Dear Nesta,
Ten down, fourteen mo’ to go an’ Chris’mas Day wid we once agen. I en know ’bout you, but it look to me as ef Fathuh Time en mekkin’ no sport a-tall dese days. Dis year closin’ off rapid enough, wid de nex’ one right dey ’pon de doorstep.
I en gine be too sorry to see it go, doh. We been gettin’ summuch body-blows one after de ethuh, dat I fuh one – an’ nuff mo’ too, don’ fool yuhself – en gine be sheddin’ much tears to see it g’long.
Up an’ down dis lan’ – an’ beyon’ – evahbody know Bajans as law-abidin’ people, but fuh some while now – an’ it gettin’ worse all de time – a t’read o’ lawlessness runnin’ t’rough de islan’ dat affeckin’ people in all sorta ways. Wid de amounk o’ diff’rent nationalities now tekkin’ up residence hey – by wuhevah means – yuh cyhan tell who doin’ wuh.
Philomena don’ get out to church ’pon a nights now; it gettin’ too “dread” fuh she likin’ to be out after a certain hour. Yuh cyhan blame she, when yuh realize, ef yuh en careful, yuh could get attack even in broad daylight, jes’ stannin’ at de bus stop. Chile, dis is a diff’rent Buhbayduss, people don’ cay ’bout nobody nor neffin no mo’. Duh doin’ wuhevah suit duh at de time.
Somet’ing happen couple weeks ago dat got muh nerviss. When two men could go in a church an’ rob innocent ole people dat din doin’ nobody neffin, it should mek yuh realize life hey really ’pon de “downslide”.
Now, from de way a certain group in de society behavin’, it en difficult to see dat some people en got much respeck fuh nobody, not even duhselves. But to lose respeck fuh God, to de p’int dat yuh could go in ’E house wid de intention o’ “stickin’ up” ’E followers to tek ’way de li’l duh got, should mek Bajans sit up an tek note dat nowhey safe dese days, not even de house o’ God! I onderstan’ a church get rob las’ Chris’mas too, an’ fuh it to happen agen en a good sign.
I jes’ hope dis en gine “open de door” to mo’ lawlessness, an’ it don’ mean one o’ dese days we gine ha’ to put guards at church doors to keep de congregation an’ collection safe.
Philomena gettin’ ready to write de AG to ax ef ’e don’ t’ink a lot o’ de present laws shun be mo’ tough. Looka how dah man dat brek-in 28 homes de ethuh day only get two years fuh all de misery he put people t’rough, jes’ cause he sentence runnin’ concurrent.
An’ wuh ’bout all dem “night t’ieves”, relievin’ hones’ hardwukkin’ farmers o’ duh crops an’ animals, simply ’cause duh got “willin’” buyers wantin’ to get t’ings ’pon de cheap. Duh jes’ get a “slap ’pon de wris’”, ef summuch, an’ off duh go, to start t’iefin’ all over agen.
Well, when it come to de mo’ serious crimes – brekkin’ in people homes wid de intent to kill ef necessary, vicious, inyooman rapes ’pon defenceless women, an’ dah evah-growin’ monster dat now got evahbody attention, domestic abuse, leadin’ to stabbin’s, beatin’s, even murder – de present penalties now like “chile’s play” to some o’ dese criminals.
She wonderin’ ef bringin’ back de “cat” won’ help de situation, ’cause hangin’ like it gone t’rough de edders – Amnesty International, y’know. Dah las’ happen years ago to two fellas dat get convick o’ murderin’ de relative o’ a “big-up”. Dem vagabon’s did scarcely get out de courtyard when t’ings was put in place – quick-so – fuh dem to get duh necks pop.
Sof’ answers no longer turnin’ ’way wraf dese days. T’ings diff’rent!
Tek care o’ yuhself.
Yuh frien’, Babsie.
