Yeah boy, ah reach.
The flight? Boy, you know how it is when you come home for carnival. From the time you get on de plane is like you done reach. Everybody mek friends one time and talkin’ ’bout when las’ de come, what dey go’n do first and whey dey going an’ fete. De air hostess say dey never see anything so and dey want to know if all o’ we know each other already.
When de seat belt sign tu’n off, the liquor break out. Everybody pull out a little zip lock bag and it have in 4 little bottle ah rum and a small bottle o’ somet’ing to chase. We even sen’ ah bottle up in front for de pilot.
I en’ up sittin’ in de middle seat. De fella on mih right say is 20 years since he come to Trinidad. He say he from Curepe and he goin’ straight to de Eastern Main Road by Sauce because Sauce mekin’ de bes’ doubles in Trinidad. I aint tell he Sauce not dey no more. He so excited I didn’t tink was mih place to burs’ he bubble. Ah only tell him he mus’ widen he horizon little bit and try some corn soup ’round de Savannah too.
De lady on mih left by the window start to smile up wid’ me and talk to me sweet, sweet. Like “Doo-doo where you staying? Ah sure a big man like you have a car to drive in Trinidad for the carnival!” She was pretty too bad and ah would ah like to lime wid she, but I done see she slip off she wedding ring and put it in a box at de bottom of she bag, an’ nobody husband go’n come and beat me, so I tell she “No sweetheart, is bus I catchin'” and I close mih eyes like ah gone sleep.
Somebody say “What about de crime? Ah hear dey robbing and kiling people lef’, right and center.” Ah lady answer he, “Boy, you leaving New York City to complain ’bout crime in Trinidad?” Somebody else say “Guhl, it bad in trut’ you know. Las’ carnival Monday, two fellas hol’ me up in St. Anns. Put a knife to mih neck. Dey tief’ me money, mih flask, mih carkeys, mih costume an’ all. Ah had was to walk pas’ de mad house in mih underwear. Is ah wonder dey ain’t lock me up. Nex’ day ah see ah fella in de ban’ and ah sure was my costume he was wearing.” Everybody laugh when he say dat but ah could tell some people was worried in trut’.
Den dey start to talk ’bout carnival ban’. Who playin’ Tribe, Islan’ People, Harts and so on. Well fight nearly bre’k out ’cause ah young guhl stupps and say how she happy Peter Minchel not making mas’ no more cause he was only mekin’ de carnival borin’ wid all he concep’ and besides, is only ol’ people used to jump wid he. Well, ah ol’ lady jump up and say how she ole now, but when she was young she never jump wid no ban’ but Minchel and how is because young people today doan have no imagination why de mas’ today boring so.
Well, de two o’ dem square off but t’ank God ah fella start up wit’ “Lorraine, yuh betta wake up!” and de ole lady cudn’t help but join in and forget ’bout the young gyal. Next t’ing every Trini on de plane singing de chorus “Ah cyan miss dis jammin’; behind Cattelli steel ban’; jammin’ on some man woman”.
When dat finish, dey start on a fella who was chatting up de two gyals next to him. The fella behind start to sing “Ah in love wit’ Betty Lou, she sistah Mary say she love me too” and everybody join in wit’ “Bot’ ah dem”.
We sing, we sing, we sing; Sparrow, Kitchener, Suga’ Aloes, all the long-time song dem and wid’ all de singing, drinking and ole talking the time pass quick, quick, quick and next ting de air hostess announce “Put on yuh seat belts, we touching down in Port of Spain!”