Well, I gine have tuh tell ya: things and people have really changed ovah the years, hear? You think one time you would see a man begging? Or even worse, begging a woman? Oh no, boy. Men was too proud fuh dat; they would nevah do something like dat.
Look, I can’t remember nothing like dat so when I was growing up and I grow up in The City: but today, men ain’t got nuh kinda scruples ’bout begging and duh got all the hard luck stories in the world. Some o’ dem does sound real intelligent, using the most colourful words and sincere tones. I ain’t telling ya nuh lie. It is one o’ dem things dat does get me sick, real annoyed and, more so, vex as hell.
Now doan get me wrong. I could understand people begging. I could understand dat people could fall pon some real hard times. I could understand circumstances beyond people control. I could understand dat tragedy could happen in a family and put evahbody in a tailspin, especially if children are involved.
I could understand a man losing he job and struggling tuh make ends meet. I could understand dat one day ya could be going ’long good so and the next ya could be homeless and pon the streets. But I cahn understand why it does only seem tuh be more men who does be the ones pon the streets begging and telling me how hungry dem is.
Dem things does irk me!
Ya’all know I ain’t telling nuh lies too. It would seem dat evah time ya park ya car in any supermarket or grocery outlet car park, somebody, a man, does appear from nowhere telling ya how hungry he is or asking fuh money. If duh ain’t doing dat, duh does got a old rusty piece o’ paper in duh hands wid half the words yam off, telling you how dem house get burn down and dem trying tuh get something fuh dem and duh family. Now because you know dat you ain’t got the time tuh stand up there and pick tuh pieces the thing dat he got in he hand pushing in you face, you would open ya purse and gi’ he a two dollar or so.
But I mean, all the time so?
Only last night I was sitting down in my li’l puma in a grocery outlet car park browsing through a document while waiting fuh my brother and sister who went inside tuh pick up a few things. I looked up and was watching this particular fella going tuh people as duh walk ’cross the car park, going tuh duh cars and the most people he was going tuh was women. Well, he finally spot me in the car and come ovah tuh me, telling me how hungry he was and he ain’t had nutten tuh eat since this time and the next.
Look, if he only did know how vex and sick he had me, he woulda nevah come tuh my car window telling me nuh foolishness. Some o’ all kinds o’ igrant thoughts went through my head ’cause here I was, tired, fairly miserable from a long day, hungry and brek as France and I wukking and trying tuh mek ends meet and he could be looking fit and healthy and walking up and down in a car park fuh hours begging women fuh money talking ’bout how hungry he is? Wha’ he cahn be hungry in trute.
When ya hungry ya head does hurt ya, ya does feel disoriented, ya does get dark eyes, ya does get miserable and confuse, ya does go and lie down somewhere and sleep or in order not tuh get suh hungry, instead o’ using dat energy tuh walk up and down and beg women, ya does walk up and down and look at houses dat got bush ’round dem, dat want cleaning up and ask the body who live there if you could clean it up fuh a li’l 50 or 60 dollars.
Wunna could talk wha’ wunna like or even keep a extra purse full o’ coins fuh the beggars and playing wunna is do-gooders but you see me? I ain’t nuh do-gooder nuh more. I done wid dat – I do it enough! Life is too flipping hard and evah blind cent does count nowadays.
Evah time ya look ’round, a bill does be in ya face. Sometimes I does have tuh ask if the electric bill does come in more than once a month – it does come suh fast.
Look, ya see this begging thing? I ain’t got nuh more space now but this begging thing want talking ’bout li’l more. I gine talk ’bout it some more next week.
• Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.