she get a stroke.
You won’ know hummuch times I get down ’pon dese two ole knees an’ t’ank de Almighty I din get ketch in dah net promisin’ all dem wonderful returns? I try to stop Philomena, but like nuff mo’, she look ‘pon me as a wet blanket an’ went ’long an’ han’ up de li’l bit o’ savin’s she had fuh she “golden” years. An’ look wuh happen?
She check an’ fine out dat de gentleman get a good set o’ money a’ready. Philomena an’ dem ethuh pensioners need wuh rightly belongks to dem as well – an’ soon. Dah’s only fair. Evuh place yuh turn, people vex, vex, but wuh dah gine do? Excep’ mebbe mek duhselves sick. I tell she to trus’ God – ’e does wear pyjamers, but ’e don’ sleep. An’ face it: life mus’ go on, regardless.
Well, de Estimates Debate was de nex’ talkin’ p’int. An’ “talk” it was, wid de two sides p’intin’ fingers at one anethuh lef’ an’ right. You could believe dat up to now – t’ree years down de road – de Guvment side still bringin’ up t’ings de ethuh side shouda do, an’ blamin’ dem fuh de turrble state de country fine itself in. While de Opposition, fuh dey one part, would like people to feel dem completely blameless fuh wuh went on in de pas’, an’ t’rowin’ de blame back ’pon de Guvment side.
Duh really does get on like li’l trildrun, faif, wid dis “blame game”. As far as I concern, all two – bofe – got to tek responsibility fuh dis situation. So yuh would onderstan’ when I tell yuh dat I don’ spen’ much time lissenin’ to wuh duh sayin’, ’cause whenevuh it done, wuhevuh Guvment decide befo’ duh even get to de House, gine be de final decision.
Somet’ing dat concern muh, an’ mussee evuhbody else, is de high cos’ o’ livin’ we facin’ dese days. T’roughout all de debate ’bout tourism, ’bout agriculture, ’bout lan’ title, even ’bout de Constitution change to allow de new Chief Justice to tek up de pos’, mebbe I miss it, but I don’ t’ink I hear neffin ’bout plans to try an’ get de cos’ o’ livin’ down. I hope it don’ mean de Guvment decide dey en neffin duh could do ’bout it. Nowadays de risin’ oil prices gettin’ blame fuh evuht’ing – an’ we jes’ mus’ live wid it.
De present basket o’ goods en sayin’ a “pang”, but I hear it gettin’ increase. When? I hope befo’ Chris’mas. My nighber say I should follow she example, an’ check out diff’rent places fuh prices dat mo’ cheap. But I tell she, “Not me, I not in dat.” I en able to be drivin’ up an’ down in no hot sun, was’ein’ de li’l gas dat gettin’ mo’ expensive evuh day, jes’ to save fifty cents, an’ den get so fag out, I got to fine muhself at de doctor an’ en’ up payin’ much, much mo’ dan de fifty cents I was tryin’ to save. I prefer to do widout.
I onderstan’ de Agriculture Minister gine after de crop t’ieves. Ef is one body dat might get dem straighten out, I t’ink it could be he. But we gine wait an’ see.
– Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’ Babsie