Ilka Hilton-Clarke

ilkahiltonclarke@gmail.com

<<Macaw

Worse than work

By: Macaw


copyright © Macaw, 1959

 

This is the carnival season. This is the time when all good Creoles are supposed to be full of plans for developing carnival, balisier juice, and bonhomie.

And so they all are. All, that is, but Lillian.

"Cheu-u-u-u-u-ups," she said, which gives you some idea of the mood she was in.

"Oh my Gorm. Why dis t'ing have to happen to me. If it was in mih younger days ah wunt a care, nuh; ah wudda leave de job. But today ah have to study wey de nex' penny comin' from. So ah have to put up wid all kina t'ing. What ah go do now ?"

Somebody said: " Wha' happen to you, Miss Lillian ? You ent like de wuk ?"

"Like de wuk ! Ah wukin' wid some English people."

" Well, ah know how it is. Dey wukin' you hard, nuh. Dey have you cobwebbin' an' t'ing ?"

"Wuking? I dere a week an' up to now I ent do no wuk yet. Doan worry wid dat, dey have some t'ings dat does be wuss dan wuk. Look, today is mih day orf. Ah car enjoy it, nuh. You see mih sittin' dong, ah studin' tomorrow when ah ha' to go back. Oh Lorse, ah doan want to go back. Ah car take it no more."

Lillian's neighbours were very worried indeed.

"Girl, wha happenin' to you ? Dey does beat you? Dey does starve you ? Dey does wear your clothes ?"

With tears in her eyes Lillian explained:

"Nah, man, it ent nuttin like dat. But ah shame to tell you what ah doin' man. You go laugh.

"Awright den, eh. Ah go tell you. From de time you see I take up de wuk, de madam come to mih an' she say she an' de borse jes' lan' from England an' dey hear about carnival an' she hear how people does jump-up.

"She tell mih de fus' dance dey go to all dey could do was siddong one side an' watch - an' she ent like dat. She tell mih dat what she want mih to to do is to learn she to dance like we.

" Ah t'ort was joke she makin'. Eh-heh ! De nex' morning she put orn calypso record an' she make mih show she how to chip.

"De nex' day she fine she goin' so good, she call all she friends what car dance too. Ah did have it hot all week. I ent do no wuk; whole day we dance fireman.

" An' from tomorrow she want to learn de king sailor. What ah could do?"

Macaw, January 27, 1959

to the top