The day we waited on Flora

(I recently stumbled on this old short story that pushed me into third place in an open regional short story competition. I was then completing my first year in Sixth form. The story was published in a paper that I believe was called Calypso. First place went to well-known Barbadian writer Timothy Callender, who died in 1989 at the age of 43).{{more}}

“Well, I coming down from School. I vex, vex. Whole morning I trying to work out a Geometry problem but it won’t come out for hell. So now it about 5 minutes past 12 and while I moving down the road chatting with the other boys, asking them how they got out the problem, I see Elly coming up the road laughing. Well, I say Elly have good news and I waiting patiently, anxious to hear it. Elly is me good friend, both of us does stay the same place. He just leave School last year. He get a 3rd Grade Senior Cambridge but he ain’t get work as yet. Well he reach me still laughing, tell me straight off hand that a hurricane expected. Although I believe he joking I still frighten because one thing I ane want to hear about is hurricane. All my 18 years on earth I fortunate never to experience one. Already for the year, two pass nearby but they ane affect us. Sometime in 1959 I remember we had some strong, strong, wind that blowing down houses and trees followed by some heavy rain. Well I say it is a hurricane but all the old people tell me is that it only the backwash of the Hurricane Janet that hit Grenada.

From that day I ane want to hear anything about hurricane because if that is the backwash, I wonder what the real thing like. Well further down the road I realise Elly ane joking because all the stores boarding up they show cases like what they does do when hurricane expected. You must imagine how I feel. I hustle home and see some nice pelau which they leave for me but I can’t study that. I too emotional. Any other time I will eat it off and call for more but not now.

Elly reach home little after me and he still laughing like he get a good joke and like nothing serious in the air. I turn on we old Phillips radio and ah just in time to hear the special hurricane notice. It say people in St.Vincent, Grenada and Tobago must expect a dangerous hurricane. It going reach Tobago about 5’o’clock and St.Vincent 9’o’clock. The thing that frighten me further is that they ane say it might reach, they real positive they saying it would.

I ran downstairs and then realise why Elly did laughing all the time. He well glad that the hurricane talk come up because he round the table devouring all my food. Very much against my will I had to go to school that afternoon. Whole evening I can’t concentrate on my work. I only looking outside watching the weather like I is weather expert. What I see ane soothe me feeling at all because outside black and dark. All the time I saying to myself we really can’t get off this one. Twice for the season we escape, well this is surely our chance. Every minute ah looking at the clock, but the old thing it ain good. Three o’clock wouldn’t come at all. As soon as the bell ring I the first one to reach out. I hustle home, the streets deserted except for hurrying school children and worried parents. The sea rough and the place dark like sin. The Police Van all around town urging people to take proper cover and giving them useful hints.

When I reach home I see everybody appearing cool like they receive a message from God that Flora ane coming. I start boarding up doors and windows but the others laughing. Who tell you hurricane coming, you ain see it ‘fraid us’? But I in no mood for laughing. The wind blowing strong fuh so, and man ah real frighten. I go and lie down in all my school clothes. An announcement that the hurricane hit Tobago nearly kill me and ah saying to myself ‘Well we next’. For once the rest of the family frighten. They say is 9 o’clock it reaching us. About 8:30 I try hard to sleep and maybe I succeed because I ane know when it 9’o’clock. Sometime later the noise of the wind wake me up and I hit Elly who lie down near me and tell him ‘like is that coming now’. He could scarcely answer me. His words come out broken up like a man frighten to death. “Must…be…that I well want sleep. I prefer…it …catch me in sleep”.

I know nothing else because I cover down me ears and manage to sleep once more. I fly up later when Elly hit me. I think is that really come now, but when I open my eyes I see the sun shining in through a crack in the door and everything looking quiet. Elly laughing; that grin that going surely get him famous one of these days.

I got courage for once and peep out. Outside look calm. The old fowl house still up, but a few banana trees from de backyard down. I start to smile. I turn to Elly. “boy I can’t believe is lucky we lucky so. Like God is one of we. Like he is really a Vincentian.”

Dr Adrian Fraser is a social commentator and historian.