Dear Nesta,
How t’ings gine, girl frien’? I see winter now behin’ wunna – at leas’, de calendar sayin’ so – an’ springtime tekkin’ over, so better days should soon be ’pon de horizon!
Better days might be ’roun’ de corner fuh you, but I gettin’ worried ’bout Philomena! Only recently I was tellin’ yuh ’bout she problems, an’ I don’ wanta say dis now, but I believe she tekkin’ it on summuch dat it seem to be affeckin’ she brain – an’ nowadays, it en too hard to get sen’ down to Black Rock!
Sence dah report come out, all day, she only mutterin’ “T’ree million” or “T’ree, p’int t’ree, t’ree’tree” . . . , like a stuck record, an’ she go on like dat fuh a while, shakin’ she head in disbelief, befo’ suddenly, she would get vex an’ jump up, sayin’ she gine ketch a bus an’ go up to Sin John! Fuh which purpose, I cyahn onderstan’, as she don’ know one soul in dah parish, so I would axe ef she wanta go up dey to put some flowers ’pon David grave – knowin’ full well she en got “cent one”, even to buy a bunch o’ weeds, but I was well aware dat in life, fuh she, he c’n do neffin wrong! My words does put she in a turrble rage, but at leas’ duh would bring she back to reality, ’cause after glarin’ at muh, she mood would change back to one o’ regret, an’ she would turn ’way, as ef she realize she outlook en lookin’ a-tall good!
But she never know! I show she de paper whey dat Independent lady Senator state dat all CLICO assets an’ management own as well, should go to help pay back de policyholders an’ investors. When I t’ink o’ muh po’ frien’, I agree 100 per cent! Wuh, after all, life shun be so onfair fuh dem to be livin’ in style, wid duh big houses an’ cars, an’ ethuh people sufferin’ ’cause duh cyahn get back duh hard-earn money?
In dis nighberhood, we all try to look out fuh one anethuh, an’ evuhbody rallyin’ ’roun’ Philomena, so one day, my nighber offer to tek she sight-seein’! When duh get back home an’ Philomena tell muh she went to see de “Changin’ o’ de Guard, dah settle it fuh me! Now I know dah is one magnificent sight, only tekkin’ place outside de Palace evuh mornin’ in London, an’ as far as I know, Philomena only went to de Garrison fuh some fresh air! But when my nighber confirm it an’ advise muh to go an’ see it fuh muhself, as I know she won’ lie, I had to accep’ Philomena words!
I en know wuh nex’ we gine come up wid to help push tourism, but dis I know, wunna British cyahn have pins wid we! When it come to dis “guard bizness”, we doin’ it de “Bajan Way”!
It seem to me it en only guards changin’ at de Garrison! I see new faces appearin’ in places whey yuh din see dem befo’, an’ yuh now got to mek a search fuh de ethuh ones! It put muh in min’ o’ dat song, Where Have All De Flowers Gone? I know students does tek “Spring Breaks”, so I wonder ef adults now doin’ de same. Anyhow, as I onderstan’ it, de onlies’ t’ing constant in Life is “Change”, so anyt’ing could happen, anytime!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie