Relaxing in Roselle

So it appears I drifted off to sleep while lazing the day away in the shade of a tree in Roselle, St Thomas, last week. The tree, I might add, was just about 30 feet from the sea, so the breeze and the calming sound of waves crashing to shore were more than I could withstand. A more serene scene would be hard to find. That changed quite quickly though, when I was awakened by a loud and frantic shout.

"Oy man! Git up from deh and come help pull di boat!"

I opened my eyes and looked in front of me. Nothing but the sea and sky. I closed my eyes again, thinking it must have been a dream.

"Yuh lay dung deh lakka floor mat? Mi seh fi git up!"

I sat up straight this time and looked around. That's when I noticed a group of about five men some distance to my left, who seemed to be pulling a small boat to shore. I used my right hand to shield my eyes from the sun and squinted to get a better look. I wondered who they were yelling at.

"Is you mi talking! Yuh nuh see we ah struggle? Come help pull di boat! Lazy!"

It was an elderly man who was shouting at me to provide a helping hand to the group. I really was left with no option but to run over there, although I hardly claim to know much about boats.

A quick sprint led me to the spot where the men were. There was a larger group there now, as it appeared some men standing nearby had joined the original boaters.

I asked the elderly man who had been yelling at me, what the problem was. He had a scraggly beard and wore a black patch over his right eye.

The man looked at me for a second.

Stuck in sand

"Di young bwoy who suppose fi ah guide di boat meck it get weh from him and it come get lodge inna di sand. We need fi push it back out inna di water but it kinda heavy because it pack wid fish," he said.

"Oh," I said, nodding slowly. We both stood there in silence for the next few seconds.

"Go push di boat!" the man shouted at me again.

I sprung into action, running over to the boat to start pushing with every ounce of strength I could muster. My feet were moving to be sure, but nothing else was. The boat certainly wasn't.

"Eeem, teck time young bwoy. Meck di whole ah we push one time," someone said.

I straightened up. The men were apparently unloading some of the fish to lighten the load. I looked around at them. It was an unfortunate-looking bunch of boaters. They all seemed angry and weather-beaten and one of them bore a troubling resemblance to a recently extradited Kingstonian.

I struck up a conversation with a younger fellow standing next to the boat's engine. I asked him if he had been on the boat when it ran ashore.

"No sah, mi did deh cross di road and mi see wah deh gwaan, so mi come cross come help," he said.

"Is really some young bwoy ah do a ting and nuh really know wah dem ah do. Is so comes di boat run pan land," the young man added.

The elderly man who had summoned me earlier, yelled out again.

"Ready now!"

Everyone standing nearby moved toward the boat and started pushing. I, too, fell in line and pushed like I had never pushed before. The boat moved slowly, but eventually went into the water and started floating. Everyone stood up straight again and two of the men jumped in.

"Alright, well done! Move out now!" the elderly man hollered and the crowd dispersed quickly, leaving only about five men who all climbed into the boat as it slowly drifted further out to sea.

As the boat's engine started up and the group disappeared in the distance, I walked back over to the tree to resume my nap, this time, uninterrupted, I hoped.

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com

Feedback

The following are feedback letters received from readers of last Tuesday's 'Roving with Lalah'.

Dear Robert,

I never miss reading 'Roving With Lalah'. In fact, that is one of the reasons I read The Gleaner online every day. This column puts a lot of laughter in my work life even when it's raining, grey and cold. I sometimes share the funny stuff with my colleagues to whom I have to explain Jamaican dialect. Keep it up, Robert.

- Karleen Mulder

Dear Robert,

I've been to the beautiful island of Jamaica and love reading your stories about its wonderful people and towns. How about doing a piece on Elderslie, Lawrence Tavern, or Linstead?

- Inger Aripii

Dear Robert,

I miss Jamaica so much! In Jamaica, just a simple conversation with someone can be so funny, even when the person seems to be serious.

- Wickam

Dear Robert,

This is soooo good! One of my co-workers is a yardie and when she hears me laughing, she knows I am reading 'Lalah' and the others just think I am crazy.

- L.T.

Dear Robert,

I love reading your articles on a Tuesday, especially the one where you were scammed. I really laughed. Keep on writing many more.

- Everton