Lef Buju and De Coke-nut Ven-dor son Alone

Thirty sum-ting years ago ah young lady who is my cousin, almost got killed in an NDP motorcade when someone pelt ah stone in de passing truck, struck her in de eye, blind! Today de family has moved on. One of her brothers is today the Superintendent of His Majesty Prisons; he is ranked as doing ah great job. Another brother Trevor “Buju” Bailey, my cousin also, is today de Acting Commissioner of Police. Grampa Nathan say some people who never run ah Mauby Shop think running ah country is like cooking ah pot ah stir’n’ fry rice.

What he saying however, is, if he had to live his life all over again, he wants to be ah Coke-Nut Vendor! Yuh know he does talk in “pallables” no name no lies oops! no war-aunt! Dey was dis young Coke’Nut vendor whom Grampa nicknamed George, said he was cockie, confident and am-bish-us. He pushed his cart laden wid fresh, Coke-Nut water wid soft jelly, sharp cutlass and ah crocus bag to collect de shells. No Littering! He had one suit, it looked like ah “Polka-dot “pattern wid Coke’Nut stains all over, his shirt and pants from neck to ankle. Dat was his work-clothes, come see him at church on Sunday morning wid his “Winston Churchill” felt hat, better dressed dan de Bishop. Next he up-graded, bought ah bicycle, attached ah carrier in front like today’s snow cone cart. Suddenly he became mobile, making stops at Go-veno-mint offices as well as business places.Very humble Coke-Nut Vendor, visiting offices, filling yuh glass wid ice and jelly, and soon became de most popular daily Coke’Nut vendor.

As Grampa Nathan recalls, George had ah strong companion and wife, nobody noticed dey were children until his youth-men turned up one after de other to help wid de Small Business, ah thing dey always did unnoticed, dahs until de dress-code could not go unnoticed. Yes, de Grammar School and Girls’ High uniforms dey were wearing. Dey must ah bin some Divine intervent-shun wukimg foh George. He assisted Essel in opening ah small Market Shop. In de meantime de boys did not fail to impress. Who was not Boy Scout were Cadets at de highest ranks, local and regional. George was known to have assisted family members in small businesses. But guess what, up until George left us he continued to be ah Coke’Nut Vendor. Poor and polite, blessed but not widout blemishes. Grampa Nathan was proud when he spoke of ah George jr an Architect, ah Gerge jr ah Doctor,

George jr ah Lawyer, and dey are others but he wants me to menshun ’ah George jr who would have served in opposition for approximately 25 years, while de country was “hooked in de Gill” wid $3.5 billion under ah Gone-Soft regiment, if’n’when asked who was in charge, de same answer “just Car-tel! Dis George jr is Deputy Prime Minister, de son of ah Coke-Nut Vendor. What was not done in twenty-five years cannot be done in nine months, we not exactly keking babies. Some ah we must th-Ink before we Ink.

And wid dat is gone ah gone again

One Love Bassy

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