 | One Sunday, Rick parents had the Watson's over for dinner. The Watson's had a son named Andy that went to the same school as Rick. Andy and Rick were in the same grade but different classes. During the evening Mr. Watson pulled Rick's father aside and told him what Andy had told him. |
He told him that Rick was having problems with a bully at school. Andy was the sort of kid that told his parents, especially his father, everything.
Later on that evening Rick's father, Nick, in front of everybody asked Rick if a little boy was bothering him at school. Nick had a way of talking at Rick and never to him. Whenever he wanted to talk to Rick he'd always just start rambling, never asking questions to find out what was really going on. Because Rick never grew up with his father, they were not close and they didn't feel comfortable around each other. Nick had to force Rick into calling him Dad. Rick had a hard time calling some stranger Dad just like he had a hard time calling his mother mom. Nick started talking with his shallow Jamaican accent which he only used when he was around Jamaican friends.
"Rick, Alston (Mr. Watson), said that some boy is bothering you in school. Why you meck' (make) this boy bother you. Boy, when I was in school, nobody bother me, yu know. If anybody started with me, I'd just give them one good lick (hit) and then they would know not fi' bother me nu (no) more. If that little boy bother you anymore just give him one good rawtid lick as hard as you can and you'll see if him bother you again...."
Before Nick could finish giving his brilliant advise to Rick, Alston interrupted by telling how he beat this bully up back in Jamaica who use to always bother his little sister. Alston was a good story teller and he had a lot of them. He was a CPA Account in his forties. He was a dictator when it came to his family. He never wanted to teach his wife to drive fearing that she would have freedom to come and go as she pleased. He had two sons Andy and Jimmy. When his sons were at the age to attend college, Alston choose their colleges and made them go to the same college along with their mother. He wanted his entire family around him all the time which he ruled with an iron fist.
Alston stood up to tell his story. "One day me sister come crying tears that some boy thief her money and when she tri' (try) fi'(to) get it back the boy lick her in her face. Me sister was 'bout 10 years old. Boy when me hear the news, me just grab me sling shot and go down to near the boy yard (home) and climb a tree and sit in the tree fe' (for) about 2 hours waiting till me see the damn boy. Me couldn't just approach the boy and try fi'(to) beat him up because him did bigga' (bigger) than me, yu know. So me wait and me wait and me wait. And since I was in a mango tree me just pick some mango and naym (eat) them. Boy it was some a the best mango me can remember eating. So finally me see the boy and him friend a walk down the street fi' (to) go play marbles. Boy, I pull out a nice size stone you see and then pull back on the sling shot steady you see". By this time Alston has every body attention and he's standing showing with his hands how he pulls the sling shot back and starts to aim.
"And boy back in them days I use to kill 'nough (a lot) birds you see. I could shoot a sling shot. So me up in the mango tree, almost at the top, aiming at this boy with me sling shot and all of a sudden me leggo one shot and miss. Me reload fast again and aim pan the boy head you see. Then BAM! I lick the boy in a him head and the boy just drop to the floor holding him head and start balling (crying). The boy ball (cry) loud you 'now (know) and a rub him head. Boy, me feel good you see. Now me know how an assassin must feel. After that me jump out the mango tree and go up the boy and him friends and ask wa' happen, like me a idiot."
Every one starts to laugh. Alston continues, "The reason why I remember that day was because, when me go home me bellie (stomach) run all night because of all the mangos me naym (eat) in a de' tree. Me belly run till me did think me a go shit meself to death", everyone starts to laugh louder.