Tanty sat on the ground in the yard. She was protected from the rays of the fierce April sun by the shade of the house, as well as the julie mango tree. Her thick dust-coated feet and legs formed a partial barrier for the mace she was cleaning. She was in her usual attire, stained and tattered jersey with the faded marks of "Vote for G.P.P." printed on the back and washed-out denim skirts (one of the few that came in the barrel two years ago).
As usual, she was humming a tune and mumbling to herself "Lord what people go do? No bonus, no money, no work! People go eat one another." She began to hum again, "What a friend we have in Jesus."
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she neither heard nor saw the figure standing before her, gazing at the bowed head covered with a red headtie.
Phyllis saw that age was catching up with her mother. The face once beautiful and smooth, now had lines running from both sides of the small nose to the corners of her mouth.
The body that used to be firm, muscular and shapely was now sagging with fat. Her mother didn't look good for fifty-five. It was true that she had fourteen births, but still she should look better.
Tanty looked as if she was no longer interested in herself. Phyllis moved her eyes from her mother's face to her hands, then down to her feet. She realized then that her mother had not had a bath for a day or two. She felt ashamed, then sad and finally she became angry.
"Tanty, you deaf?" Phyllis blurted out in a rough voice. Her mother started.
"Ai, ai, you want to kill me, gal? Doh do thing like that. Look how me heart beating, nor." Tanty placed her hand on her chest and looked smilingly at Phyllis. She had never been ashamed to let it be known that Phyllis was her favorite child.
"Oh Gosh! Phyl you looking good! Way you get them pretty things? How do you do? You working? How the children? How the man?" Tanty didn't wait for answers she loved to ask questions. As a matter of fact, though she was a generous person, most people avoided her because they thought she was 'too fast'- too nosey.
Phyllis placed the travelling bag on the ground next to her mother. It was tightly packed and Tanty eagerly began pulling at the zipper. She was so excited that the zipper stuck and Phyllis had to assist in opening the bag and exposing the contents.
"Tanty, take you time, nor. Those things is for you and nobody taking them away. I bring you some foodstuff and tinstuff, some clothes and a pair of shoes. I put a bottle of skin cream, some soap, some hair grease and some tonic. I know that you like you big earrings so I get you two pairs and a necklace for you." Phyllis was emptying the bag as she spoke. Finally everything was removed except for a strange lacy piece of garment, which phyllis now pullled out and held out for her mother's inspection.
"Tanty you like it?" she asked smilingly.
"What is this thing? Who that for?". Tanty was examining the garment curiously.
'Ai, ai you doh know that? That is the style now. That is the Lambada tights. Everybody is wearing it in St George's. You go look good in it with the green skirt. You could wear it for the harvest in the school."
Tanty responded slowly and carefully lifted herself from the ground before she responded to Phyllis.
"You must be crazy! I is a big grown up woman and I know me age and me place. It must be have other women who want to run life with their children but not me. I have respect for meself and me children so I don't intend to go showing off me body. Ah sorry but I don't want that. You could give it to you cousin. But anyway thanks for everything. You is a very nice daughter to me."
The two women began replacing the things in the bag, then made their way to the house. Phyllis climbed the four rickety steps and stood at the top looking around. Weeds had taken over the yard and the bushes needed cutting. Serpents could easily get into the house she thought and she began to feel uneasy.
She turned to the side and rear of the house the feeling of neglect evident. There was the old pig pen, the dilapidated falling-down latrine and the piece of structure attached to the side of the house which served as the bathroom. Phyllis became depressed. She sat on the 'porch'.
Tanty entered the house unaware that Phyllis had stayed outside. Suddenly she returned to the door and looked down at Phyllis.
"Why are you sitting down outside? You tired? You eat before you come up?" Tanty asked in her usual way, not waiting for an answer.
Although it was almost noon, Phyllis knew that her mother had not yet eaten anything. How could Tanty do that to herself. Why do people have to live this way? She had to get her mother out of this.
"Tanty we have to talk. I want to say some things and I want you to listen carefully and to think before you decide anything. But first let me get something for you to eat." With that Phyllis entered the house, got things from the safe and went outside in the kitchen and lit the coalpot.
After Tanty has eaten and Phyllis had cleaned up the house and the kitchen as best as she could. She combed her mother's hair and suggested that Tanty take a bath. Then they sat down and Phyllis began to speak.
She told Tanty of her house in Mon Tout, of her job in the hotel, her neighbours, the things she had credited from Courts and how she earned a little extra money by selling cakes and things. She told Tanty everything. For once Tanty didn't have questions except one- how she got land for the house.
Phyllis laughed and said that that was the easiest thing. "You chose a spot, get you materials and some help and start building. But if you coming, we have to move fast, because so much people moving in that the government want to stop them and to throw us out. But we not worrying. We have big people supporting us." Phyllis gave a secretive smile.
There was a brief period of silence before Phyllis resumed. This time she spoke of the problems of living way up in Mt Rich, up in the bush. There was no electricity, telephone, television nor water. She spoke of the rugged muddy track, the flies, mosquitoes, snakes, serpents, the stink latrine, the smoke from the coalpot and the hard work for little pay. She told Tanty that God never intended for people to live that way and it was time to get out and come down to the city. Tanty could always find a job, even take in washing or baking and sell.
After listening to her daughter, Tanty decided that before she made a move she would pay Phyllis a visit. This was quite acceptable so it was decided that Phyllis would come up to fetch her in a fortnight's time. In the mean time, Tanty was to make arrangements with the neighbours for the supervision of her property till her return.
Roy Benjamin
August, 1992
As usual, she was humming a tune and mumbling to herself "Lord what people go do? No bonus, no money, no work! People go eat one another." She began to hum again, "What a friend we have in Jesus."
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she neither heard nor saw the figure standing before her, gazing at the bowed head covered with a red headtie.
Phyllis saw that age was catching up with her mother. The face once beautiful and smooth, now had lines running from both sides of the small nose to the corners of her mouth.
The body that used to be firm, muscular and shapely was now sagging with fat. Her mother didn't look good for fifty-five. It was true that she had fourteen births, but still she should look better.
Tanty looked as if she was no longer interested in herself. Phyllis moved her eyes from her mother's face to her hands, then down to her feet. She realized then that her mother had not had a bath for a day or two. She felt ashamed, then sad and finally she became angry.
"Tanty, you deaf?" Phyllis blurted out in a rough voice. Her mother started.
"Ai, ai, you want to kill me, gal? Doh do thing like that. Look how me heart beating, nor." Tanty placed her hand on her chest and looked smilingly at Phyllis. She had never been ashamed to let it be known that Phyllis was her favorite child.
"Oh Gosh! Phyl you looking good! Way you get them pretty things? How do you do? You working? How the children? How the man?" Tanty didn't wait for answers she loved to ask questions. As a matter of fact, though she was a generous person, most people avoided her because they thought she was 'too fast'- too nosey.
Phyllis placed the travelling bag on the ground next to her mother. It was tightly packed and Tanty eagerly began pulling at the zipper. She was so excited that the zipper stuck and Phyllis had to assist in opening the bag and exposing the contents.
"Tanty, take you time, nor. Those things is for you and nobody taking them away. I bring you some foodstuff and tinstuff, some clothes and a pair of shoes. I put a bottle of skin cream, some soap, some hair grease and some tonic. I know that you like you big earrings so I get you two pairs and a necklace for you." Phyllis was emptying the bag as she spoke. Finally everything was removed except for a strange lacy piece of garment, which phyllis now pullled out and held out for her mother's inspection.
"Tanty you like it?" she asked smilingly.
"What is this thing? Who that for?". Tanty was examining the garment curiously.
'Ai, ai you doh know that? That is the style now. That is the Lambada tights. Everybody is wearing it in St George's. You go look good in it with the green skirt. You could wear it for the harvest in the school."
Tanty responded slowly and carefully lifted herself from the ground before she responded to Phyllis.
"You must be crazy! I is a big grown up woman and I know me age and me place. It must be have other women who want to run life with their children but not me. I have respect for meself and me children so I don't intend to go showing off me body. Ah sorry but I don't want that. You could give it to you cousin. But anyway thanks for everything. You is a very nice daughter to me."
The two women began replacing the things in the bag, then made their way to the house. Phyllis climbed the four rickety steps and stood at the top looking around. Weeds had taken over the yard and the bushes needed cutting. Serpents could easily get into the house she thought and she began to feel uneasy.
She turned to the side and rear of the house the feeling of neglect evident. There was the old pig pen, the dilapidated falling-down latrine and the piece of structure attached to the side of the house which served as the bathroom. Phyllis became depressed. She sat on the 'porch'.
Tanty entered the house unaware that Phyllis had stayed outside. Suddenly she returned to the door and looked down at Phyllis.
"Why are you sitting down outside? You tired? You eat before you come up?" Tanty asked in her usual way, not waiting for an answer.
Although it was almost noon, Phyllis knew that her mother had not yet eaten anything. How could Tanty do that to herself. Why do people have to live this way? She had to get her mother out of this.
"Tanty we have to talk. I want to say some things and I want you to listen carefully and to think before you decide anything. But first let me get something for you to eat." With that Phyllis entered the house, got things from the safe and went outside in the kitchen and lit the coalpot.
After Tanty has eaten and Phyllis had cleaned up the house and the kitchen as best as she could. She combed her mother's hair and suggested that Tanty take a bath. Then they sat down and Phyllis began to speak.
She told Tanty of her house in Mon Tout, of her job in the hotel, her neighbours, the things she had credited from Courts and how she earned a little extra money by selling cakes and things. She told Tanty everything. For once Tanty didn't have questions except one- how she got land for the house.
Phyllis laughed and said that that was the easiest thing. "You chose a spot, get you materials and some help and start building. But if you coming, we have to move fast, because so much people moving in that the government want to stop them and to throw us out. But we not worrying. We have big people supporting us." Phyllis gave a secretive smile.
There was a brief period of silence before Phyllis resumed. This time she spoke of the problems of living way up in Mt Rich, up in the bush. There was no electricity, telephone, television nor water. She spoke of the rugged muddy track, the flies, mosquitoes, snakes, serpents, the stink latrine, the smoke from the coalpot and the hard work for little pay. She told Tanty that God never intended for people to live that way and it was time to get out and come down to the city. Tanty could always find a job, even take in washing or baking and sell.
After listening to her daughter, Tanty decided that before she made a move she would pay Phyllis a visit. This was quite acceptable so it was decided that Phyllis would come up to fetch her in a fortnight's time. In the mean time, Tanty was to make arrangements with the neighbours for the supervision of her property till her return.
Roy Benjamin
August, 1992
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