Last Thursday night I decided to stay late at my business – which operates out of an internet cafe - to finish off a project. I asked my last four customers to stay with me for safety reasons. Three of the four – Redman, Silent and Dog readily agreed. In fact they were overjoyed by the situation – as avid gamers, the idea of “free internet time” was akin to receiving an early Christmas gift.
Although Dog et al were eager to stay they are extremely diminutive in stature, however, Tallman, the fourth customer, is over seven feet tall and almost just as wide. I had thrown out the invitation to everyone – but he is the person I was really thinking of. Tallman, I guess, realized this in the way he smiled and said, “No problem.”
As the evening progressed, I became engrossed in my work and the gamers got deep into their game.
The first warning was Tallman getting up and saying apologetically, “Boss Lady I have to go yuh know. Is 10 o’clock. Dem fellas could stay cause dey live Arima – but I HAVE to go.”
To be honest my eyes never left the computer screen. I waved in his general direction and bade him thanks and farewell.
The second warning came when the office phone rang. It was my husband, concerned and surprised that I was not already on my way home. Again I was dismissive, eager to get back to my work, “Okay honey I leaving now, now, now. Bye!” I hung up the phone quickly before he could make any further comment.
Even the person for whom I was doing the project became concerned and asked “if I was all right where I was?” I was confused, but reassured him that I was fine.
It was not until Silent screamed out, “OH MY GOD! Is 10:24! We have to reach home before 11:00!”, that the situation sank in…. CURFEW!
In three minutes flat we were out the store and running like four mad fools across Queen Street, Arima.
In between trying to breathe and move my overweight, unfit body the fastest it has ever gone in 15 years, I managed to ask the guys where they lived. Silent and Redman had no problem – they lived Arima proper and were going to run all the way home. Dog and I were not so fortunate. Dog lived Maloney, which was about 15 minutes away from Arima and I lived Curepe – a full 30 minutes away!
Redman and Silent wished us good luck as we parted by the vacant spot that should be the Arima Dial and Dog and I picked up the pace (I did not think that was even possible) as we ran pell mell down Broadway towards the maxi stand.
Needless to say there was not a maxi in sight. Two empty maxis drove past us – but they were uninterested in answering our calls for help and only drove faster when Dog tried running behind them.
It was 10:40 and a decision had to be made soon. I stopped six cars (only one of them a taxi) but none could help. They were sensible Trinis and were all living nearby.
I told Dog I was going to the Arima Police Station, which was just a little more than a stone’s throw away from where we stood. My plan was that I would ask them to drop me home. He scoffed at the idea and I left him on his phone trying to convince a partner from Maloney to come for him.
I reached the station only to be greeted by my old friend PC Andy* (*the names of the officers have been changed to protect their identity). He seemed genuinely pleased to see me and wanted to know how he could help and where was my business partner.
SIDE NOTE: Here is where I should probably explain something – since starting operations in Arima six months ago, my business partner and I needed to make two police reports. Strange but true – on BOTH occasions we encountered the same shift of police officers even though one visit was at 9:00 am and the other a little after 4:00 pm. And now here it was at 11:00 pm and I was once more dealing with that same shift!
I told PC Andy that she went home long time and explained my situation. He laughed, invited me to sit down and let me know that as soon as the vehicle returned – my ride was booked! He asked if there was anyone else with me who needed a ride. I told him about Dog. He smiled and nodded knowingly. Five minutes later a dejected Dog walked into the station.
The hour spent waiting on the vehicle flew as the different officers kept themselves and us entertained with the various people who came in as well as with those whom they had to detain for breaking curfew (that’s another story).
Finally PC Willy and WPC Sweetness returned with the vehicle and were able to take us home. I had to comment to them both that I had never met a more pleasant bunch of officers and that I would spread the word about the Arima Police Station as I felt both protected and served.
They assured me that that this was intrinsic to their shift as they were so close knit.
In fact PC Willy set me straight that if I was stranded on Friday, I would’ve met PC Wolf’s shift:
“You woulda spend the night in the station cause dey wasn’t going to drop yuh no whey AND they woulda charge yuh to boot!”
Allyuh know I going home early today
