2020-MAY-09-0132Hrs
My Fellow Mausicans,
To God be the Glory.
My Brother-in law is recovering well. With the aid of his physiotherapist and a walker he is moving around the house and at night, he is raiding the fridge. He has a sweet tooth. Last week he gave me a thumbs up for a fish broth Marj and I made. He said he would have given us an A+ had I had added some Golden Ray to the pot!
Let’s keep our beloved lecturer, Linda Romain Edwards, and family in our prayers. Her son, Nigel ,”went to meet his ancestors” last week. Do you remember her two sons who grew up on campus?
They used to drive their big, noisy, plastic cars all over the grounds. They would venture down by the men’s hostel where some very tall young men from Mayfair taught them a foreign language. They shocked Linda on their return home. She had to wash their mouths with plenty soap and water. Mayfair was worse than Billingsgate.
Cliff Bertrand could attest to that.
I am adjusting to the confinement. I am reading more. I like the educational programs on the Parliament Channel where you recall the events of our journey to gaining Independence under the leadership of Dr. Eric Williams and his soldiers and the Women’s Groups. Choko from the Bomb called them “The Fat A**E Brigade.”
Truth be told, without them we would still be a British colony. Many of our mothers were part of that Brigade.
With the passing of my two Brothers, Hanny and Sample, I wake up singing and walking down “Memory Lane”. Some mornings I sing some oldies: Clarence Curvan, Joey , Sparrow, Ancil Wyatt, Cassanovas, Guinness Cavaliers, Despers, Silver Stars. Those two brothers were excellent dancers. Sample and I used to have a real good time. I was preparing for my two years at Mausica. 66-68. I used tuh dance non-stop.
Ah fraid tuh call names. Ah might leave out some an get mehself in trouble! Yesterday, Joy Reid send meh ah shout out but it disappear from de laptop. She was from Tunapuna. But dem South girls an one from Central, Couva , coulda real dance. Read “Remember Wen?” yuh go see de names ah doh want tuh miss not callin. Who say Heather, Irma, Lacey, Monica, Bernice. Carol; Cherrie, Agatha, Joy, Lynette?
Of course, ah call meh pardnah, Geezmo, an Carl Caton. Andre and Clive, ah go call before ah leave.
By de way, those people who selected students for MTC had some kinda system tuh follow. Barataria, which had twelve streets and ten avenues had several representatives. Yuh had Foster from twelve, Lasalle and Gwendoline Peters from eleven, Patrick Ali and Marie Louise from ten, Ronnie Richardson from nine, Arthur Small and Lynette King from eight, Lloyd Brown from sixth avenue Gwyneth Lee Sing from Malick. Aye, Scratchie , Leroy Cox and Selwyn Thompson come from de Coconut near El Socorro. Ho Sing Loy an Shyam Dass from Aranguez.
Yes man, MTC was like ah melting pot. If I didn’t get on ah flight from Atlanta on March 19th, I woulda make meh way tuh Venezuela an come ashore in ah pirogue in Matelot , Cedros, Icacos or Pt Zagaya. Nothing coulda keep from landin in Sweet TNT. I am happy to be here with my wife, Marjorie, my brother-in-law , Courtney, and his son Kern. By de way. I eh see my family up North yet!
Social Distancing, dey call it.
Have a Blessed Easter.
As usual,
Rodney Foster 66-68
