Picture this, ten o’clock New Year’s Eve and De Vendor in bed, deep in sleep.
Yet, eight hours later pun New Year’s morning I now getting into bed after a memorable night of live and DJ music, dancing, wine, food, party favours and fireworks.
Ah went to several fetes, had de time of muh life and did not spend a single cent! Possible?
In Bubbadus? New Year’s Eve?
Never happen, right?
De Vendor don’t mek sport ’bout dese tings and is not dat I cheap or looking fuh a freeness but sometimes, every once in a while yuh does go out and have a great time and it don’t brek de bank. It’s a reminder that sometimes de best things does turn out to be de ones yuh didn’t plan.
December 31st start pun a somber note, attending de funeral of the iconic media and advertising man Desmond Bourne, a reminder dat every day when yuh wake up, give God thanks and celebrate life.
Celebrate yuh blessings ’cause too often we does harp pun what went wrong, what we don’t have and wuh we want but we does seldom recognize de blessings.
Iffing when I did meet Desmond back in de ’70s somebody did tell me dat one day I woulda been a pall bearer at he funeral, I woulda say,“You smoking weed?”
But back to New Year’s Eve. Nothing did tickling muh fancy and de ones dat did woulda burn holes in muh pocket and send muh to OD (overdraft, not overdose).
So de plan was no plan at all, but by 11 o’clock ah pass by de ATM machine to try to tek off a certain amount of money, only to see a message say, “You joking, right”.
I tek de few dollars that I could get and was on my way.
Getting invite to Mrs Cheryl Newman restaurant Champers fuh a drink by friends was pure genius. Next ting I know, somebody putting a hat pun muh head, and party favours, wine wid a name I can’t spell nor pronounce was pun de table and music was licking down de place.
I get to spend a li’l time with de boss lady sheself and talk wid we living legend and National Hero Sir Gary Sobers and he family. Dey was fireworks galore, New Year greetings and music that yuh could actually understand de lyrics.
Ah went from there to a fete in Navy Gardens where de hosts who barely know De Vendor was by de road inviting we to celebrate wid them.
Good food, good people, good company and to top things off, somebody find two guitars and before yuh could holler Banks beer, Aubrey Choy was plucking away and a largely off-key Richard Cozier, managing director of Banks, was singing and waking up all de dogs!
Meanwhile, de offspring was pun Sandy Lane beach posing for photos with Simon Cowell, one of her idols! Finally, at four a.m., we driving down de West Coast to check out de action but dat crowd was either drunk or had gone home to sleep.
A totally unplanned evening was made memorable by de presence of people – some strangers, others friends – and all de while I was exchanging BBM and face time calls wid friends and family overseas.
What a way to start a new year! It’s a reminder of yet another blessing dat I will never take for granted.
I, Market Vendor, gone fuh now. You have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear?
