"..You gotta walk the long way to learn the short way... "

 

Humid Saturday morning. Road is quiet, slow. Minibus comes up at nice speed. Driver no mask. Young woman in front seat, two women in back seat. All wearing masks. I say 'morning' . Some masked mornings and Driver's unmasked morning in reply.

Young man stops the bus.  Beanie covering head, and silver ring near the top of the ear. No mask. I wonder if he is anti-masker. But I don't pollute the bus by asking.

Driver asks us if we know the location of a school. "Dis girl got directions for a short way to the school but I aint understand it..anybody know is where?".. Nobody knows really..masked mutterings.

He asks someone on the road.

Women behind him says from behind her mask "you gotta walk the long way to learn the short way"..

Young woman comes out the bus to go to learn the short way from the long way. I feel a bit bad for us old people preaching from behind the masks.

Town is busy.  Go in a store , get an item. Saw the sign "Wanted Handy Boys". I ask if they still did. Man looks at me. says yes. 'Guyanese?".. I say yes.. wondering why.. but.. "How old?"... and I say person is about 25 thinking of a man who comes begging. "We have to follow labour laws on age etc" the man tells me.. 

Ears open. People walking. Woman shouts to another woman 'so he bury aready..".. woman replies as she walks away 'yes..".. woman shouts to her.. "don't worry tek no man fuh tek advantage pun dem chirren"

I tell the woman'.. that is good advice.. .. the woman laughs loudly with me.

 Walk down to another store, looking for an item. look in the store. Man at the door, Cuban I find out later.. tells me to go in. I go in, shout 'amigo' as I don't see anyone else to ask. We talk in Spanglish. Man likes Guyana.. "I put pepper on my food". He has not been home in a year..... time to pay. and he tells me "Go to Chinese lady"

I say morning to the Chinese woman wearing the face shield. She does not reply. I look in my mind for the Chinese word to say hello, thinking she might reply and smile. She takes the money, gives the change.  Cuban man looking for another customer.. Chinese Cuban collaboration in Guyana.

Pass a church, Two women stand behind a table with coffee and individually wrapped whole wheat bread and cheese. I pass, walk back. Thinking blessings if I support a church food sale. Young woman with a mask, older woman sitting with no mask. Older woman smiles at me and says.. 'this is for beggars' and I say 'oh' and the young woman with the mask smiles with her eyes.. I wonder if I should make a donation but they there to donate.  Random act of kindness on a Saturday morning.

Go in the market.. and see baigan choka and roti at a food stall. I ask if I could eat there.. three stools and she says yes, one only.  'Is 400 but I give you for $360 and I think of the man the previous week with the limes "Is 6 for 100 but you tek 7" .  Woman and me talk about Covid and so. "What dey have today" she asks me quietly.  I stumble a bit as I am not sure how to explain inauguration and how to say it in non-judgemental ways in between each portion of roti and baigan choka. She seems to understand "dem gh fuh do whah dem gah fuh do..".. and I think of how many of us do what we have to do..

I hear words of a national song. Soprano standing out,, well kind of standing out and I wonder if a vendor is singing to connect with Guyana... but I realise it is the inauguration on the radio. The sound disappears . the national song didn't inspire wonderful communal singing it seems.

A few weeks ago in a minibus, Bengali Babu was on the radio and the masked woman in the seat in front of me and me sing along the lyrics.

We didn't acknowledge each other, but I am sure she heard me too.