De other day I was in a fete and I watch a young boy dat I know since he was in Pampers, a fine young man wid a good job, pleasant personality and de young lady he was wid look like she just win Miss Fitness Bubbadus, de Vendor watching muh boy, attentive, thoughtful in every move and when Spice start to play, yuh boy pun de dance floor grining pun de beast, not a care in de world – he in heaven! And I feeling sad fuh he, cause he fate done seal!
Ah did want to tell he to run hard, catch a ZR home, left de car and collect it tomorrow but ah didn’t have the heart to tell he so I just watch and wonder.
I remember dat first time my eyes and she own mek four, I had to hold onto a Wallaba post to steady muh self! She teet perfectly formed, I swear Vidya Armagon work pun dem fuh a month, dimples to compliment and more curves than a Bajan roundabout.
I remember de first date, de first kiss when I swear ah woulda need a ambulance and gurney and I say to muself, dis is de big one, baby!
And when de invitation come to visit de family yuh boy set, by now I got shares in Digicel and LIME mobile, when she granny bring out she special coconut bread and sorrel, I shoulda run hard.
Soon, I is a regular in de house, calling she mudder mums, she father dads, I get invite to church wid she auntie and I singing Abide With Me lustily, ah shoulda left after Communion and run home, next ting Monsignor Vincent Blackett welcoming yuh to St Patrick’s Cathedral and you standing up and de congregation singing “yes we love you love you, yes we do,” before yuh know it them gine be reading out bands of marriage at de said Cathedral!
No more boys’ limes – Saturday mornings you wid she father in Express Hardware buying de rope dat gine tie round yuh neck sooner rather than later, mowing de lawn, picking up she mudder from Carlton Supermarket, washing she father car and all de while she pun de patio looking on wid a smile of contentment that says “yes, daddy and mummy, I chose well!”
Christmas time you get invite to Jacob Hasid cocktail party at Diamonds International and she done gone in there and talk to Simone Ward ’bout a little piece of jewellery she got she eyes pun, you brekking out in cold sweats and yuh fingers left dents in staircase as yuh walk downstairs ’cause yuh sweetheart mek it clear dat she and de bracelet is one! December salary gone through de eddoes!
New year come, she car break down and Patrick Edey telling you “don’t mek nuh sense fixing dis car, skipper” right in front de lady and she holding on to yuh hand tight and leaning pun you, sobbing.
By de following week you heading to meet John MacKenzie at Consolidated Finance to purchase a li’l car fuh de apple of yuh eye, Yuh shoulda left church early instead driving down de road singing My Way – de li’l car she got Johhny Tudor to set aside is a new Mini Cooper S. De bonus yuh did plan fuh a down payment pun a house gone in down payment pun de Mini and every time you pass by a church, yuh noticing dat de church bells ringing – de bell tolls, it tolls for whom? It tolls fuh you!
I Market Vendor gone fuh now. You have a blessed and a wonderful day, yuh hear!
