Emily’s Musings

I already miss this guy:

Well, truth be told, (and really, I try to tell the truth) he past away about six months ago. This photo was taken a few weeks before he died. I never knew his name, or his story, but I always had a made up story in my mind about him. You see, he would sit in that very spot, all day, everyday, rain or shine. That particular spot on a one lane, one way road, is right next to Helen’s shop. I always figured he fancied her, or was trying to court her, or something. I think he was there, protecting Helen’s turf while she worked all day. The dude never wore socks, and ALWAYS wore the same baseball cap. I’m sure I could get the real story from Helen, but I wouldn’t want to hear something like, “Yeah, that guy just sits there. No, we’re not dating.” I kind of like the idea that 85 year old Helen had a suitor . . . that really, really, liked her.

This is Clover Hassell, She is our favorite. Hannah refers to her as “CLOBER!” She works at a little gift shop called El Momo and Hannah and I visit her about once a week. She LOVES Hannah, and always wants to hold her even though Hannah weighs about as much as she does. Clover is certainly “in the know” about all things related to Saba and the USA. I never need to turn on the news because she informs me of the USA national headlines. She also fills me in on all the Saba gossip. Which really, is the way of life for Sabans. There is no local TV channel or Newspaper, so the best way to inform anyone of anything is word of mouth. And hey, Clover knows everyone, and about everything.

This is Addie. She owns one of the grocery stores (not the store where I bought a cockroach) in Windwarside. She also LOVES Hannah. Anytime we enter the store, Addie drops whatever she is doing in her office to pick her up. Hannah, of course, LOVES all the attention. Addie saved me when our house was the Vomit Comet and had unpaid for Pedialyte delivered to our house. This is also the same Addie who referred to me as “Hannah’s mom” until a few weeks ago. It’s nice to have my own identity again.

This is a Catherina. She is probably the happiest, person on the island. She is always smiling and and she LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to see Hannah. She loves to pick Hannah up and kiss her cheeks. Hannah loves her because she wears A LOT of jewelry. And really, as long as you have a watch, bracelet, necklace, shoes, or hat on, you can have a very long conversation with Hannah.

This is 10 year old Veronica. She moved to Saba from Columbia about two years ago. She learned to speak English here, and I used to tutor her and her cousin in reading at the elementary school in my early Saba days when I was pregnant with Hannah. She LOVES Hannah, mostly because she can call her “Hannah Montana” and of course Hannah likes just about everyone. Veronica’s mom owns a little snack shop in town and you can find Veronica there just about everyday after school helping with dishes, orders, etc. Whenever she sees us walking in the general area of her mom’s shop, she always drops everything she’s doing and runs out to smother Hannah with kisses. She then tells me all about her life which, is somewhat interesting I might add.

And how could I leave out my landlords? This is Raymond and Joan Hassell. They are wonderful people. When I first met Raymond, I COULD HAVE SWORN he was speaking a foreign language because his accent was so thick! Not only does he speak like a Saban, but he also speaks in “old English.” Statements like, “Yes my dear, it was blowin’ the hurricane, and then we’s house had big problems!” took like eight minutes for my brain to process. I understand him almost perfectly now, but it does take some active listening on my part to really understand what he is saying. I’m pretty sure the dude doesn’t eat either. He smokes cigarettes and drinks Heineken Beer ALL DAY LONG. I have never seen him eat, even at dinner parties hosted by him and his wife. Once, I asked him if he worked off of beer and cigarette fumes all day, and he informed me that he does, in fact, eat about once a day. This is a man who would answer his door at 5:00 AM with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other, and he really would be happy and able to help you with what ever you needed.

Joan, his wife, is another one who knows everything about everyone. She is the HUB of ALL SABA INFORMATION. If you want something HOT OFF THE PRESS, call Joan. She has diabetes, and she (as well as many of the locals) refers to the disease as “the sugars.” Even though she is often not feeling well, she is still willing to help other people in need. She is a wonderful woman and I will really miss our conversations.

There are so many faces and places I’m going to miss on this little five square mile island of 1500 people. I hope to photograph a few more faces before we leave. I would hate to have any image of this place fade away in my memory!