Coacnut

Coacnut
Taken by Natalie Thompson

Friday 4 December 2015

[ESTA POST 3] Mass Xerxes fi pick a wife! / Lord Xerxes has to choose a wife! (Esther Approximately...)






Yeah suh mi did deh a di door a form like mi a mop right. *Heh!*, Likkle mos mi drop di mop wen mi hear Mass Xerxes fren dem a tell him seh all him need fi do is get a nedda wife, a betta wife. Dem seh a man a fi him status an age need fi married.
Yes! An yuh waan know seh did Xerxes agree! So dis a wah dem seh dem did a do. Dem was goin mek Mass Xerxes pick a ooman outa di bess set a ooman roun Mobay. Suh dem say brah; an a suh him get him new wife.

Yeah, so like I was saying I was at the door pretending to be mopping. Man! I almost dropped the mop when I heard Lord Xerxes friends telling him,"all he needed to do was get a better wife, a newer wife"."A man of his status," they said, "needs to be married". yow,would you believe Xerxes agreed! So, they decided they were going to have Lord Xerxes choose the most suited woman. Mhm that's what they said and that's how he got his new wife.




*Heh heya* U nuh know wah di man dem do, tink dem easy? Who nuh put up dem daughta, put up dem sista. Mi wuldnt surprise if mi did hear seh dem did all mek dem fambily come down from England. Everybody did well waan a likkle a Maas Xerxes money enuh even more him status.

 *Haaaa!* Do you know what the men did? No,for real it's like they were con men. You see,many wanting some of Xerxes money and status; sent up their family members. So there were men sent their sisters and daughters, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some had family come down from England.




Yes, but yuh know mi mema dis one girl, Esta. Bwoy, she did a one nice, pretty girl. Ya man, nice, nice girl.  An she did a one a wi yuh know? Yes man she did black! Esta did mix yuh si, mhm she did slim an have a nice cooool coco butter cohla. An har eye dem  jus pretty; dem did black, an bright, an big.  Esta doe, roun dem time deh she did live wit har Uncle Mardiki. Him now, did a one free black man. Now yuh a wonder why Mass Xerxes have a black man in a him group don't? Mi know man! Yuh si Mardiki neva did a one normal man. No Sah! Firs ting him did wise, mi mean well wise. Nex ting, him did know him people and dem did respek an trus him; suh him wulda talk, n di ppl dem wulda undastan n werk wit him. A suh come Mass Xerxes did valu wah Mardiki seh cah him did know seh a one powaful ting dat. An yuh did know seh Mardiki did a one Christian to? Yes man, but  him an sum him people did praise di Lard wit dem owna traditian wah dem grow up wit, an know bout. Suh dem did sing inna dem owna language mix in wit d English; an pray how dem did waan; an ave sum a dem owna odda custom dem.

Yes, but you know I remember this one girl Esta. Boy, she was a nice pretty girl. Yeah man, a nice girl. She was one of us you know? Yes, she was black! Esta was mixed you see. Mhm she was of slim built and had smoothest looking cocoa butter complexion. And her eyes, they were just lovely; she had big, bright, black almond set eyes.So,in those times, she was living with her Uncle Mardiki, who was a free black man. You are now wondering why Lord Xerxes had a black man in his group right? I knew it! You see Mardiki wasn't a normal man. No, not at all. Mardiki was a very, very wise man; who knew his people well and they trusted and respected him. He was then able to speak to his people and they would listen and work with him. Lord Xerxes saw that as a powerful thing; and valued what Mardiki had to say about the happenings in his own life and the lives of the black people.Mhm it's the truth. Did you know to though that Mardiki was a Christian? Yes man, but some of the customs he and some of his people had were a bit different that those you might know of; because, they praised the Lord with their own traditions. Traditions taught to them by their family. So they sang songs in their own language a mixture of West African and English vernaculars, I believe. They also prayed how they wanted to and had other customs that were their own.


But  anyway Mek we get back to Esta an di day she n di odda girl dem go a di plantation house fi Mass Xerxes pick him wife... 
Da day der now all a di ooman dem come some did pretty some neva suh pretty. One wrap up inna sheet; one nex one come dress up inna black, like a funeral she a guh. Bwoy mi neva did understan sum a di style weh some dem did chose. Mi mean how yuh fi come n yuh face paint up like clown. Dis one ooman me did glimpse har tru di window wit dis pink ting pan di side a har face nuh even pink, red me shoulda say. An it did guh from har eye to har jaw bone, mi neva  did undastan it. Man! Dis nex ooman now her hair long suh till it a drag inna d duut, fi why ? Mi nuh kno sah. Ah bwoy! Dis odda one, lass one an mi dun. Far me nuh waan God strike me dung fi a chat people. Dis lass one now did a bawl fo har earing and a run up n dung a look all ova d propaty n a force ppl fi help har look. *Heh heh!* people jus did a faam like dem did a look an a laff afta har. Alright me dun, God figive me yah! Nuh seh me a laff afta dem enuh me jus neva undastan dem fashion deh. Fashion is a hell af a ting eeh!

But any way lets get back to Esta. and the day she and all the women came to the plantation so Lord Xerxes could choose his wife....  On that day all the women came to the property, some were pretty others were not. This one lady was wrapped up in... I think is was a sheet. Another one was in all black; I mean, look like she was going to a funeral. Boy I didn't understand some of the styles they choose to wear. Why would you come to a party with your faces painted like your a clown. There was a woman there who had pink, I mean red blush running from the bottom of her eye to the bottom of her face. I didn't understand it. Man! There was this woman her hair was so long that it dragged in dirt. The dirt! Why? I don't have a clue. *Sigh*, ok the last woman I'll mention was running around searching the ground screaming "My God, my earing!", and attempted to get the black people around to help her look. But, of course they instead pretended to look while silently laughing. Ah boy, God forgive me. its not that I'm laughing at the women. It's just that I didn't understand the fashions. Man fashion is a funny thing.





A when mi did outside a clean up d yard mi si dis pretty black girl a walk in inna dis plain off di shoulda white pretty looking dress. When mi luk good an nuh Esta! Yes man she did look nice, mi did feel good yuh si. She an Mardiki tek dem time and walk tru di door an go inside.

 Later that evening, I was outside cleaning the yard and saw a pretty black girl wearing a beautiful off the shoulder white dress walking up the walkway. Squinting I realized it was Esta. Man she looked so beautiful! I was so proud of her. Mardiki escorted her up the path and they both entered the plantation house.



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