Hoe Tales

Sorry fi Mawga Dawg

Me Patrice and She-She were in his house avoiding the mid-day sun, it was another normal day. I didn't know that it would be the start of another big change in my life. "Ow! Tap drag mi hair!"

"My girl relax, yuh too nasty!"

She-She grabbed my hair and started on a new braid.

"Mi nuh have all day, suh just kip quiet, a you beg fi hot gyal hairstyle."

Leave it to Patrice to boost mi up. I had never worn braids before but according to her, blond braids did a wear. We decided to get matching styles. We liked to dress alike and people even thought we were sisters despite the fact that she was light and slim and I was dark and thick.

"Yaah guh home Chrismus?" I looked over at Patrice who was separating a pack of Xpressions hair.

"Fi wah?" Patrice answered

"Fi see yuh pickney dem"

"No sah, mi cyaa deal wid fi mi wicked mumma right yah now."

When you grow up in a bad situation its hard to imagine that someone has it worst than you. If you ever thought your life was bad, let me tell you, people suffered worst. If hard life was a person it wudda name Patrice.

"Weh she do now?" She-She leaned over my head and looked at Patrice

"The same shit weh she always a do, beg money and when mi nuh have it fi give har she aguh seh how mi ungrateful and wukliss. Den tell mi seh me a stress har wid mi pickney dem, like a neva she mek mi breed."

"An look how you seh yuh did want fi guh see dem," I was sorry to hear that she and her mother were having problems again but it was nothing new. It seemed like every month her mother had a new problem that needed fixing and Patrice was expected to provide the funds. She was already paying the rent for the house her mother and her children lived in, she was sending lunch money, supermarket money, water and light money but it was never enough. Maybe if I hadn't gone to Western Union with her I wouldn't believe the amount she had to send every month just so her mother would keep the children.

"Just give the woman a likkle money n gwaan guh see yuh pickney dem" She-She was back to dragging out my hair

"Yuh gi mi money fi put dung She-She?" Patrice looked up from the pack of hair and stared at She-She

"No, but"

"Well mind yuh rass business den" 

"Look here! Don't start it cause mi we finish it" She-She was wringing his neck and shaking his foot

"But weh yaah tell mi fi give har money fah?"

I could hear the anger in Patrice's voice, she always got dark talking about her mother.

"Because you want to see your children! A lie mi a tell?"

I stayed out of, if a one thing dis yah cockroach yah know, a did fi avoid fowl fight.

"Mi honestly don't have it and mi nuh believe seh mi an har fi a argue like puss an dog infront a di pickney dem. Mi can tell yuh, god come dung and strike mi if a lie, if me show up a Mandeville widout money fi har, yuh tan right yah suh, right yah suh n hear wah kinda dog n jancrow mi be."

"Suh missa man nuh normally sort yuh out fi the holiday?" She-She lowered his voice like it was a secret that man was mining Patrice.

"Missa man nah come down til next year and him already send money from the month start."

I felt guilty. Missa man was Lee and I knew he was coming, he just didn't make any plans to see Patrice. Once we were alone I decided to talk to her one a way. She-She was our friend but he wasn't always the nicest person to talk to about your problems.