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by Stephenjohn Holgate

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One long time ago if you did come to this rum bar you could of did hear one and two old man tuning banjo or strumming guitar or licking table to give people a beat. White rum would inspire we to make a music every Friday. That’s how me did come to learn to play banjo and guitar.

Me used to cut cane up at the Beckford estate when me was a younger man. First job me get really. Me and me friend Alton get job up there the same day. Later me did go Merica to cut cane and pick corn and all that kind of thing. A whole heap of we did used to go up that way to work on them farm and some such. But anyway, me would cut cane the whole week with them old man when me leave school and then come Friday we would reach Missa Barrett bar, and white rum and milk would keep we going the whole night.

Dominoes, singing. Knock on table and somebody would pull out one guitar and them sing all kind of song. The old ones about talking parrot and iron bar and even new music that just reach from Merica. Barrett did have connection on the boats because him also used to run a sound system and would get the latest riddim and blues music them from Merica and play them at the dance come weekend time.

Me used to love the music. Never even like the rum so much at first because after two sip my throat raw and me can feel me head spinning. Those times we did have one rum call Kill Devil. Neckback! Wasn’t just devil that could kill. But anyway, me did like to hear when One Eye Freddy would start to play a little tune and Cuban Carlos, him never Cuban but that was what everybody call him because him was half white and did have long curly hair, would start play the table top like it was Congo drum. Then everybody would start singing.

Now Barrett did have a sweet daughter who would work the bar. Yes man, Mary Ann used to mad all of we if she was working. Then it would start in one piece of sparring. One man would sing “Don’t Fence Her In.” Somebody else would start “Water Your Garden.” None of we did have any luck. She would just ignore all of we and Barrett just used to laugh and say, My daughter work here from she small. None of you can put lyrics to her she don’t hear before. None of you don’t have no chance with her.

But, all of we boys did love Mary Ann. Man start turn up to bar on Friday with flowers them thief from people garden. Them having shower after work before them come to the bar. I even hear that one and two man decide to go look for guzoo doctor and samfi man to try and tie the poor girl. The Obeah and Myal people was doing a roaring trade with love spell and such.

Truth be told, me wasn’t even that involved in the chasing of Mary Ann. Me was too young and stupid. Every Friday me just trying to get a lesson from One Eye. And him might show me one or two things me could go and practice on my father guitar until the next week come around.

So it was one Saturday. I did just finish sweep out the yard and husk a few of the coconut that my mother had piled up by the back door. I did know if I finish all them jobs I could get a half hour  practice on the guitar. But as I pick up the guitar, is who I see coming into the yard but Mary Ann.

And she looking pretty like money. Even me, who only ever distracted by me music and such, did know that she was the sweetest looking thing in the whole parish, maybe on the whole island.

Daddy send me to buy egg, she say to me.

Now, Missa Barrett, to my knowledge, don’t eat egg.

How much you want, Mary Ann? I ask. Because even though I sort of know that she come to talk with me the whole of the words I have in my head twist up and tie up and can’t really make them way out of my mouth.

Six, she say, looking at me as if me is a real dunce bat.

So I go and get the egg them and the whole time I wondering what the ass I going to say to her. I never really think about it before, but now that Mary Ann in my front yard, pretty like one sweet dream, I racking the little brains I have to find something to say to her.

But nothing don’t come to my mind.

Walking back with the egg them in me hand I cussing myself, how me foolish and can’t even think of a lyrics to put to Mary Ann. And I come to look on her again and is like my mind go blank again.

Then Mary Ann say, You can’t even play me a little song before me go?

Massa, I did so glad she have more sense than me. I pick up the guitar and I start play and to this day I can’t even say what song I sing, it come like one piece of possession take me over. I just start play and sing and sing and play and when I stop and look at Mary Ann is one big smile spread across her face.

Me like the way you play, she say to me. You have a nice voice.

Me did want to say you have a nice everything, but instead I ask her if she want to go and get some ice cream with me. She smile that big smile again and say yes.

Well I don’t have to tell you how I fall in love. I know them rasta always talking about standing in love, but is fall me fall. Fall foot over head and tumble down with no control in love. And as me get deeper and deeper into love I start find that the man them at the rum bar don’t want to talk to me or stand me a rum or nothing. Pure susu-susu them start deal with. I did too young to realise that jealousy is a hell of a thing. Man love talk about jealous woman and all them kind of thing when them deal with the same behaviour.

Before long Mary Ann pregnant and me lose me work cutting cane. Life can come like that some time. All the difficulty come at the same time just to test you and see how you coping. Life never easy, you understand?

But is so I end up travelling to Merica. I get one of them H2 visa and gone to Merica to cut cane and such. Did do that for quite some years as well. Hard work, is not as if them treat much better than down here, but at least them give you money in your hand at the end of the week.

I start to hustle a bit on the side as well. Since Barrett turn father-in-law, I start buy records for him and bring them back. Work to my advantage because it mean I get to check in to the music scene up there. And me did love all of it, the rock and roll, the country music, the riddim and blues. Nice-nice music. And I try and learn a few of the songs on me guitar. I did ready to up and move Mary and meself and all of we pickney them to Merica the way things sweet me.

Mary Ann look on me hard when me say that. She fix that hard look on me and say, Bertie, you and me black, what we doing moving to that country? She did always have little bit more sense than me when it come to these things.

I say, Honey, it not nothing like that. Them have black people up there, you know. It not like we going be the only black people up there.

A week later me hear about Alton who, because him work on farm like me and go to Merica like me, decide to move up there because him meet one sweet girl and couldn’t live him life without her. Him did scrape up the money for the boat fare and gone with a big smile on him face. The problem with Alton, though, was that him was a born gyallis. I mean, him was a man that could put Joe Grind to shame. So him in love with this girl in foreign, but then him chasing woman left and right and up and down. As the story go him did go try put speech to one white lady up there. 

I don’t know what them do to Alton, but them don’t even send the body back here. Just dead and done up there. Maybe him never even put speech to her, maybe him did just look on her and think she look nice. We never going know.

But was that which did make me think, maybe not everything a foreign so good and maybe not everything down here so bad.

Me stop talk to Mary Ann about moving to foreign after me hear that story. Me just go work, by this me get a little job over at the wharf, and me come home and play with me pickney them and from time to time me get a little job here and there playing a little music. If nothing not happening me sit on me verandah and play some sweet tune to Mary Ann. Even as me get old me still love to see how her lips can go up in a smile when me play a song for her.

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