De love vine please – no crime dis weekend

What ah sad way to end de Lentern Season!Last weekend we recorded three gun-shot incidents, two were fatal, and a rape. Ah notice de Police say no rape took place behind de ole Post Office. Lie-Za’s aunt-Enna warn me to say need-ah Yeh nor Ney. If Lie-Za say so, is so! But den dey’s dis cents-less and tragic incident in Bequia, way ah 17 year young man broke into de 92 year ole T’n’T businessman, Bobby Montano’s Hotel room, beat de ole man and left him unconscious.{{more}}

De Bobby Montano story was Front Page story in de T’n’T papers! Dat young man got to be ‘double’mad: “de crime and de time!” Dis is ah important season foh Bequia, is de Easter Regatta, de biggest event on de island, possibly de Grenadines. Dah’s when business, hotels, Restaurants and Bars, fisher-folks, Taxis, is like dey all looking forward to de much needed patronage from visitors, especially de Trinny and Beer-jon Possees, de far-rain Yachtees, de local excursionists, everybody likes de Bequia Featival.

Poor Bobby Montano, at 92, which includes 22 years overtime, he must ah been looking forward to dis trip (possibly his last) wid high expectancy. And just look what we in SVG, known foh our great hospitality had waiting foh him.

Ah keep asking me-self, way dem root-less youngsters trying to do to dis lovely land? whatever has become of “Sweet Bequia” (Socony’s folk song)? Ah remember de days pon Law-law Hill, in Bequia, when ah could ah sleep in Auntie Ismay lickle board house, right next to de road; people passing yuh could ah hear dey converse-say-shun; doors closed but not locked, windows open to catch de fresh sea breeze and blow way de mosquitoes.

All ah dem good days over, so we got to smarten up, in our discipline and in our punishment as well. If is not too late ah asking Come-me-shun-her Charles my hero, to tighten up pon security in Bequia foh de Easter, mek de visitors feel safe. And ah know de Cult-cha minister, Cess luv-to-Fest not missing dis Regatta,! Is imperative dat Cess, along wid de Representer, Godwin Friday, de Regatta Committee and de Bequia Hotel Association host ah get to-get-her foh de Visitors, our Trinny friends in particular, and apologize on behalf ah dis country foh Pappa Montano’s disaster. And keep de Crime down!

DE WHITE OF DE EGG IS REAL

Tomorrow is Good Friday and ley me reminisce. Foh lunch was Mackerel and coconut dumpling, washed down wid Ginger beer and Hot Cross Buns! Ah still hearing Mr Rosalie’s voice early Holy Thursday morning, wid ah big bamboo basket full ah Cross Buns pon she head, chanting” “Hot Cross Buns! One ah penny, two ah penny, Hot Cross Bums!” Somehow even de Cross Buns don’t taste like dey uses to long ago. Ah remember at 12:00 noon dey uses to put de white of an egg in ah glass, and leave it to settle foh three hours, between 12:00 noon and 3 p.m., dat suppose to be de three hours dat Jesus spent pon de Cross. By 3 p.m. de egg yoke will settle into ah formation dat will look like one ah many things, could be ah ship or plane in which case someone will be travelling; could be ah Judges Wig or police helmet which means locking up or jail foh someone. Every time ah ask my grand-daughter Zinzi when she getting married, she would brush my question aside and say : “Papa married? me ain’t studying dat!” But since last year Good Friday, ah set up an Egg and write she name on de glass, when de ting form ah see ah long dress, dat mean wedding and ah said nothing. Ah month ago, she quietly dropped off ah thing like ah scroll home by me. When ah ask what de scroll was all about, de reply ah got was: “ Yuh don’t know yuh Grand daughter Zinzi getting married?”

So ah was telling Lie-Za dat setting up de white of de egg on Good Friday like is ah true ting, and den ah told her about Zinzi’s story and she getting married. Lie-Za is ah woman don’t eat egg but ah passed by her yesterday, and ah see ah flat of eggs on de table. She saw de look on my face and before ah could say anything, she said to me: “ Don’t get any bright ideas, ah not interested in marriage, ah want to mek sure ah don’t see ah coffin.” Have ah blessed Easter. Remember dis weekend is about remembering de Death and Burial of Jesus on Friday and celebrating his Resurrection on Sunday. It’s all about Baptism. And wid dat is gone ah gone again!

One Love Bassy

Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.