After much encouragement, I got everyone to participate in a short PraiseMoves morning stretch and devotional. Everyone was very relaxed and did seem to enjoy it. We got our things together and took the truck to the hardware store and bought some boards which fell out of the back of the truck as soon as we drove away.
A nice Rasta man came out of his house and across the street to help us put them back in. We stopped at a spot on the side of the road that Linda had designated over the phone to pick up her rug from the man in Negril since it wasn’t ready the day before, and then turned up the steep road to go up the mountain. Bruce sat in the back of the truck to keep everything from falling out again. Although he assured me that he was hanging on, I was worried and kept looking over my shoulder. Those roads are bumpy, windy, and treacherous. In order to stay on the road and keep all four tires inflated, you must swerve back and forth to miss potholes, goats, people walking, other cars, over grown vegetation. Driving in Jamaica is quite an adventure.We finally made it to the top of the mountain with Bruce still in the back and in one piece. All of the supplies had miraculously stayed in, too. Bruce was sweating profusely. Not only was it hot, but it was work to stay in the truck and to keep everything else in, too.
Once we got to the lodge, we met Donald who is Linda’s helper up there. She told us story after story of all the things that she didn’t like about him, but she keeps him around anyway.
We went over to the school for a few minutes to see what we could do to help out there. Bruce, Mr. Fix-It, fixed the stove by cleaning out the air intake holes. We emptied the old water out of the water jugs in the corner and put them in the back of the truck to take down the mountain to fill up again with clean water. We played with the kids and gave them coloring books and crayons that we brought along. We met the teacher and her assistant and gave them all the candy that we had brought along for them. They were thrilled. Then we walked back over to the lodge.
Bruce started to help Donald put the few boards up to cover the bare walls while Linda and I went over to meet the “mayor” of McAlpine. Apparently, Donald has moved himself in to the lodge and she wanted his advice as to how to get him out. She is threatening to call the police on him but is afraid that it will start a war in the community, yet she continues to pay Donald to help her. The mayor tells her to just call the police. Oh, my. It seems that it’s constant drama here. We talked there for awhile, bought a couple of cold drinks, and then went back to check on Bruce.
Linda dropped me off and left to talk to someone else. While I am sitting on the front porch drinking a fruity Jamaican soda, a very colorful old fellow in dirty dark blue pants and tall black rubber boots,
no shirt, and missing his front teeth, approaches me. He tells me his name is Blue Boots. Blue Boots talked and talked. I couldn’t always understand every thing he said, but he’s happy and seemed nice enough. Then he tells me that he has something to show me “over there”, and points to a tree and a pile of trash about 50 feet away. So, I followed him. When we got over there, I sat down on a log that is in the middle of all the stuff laying around, and I watch. From my seat, I can see Blue Boots poking around the tree. He pulls out a Budwiser box from the trash pile. Bees start pouring out of the hole in the top. It takes me a few minutes to figure it out, but it seems that he has a bee hive in there. In fact, it looks like he has several beer case boxes filled with bees. Blue Boots is a bee keeper! He sticks his hand in to the boxes and pulls out some of the bees. He reaches in, digs out some honey and offers it to me. Bees are now flying around everywhere. And, although I’m not trying to be rude, I’ve gotten up and am slowly backing away.
I thank him for showing me his bees, and turn to walk back to the lodge. Bruce has no idea where I went, and I don’t want to be gone too long. Besides that, I don’t really want to get stung. Or lick honey off this guy’s fingers. Call me crazy but no thanks.
When I get back to the porch, Bruce is watching Donald trim a piece of paneling with a machete. Interesting. I guess, when in Rome... So, Bruce picks up another machete and starts cutting and trimming another board. Blue Boots has now noticed that I am no longer at my place watching him and has come over to the porch. The guys are done trimming and cutting and have gone back in to finish their work. Blue Boots starts hinting around that he would like a tall, slim, blonde American wife. He says he loves me and I should move there to take care of him. He would be a good husband and take care of me, too. All the honey that I want, I suppose. I smile politely, thank him for the offer, and point inside telling him that I am already married. To him. The only other white person here. Him. In there. And I point again.
Now, I’ve got to give this guy an “A” for effort. He doesn’t give up easily. He starts to serenade me. After he sings a couple of songs I realize that this isn’t going to end anytime soon, so I whip out my camera and start to make a video of him. He’s laughing and dancing around me singing, “I love you darling and that’s no lie, stick by me and I’ll stick by you. Whee!” Bruce comes out on the porch and laughs. He tries to explain that we are already married, but Blue Boots doesn’t stop. So Bruce goes back inside. Why is he not rescuing me? Apparently, Bruce is pretty secure. I mean, all the honey I could ever want. Sounds like a pretty good deal, don’t you think?
Linda finally comes back to the lodge, Bruce and Donald are done with what they can do for the day, and we pack up the truck to go back down the mountain. Blue Boots has been hanging around in the yard and asks for a ride down the mountain for himself and his bees. Linda reluctantly agrees, but says that they must ride in the back. Blue Boots and his bees happily pile in to the bed of the truck.
We stop at the bottom of the mountain to let Blue Boots off, he motions for us to wait, and scurries inside of a building. A minute later, he comes back out with a rum bottle full of honey and hands it to me. He asks me to marry him again. Bruce hands him some money for the honey, and tells Linda that it is now time to go. Apparently, Bruce is done having to explain that I am not available. Ha!When we get back to the house, it has started to rain. We take an afternoon nap and then head off to find a fruit stand for some dinner. We walk over to the beach to watch the sunset. When we return, Mr. Grant has come over with his guitar and starts playing in the backyard. The three of us sit out there for about an hour when a young man who is introduced to us as Pastor Austin joins us. Linda comes out to join us, calls some other friends to come over, and almost a dozen of us sing together for another hour or more before we call it a night. Singing and fellowshipping with our new Jamaican friends is a nice way to end the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment