Remember de adulterous woman

Nine days ago, Colin Graham was selected and den rejected as NDP candidate foh East St George. He had his Birth, Baptiz-him, Eulogy and Burial de-cleared within one week.Ah listened to all de beating-up Colin got foh beating-up woe-man, and ah feel obliged to men-shun one good thing dat Colin has done dat leaves him wid ah high score on my mark-sheet.

It all began when ah went to ah Concert at de Lewis Poo-net Home, aka “Poor Home” foh senior citizens. (dey couldn’t find ah more appropriate name; is ah terrible place to send off our loved ones). Right dey ah said ah quiet prayer foh de ole folks, de hard working nurses and ah beg de Lord please, “tek me before ah have to go dey”.

De staff performed ah very serious skit foh de ole folks. Was about ah daughter who had hurried home to get her dad’s Visa to move him out ah de Poor Home, up to New York wid her. She took ah JP wid her to witness his signature to ah pile ah documents. “Don’t worry daddy,” she said, “I will be coming back foh you within ah month, ah getting you out ah dis rotten place.”

De next scene on stage, showed de ole man’s other daughter who in her humble state, was doing her best to mek life foh her father at de Institution as comfortable as she could have. Dad explained to her dat her sister visited him and she is coming back soon to take him wid her to live in de US. How he had already signed his visa papers. It was at dat point his distraught daughter realized why her sister had been looking for her father’s Birth Certificate, Title Deed foh de ole house and his Bun Pan Society burial book. She had conned de ole man into signing over all he had to her.

But in de audience was Colin’s dad; he was dressed in ah suit dat he wore when he co-hosted ah Miss Carival Show some time ago. Ah thought dat he was de MC, until he explained he was ah resident at de Home, an offspring in de US had asked de nurses to keep him dey foh ah few weeks and dey will come take him State-side.

Ah few weeks after, while visiting another Senior Citezen’s Home, ah met ole man Graham, and he was still up-tempo. He told me he long to taste dough-nut and marmalade, and asked me to bring some. When ah did return, ah staff-member told me his son, Colin Graham had taken him home to live with him (Colin).

It was when ah called Colin and congratulated him foh rescuing his dad, dat he told me it was ah long story. Yes it was ah long, sad story and ah hard decision foh Colin to have made. But as he said, “Bassy, de man is my father, and I could not sleep knowing his living conditions, so I fixed up an apartment downstairs; now he is home with me and his grandchildren.”

Lie-Za was needah hey nor dey wid my story, she only asked me: “why are you all beating up pon Colin? All yuh men in SVG are abusers living in closets. From de wife who becomes pregnant every day and aborts instantly from her husband’s abusive language, to de Boss who thinks it’s cute to leave his matrimonial bed and go harassing de watch-oman foh reassuring kiss.” Ah tell she, Woe-man does abuse dey man too. Was only den she start to call names. And remind me to go read me Bible about de adulterous woman in John 7 and 8.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

One Love Bassy

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