“You doan tek worries, I don’ accept you.. you arite”

 Heard the man call and I looked out. He is 15 minutes early on the Sunday morning. Cap  peak turned backwards, torso without shirt and with tattoos, slippers, pants rolled up, oldish bicycle. 

Haversack on his back. Ready to work.

First time he has come to work, yard work which I cannot do. He has been working in the neighbourhood for six years or so, we hail up when I pass him.  A couple of times, he is chilling with a spliff and one time I said.. man.. you aint friken you get arrest and he said nah, that is just to keep his head cool..  .

We had talked about doing some work but it never happened, but we hailed up every time I passed his work site.
 

We set the work. He is efficient. We talk a bit about where he lives, his family, about the work he does. ‘I like construction work.. that is what I really do, not this’
 

I leave him to work. I smell smoke and am thankful that it is tobacco and not marijuana.
 

He finishes. We chat some more.. noni and so. Work is good. He is doing a bit more than we had set.

An unexpected Noni plant opens a conversation about the healing properties. An elderly relative with diabetic foot complications used to ask him for noni leaves to put on the ulcer.

"he used to ask me fuh de noni leaf.. I bring fuh he.. de noni poison de clot.... he foot get cut out.. den de next one get cut out.. I feel like is I kill he because if i never used to bring de noni fuh he, he would ah go to de hospital earlier.. he was a quiet man, he didn't used to talk so we never know..'

I tell him no man, diabetes is a killer, man could have made his own decision and choices, you didn't kill de man.

He didn't look convinced.

I ask him how much.. he said ‘you bless man, you decide’.. I insist…ask how much he gets paid for a day, he says .. well you know when I work over there.. is whole day.. he tells me the amount and I am a lil sad as I know that the person paying him for that day probably earns that in 15 minutes and the person cannot do the work he does..

we agree to an amount ‘yeah man, that is arite, is blessing’ .
 as he leaves.. ‘yeah man, you tell me when you ready again.. , you doan tek worries, I done accept you”..

I say what you mean..
 e says.. “Some people is nah easy to work for.. dey have a big man asking me all de time but I say no..’

(Thanks to the fellow Writing Sprinters who gave feedback on this piece)