"August 31 1962"

August 31, 1962. The year Trinidad & Tobago gain Independence from England. I was 2. I remember the celebrations and the fireworks. My parents talked about this joyous occasion for many years. It feels great to hear my 85yrs old mother still talk about it. Now I tell my children about the parades and the festivities.... Happy 48 Independence to all Trinbagonians....

“Forgiveness”

A friend told me that he knows that God would not forgive him for many of the things that he did… The way he is behaving now, I believe that he accepted his fate…

“The Big Picture”

Our minds are sometimes focused on the small picture and we grasp at it, making it into something distasteful… We do not think about the repercussions of our actions. I would see people get involved in situations because they are seeing it from their point of view, not seeing the big picture… In most cases, I would explain the situation and if they don’t take my word for it, I sit back and watch them out play themselves…

“Four Good Friends”

We were having our usual lunch date and I looked at each of my friends and felt happy that our friendship was still intact, after five years. We never had a disagreement or complaint about one another, so I honestly thought that we were all happy with each other. How wrong I was. The moment one of our friends left, our other two friends started talking about how they did not like her. I looked at them shocked. “Don’t look at us like that… You are the one who told us that, ‘you would not like every one you meet, and every one who met you, would not like you’… For many years, we have been longing to tell you that we don’t like her.

“Preferential Treatment”

He loved his children, and he wanted to love them all equally, but his wife would not have it. She wanted him to shower his love on her favorite children, and he did. It broke his heart when he saw the sadness in their eyes, but he loved his wife…

“Is It Love”

Looking in from the outside, he looked as though he did not love his wife. He never spoke about her, but she spoke kindly about him. She was a petite woman and every one who knew her felt that she was kindhearted and submissive. At home she was a lioness… a self-assured woman. She made all the decisions and her husband always agreed to them. There were times when he disagreed with her, but he kept it to himself, allowing her to manipulate him. Their children had different opinions about them…

“Breakfast At Church”

We stood in line to be served. There were many dishes to choose from. My daughter wanted pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. I wanted fried bake with fried shark. When it was my daughter’s turn, a server took her plate. She put one piece of bacon, a little bit of scrambled eggs, and one burnt pancakes on the plate. I looked at my daughter and she had a frown on her face, so I turned to the server. She had a look on her face that said, “I dare you to complain”. I did not want to get into a fight, so I handed her my plate. She put two strips of bacon, scrambled eggs and two pancakes, that had a nice golden brown color…

"Pen Pals"

I had a pen pal when I was in elementary school. It was a nice feeling, writing a letter and receiving one. We talked about the things we did, and what was going on in the neighborhood. The excitement was mailing my letter and waiting for a response. We remained pen pals until the teenage years then she migrated to another country and all communication stopped... Today we have FACEBOOK, TWITTER... etcetera, etcetera. Communication is closer but yet far away... conversation is limited... Letters were more informative... Can our children write a great descriptive letter of the events around them?

“A Smart Woman”

She wasn’t his wife… she was just the foolish woman he was having an affair with. His wife, the smart woman, knew of his affair, but never treated him differently. She worked herself to the bone making him a successful businessman. He felt like a king, so he continued seeing the foolish woman. His unfaithfulness went, on for more than a year and it blinded him to what was important. He did not realize that his wife was slowly paving the way to leave him. The day she left was the day he decided to end the relationship with the foolish woman. He had enough of her, so he arrived home ready to say that he was sorry, and beg for forgiveness. The keys for the house and a note, was waiting for him. He opened the note with shaking hands, “When a man associates himself with a foolish woman he becomes foolish. A man who associates himself with a smart woman becomes smart.” I guess this statement should say… when a man wants to remain foolish he associates himself with a foolish woman….

“Should A Man Take Care Of Another Man’s Home”

Children were never around to hear adults when they were gossiping, so I didn’t know that they were the talk of the neighborhood. All that I saw was one neighbor frequenting another neighbor’s home, on a daily basis. I thought that he was just being a friendly neighbor. He was so friendly that he supported the home as though it was his. The woman always complained that her husband was a drunk, but she thanked God that the neighbor helped her. Her children wore the best brand named clothes and shoes. They had every toy that was on the market. I thought that it was a good thing that she was getting help, until the man’s daughter said, “Look at the old clothes and shoes that I wear. My mother buys them at a thrift shop. I didn’t get anything for Christmas, but all that I can say is… Thank God for the store on the corner. They always have a sale on food…

“Eat Something Before You Leave Home”

The moment we walked into the hall, where the tea party was being held, a very pleasant young lady took our tickets, signed behind them then she escorted us to a table. I was impressed by her well-mannered disposition. She told us that she would serve us. I looked around the room, smiled and gave a gentle wave to some friends. The ambiance was just breathtaking. It stirred up my daughter, the little artist. She said, “Mom, this room is picture perfect. The décor is just beautiful. We all agreed but her brother had to tease her. He said, “Yeah, I know the only thing that you are really seeing is the sugar… All the nice yummy sweet treats on the tables.” I agreed that the cakes, sandwiches and cookies looked tasty. We sat talking and my husband the great entertainer had us laughing. Time slipped by quickly, and we did not notice. It was not until my daughter said, “Mom everyone around us has been served.” I saw that she was right in her observation. My husband said, “You guys know that we have been sitting here for one hour and ten minutes?” “Really, so let’s sit for thirty more minutes to see what happens,” I said. Everyone agreed and we continued talking. Servers came, looked at us, but ignored us. I looked for the young lady who seated us. She was busy serving others. The half hour went by and my husband said, “Anyone hungry?” We all told him no. Then, he said, “Do you see how important it is to eat something before you leave home?”

“Two Measures Of Favoritism.”

The evaluator she hired to value her property, gave her an accurate evaluation. She felt he was wrong, so she hired another, and then another. They all came up with nine hundred and eighty one thousand dollars. She finally agreed that it was correct after her lawyer had his accountant look of the papers. The lawyer then asked her if she was going to divide the property equally between her three children. She told her to divide it in three, but her eldest daughter’s share is to be divided into two. Half of her share is to be given to charity. “I’m not suppose to question you on what you want to do, but why?” Asked the lawyer. I want my two favorite children to get more than her. I don’t care that it is two measures of favoritism.
Do not keep two different weights in your bag or two measures in your house.

“Give It Your Best Shot”

She knew that he had many women, many women had him, but he left them all behind and got married. Many hearts were broken because they all wanted to be the one. She could not believe that this marriage was serious because he was too much of a free spirit.
“I am going to prove to all of you that he would be unfaithful to her,” she told us.
One of our friends told her to give it her best shot. I told her not too, but she insisted that she was going after him. “My father used to say, ‘there are some things that you could do some thing about and some that you can’t do any thing about, but you waste your lifetime trying to fix it’.

“Words Uplifting Or Tearing Down

Every time I hear these words… ‘You will amount to nothing’, I feel hurt. My friend’s mother shouted these words at her and it echoed in my ears. Everyday, we walked to and from school so I was waiting on her. Her mother looked through the window and told me to walk on. I didn’t want to leave, but respect for adults was playing on my mind, so I started walking. As I walked away, I heard the tongue lashing my friend was receiving from her mother. Every one who passed me that morning were commenting and laughing about it. I walked slowly hoping that she would come soon. When I turned around and saw her coming I stopped walking. The first thing she said to me was, “I hate her.”
I said, “No you don’t hate her.”
“Yes I do.”
“It is wrong to hate you mother. I think you just hate the things that she does.”
“Are you listening to what I am saying? I hate that woman I call mother. Mothers are supposed to uplift their children not tear them down, and my mother tear me down all the time.”
There was no getting through to her, so we walked to school in silence. During class she did not participate when the teacher called on her. I knew she was still hurting, so I stood up and told the teacher that she wasn’t feeling well. The teacher told me to shut up and sit down then she went on, “Speak when you are spoken to… answer when you are called.” I felt embarrassed… the class started laughing. The teacher went on to berate my friend. My friend sat quietly taking it all in until the teacher said, “You will amount to nothing.”
“Did you have a conversation with my mother? She always says that to me… The both of you may be right.”

“The Elegant White House”

At a tender age, I used to walk through the countryside with my cousins. All of the homes in that part of the country were wooden, but there was one concrete house. It was huge, painted white and it stood there looking very elegant against the green. I saw the owner of the house twice, but from a distance. The area was beautiful with many trees. In the yard of the house there was a cocoa house. It was about three feet from the ground. On my first day of walking through the countryside, I felt peaceful. As we got near to the elegant white concrete house, I saw a woman coming out from under the cocoa house. This woman was petite, brown complexion, dressed in a stained white sleeveless top and a khaki long skirt. She had long flowing white hair, her toenails and fingernails were very long and she was bare footed. Her feet looked as hard as stone. I thought she was a witch and I was getting set to run, but my cousins said hello to her. She answered then smiled. Her teeth were yellow and her eyes looked sad. She told us to wait then she went under the cocoa house, came back with a hand of ripe figs and gave it to us. We said thanks, continued walking then started to eat the figs. My cousins told me that she was sister to the owner of the elegant white house, but she lives under the cocoa house. I asked why, but they didn’t know. I knew I could not ask any of the adults at home, or in the neighborhood… After all these years I am still wondering why. As you walk through life, there are some things that you see, and you wonder why it was done, but you dare not ask, “WHY?”

“Negative Versus Positive”

She came to my home dressed to kill, from shoulder to feet, but a crazy wig was on her head. I wondered what was going on. The moment she sat down, she started talking about her children. I sat through an hour of negatives. There were many things that I wanted to say to her… You are the cause of their lives falling apart… When they were younger you were supposed to correct them when they did wrong… You made excuses for them… When I told you to buy a computer, you bought a PS2. Your reason for buying it was because their friends would see that they had one. Now you are telling me that you cannot wait until they turn 18 to kick them out. The question I eventually asked. “Is there one positive thing in them that you all can build on?”

“Farse Intrusive Nosey”

A fence separated the neighbor from us. On mornings, my mother or the neighbor would call out to each other, then they would stand there talking. One morning, I ran up to the fence to hear what they were saying. My mother was doing most of the talking, so my eyes were on her. She looked down and saw me. "Excuse me, does the words from my mouth have color? What are you looking at me like that for! I am going to punish you!”, She said. I got scared, ran into the house and waited for her to come in. I waited and waited, but she didn’t come into the bedroom where I was or called my name. She was in the kitchen cooking, so I went into the kitchen.
“Hear you are. I forgot all about you. You are too farse and out of place. What you did was not a good thing. Children should not be near adults while they are speaking. It is rude and disrespectful. I don’t want you to ever do that again. The next time you will be punished, this time you get off with a warning. I tried my best not to do it, but I found a place to hide, so I could hear them…

“The Uncomfortable Street.”

I lived in my neighborhood for ten years and I walked on most of the streets. There was one street that I never walked on. Something about that street made me uncomfortable. I don’t know what I was thinking one sunny Friday morning, when I proceeded to walk up the uncomfortable street. As I walked along, I noticed that it was dismal, shady and not one single person was on it. There were cars parked on either side and all the houses were shut tight. Ahead of me in the distance, I saw a man suddenly appeared in the road. He was about three blocks away from me and I wondered where he came from. His presence added to my fears yet I continued, keeping my eyes on him. He walked up to a car and tried opening the doors. When he couldn’t open them, he proceeded to try another, then another… For a moment, I did not realize what he was doing then it hit me. This guy was a robber, so I had to get off of the street. My first instinct was to turn back, so I did then freeze because I was afraid to turn my back on him. The only other exit was near to him. I was hoping that he would walk passed it soon. I felt trapped. My mouth tasted bitter and my heart was pumping in my throat as I prayed he didn’t turn around and see me…

“The Obeah Man”

A friend told me that her neighbor’s son is a thief. She had been missing some things, and she was sure that he stole them. I asked her how she was so sure that this young man took her stuff. She said that his mother was wearing a pair of bracelets like the one she was missing. I felt that it was wrong to accuse him, but I didn’t say anything. She went on to say that when she was finished with him, he would steal, for the rest of his life. I told her don’t hurt him that way, let the police handle it for her. She insisted that she wasn’t going to the police; she was going to her obeah man. I told her to remember that she has a son… Years later, all over the news is her very own son being arrested for theft.

"My Fall"

One day I fell and I got a cut on my forehead. The cut looked as though a 1” nail had punctured my head. Blood started to spurt out. A stranger came to my assistance. She called 911. I stood there, wanting to cry, but couldn’t because my 12 yrs old daughter was looking on petrified. I didn’t know how bad the situation looked as I tried to stop the bleeding, but couldn’t. In less than no time at all, my coat, jeans and sneakers were drenched. There was a puddle of blood at my feet. The lady who assisted me, asked, if I wanted to sit because she said for the amount of blood loss I should be feeling faint. I felt fine but was scared, as I thought about all the people, that I knew who fell, hit their heads, then died.

“She Exhausted me”

After she was finished telling me her life stories, she walked away looking relaxed, but I felt exhausted. While she was speaking, I just wanted her to stop talking, but she went on and on. I probably looked like a psychiatrist... social worker or advisor.

“Fear Of A Civil Servant”

We were both nervous while we were waiting to be interviewed, so we sat quietly holding hands. An officer came out of his office and called the names of a couple. A woman started talking about him. She said that she didn’t like him. If he requested a document and you didn’t have it, he would turn you down. He turned her down twice. The moment she started talking, many others joined in. They all had negative opinions about him. Every one who came out of his office, looked upset and the spirit of fear was now over me. My heart was beating so fast I felt it in my throat.
“You are ill-mannered, and you should not be a civil servant!” Shouted a woman as she exited his office. The officer stood with an angry looking smirk on his face as she berated him. Two female security officers came and escorted her out of the building. My heart was now on over ride. I squeezed my husband’s hand as I prayed that this officer doesn’t call us. After, he saw that she was gone he looked in his book then he called our names. I felt like running out of the building, but we went into his office, and he closed the door.

“My Gentle Friend”

My friend is honest, forgives easily, and never says a harsh word to anyone. One day, I went over to her house to pick her up to go shopping. When I arrived, she was in a deep conversation with a woman. I did not stay in the room they were in because I didn’t want to intrude. Suddenly, the woman started to shout at her. In her soft tone, she tried to defend herself, but the woman shut her up with her aggressive tone. I was shocked, but was hoping that my friend would tell her to get out of her house. They were both in sales and my friend didn’t make the quota that was expected of her. The woman continued shouting and my friend looked as though she was about to cry. I decided to put a stop to it, so I walked out of the kitchen. “How dear you speak to her like that? You need to tone down,” I said.
“It is none of your business. I am not speaking to you,” she said.
“I know that, but I am speaking to you. Either you speak to her in a better tone or leave immediately.”