The Adventures of Ludiboy

Aunt Bev makes changes!

    Ever since Aunt Bev had arrived in the small but stimulating Red Boar community, things at Ludiboy's house had changed, especially for Smasher, who had to be chained in the back of the yard. Her presence and arrival in the community had been carried from house to house by Ms. Gracious, or as the small children and some adults called her, 'the news-spreading lady.' If there was anything new or worthy of being told, Ms. Gracious would most certainly take it upon herself to deliver it from house to house, as if she was a postwoman.

 "And you should see how the poor old woman had to be struggling up Red Boar hill them!" 

She would tell some of her fellow women when they were at the river, washing clothes. 

"And the one Ludiboy him, him couldn't even come for the lady at the bus stop! But see yah maasa God!" she exaggerated, scrubbing the stains out of her clothes as the ever nosy women listened attentively.

Many of the fellow women who heard her believed, but they were wrong. Aunt Bev, indeed, truly had sent a letter of her arrival to her nephew, but as the postman was rarely ever seen in Red Boar, the letter was not delivered, plus the fact that Ludiboy had no mailbox to receive the written document, as country is not like town.

    Ludiboy, at first, had no problem with Aunt Bev's stay. He realised that she was an 'old-timer' woman who believed in several principles. She never allowed him to make anything to eat for himself as she said, 'a good woman must know how to cook for a good man!' Even though a man like Ludiboy did not fit that description. Ludiboy's house was always kept clean and tidy everyday, all day, and over a period of days, had become the cleanest house in the community.
The railings on his small varendah were always polished and wiped. The floors were mopped every night before bedtime and the meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner were always made on their respective times. Sometimes it seemed as if she was eager to clean and cook, as she would even be up at five in the morning, making breakfast for both of them.

    Ludiboy felt like a king. He no longer had to cook for himself, and even that made him glad. He had never been an exceptional cook, or even a bad one for that fact. He was a terrible one! There was completely nothing wrong with Aunt Bev. She was like a robot! There seemed as if she couldn't do anything that did not pleased Ludiboy, but that would soon change:

     Aunt Bev was always puzzled by what Ludiboy did for a living. She suspected that in the country, almost every man was a planter or at least a shop-keeper.
But she saw that he did not own any shop and eliminated that possibility. But then, she realised that there were no machetes, forks, or even pick-axes about his place and whenever he came in, from what she supposed was work, he was never covered in mud or dirt, in fact, he was as clean as a whistle!
That is why she asked him one evening, "is where you make your money, young man?" 

Ludiboy froze for a second, he knew that such a woman as she would not easily swallow the fact that he was an dishonest gambler and drinker. 

So he quickly replied, "down a shop, ma'am." "

So you is a shop-keeper?" she quickly admitted. 

"Nope", was his response. She stopped sweeping and looked at him, not understanding. Then she decided to ask the question again, determined to find out his profession; "is what you do for a living, Ludiboy?'' 

Again Ludiboy froze, and only responded after a few seconds: ''pan the land, ma'am."

"So you is a farming man?" she asked again, this time sure. 

"Nope!" was again, his sharp reply.

"Then is how you work on land?!" she said in a raised voice, staring at him with bad-yeye.