On Queue

Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor

ME DEAR mam, Satideh mawning gone me ga post hawfice fe go buy few stamp. Suh missis, been as how de line long cause a one smady did a serve, me tan up deh wid all kine a sinting a crass me mine. Like how, a wander if it spell sense put up nuh Christmus tree. Fe go tun roun hab de crasses fe teky dung back an fine place fe puty. An den now, when me tawt begin roam from de Christmus tree, it flash pon how de potato pudden weh me did mek couple day before, neva come out too bad. At least dat was fe me conclusion cause a only me alone did eaty. Suh de more de line begin move up slow, a de more me mine up an dung. How, when me was a pickney, me woulda spen me bus fare an beg han cart man drap me home. Dis fe get one lilly piece more a Miss Florence pudden wid de flaw flaw settle pon top a it. Massy.

Me dear mam, when yu use to si Miss Florence come outta school gate wid da glass case pon har head. Sprat, fry dumpling, gizzada, cut cake, pudden an ebry thing else weh dis lef fe mek pickney mad, line off through de glass case windah weh finga print an kucknut oil lef foggy. Missis ma, by de time she liff off da glass case wid two han. An still fine a next han fe shiff de kattah suh she nuh wring de neck. Ebry one a wi done form a straight line inna one piece a bungleup. Wid elbow a shoob. An pencil point wid no owna a mek one a few jook. An a de crowd dat. Nuffa dan de pudden slice. Pon one heap a petition:

"Two flittaz an half slice a pudden!"

"A me was here fuss."

"Memba seh a mi always carry water fe yu!" Miss Florence: "Half slice nuh sell! De pudden haffi cut one way! Oonoo cyaan form line? A who fuss?"

Everybaddy tun pig: "Mee! Mee!"

Miss Florence, to de one weh ketch a front. An who nuh realize seh de whole a fe har skirt waist buss weh an tun tight rope a back between two smady: "Mek mi si de money weh yu hab. Nuh quattie dat? How yu fe get flittaz an pudden fe quattie when de puddden alone a fe quattie? Oonoo cyaan count?"

Me now, well sure a meself, elbow an pencil point fe me way up a front, begin put een fe me hawda. Cause me had more dan quattie. Me hab five shilling. Me an me sista bus fare from White Marl to Kingston include.

Me: "Those two flittaz what lean up. Two slice a pudden. One draps. Two sprat an a shear ice."

Miss Florence: "A who fa money yu tief?"

Me: "A my money. Me fahda a police commissioner an him hab nuff money."

Miss Florence: "A nuh yu a Jerry pickney? A when him lef JOS?"

Well missis, before me coulda done me tawt pon how Miss Florence still tek me five shilling an load me up wid de heap a bilias food, a next server lady inna de post hawfice huppen up har windah an tell de next person in line fe come. Well, since me was de next person, me begin move off toward de counter. When, all on a sudden, dis white man weh did stan up behine me de whole time, springin front a me an head fe de counter.

Suh me holler: "Excuse me sar, de lady seh next. An me was next!'

Hear him: "A tawt me was next."

Me: "How yu mean fe tawt yu was next? When yu si me tan up in front a yu
fram mawning?"

An me dear mam, wid dat saying me dis tep pass him an tek me rightful place. Houtta Horder.

Tawt to much man. Like me nuh know weh him did a try fe do. But yu si, yaffi lef yard an come a foreign come meet a ting weh name entitlement.

But weh him nuh know owla dan him. Cause him nuh know seh a in front a Miss Florence glass case same place a yard. Fram me yeye deh a me knee. Das me learn what it is fe bore line.

Tek care!

Dr. Jennifer Keane-Dawes is director of communication studies at Norfolk University in Virginia.

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