Tales from the Qrypt – Nicole Part 1

So Maco had gotten me a job,  I was teaching the Hatian woman Marie how to cook. After her second lesson in pastry making, Marie decided that I was wasting my talent teaching her and she put me in charge of the bar’s kitchen. I needed to prep the bar food so that it would be ready for the evening crowd. Everything was cooked once an order was placed except of course the ham cutters !  The first day I did the prep, I  arrived at 10am and was done by 12:30pm so I went to the beach and hung out for the rest of the day.

The next day I went in and found that more than half of what I had prepped the previous day was still there so I didn’t need to do anything! I was debating whether to call Celia up to see if she wanted company. Celia ran a small bar which she shared with another Latina, I’d never seen this type of partnership before – they switched operational hours each week. This meant that one week Celia sold her own stock every night while the other girl sold hers every day then they rotated each Monday. I was contemplating whether I should head on over to the bar to hang out with Celia and shoot some pools or whether I should call up another friend to see if she wanted to go for a swim.

I was just leaving the kitchen when a strange woman walked into the kitchen. I stared in surprise, I did not hear anyone come in the outer door and I had no idea who she was, probably the owner’s relative I decided. She had the kind of yellow even skin tone that most black women wish they had, coupled with eyes that slanted slightly, a narrow nose and full lips I figured she probably had an interesting lineage . If she had tracks in, I couldn’t tell but silky black  hair framed her pretty face and cascaded down her back. A candy striped cropped tank was barely covering perky breasts and minscule shorts hugged her curvy hips leaving a wide expanse of midriff and quite a bit of ass cheek bare.  She smiled exposing even white teeth and when she spoke I couldn’t help but grin, “Mawnin, ‘oney any ‘ot water dere?” she asked in a deep Jamaican accent.  I returned the greeting then pointed to the electric kettle sitting on the counter top “There may be some in there, but if its empty just refill” I said.  Continue reading “Tales from the Qrypt – Nicole Part 1”

Tales from the Qrypt – Nicole Prt 2

Later that night we met at the bar as planned but Maco was the only barman working that night and couldn’t leave so Hendy and I commandeered the pool table. Usually, around 8 o’clock the volume of music on the 2nd floor goes up a notch and the regulars begin to troop in. The crowd is usually made up of local men and a few brave tourists all seeking female company. Just about this time the ladies would begin  to arrive as well, most would stop in for a quick drink or to wait for someone before going up to the 2nd floor club. I usually enjoy watching the women strut their stuff like proud peacocks and little did I know, tonight I was in for an unexpected treat!

Continue reading “Tales from the Qrypt – Nicole Prt 2”

Tales from the Qrypt – Prt 1

A young Arturo Tappin plays the saxaphone

Once upon a time…… I lived a very simple life, wore a string bikini every day and hung out every night.

Ok ! don’t be too quick to judge me, I said I hung out every night but hear me out. This all started when I decided to leave my home town. Why? well I was at a point in my life where I realized that the time was never EVER going to be right – it won’t ever be the right time to start living with responsibility only for myself – it won’t ever be the right time to explore the world and it certainly won’t ever be the right time to be young and carefree.  I needed  to breathe, I needed to find myself and live my own truth even if only for a little while….. I needed to walk away! so just like that I packed a suitcase not really knowing where the next stop would be on the plane ride to my new life.

Well it turned out to be a wild ride! I ended up in Bridgetown working the late shift in a grungy bar on Bay St.  The soundtrack to my new life was an eclectic mix of smooth Jazz,  dancehall from Buju Banton and soca from David Rudder and Edwin Yearwood.  I followed the handsome and very sexy Arturo Tappin to every gig I could,  I would stand close to the stage and blow him kisses whenever he looked in my direction (yeah I still do that and he still loves it!) I also enjoyed CiCi who sang jazz covers at The Waterfront.

Was I missing home? not in the least!  I somehow became a part of an odd  bunch – Maco, Celia and Hendy. Maco was probably in his late sixties, a dark,  skinny black gentleman with a shock of salt and pepper hair and a deep baritone. He was always well dressed in well ironed white shirts tucked into black pants and shoes polished to perfection. Celia was a forty-something shapely Latina with big curly hair, an ever present cigarette dangling from the side of her mouth and incredibly flawless sapodilla brown skin. She was married to a skinny German man with an angry face called Thomas. Hendy was the youngest in the bunch,  a short, chubby guy, who seemed to be always covered in engine grease. I swear everything we did and every conversation began and ended with ‘are you ready for another drink?’.

Then one day I met the lovely Nicole….