TRINCITY-CHAMPFLEURS EXPERIENCE

''gud day.''i say slightly unsure if thats what i ought to say.I never sure what to say you know..i don no when evning and day separates in trinidad boy.''gud day,'' he says back.''you think you can take me by chamfleurs,and how much you charge boy?'' ''80,you know its a lot of traffic eh,if i go i aint gonna make it back,so 80'' damn this period pains..i gonna part with my 80 dollars for them.''80,too much for me boy,wasn planning on goin home you know,i sick,reall sick boy,i have 60 only on me..think you can take that,or else i gonna travel by maxi''..''No,i gonna spend all mi time in traffic you know.will put you by trincity stop''''i say oh alright,guess i wil catch maxi there''.i get in,front seat,belt on,damn this pain,sharp.I wish he could just take me home.He only get two customers.I give he ''tree'' dollars,he say,i tink i gonna see my sister up chamfleurs u know.U still want me to take she up.I say yeah,by chamfleur supermarket.He say,i unot reach far from where my sister live u know..she realli rich boy,own them all flats up the hill..she married to them rich rich indian guy.but i dont want to go by she u know,if i go by she,she goin spend all time talking till curfew time''.i laugh.It dont matter whether you are African,american,asian or carribean.All WOMEN love to talk.he pushes on the horn,thats my son you know.His car is in the middle of the road.Typical trini driving,i smile cause even though i think we are more careful in Botswana i hae seen less accidents happen here.The drivers stop for you when you crossing the road.A typical conversation at home will be,are you a zebra,you want us to stop for you while crossing at the zebra crossing,sutla monna,bokgarebe ga bo dirilwe mo tseleng.You know my son,i afraid they gonna take he during this curfew you know,he been bad,reall bad,but he like me when i was young.They used to call me ''Kill''.I carry weapons with me,but the girl i marry,she cum and change me.Parents didnt want her to  marry me so she said we have child,and when i gave she child,u know what they did,they give us house and place to live but they reall proud ya know.We goes to their wedding and ting,and they introduce mi sons and daughters...they say she works in big office,he police men,he works in cstoms..and when it come to me they i no work...but i feed their daughter all these years.They jus dont know that i big man me..yes i own a big big house.six bedrooms and thing,two kitchens,everything you can want in a house.i have.Myson lives with me,he 19..and the other two elder sons,,''but why dont you let them find work and move out'',they lazy,really lazy.the one who is officer left work and when i tell he to find work he refuse.But ya know they have this girls,they big boys now but they dont go live by them.they cud if they wanted.''my wife cooks food and they eat it all,when my inlaws visited us this year,they saw i have bigger house than they,but them coming by cost me 5000 dollars to feed all their mouths,family realli big you know,and they eat too.But my wife keeps saying they dont come by,so i feed them...but they treated me like a dog now when they see i have big house they come by me.thats why i dont throw them kids out coz i know how it is to not be on your feet.''I take a pill to ease my period pains''..i used to sell drugs you know.I laugh,thinking i hope he doesnt think im into drugs.''but when i marry this woman,she change my life,you women do thing..i don know hw you do it,when you find the right one,she makes you lose everting bad for she,dis ting called love,its al bout understanding you know,you give understanding she give it back to you''Words of wisdom''  You know she leave me once saying she going America,i let her go.When you love she you dont block her,i saw my father beat my mother when i was young and i say i no gonna beat wife,no no no,you treat wife realli gud she treat you good too..I am amazed at the blend of good and bad a life can have.I am so absorbed in the story that i dont even feel the cramps.She leave,and she come back,and she leave and she come back,i say nothing,then she come back third time and America she never say again.But when she came back she tell me i always going liming so she want child.i ask she,you for real,she say yeah,i want child to mind,you going liming and leaving me lonely...and i give she child,but child give she trouble,,this last one is realli trouble.he been in drugs since 14,but now he says he got sense in him and he no gonna cause trouble again.ting is they still get you even if you caused trouble long time ago,they get you,but my wife is happy,this curfew brings mi son home at 6,he used to come by at two,everyday he come by two.I am looking into his eyes and i see a troubled spirit.''you see that white house,thats where my sister lives''she uptown man,property here reall expensive,two million that house and plot...''i say oh,ya thats a lot..i live by those pink houses'' '' he says,twas nice bringing you home'' ''i say,twas my pleasure riding in your car,here is the reaminder of the money'' ''thank you,where you come from again'' 'i say you know miss universe 99'' ''he say yeah,the pretty african ting,she beautiful man'' ''i say yeah,i come from where beautiful african women  come from,Botswana'' he says'' no wonder you are beautiful too''...''i say thank you,and dash to my house''...(Never got his name,but twas a real pleasure riding in his taxi,i talked to an older man who made me see life through his eyes,he may not have led a clean life but in that conversation i learnt a lot more from him than what people who live clean lives could ever teach me)