Double-duty vendor does it to live

morning but dem other days you know I does come out in de afternoon and go till sometimes like around the 10 o’clock in de night and even later because you see a gat a shop too and then is up in de morning early,” she added. I asked her why she still works so hard. “Man, I does take care of me self. Come on, I is 62 so I know I getting down and I have to take care of me body. Some days I don’t come out, you know, like Monday sometimes I don’t come out I does tek me rest. The most hard part is the going down early in de morning but a got to go you know,” she answered.

“Here, it gat people older than me who gat to work harder so I does thank God fuh his mercies because at least I still have strength to get up and work. And is years now I doing it and God has been good to me at least I have a roof over me head and so. I don’t complain but I does tek care of me self, a know I gat to eat good and tek me rest and so and I does try,” she told me.

As she spoke, she looked me straight in the eye and spoke very quietly as if she wanted to ensure that I understood what she was telling me.

“But you have to go now eh? You have dem lil children in de car,” she said as she looked at my two impatient sons who were peeping out the car windows.

I nodded and held on to my black plastic bags, which contained the purchases, tightly as I prepared to cross the road.

At that moment, she gently took me by the elbow, guided me to the car, opened the door and ensured that I was settled.

“Well drive safely now and enjoy you holiday,” she told me, as she waved goodbye.

The next day was a national holiday and she assumed quite rightly that I was not working. As I drove off, I saw in the rearview mirror that she had crossed the road and gone back to her bench.

I could not help but wish that she did not have to be out at that hour. But as she rightly said. we all “gaffo do wah we gaffo do.”