Sunday, April 20, 2014
Saturday, February 22, 2014
My folks and then some
These are my folks….
I saw this photo a few years ago and showed it to my mom…..and went “Awwwww …” And with a tear in my eye and a frog in my throat I said to my mom ” this is such a beautiful picture mom …you look so beautiful..” And her response to me was ” That was the most miserable day in my life …you know I didn’t know that man was married before ..!!” She also went on to tell me…. “And come to find out he had six children too? Hogwash!”
On with my story..Here feeling kind of silly writing this missive only to realize that my mouth is moving as I type…Damn! Have I become my gone, but not forgotten parents?
I distinctly remember my mother speaking to herself at times. She used to call it self- affirmation, I just called it being “off your rockers…Mad….coo coo” I was young, what did I know? LOL. And my dad having a “busy sexy foot”….When he crossed his legs he would shake his foot while at the time, smoking his pipe. An authentic English man’s pipe mind you.Though my dad studied and lived like my mom in England, he was as English as a hairy toothpick in an olive and cheese Hors d’oeuvres. As soon as the charm and politeness served his purpose, and he got what he wanted, I'd say by then he'd had enough of you. We never really knew how well off he really was..(well basically we're still finding out), but back then we always had and I guess that made things seem normal I guess.
We were your average nuclear family with of course my parents and my sister (who’s name as best as possible I would try to omit from further discussion), and innocent me. We grew in Glencoe Carenage, near to the Trinidad Marina/ Yacht Club on a street called Strathaven Road. And as I remember it, my dad was always a Man’s Man. You know, the Plumber, Electrician, Gardener, Carpenter, shit the man could even cook, Oh yes! And Mason too. But his biggest flaw was his eye; He just Couldn’t see a skirt.…. Back to my father…..He always as far back as I could remember had three cars, not one like normal people , three! A pick-up, a luxury car (at that time) called a Kingswood and he was always buying or selling a car. My mother dare not question him…no no. He was man!
This is funny. One day a boldface neighbor decided to pick an argument with d ole man. Oh! How my father have to watch he property line and how he cyah be making noise in he machine shop because it keeping him up at night ….blah blah blah. Anyway, I remember this as clear as day. Shit this deserves a new paragraph!
Ok , where was I..right.. I remember my father throwing down the yard broom (he was sweeping at the time), calmly walking inside…..my mom was like “children go inside” , I knew back then the smell of bachannal. Especially when my father came back outside armed! Yes armed with several pieces of paper and told my neighbor to check his deed to see who really owns what. He told the man “And don’t be late with your next payment!”. Ha ha ha what a laugh, what a riot ! Somehow between Bim and Bam my father had owned that man’ s house. Needless to say my mother was lost as we all were at that time discovering this as well. Not to out do himself, he had another surprise up his sleeve. He said let’s go! Well not exactly like that, but you get the drift.
Jumping in the third car, this one was a Super Saloon PU 9619; We drove down La Horquette Valley Rd where he pointed to a large house on the hill and said that was his and "we moving there!" Well that never happened. He got a better deal, so he sold that house...How did I find out? Well by this time my father’s business was picking up and so were the arguments. Still living in Glencoe we had maids and a chauffeur at this time, but at night , well one in particular... Parents were arguing about lord knows what, anyways, my dad says "let’s go! Get your school stuff one time!” And off we went. Into Diego Martin we drove and into a yard that the house in Glencoe could fit in. So I’m like “Whay?”
“So daddy who house is dis ?” A normal question for any young boy to his father…His response was ” Boy shut yuh dam mouth and pick a room and sleep!!” And that was that! The next morning I awoke to a mansion. It had everything 'Built-in' from stove, oven, dishwasher, fridge with ice maker…built-in cupboards the works. There was even a pool. The following week my friends and I were playing in the street when two 3 tonne long tray trucks come down the street with my father in toe. That day will forever be etched in my mind. My mother coming home from work and my father saying we moving ! And that day we did.
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