Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor
ME DEAR mam, yu know weh me cyaan understand bout nuff foreign people? Me cyaan understand how smady can lib side a dem fe years an years an dem nuh know a who de smady or weh de smady do fe a living. Case in point, dis man weh lib inna dis foreign community from salt fish a shingle house an notta soul neva know seh him a rape off dem pickney one by one. How dat?
Me dear mam, me hear how de man used to hab skipping rope, swing sang, see saw an all kine a fandangles inna him yard fe encourage de pickney dem weh a ride dem lilly bicycle up an dung inna de community, fe come ova him yard an play.
Well, hataclaps de other day when, although dem claims seh him threaten fe kill dem if dem talk, one a de pickney go home go tell de madda. De madda carry de pickney g'a dactah an dactah confirm it. Suh a so comes now, police get call. My dear lady, when me look pon de big ole white man wid beard an hair heng dung all bout him.
Like smady did pinch him tell him seh him can go wid him when dem a go back a Africa. Missis, me couldn't understand how a wutliss son-of-a-gun like dat coulda do dat to people pickney an get weh wid it fe so long. Cause my dear lady, after de final count come een wid de number a pickney weh put fraid aside an talk, a ova twenty lilly lilly baby gal das him molest. Suh, right now, him haffi go si Africa an wish it well.
Cause a believe him head trim an him get couple tump inna it. For a prison him deh. But Missis, come to think of it, yu can tell me right now seh yu nuh know de smady weh lib side a yu? But den again, if yu nuh know, an is a man lib side a yu, maybe a dis lass night him move deh.
An if a even twelve o clack lass night him move een, don't yu did jump up as yu did hear de truck a back een? Don't yu did notice seh a ongle one bed, a racker, two dining chair, one dresser wid a bruck glass, an four carton box cover ova das come offa de truck? Don't yu did a wonder weh de ooman an pickney deh cause yu nuh si none? Don't when him did go pon de verandah an tun on de light fe de truck man see. Don't yu did look good an si seh a so-so man out deh? Don't yu tan up same place pon yu swell foot an peep from twelve a clack till two a clack although yu know seh when day light yu wouldn't hab a use to yuself? Don't when yu notice seh ebrything come offa de truck. An de two side man kalleck dem money an walk weh. Don't yu did draw suspicion when de truck driver fallah de man inside. Lock de door. An de verandah light an house light tun off leffing yu two yeye an de whole place inna darkness? Don't when yu memba seh a one bed yu certain seh come offa de truck, don't yu did huppen yu mout wide an ask Massa Gad a wah dis?
An don't as day light yu wake up yu pickney dem an tell dem seh don't mek yu ketch none a dem foot a go crass da man deh gate cause yu too ole fe g'a prison? An don't when one a de pickney ask yu why, don't yu bawl offa him an tell him don't crass question yu?
An don't as day light out an yu an de man yeye mek four, don't yu kin yu teet. Ask him weh him name. An ask him weh him wife deh. If she nuh wake up yet? Massy.
Missis, foreign people different. Das why me did tell yu bout dis building weh me did lib inna when me dis come a foreign. Das de man dead in deh from de November. An although people up an dung pass him door. Dem neva fine him baddy till de February. Eeeh ma? Tek care!
Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a comunications professor and a talk show host in the University of North Carolina system.
