From Cotton to Silk

As ah begin to write dis article, ah hearing Lynch on Radio saying that the young Lawyer Stapleton, was assassinated by ah gunmen dis morning. This is ah very sad way to go and ah serious statement has been made in SVG. Here’s ah young and ambitious country boy who started out as ah Police, made it thru Law School, just beginning to blossom in his career, found himself ah beautiful, young wife, three children including ah one year ole baby, just about finished dey lovely home, what ah way to go! Ah grieving foh de Stapleton family.{{more}} When heinous crimes like dis are committed, we wonder way SVG and de world coming to and what has become of man’s soul, doesn’t life have ah Value attached to it anymore?.

But last Friday, de Court proceedings belonged to Andrew Cummings as well as de Legal profession, after all, it is ah time ah we-joy-sing when ah Colleague, ah Vincy Lawyer, gets ah QC and changes gowns from Cotton to Silk. And as Justice Saunders proudly put it, “Lawyers don’t wait till ah colleague dies to honour dem”. Cummings’ couldn’t come-plain, he got his cup full and running over; over twenty speakers mainly Lawyer Colleagues, ah hilarious contribution from Deterville, from Sin Lucia. We also heard from three Judges, Hamilton, Saunders and Lyle. Thanks to Justice Brew-Sly who relaxed de protocol and permitted lay-people like Joel Providence, to recapture his “Boy Days” at New Montrose; Kizzy John-Baynes, paid tribute to her God-father; and even I’n’I got to say ah bit.

But de New Montrose legend, de Pandora Box dat Provy opened in de morning session, was only ah preview to de lighter side ah de day’s celebrations, an Evening at Candy Veira’s home.

YUH CANT BEAT BOY DAYS

Boy Days is ah ting ah de past, but ah strongly believe dat “Boy Days” of de 1950’s, 1960’s even up to 1970’s, de golden era has played ah significant part in de moulding of today’s matured adult population. Dey was ah youth gang in every community way de Boys played every sport, way comradeship gathered strength from even de heated arguments, some bordering physical dat we had. De chicken foh ah moon-light cook was stolen from ah parent/villager. Sex came late as we were reminded in ah tribute to Andrew in de Courts dat morning, Ken John was still ah virgin at 21. Yes we indulged in de sort ah mischief dat was spotless clean by today’s standard, so dey was no need foh Juvenile Courts, unheard-of!

One chap who had good Boy Days was Candy Veira, ah proud New Montrojan who refuses to grow up and let go of those good ole Days. So regularly de boys will congregate, gossip and reminisce like ole times at Candy’s Cane Garden home, ah beautiful location, wid ambience of a hotel, sitting on top of ah Harbour (Kingstown). Hospitality was ah part de good ole tradition, and Candy and his dear wife Merle, are well known foh dey genuine warmth, dey serve good food, drinks and lick-her, as regulars Doc Fraser, Garnet and Monty Eustace would attest.

Anyhow, last Friday night de Veiras held ah reception foh Andrew and de concensus was, dey out-did dem-selves in every department. An unbreakable Bar reinforced by de best ah Becks Gonsalves wines and lick-her. Elsa Francis did de catering, and she was at her usual, very best wid Syd Murphy, still SVG’s numero uno creole chef, who mash-down de kitchen, his meats had guests ummm-ing and awww-ing and going back foh 2nds and 3rds.

It was one o-clock when ah left and like de folks, most of dem in de late summer-early autumn of our lives wouldn’t move, dey wanted to hear more Picong as Monty and Andrew went after each other wid ole time souvenirs. Even host Candy de condom-in-um culprit, didn’t escape his share ah de heckling. Can yuh believe dat, we eat him out, drink him out and turn round and heckle him out? But dat is what ah mean when ah say “Yuh Cant Beat Boy Days” foh ah good time. And wid dat ah gone again.

One Love Bassy.

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