From de time you inhale de air, you get a name. De old people say yuh could name a child just by watchin how it come out de womb, but we did forget about dem simme dimme ting. Now, we just give dem wha-ever name dat come to mind: a famous athlete or movie star we see on TV. Sometimes, de child end up being de character of de name, because night after night–from de time de sun explodes into the sky to de dreariness of noontime–dey rehearsin other people’s manners, other people’s words, pronouncin other people’s voices. For wen time come to perform, dey want to be ah real person. Some of dem change deir name, because de couldn’t play de parts as if it was deir true nature. But some of dem make it look like dey is de original.
Each day, before you come, me and de moon talk all night about wey yuh fadder gone to, and who he with. Ah use to hide mehself with meh belly full like how de sky full tonight, and just drink all dat Johnny Walker. Sometimes, ah put on Al Green for company, and we would sing, “Let’s Stay Together,” and ah drink de bottle empty. Is shame dat make meh hide. Ah didn’t want nobody to know ah was drinkin while ah was havin you. Later, ah find out dey did know. Grinnin at meh. Well yuh fadder found dat to be real funny. He would laugh, and bring meh more Johnny, like if dat make up for de times he gone with dem jahmet.
Ah remember de day you come. Wednesday mornin in November, ah know yuh was comin. Ah was prayin dat ah could at least get de housework done. Ah still had to wash and put up de old curtains, paint de steps new. Send yuh brother and sister off to school, and cook yuh fadder food.
Ah tried to keep you still in meh belly so ah could put dem clothes out to dry. Ah didn’t have enough time for de curtains and steps. Ah know ah couldn’t keep yuh still no more wen de rain started to fall. Ah call out to de neighbor, Ms. Galerie, and she get one of dem boys drivin taxi to come pick meh up. Nobody could get ah-hold of yuh fadder. He was in Port of Spain, at the Red House, tryin to win de seat for dey union party.
It was trouble in dem years when I was havin you. De months before you born, I remember de big riot in Port of Spain. De people couldn’t take it no more. They was peacefully marchin, and den all of ah sudden, de police started to beat dem. It was like de heat get inside people blood. It was near Christmas time, and we want to spend it nice and buy some new tings. But we didn’t even have food to cook. And all dat was comin out yuh fadder mouth was black power dis and dat. He make meh stop usin de hot comb in meh own hair, and say not to put none ah dat white people rubberish in he child head. Yeah, I had to hide to do Serena’s hair, after I straighten it.
And dey only people you see workin in dem banks was dem fair-skin lookin girls. No black people was workin in Royal Bank. Dat is why it had to burn. Yeah, dey stoned down, and trow kerosene bottles in it. Dey did loot Woolworth. Yuh just see a yellow explosion, and people. Talk about people scamperin away like crazy ants. It was so bad, de government call ah state of emergency and put up a curfew. If police did catch yer outside, dey would ah shoot yuh down. But dat didn’t stop dem. People still come and trow big stone at de Red House, sayin dey was ready to burn dat down too.
Den de police come lookin for yuh fadder, because dey was lockin up all dem union men and black power rebels. Dey show deir papers sayin dey have ah right to search de premises for suspicious documents. Ah tell dem, dey had to wait until ah finish feed Wary and Serena. Ah wanted to see wha dey was doin. I wasn’t goin to let dem just go through my belongings. And everyting dey move, ah ask dem if dey find it dat way, wen dey just put it back anyhow, anyhow. I wasn’t afraid like dem other wives, faintin and actin stupid.
People get tired of how de government was runnin de country, and as yuh fadder say, is not like we didn’t have enough money to feed people. Trinidad is not ah poor country.
Anyway, on the day you born, we finally get in touch with Comrade, come to find out he win de seat in Parliament for de ULF party. Wen he hear you born, he tell everybody he win because ah you. He make ah big fuss about namin yuh. He say he didn’t want any of dem English names. He went and get dis book with African names, and for days he lookin for de right name. He finally say Njeri. Comrade say it means daughter of ah warrior.
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