I have a dutiful
Helper that I would recommend highly to anyone. Maud used to work with my
Great-Aunt Charlotte who lived in Ironshore, St. James. Great-Aunt Charlotte
had her from she was about 12 years old, she was now 47 years old. She works
well and follows instructions although there are times when I believe she
struggles hard to understand what I am saying even though I am speaking in the
clearest of English. Sometimes I wonder if Great-Aunt Charlotte had sent her to
school. Just as I was about to call her to make me a cup of tea she appeared in
the living room. Miss Ma'am, why you not helping the lady and har pickney dem?
I replied,
What! How dare you interfere! But Miss Ma'am, Maud continued, we have more than enough space here, please help dem Ma'am, the pickneys are crying, they must be hungry. I am saying to myself, 'Anybody see my dying trial, Mama always said I was not to get too familiar with the Helpers'. Maud, go and get me a cup of tea, I have a splitting headache! Maud stood in the doorway and for the first time in the 15 years that she has worked for me I saw a look of pity on her face. I was shocked, why would she have pity on me? She then wheeled around with a flounce of her skirt and marched through the doorway. I could hear her grumbling, 'She must be think that she can carry this house and it belongings when she goes down in her grave' and hissed her teeth loudly. I got up to give her a fine reprimand when a stone came through the window and narrowly missed the television. I could hear Rex and Brutus barking loudly. I ran into the kitchen and went through the backdoor to the kennel and opened it and let out Goliath and Percy. Maud is behind me shouting 'No Miss Ma'am, don't sic Goliath and Percy on the pickneys and their mother. These dogs are vicious!' I brushed pass her and went with the dogs around the side of the house to the gate. As I reached the gate I heard a voice that I recognized. The voice was telling the woman to put down the stones. Darn it, I said under my breath, it's Reverend Julian. I quieted Rex and Brutus and held on tightly to Goliath and Percy because they were ready to jump over the gate. I put a smile on my face and demurely asked the Reverend if he had been knocking on the gate long. He said no, but he had seen the woman and children crying when he was driving by so he had stopped to ask what was the matter. I said nothing so he continued to speak. He said that the woman told him that I was refusing to help them but he did not believe her because I was one of the kindest person that he knew, so he wanted to hear my side of the story. Maud came and stood beside me and said, Miss Ma'am, you not going to invite the Reverend in out of the sun?' I turned and glared at her. Clearly I could not invite the Reverend inside the yard because he would wonder why I was not also inviting the woman and her children inside too. I told Maud to go and get my broad hat. I told the Reverend that it would be better if I came outside and talk there because the dogs were a bit uncontrollable right now and I did not want them to bite him by mistake. He said fine as we could talk in his Range Rover. Maud brought my hat and I stepped through the gate. I told the dogs to stay and not allow anyone inside. They barked in affirmation. Yes, my border was still secured.
What! How dare you interfere! But Miss Ma'am, Maud continued, we have more than enough space here, please help dem Ma'am, the pickneys are crying, they must be hungry. I am saying to myself, 'Anybody see my dying trial, Mama always said I was not to get too familiar with the Helpers'. Maud, go and get me a cup of tea, I have a splitting headache! Maud stood in the doorway and for the first time in the 15 years that she has worked for me I saw a look of pity on her face. I was shocked, why would she have pity on me? She then wheeled around with a flounce of her skirt and marched through the doorway. I could hear her grumbling, 'She must be think that she can carry this house and it belongings when she goes down in her grave' and hissed her teeth loudly. I got up to give her a fine reprimand when a stone came through the window and narrowly missed the television. I could hear Rex and Brutus barking loudly. I ran into the kitchen and went through the backdoor to the kennel and opened it and let out Goliath and Percy. Maud is behind me shouting 'No Miss Ma'am, don't sic Goliath and Percy on the pickneys and their mother. These dogs are vicious!' I brushed pass her and went with the dogs around the side of the house to the gate. As I reached the gate I heard a voice that I recognized. The voice was telling the woman to put down the stones. Darn it, I said under my breath, it's Reverend Julian. I quieted Rex and Brutus and held on tightly to Goliath and Percy because they were ready to jump over the gate. I put a smile on my face and demurely asked the Reverend if he had been knocking on the gate long. He said no, but he had seen the woman and children crying when he was driving by so he had stopped to ask what was the matter. I said nothing so he continued to speak. He said that the woman told him that I was refusing to help them but he did not believe her because I was one of the kindest person that he knew, so he wanted to hear my side of the story. Maud came and stood beside me and said, Miss Ma'am, you not going to invite the Reverend in out of the sun?' I turned and glared at her. Clearly I could not invite the Reverend inside the yard because he would wonder why I was not also inviting the woman and her children inside too. I told Maud to go and get my broad hat. I told the Reverend that it would be better if I came outside and talk there because the dogs were a bit uncontrollable right now and I did not want them to bite him by mistake. He said fine as we could talk in his Range Rover. Maud brought my hat and I stepped through the gate. I told the dogs to stay and not allow anyone inside. They barked in affirmation. Yes, my border was still secured.
SadaBlue
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