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She was a genius; nor a woman of iinfluential attributes. She was average and was best known as a trafficker and and single parent. She was very quiet by nature, and her face had always seemed to have a heavenly smile on it. Unlike the very few other ttraffickers, who'd trafficked between Gouyave and Trinidad, she did her trafficking between Gouyave and Carriacou. She did it on a regular basis, and returned back to Gouyave with many bottles of Carriacou Black Wine.
The wine had an exotic taste. Some people said that it was an aphrodisiac for boosting the male's bedroom's performances, whether it was night or day. She sold a bottle of the black wine for a fair price, and never chose one person, over the other, to sell it to. She was extremely happy, with every customer that she had. And, the customers were happy to spend their monies with this special trafficker lady.
This trafficker lady had one child, a boy, who was well into this late teenage pine; and had an enormous attactment to sports, especially the game of soccer. He went on later on and joinedThe St. John's Sports, a soccer club in Gouyave, and became a defensive player on the team. His style of soccer was more of an international one, and the fans in the stadium shouted cheerfully, when he was handling the soccer ball. He'd, without any doubt, excellent strength in his legs, that'd helped him to clear the soccer ball from the half of his side of the soccer field. Besides, he was one of the most soft spoken young boys around the town of Gouyave, with a mother, who was a devoted trafficker.
I don't the start of this trafficer's trafficking career, but she did it for a very long time. She took most pride in trafficking, and it'd seemed as if she didn't want to live a day without doing it. Her house, a small wooden one, was on the road that ran adjacent to Mongo Road, and had no wooden or iron fence in front of it. Only some trees that were usually planted by the homeowners as a form of a decorative gesture, that was meant to impress the passerby.
Having some of the best neighbors, like Miss Ethel Campbell and her kids, Miss Ilis Lewis and her kids, Miss Rita Frederick and her kids, Miss DaBreo and her granddaughter, Carol (RIP); and Mr. and Mrs. Dragon and their kids, this trafficker lady couldn't have asked from God, for better ones.
It may not have looked like a pretty picture for a woman especially to leave her only child behind, and stayed away from him/her for long. Sometimes, it against finding food, paying the rent among things that led up to hard choices in life. The trafficker lady had no knowledge or education to be a doctor nor a lawyer; a nurse, a teacher nor a civil servant. However, she used the best gift that she received from The Most High, and utilized it to maximum strengths.
This trafficker lady was blessed by God, for her dedication in a place and job that was considered by many to be a daunting task. Especially travelling on the seas between Grenada and Carriacou, which was ragging at times. She was strongly equipped to battle the elements of disenfranchisement, that stood in her way. For her, where there was a will, a way was bound to follow behind it.
For this trafficker lady, it seemed that it didn't matter how high or low the sea was. She had no fear of it. Absolutely! She'd a job to do, and twisted ends to entangle, and especially to meet. She did it respectfully, staying on the moral high ground!
Thumbs up to one of the hardest, back in the day, hard working single parent, and women from Gouyave!
DNJ, I may be wrong and although you did not mention the woman's name, I have an idea who you are writing about. If it's the same person she had three or four children. One son died in England, one daughter lived all her life in grenada, the soccer player that you mentioned and I am not quite sure of a fourth. My grand mother, (mammie Dolly) was one of the first traffickers in gouyave travelling from grenada to Trinidad selling breadfruit and other vegetables. After travelling for a few years she had to stop to take on the responsibilities of two babies my brother and myself. My brother was a year and seven months and I was six months old. She always used to say that she missed travelling on the boat, but her grandchildren were more important. She later started travelling to grenville to sell fish. That was the life of a great old lady. Sometimes I wish that I did not give her hell. Before she died I had the opportunity to talk and apologize to her for having a fresh mouth. We cried together.
Merle, I'd refrained from mentioning the trafficer lady's name for no specific reason, except to increas the suspense of the story. However, thinking of not falling into disagreements with authors of the Talk Shop, let me mention her name here. She was called Miss Vero. She was Alfred's, aka, "Doh Laugh", mother. I known Alfred as her only child. One thing that I'd admired him for was that he was very seldom seen, without a book in his hand. He inspired me somewhat, to do the same, which I have absolutely no regrets for.
I known Miss Vero as a trafficker to Carriacou. LaBelle from Downstret, and the other traffickers did Trinidad. Mammy Dollie's days as a trafficker, is good news to me. It tells of the many wonderful stories from Gouyave that has yet to come out of the dark and lonesome shadows.
Don't worry about the little things you did, that was against the rules of Mammy Dollie. Those were days of growing up, which were always stubborn ones. No child was an angel. Mistakes were there for him. Thank God! Mammy Dollie was an experienced woman on the field of mischievous and hard headed kids. With her diligence, she was able to groom you to grow to be the best grandchild ever. What more, her time spent on you did not end to be wasted hours. It was well used by you, for the wonderful upbringing of your own children. You still have great memories of Mammy Dollie. Remember, the past isn't to be held on to; it is to be forgotten.
One thing I remember well is that Mammy Dollie was a good neighbor. She'd a friend in my aunt, Lucille.
Lucille was Erva, Delcie, Herny,and Paul' s mother, and lived on the extreme northern end of Victoria Road.
This story about Miss Vero gives added confirmation to one of the things mentioned in A PLACE CALLED GOUYAVE.
As Miss Vero and the other names you mentioned were customers of my mother's shop, chances were that I would have known what work she did. But as kids growing up back then, we were hardly concerned about adult things that were not our concern. I knew that Althea(?), David and Doh Laff would be at home by themselves, but it never occurred to me that Miss Vero was trading in Carriacou during those times until your story told me.
And imagine how surprised I am to learn that Erva, Delcie, Henry and Paul's mom, Miss Lucille was your aunt.
Just as I said in A PLACE CALLLED GOUYAVE, we kids were primarily concerned with our friends like Doh Laff, David and others joining us to play football, pitch marbles, fly kites on Brickie, and having fun times swimming in Benago. What we knew about what the adults did, we knew; but what we didn't know, never bothered us one bit. Our focus was on the excitement and enjoyment of youthful friendships!!
Btw, if you did not identify her, I would still be wondering who on earth was this "devoted trafficker lady" whose neighbors included Miss Ethel, Miss Rita etc.
"A Place Called Gouyave" is a well written book. It documented the days in Gouyave, when everyday was made up of conscientious times. The young and the old folks were delighted to keep having some of the best fun times high above the ground. The sports we played knew no barrier ; anyone could've happily joined in the playing of it, and made it more enjoyable with laughter. Losing in the game was even a well understandable matter.
There were no physical fights, nor uncalled for quarrels from the losers in the game. We simply went home, with our tails tucked between our legs, and hoped to return stronger the next day. "A Place Called Gouyave" shared that memory well to those of us, who've lived through those remarkable days!
Yes. Miss Vero was a the kind of woman, who enjoyed riding on the vessels like Starlight, Radiant B, and Miriam B. Those vessels were the vessels doing tarde, between Grenada and Carriacou. Miss Vero was the only one from Gouyave that I remember as a trafficker between these two islands. When she wasn't in Carriacou, she spent her time sitting down mostly in her outdoor kitchen with her young adopted daughter, Vero, from the district of Central. This young girl, Vero, was the daughter of Althea McPhie. Althea was the daughterof Miss Marie, mother of Raymond, Canut, Lima, and, Alister McPhie's, aka, "My Bone, (RIP) mom, Miss Leah, and Glennis McPhie. Miss Vero had loved sharing stories about Carriacou with almost every child.
I have never heard about Althea, Miss Vero daughter. Like you, I am surprised to learn that she had more than one child. At the same time, I am happy to know that!
If there's anything to enhance the past images of Gouyave, it couldn't be less than telling her stories of the past. There are many things about Gouyave that is worth a million. It could only come out of the dark shadows in light, by storytelling, which is one of the most aastounding places to start off with it.
Surprised! I bet you were. Other are surprised as well.
Lucille was my mother, Miss Emelda, from Mongo Road last sister. Out of Lucille's children, Erva is the only one I can't remember. TThat's because Erva migrated to The United Kingdom, long before I'd gotten to know myself. But, her name was mentioned in my home frequently. Maybe one good day, I'll get to cast my eyes on her, and see just how beautiful a first cousin of mind is.
