“Me, I just want to get more money to support me children, that is all. Is years I working and still like I not getting by. Now you asking me about elections. Yes, I vote but now I just want to live good and feed me children,” she said, a strained expression on her face.
I caught up with this woman during one of my many walks on the practically empty streets of Georgetown as the country waited on the much-anticipated March 2 elections results. She was walking briskly, and I hesitated before stopping her. But when I did, she just wanted to talk.
That was her answer to my question about how she was coping with the elections stress; yes, that is what I called it.
“Girl let me tell you something, I understand that some people taking it on and all that, but I live too long to take it on. You would want de party you vote for to win but at de end of the day it ain’t really matter to me that much. If I could get a better paying job, well hell yes.
“But look at me, no education and working as a domestic how much more money you think I can earn?” she asked, not expecting an answer.
I asked her if she was concerned about what was happening in our country.
“Look I live through a lot. This can’t get worse than before. It must settle down sometime and we all have to continue living. I have nothing really to lose. I continue to send me children to school but they coming home early and I just trying to put food on the table. I don’t want school close because then I will have a big problem. Who looking after me children when I gone to work? That is a problem more for me,” she told me.
“Yesterday they went home early and if you see the state I go home and find the house in, and then they just up to no good…” she added.
She later told me that she has three children between the ages of 13 and five years old.
As we spoke some more, she revealed that she is a single mother.
“It is almost four years since I on me own. All my children is for different people is like me ain’t get me luck. And you know when I was growing up, I use to say that I don’t want to be a single mother because I never know me father. But now look how things turn out, the same thing happen,” she said resigned.
“You know, it was about me getting out. We punish so bad when growing up and I meet this man I say you know I don’t want to live with me mother no more. I never use to go to school and every day is like you struggling so like I want to get away from it. Well ah get away from one struggle only to find another struggle.”
She stopped talking and started to walk away, telling me that she wanted to get home to the children before it was too late. But then she stopped with a quizzical look on her face and asked me why I stopped her to talk to her.
I hesitated, but then I told her about this column and how I wanted to share what she told me and quickly told her no name would be added.
Her facial expression changed and for a moment I thought she was angry but then she shrugged.
“Well, this is a new one,” she said, with a little laughter.
“Me life not all of that interesting, you know. After I move in with me first child father I still punish because he never use to like work and I get a lil work as waitress and soon after I get pregnant and when the baby born we just couldn’t make it. Is nah like he use to beat me or anything but he just lazy and we was not getting anywhere.
“And then you know is me and the baby and me mother nor nobody can’t really help and is another man hand I fall in. I get another baby and this one use to work and do a lil better, but he was a sweet boy and then he use to like to knock you. I couldn’t say anything, he must do wah he want, and I just must stay quiet.
“I used to try to stay quiet because I really didn’t had nowhere to go and you know, he use to provide a lil. I still use to work at the restaurant and so with that lil bit and what he use to give me I use to try and let it make do. And then one day the man say he don’t want me anymore, just like that. He find somebody else and that was it.”
The impact of it still showed in her expression as she spoke.
“Well, that was hard for me. Now is two children with nowhere really to do. I had to end up back by me mother and that was a stress. You used to have to hear all kinds of things and the place was not really nice to live in so before you know it, was another man and then another child.
“That relationship didn’t work either, but I thank God that I living on me own now and it still hard but is me and me children. I guess that is the life, eh?
“So, you see me life not that interesting but if you want write about go ahead,” she said with a slight smile.
I asked her if she receives assistance from the fathers of her children.
“Well the last one he does give, and I thank God. The one before he, one and two times. But don’t talk about the first one I can’t remember the last day I see he,” she answered.
“So, you me life is too much right now fuh me tek on elections and dem things. I struggling all de time and after this come and done is still struggling, I struggling.
“I just want me children go to school, tek dem education and mek something in this life. That will be me reward,” she said.
As she left me, I thought about the many women and men who really are not tuned into what is happening on the elections front. For many like this sister, the struggle is real, and it is just about survival.
