Dear Nesta,
I jes’ write de date ’pon dis letter an’ realise today is de las’ day in Augus’! Lord have ‘Is mercy, whey de time flyin’ to? Yuh onderstan’ dat from tomorrow, we in September, an’ as soon as yuh enter de “bers”, dah mean Independence an’ Chris’mas comin’ up ’pon yuh, fas’, fas’!
Talkin’ ‘bout events, I hear Pampalam – dah comedy show Jeannette Layne-Clark did start umpteen years ago – comin’ in October. I meet up one o’ de cas’ members in town las’ week an’ she mek muh to know dat duh practisin’ hard to put on a show dat gine be worf evuh penny. She tell muh dat de sister now very involve wif it, an’ t’ings gine good. I promise to atten’ as long as de price en gone up – like evuht’ing else – an’ she tell muh it still de same, so I gine mek sure I get dey one night! De way life gine so hard nowadays, I need somet’ing to mek muh laff an’ fuhget muh problems, faif!
I read somet’ing in a recent paper dat en got muh laffin’ a-tall doh! In fack, I hope it is jes’ a joke! To hear we might get a rise in mos’ food producks an’ basic services ’cause de local shipping agencies facin’ a jump in some sort o’ fee, ’pon container goods from Amurica, en funny a-tall! Wuh, de cos’-o’-livin’ high enuff as it is wif de evuh-risin’ prices! Lord mek peace, wuh duh expeck poor people to do! Wuh happen to all dem promises ’bout tryin’ to keep food prices reasonable?
De Chamber o’ Commerce don’ seem to agree wif dis increase, an’ inten’ to fight to keep t’ings stable fuh we. So I gine look ’pon de bright side – ef duh got one – an’ hope duh succeed! Ef duh don’ get t’rough, it only mean dat monfs from now, I should be a lot slimmer, as I won’ be able to buy much, an’ de li’l bit o’ fat would soon disappear! An’ to t’ink I won’ even ha’ to pay one cent fuh any exercise classes!
I en know ef yuh would remember I tell yuh nearly a year ago dat Subway was tryin’ to get permission to start hey. It tek a while, but duh get t’rough, an’ las’ week, open duh doors. Duh en even had to advertise it – I din see neffin in de papers – but it look like we Bajans got a nose fuh news an’ fuh whey food is, so de place was pack to overflowin’!
It tek muh back to de time when anethuh fas’-food place open up, not far from whey Subway now is, an’ Ness, yuh c’n get in fuh people, talk ’bout “new face”! Lines pas’ de door an’ all down de street whenevuh yuh pass dat place when it firs’ open, mekkin’ yuh wonder ef de two ethuh giants we had would start tremblin’. But duh en had no cause to worry! After few monfs, de long lines turn to a li’l trickle an’ one day, I see de doors shut. Dat was de beginnin’ o’ de en,’ ’cause shortly after, it was “goodbye” to dem!
Now, I en sayin’ dah gine happen to Subway – God fuhbid! – I wish dem all de bes’! I jes’ hope nuff chicken also ’pon de menu, ’cause Bajans is chicken lovers an’ I don’ t’ink de ethuh place did tek dah into consideration! Well, Philomena – gipsy as nusual – fine sheself dey de ethuh night, but she tell muh aldoh she had no complaints – she en know when she gine back, ’cause she en got dah kine o’ money to spen’ ’pon fas’-food too reg’lar! Well yuh know me! Even ef it was gi’in way, fas’-food, healfy or nor, en movin’ offa de shelf fuh me!
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’ Babsie!