Corve DaCosta

My days start out pretty normal. I struggle to get out of bed, and more recently catch the morning games of the World Cup. This morning was no different. I got up minutes to 7am and attempted to begin my day. Turning on the computer and the cell phone are just two of the many rituals. It is the morning after Christopher Dudus Coke’s capture so I had to blog about that. Posting a new blog entry can take up to an hour so nothing interrupts that, not even breakfast. There are days I go without eating (by choice) so that’s not a big deal. Ask a doctor though and s/he would say the opposite. My new job offers me the liberty to stay home which I haven’t done since starting last week Monday. I opt to go into the office and get the work done. Most of the creative aspect though I have to complete at home which means longer nights and earlier mornings. If my laptop worked it have made the situation easier but since I don’t, I have to be even more patient and accepting of the situation. After the other rituals like checking the international papers online and tweeting good morning on Twitter it is now time to find the bathroom to get ready for work. I don’t struggle with that aspect of my morning but it’s a struggle to start. Eventually it is done and this morning is no different.

Breakfast is simple. When you live on your own you answer to no one so having tea or orange juice are my options. I decided to have my favorite corn bread and a boiled egg with a glass of orange juice. A boiled egg normally takes 15 minutes to boil properly. The corn bread, I’ll just broil it when the egg is done. Walaaa breakfast is done. I decided to shower while the egg was boiling to kill some time. As I am preparing the egg, it was revealed that the egg was not ready. I get frustrated so I ate the yoke alone with my toasted corn bread. Don’t tell me about cholesterol levels and fat – I will lose it off just by walking to the office.

Anyways the morning continues. I get ready – I wore my blue Ralph Lauren shirt with a nice tailored pants and I am not through the door for work. There is no money in my wallet so I must stop by the ATM on my way to work. Why does the ATM receipt show your balance? Ugghhhh. I was not in the mood to see mine. Let’s say it wasn’t in the millions as I wanted it to be.

After a bad start I was ready to get things right. I did – I got the perfect bus. This must have been a blessing because I got the best bus on the Constant Spring route, a husband and wife team. The husband drives while the wife is the conductress. They are a very loving, young couple. She calls him ‘honey’ and they are a perfect match – surely they didn’t meet on match.com She is the best conductress on the route because she speaks perfect English in front of the passengers and she has an active sense of humor. Before picking me up she says “Sweet boy, heading downtown Kingston?” I signal to her and she replies “Take him driver, hurry before the Babylonians catch us.” Jamaicans call the police Babylon especially Rastafarians. People laugh when they hear her speak because she does it with an accent. I love riding on her bus. Sitting on the bus, relaxed listening to her greet the passengers is funny at times. Jamaicans who travel on public transportation do not get this treatment so when people observe her they think she’s foreign. This lady who sat behind me said “this conductress should be behind a desk in an office.” There you have it. They are not used to bus operators speaking well and treating them with respect but they expect people in offices should provide this type of  service. Interestingly she does speak patois (Jamaican dialect) if you should observe her closely.

Just a chain down the road everything changed. There’s a police operation at a spot called big tree on Constant Spring Road – literally there is a big tree. The policeman stops the bus but later decides to send us on our merry way. While the bus stops to accept passengers the same policeman signals to the driver to disembark the bus. Because of this police operation the traffic is now at snail pace with cars packed on both sides of the road. As the driver walks along the side of the bus to speak with the cop a car that is overtaking the bus begins to crush the driver on the side of the bus (because of the lack of space). The passengers begin to scream and the drama begins. Because of the impact the side mirror on the car was damaged. In the twinkling of an eye the wife runs to the side of the husband to ensure he is alright. It turns out the driver is safe and received no scratch to his body. The journey to downtown Kingston continues and it is the center of discussion for all the passengers -except me. On the streets there are other police operations. I am not sure how much of these operations are related to Coke’s capture. The head of the police force in a press conference warned the cops to be extremely careful on the streets because of the recent development.

The journey is over and I begin to walk to my office. A pretty good walk in the town known for the state of emergency. I hate walking in downtown Kingston. The streets are filthy and can make anyone sick; there is garbage everywhere you can think of. I have to pass this plum tree with thorns. I have been passing this tree for a week and nothing happened but this morning everything would change. As I am passing the tree, its limbs are everywhere – high and low. I decided to bend (a little) to walk under the tree when suddenly a limb rubbed across my face. Its like I was stabbed. Immediately I think of Oraine Barrett – a Jamaican model. One his vacation here in Jamaica years ago he visited Spanish Town and in an attempt robbery the thief cuts him in his face. It was like I was cut, I got furious and ran directly to the bathroom on my building. To tell the truth I could not see myself handling a cut straight across my forehead. Immediately I knew I was vain. This is the second attempt to damage my face. When I was younger my Mom told me a story where we were returning home from church and the rain began to fall. In an attempt to shelter we ran to this building but we had to cross a barb wire. Because I was young at the time while the others used a different route I decided to run under the wire, it caught me on my head top. I still have a small scar to this day. Today, I still think my Mom blames herself for that. All afternoon I was sitting by my computer wondering about how others feel when they have scars, burns and extra weight. It must hurt when people look at them and all they see are the scars, burns and the fat.

I had enough for this day and my day was just beginning. I know on thing for sure I will not be touching or eating from that tree – not that I would ever eat from it.