"She pay fine fuh de licks she get.. "

Minibus
42 short drop bus park is confusing and even though I am mindful and being aware of my surroundings, I can't figure out which bus to go. Woman in a blue blouse and a cap , wearing long (rain) boots tells me come come,, short drop yes yes and I trust her and go as I realise I never get call to no minibus or car by a woman before.
I kind of scan the bus and realise that I am the only man so far, and more women join the bus.
I buy a pack of 'sweet nuts' (man had sweet nuts and salt nuts) which is what happens when you waiting on the bus to full. A chatty woman in the seat behind me seems to know the others (or maybe she been sitting there long and they now know each other well). Conversation is loud and I stop being polite and just open my ears as I eat the sweet nuts.

"Strong coolie woman"
"She is a strong coolie woman" the women say about a woman who is dealing with a violent husband. "He put she in hospital already", "She been police fuh he.. but next ting.. she pay fine"
 and another woman says 'She pay fine fuh de licks ". I trying to get the thread.. there is an undertone that she should leave the man, but I am not sure. It is these random conversations.. which give the pulse on why domestic violence continues.
. 
The woman leading the gaff says "me aint able advise no mo', me fed up" .  I have not been in the bus long enough though to jump in and  talk about domestic violence and entrapment

Conversation shifts to soap operas. Chatty woman loves her soap operas, and encouraging everyone to watch. "You aint got no man fuh pelt no pat or pan so watch am" she tells a woman. I say but suppose the man jumbie come and knack the pot and pan .. and the woman laughs and say is true, is not one jumbie but two.. the husband and son.

And I wonder how the husband and son treated the small built quiet woman who is now laughing at talk of their ghosts.


Another woman says nah, dem ting nah good. Woman ah lef man and tek odda man r. And I turn back and say, nah better dem leff de man whan nah good, dan dem stay fuh dead.. but the woman  smile at me like my  head is not good and does not look convinced.

The  woman sitting next to me whispers to me "I don't watch them thing now.. I am 75, me days done' I ask her what she watches, and she says 'religious programmes, death announcement'.  

The bus is a woman space. The driver is quiet.. he just waiting for instructions from the woman conducting the bus.

"Uncle, today is nah valentine yuh know.. "
I am wearing a red teeshirt with white letters.  I cringe when I realise the big woman is talking tome, she older than me and she calling me Uncle. I want to turn back and say 'ow Aunty, now you talk to me, today is Valentine' but I say something lame like.. everyday is valentine fuh me.

She says how she buy she Valentine gift fuh she husband and I think .. shoots.. i nearly commit adultery right hey in this bus.

The woman who called me into the minibus, the conductor , she smiling and laughing quietly during the conversation.