Dear Nesta,
How you, girlchile? I en hear from, or ’bout yuh, fuh a good li’l while now, so I hope t’ings gine fine an’ dandy. Yuh know how it is? We here today an’ gone tonight! So we need to keep track o’ frien’s whenevuh we could.
Me, soul? I down hey tryin’ muh bes’ to go wid de flow, but it en easy! De atmosphere heatin’ up, weathuh-wise an’ ethuh-wise! Only dis mornin’ when I write de date ‘pon dis letter – 26th – I realize today is B-day! Call it eithuh “Budget Day” or “Big Day”, same diff’rence, but wuh I know, is dat mos’ o’ we lookin’ to see jes’ wuh Mr Sinclair gine be sharin’ out dis aftuhnoon. I been hearin’ ’bout “wish lis’s” from dis body an’ de nex’, an’ I en know how de Minister plan to fill all o’ dem wishes, but I only hope while ’e at it, ’e don’ fill up duh baskets wid summuch, dat ’e fuhget de res’ o’ we out hey! I been waitin’ nearly four years now, fuh dah election promise – yuh know de one I mean – “cos’ o’ livin‘” – to come true! An’ I still waitin’!
Once ’pon a time yuh woulda fine muh glue to de TV durin’ a Budget debate, but nowadays, I cyahn was’e my time wid dat! Wuhevuh Guvment decide, all I could do is accep’ it! Dey en one t’ing I could do ’bout it, seein’ how I tryin’ muh bes’ to live a stress-free life as much as I could! Philomena tell muh las’ night dat wuhevuh comin’ to soak we, jes’ mek sure an’ put on a raincoat to absorb as much as possible!
Politicians does get carry ’way, an’ promise de moon! Las’ week, a frien’ sen’ muh a “sweet” definition describin’ dem! “A politician shake yuh hands durin’ elections, an’ after elections he shake yuh confidence!” Tell muh ef yuh don’ ’gree wid dat! Anyhow, whichevuh way dis Budget turn out, de minister sure to get praises from some people an’ cussin’ from de ethuhs! Dah’s how people stop, an’ duh en gine change!
Dat said, I puttin’ de Budget outta muh mine fuh now! Tomorrow is anethuh day, an’ all de good an’ de bad ’bout it, sure to be in de papers fuh evuhbody to see, includin’ me! Wuhevuh is to be, will be! Howevuh it turn out, we still got to live!
Well, Crop Over in de air an’ nuff people gettin’ duhselves ready to jump an’ be merry! De economy en out de slump as yet, but yuh won’ t’ink so! It mek yuh wonder ef is really true nuff people still losin’ duh wuk, an’ money gettin’ mo’ an’ mo’ scarce, ’cause it look as ef Bajans en t’inkin’ ’bout no recession!
People still out an’ about at all de festivities – calypso tents, pork lime, an’ any ethuh fete duh might hear ’bout, as well as gettin’ duh costumes ready fuh Kadooment Day! I hear dis year some o’ dem costumes could cos’ as much as $1 000, but it seem dah is chicken feed to some.
I only hope dat after de las’ “jump” an’ midnight strike, bringin’ dem back down to earf to face reality, life would be jes’ as merry as it was durin’ de season!
Philomena tell muh she lookin’ at t’ings a diff’rent way! She say people droppin’ down evuh day – sometimes, frien’s yuh know well – an’ dah should tell yuh somet’ing! Life short!
So, ef yuh got few cents, why not spen’ it to enjoy yuhself, an’ fuhget de hard times! Yuh en know wuh de nex’ day bringin’ forf, anyhow!
Wuh you t’ink?
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’ Babsie!
