Dear Nesta,
How yuh goin’, chile? I down hey, still peaceful, poor an’ presumptuous, lookin’ on at de frenzy dat buildin’ up. Is silly season, yuh know.
But dat apart, I got a bone to pick wid you. Why you cyahn decide to come fuh a visit? Chris’mas ’roun’ de corner an’ yuh could afford de fare. Yuh should really mek a effort, ’cause wid all de changes over de years, yuh would hardly recognize de li’l islan’ yuh lef’ dem umpteen years ago. De lates’ change, doh, gine gi’e yuh a good shock when yuh get back.
Guess wuh? De Education Minister decide to gi’e de secondary schools a “mek-ovuh” an’ change duh names – an’ get ’eself in de hist’ry books.
I cyahn help wonderin’ doh, ef guvment en had mo’ pressin’ matters to atten’ to.
I woulda really like to see dem dealin’ wid t’ings like de transportation system – mekkin’ it mo’ reliable; vehicle owners dat don’ gi’e two hoots ’bout de nasty, black smoke duh vehicles sennin’ out, overpowerin’ whoevuh in duh way an’ pollutin’ de atmosphere; motacyclis’s dat mekkin’ de roads a mos’ dangerous place to be; and people usin’ duh backyards fuh burnin’ trash, regardless o’ de healf o’ ethuhs. Dem kinda t’ings need fixin’.
But leh we lef’ dah ’lone fuh now; name changin’ is wuh matter. We got three new names a’ready, an’ I hear mo’ comin’. St James Secondary is now de Frederick Smith School, Garrison School is de Graydon Sealy School an’ de new name o’ de t’ird school, St Lucy Secondary, I cyahn remember, as I did never hear de name o’ de worthy gentleman befo’.
So when it get announce, it din stick in muh mem’ry. I en mean no disrespeck, but yuh know how it is – “senior moments”. I ax couple people but dem cyahn remember neiduh.
By de time all dese changes tek place, I gine be in “duck’s guts” rememberin’ dese new names. So to keep muhself sane, I gine jes’ keep on callin’ de schools by de names I know. Philomena mekkin’ a lis’ so ef needs be, I could always check wid she.
One school needin’ urgent attention is de Alexandra School. Fuhget de name-changin’ an’ concentrate ’pon gettin’ t’ings back to normal. After spennin’ all dah money ’pon a commission o’ enquiry, I en know at which stage t’ings now stan’.
I remember some while back when evuhbody was expectin’ Stage Two, we hear dah did long gone, so we might well be at Four or Five by now. It is time doh, to reach de Final Stage so de trildrun could settle back down; it en fair to dem.
I don’ t’ink duh changin’ de name o’ you ole school but ef it was to happen, I know you – an’ nuff mo’ – gine be real upset to hear Queen’s College get change to somet’in’ else. I know how near an’ dear dah school is to some o’ wunna hearts. An’ to hear, after all dese years, dat de name change to somet’in’ else won’ be easy to accep’.
Well, ef guvment in a changin’ mood, duh got nuff mo’ places to wuk ’pon. Worthing, Hastings, King George Memorial Park, a bariffle o’ “royal roads” all ’bout de islan’, Queen Elizabeth Horsepittle, Queen’s Park an’ ethuhs I cyahn even remember.
But de mos’ important change o’ all would ha’ to be de islan’ name – Bartrin – onder de joint leadership o’ Freundel an’ Kamla. Six monfs hey fuh Kamla an’ six monfs over dey fuh Freundel. Yuh don’ t’ink de change would do bofe good?
One t’ing I know, duh cyahn change de name o’ my ole school. No, sir! Mr Brumley gine always be Mr Brumley. Long live dat name!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie
