HERE COMES TROUBLE...

Its now the morning after I received my babysitting job without pay. I did not know what to call the infant and he started crying before daylight. I thought "what's wrong with him?" My sister said sternly "Keep you pickney quiet, misses!"

Sister rubbed in my face "You picked up trouble now you have to care for it by yourself, don't expect any help." I thought to myself... "I am about 7 or 8 yrs. old!" I felt the world on my shoulders and the weight of that baby was more than the world.

Me, A Child-Mother to my Nephew?!

As usual, I returned home to stay with daddy and my older siblings after what seemed like an eternal visit with daddy's mother, gram ma. I was happy to re-unite with my younger brother, Orien(Oreen). I was about to be 8 years old and he would soon be seven.



I remember a sunny day on the Veranda(front porch), when I watched the birds and wondered how fast I'd have to move in order to catch one of them, for a pet. Like a cat I loved to just sit and watch birds. When suddenly, a young woman, came up the walk from around the bush that hid the view from the road where traffic sounded like a rushing river.



I think her name was Jennifer. She was slender and her face was beautiful with chocolate powdered colouring and cherry red lips. Her hair was short and she had the tapered sides curved into "kiss curls" beside each ear. On one hip she carried a chubby baby and over the other shoulder she carried a big cloth bag that was so stuffed, the baby bottles were poking out of the top.


Baby's face was shiny and he had a runny nose from crying with tear filled eyes. The little one was constantly rubbing his nose with the back of his fist, as if to help himself breathe. He was miserable.


Without warning, she plopped the infant into my arms and asked me to hold him for her a minute. Then she asked me "where is your brother, Tony? I answered " he is not here right now." Next, she told me "keep holding the baby until I get back from the store across the street." That was the last time I saw her for what seemed like a whole year.


Here comes trouble...
When my big sister came home and saw the baby, she said "You got yourself a baby, you are on your own with it!"

CATHOLIC SCHOOL

I had a chance to be with my younger brother, Orien, again. I missed him.

I was there only a short time before I got myself into trouble, by being gullible or should I just say trusting. But, before we get into the details of my predicament, lets talk about school.

Mommy had arranged for me to attend Catholic school. "Our Lady Of Angels." I did not care for the plain brown uniform but I didn't mind the white shirt. I had the pleasant duty of washing and ironing my uniform and socks, along with my underwear, every weekend.

I loved the habit the Nuns wore. But, I disliked their way of disciplining. More details to come in my book. Although, their discipline was better than the way I was beaten at home. What was I thinking?!

Boarding the city buses every morning for school made me feel important, even though I was always in a rush. Why? I had to make sure the house was immaculate before I left for the day. Granted, it was only a two room flat with two beds and a cot with a few more essential pieces of furniture.

The cleaning woman or wash woman never lasted at daddy's.

I'll tell you more about the cleaning girl drama and my older brother Tony's involvement in the book. Although, I might give you a preview here in this blog. I'm not sure. I have to go to the mall, now, where I do portrait drawings for a living.

But, I somehow always forgot to wash my little blanks. Will tell you late what happened....

Me, Psychic?

It was a sunny Saturday, just before noon. The women were busy washing clothes in zinc wash-pans out in the court-yard, as they told stories and listen to music in the air.

At the age of seven I was only doing the weekend cleanup for gram-ma. When I heard the gate open and close(about 12yds. away), followed by foot-steps towards our cottage with a knock on the door.

Excited to see who this visitor was, I hurried to open it, but no one was there.

So, I asked gram ma, and the women close by to find if they noticed anyone coming in from the gate, when suddenly, we all heard the knock on the gate (second time for me). It was a messenger with a telegram of my uncle Hartman's Jr. who recently died.

Uncle Hartman Jr. was very young, but he suffered from a finger the size of a giant plantain. That was a result of an allergic reaction. My grandmother was obviously shaken by the news. I felt nothing.

That is one of the reasons I wondered why I had no emotional attachment like other people.

For a short spell, everyone exclaimed that I was psychic, to have heard the messenger before he even came with the delivery!

My modesty, allowed little attention to the praise.