Exploring Top Bellefield

Clip clop, clip clop. The donkey reluctantly made its way around the bend with the cap-wearing fellow walking closely behind. The man gave a wave as he got closer to me. I was standing in front of the colourfully decorated Straight Vibes bar. The door and windows of the bar were closed but it was still the most stand-out building along that hillside road in Top Bellefield, Manchester.

The donkey was carrying a stack of green grass on its back which rocked from side to side with each step.

I returned the wave and said hello.

"Alright, mi sonny!" said the man. The cap he was wearing cast a shadow over his face. He and the donkey were now right in front of me. I asked him how far he was going.

"Up ah top road deh," he said, without stopping.

I asked him his name but by then the pair had already gone by me.

"Walk wid mi sonny! Walk wid mi!" the man shouted. I hurried my steps to catch up with them as they continued up the hill. When I got beside him, the man in the cap spoke up again.

"Caan stop pon di hill yah, sonny. Ef yuh go draw break wid di donkey yah him huh move again fi today," he said.

As we walked next to each other up the hill - which I was beginning to realise was much steeper than I thought - the man told me his name was Jackson. I asked him if he lived nearby.

"Yeah man, is my place dis," he said.

I told Jackson that Top Bellefield seemed really quiet and had a lot of spots that offered great views.

"Yeah man. Most people ongle stop ah Bellefield, dung inna di square. But up here more nicer," he said.

The hill was getting steeper. I glanced to my left where it seemed I could see all of Manchester. It was like we were in the clouds looking down on the parish. The only sound was the clip clopping of the donkey's bony limbs hitting the ground.

I turned to Jackson. "Ahm, how much further?" I asked. As I spoke the words, it occurred to me that I in fact had no idea where we were going. I had just been following blindly.

"Yeah man, mi ah go up ah yard deh. Soon reach," said Jackson. I looked up the road but saw only more turns and bends. I asked Jackson to make a guess of how far we still had to go. "Bout two mile," he said. My eyes nearly popped out of my head. I stopped short as Jackson and the donkey kept walking. He turned to look at me. I told him I forgot something at the bottom of the hill so he would have to continue without me.

"Alright sonny, yuh teck care," he said. I watched the man and donkey disappear around the next corner.

I started the walk back down the hill and after about 15 minutes was in the Bellefield town square. There were a few people walking about. I was standing in a shady area across the road from Pat's Variety Store. A woman walked up to the entrance of the store and poked her head inside. She was holding an empty plastic bottle. "Yuh have water?" she said to someone inside. "Check if Pinky deh next door and ask him," was the reply.

The woman with the bottle walked next door to a neatly painted building with the words 'Front Line Grocery' written just above the doorway.

"Pinky is here?" the woman asked. "Ah begging some water." I didn't hear a response, but the woman went inside anyway.

An elderly woman whose hair colour was a stunning silverish blue walked out of the shop and looked right at me. I waved hello. She walked over to me.

"Howdy do?" she said. The woman was wearing a long, black dress and pink slippers. She reached for a metal stool that was leaned up against a wall and sat on it.

I introduced myself and told her it was my first time in Bellefield. The woman looked at me with wide eyes.

"Eh eh!" she exclaimed. "Den yuh nuh shoulda tell me, man. Ef yuh did was tell mi earlier mi woulda carry yuh to Miss P. She know about the whole place. Anything yuh want to know, Miss P would tell yuh," she said.

The woman furrowed her brow.

"Miss P gone town gone deal wid some business today though, so yuh salt."

I asked the woman to tell me a bit about Bellefield.

"If yuh walk go up to Top Bellefield yuh woulda see nuff farm land. Whole heap ah farmer man live there," she said.

I mentioned that I had met one, a friendly fellow named Jackson.

"Oh, yuh already go up there," said the woman. "Is a good ting Miss P not here den. For if yuh did was tell her dat yuh talk to dem she woulda run yuh weh," she said.

I asked her why Miss P would ever do a thing like that.

"She and di farmer dem nuh teck tea. One long story. But is mostly true she miserable," said the woman.

"Anyway, when yuh come back and check fi har, just act like is di first yuh visiting. She nuh haffi know. Just pretend like yuh don't know nothing and she will teck care ah yuh," the woman said.

Where should Robert go next? Let him know at robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com

The following is feedback to last week's Roving with Lalah

Lalah's stories are the best! Keep it up!

- Sandy

You sure know how to paint a picture with words. Love it.

- Tamara

Nice one. Appreciate these stories here in Canada.

- Jo-Linky898