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Winty J (Vincent Johnson) – my life, Final

SportsWinty J (Vincent Johnson) – my life, Final

A: Yo mek ahn..

W: a get visa… so mi gaan…

Part 9

A: ’74… when yo next trip back..

W: As a get de, a play fi Braves… as a get de mi join Braves team…

A: Fahn L.A. or New York?..

W: New York. Braves mi de ya lately, and a no get fi see him, yo no…

A: Mmhmm?

W: Yeah, Braves mi de ya… dehn bwai mi gat a pahn Krem… when i mi de da caye… i mi de out a caye when Krem mi di do da ting da caye…

A: Weh yo call… weh hihn name.?..

W: Braves name Kenneth Meighan… Hihn da di original Braves, yo no… Braves mek right da Yabra round di Milo time, yo no… dehn mi da di lead… dehn win wahn season, yo no… wahn wicked season, when dehn knock off Plaza…

A: Da Junior, no.?..

W: Yes! Dehn knock off Coro (Gilroy Usher) and da whole crowd a dem… da whole lot a Usher (brothers)

A: Okay…

W: Pomo mi di ride wid dem…, yo no.. becaa Pomo (Calbert Usher) da Usher too…

A: Ohh.. dehn time dehn had dehn bwai Savery wid dehn, no?.. di Savery brothers..?.. Yo neva have dehn, no?..

W: Weh, pahn weh team?…

A: Pahn da Braves team… Glenn Savery and (Wilbert) “Butty” Savery?..

W: Yes.. Glenn Savery was there… Glenn Savery was there… he was one a di sure..

A: Yaa, a hear bout da lee team de, fi true…

W: He was a nice player too, yo no… di bwai Glenn Savery..

A: What!? Basketball and football…

W: Yes… yes.. he was a nice player… i fast.. yo no?..

A: Yaa… dehn bwai gaan da States and a no see dehn again at all….

W: i live right da Miami right now…. eena wahn big house…. da de Rupert heng… Rupert Anderson heng da fi dehn place when i go da Miami…

A: Ohhh!… Okay… so dehn gaan clear… dehn large…

W: Yaa… but no figet Belize, Chalwa,.. yo no? … dehn haf to memba weh dehn baan… aright?…

A: So when u gaan ’74… New York… yo link up wid di Mugga (Louis Garbutt) cross de after wahn while, no?..

W: Hey… (when) da man yer I de da Harlem… every week end… almost every weekend, him… and di Roo (Nelson Robinson)… cohn hail mi da Harlem, yo no?… and wi get back… and den I da go ova de go hail him… but yo know what?… a play gainst him all dehn time ova de… becaa I di defend Harlem… weh da Braves team… and hihn di defend wahn team name Belway…

A: Dehn time hihn does di work wid Norman (Fairweather) dehn, no?…

W: Yes… him… so wi neva… a neva did play wid Mugga de… even wahn team weh i mi name… i bring out wahn team name Star Wars afterwards, yo no… weh dehn bwai di bet 10,000, yo no… caa (hushed tone) dehn time deh….

A: Yaa… ting mi di flow…

W: Dehn bwai di bet 10,000 pahn wahn Sunday evening… yo yer mi?… a tell yu!… when dat done, da PARTY!.. yer mi?… to yo leasure…

A: Yaa… when yo left New York, after dat?…

W: I leave New York, em… ’88 I came home, Chalwa…

A: Yo neva did gaan da L.A. fi no length a time no?…

W: A play da L.A., and a play da Chicago…

A: Yo neva live da no other?…

W: No… no… a live da Chicago fi bout six months… and den a… a gaan da L.A. fi bout five… and den a decide, yo know what?… me done wid dis… caa, a di run fahn New York… geh da Chicago… weh colder… geh da L.A…. weh paat, maanin time when I look pahn di ground… da sohn M-16 bullet I di see… I tell my son weh baan de… a seh, “Well, son, you gweyn go know Belize now, yo no.”…. And den mi mother mi kinda lee sickish… she mi wahn(t) cohn home… so me bring home my mother… from L.A. to Belize… and a bring mi son too… cohn gaan tru Wesley College… gaan da primary school fus…

A: Weh yo son name?..

W: Vincent, like me… da mi junior…

A: Weh hihn de?

W: Hihn de da Atlanta right now… i de da work right now…

A: And how yo, em.. yo ma?

W: My ma died…

A: Bless, mein…

W: My mother died ’97 eena da home up da Cayo…

A: Okay, condolences…

W: Caa di job get too big fi mi… afta a mi live wid mi mother fi wahn couple years…

A: Yaa… yo need somebody fi tend to…

W: Yaa… I kyan tend to mi mother… so.. when I drop her off…

A: I yer da nice care dehn get up de, mein…

W: Yes!… I can SEH dat, bredda… dehn go pahn trip… caa wahn year de when dehn go and do gardening… di …. (Octavia Waight?) Home da Cayo, man… I done tell dehn, if anyting… unu put me een de…. yo know dehn way… I’m just saying, no?…

A: Yeah, man…

W: Becaa… but when I ker my mother there, Chalwa… a really feel it, because… my plan was to come home and live wid my mother and my son…, yo no?.. So… when a di ker my mother there, and a drop her off…

A: But yo spend wahn while wid ahn before i get….

W: Yaa… we live together fi wahn while… but i staat to.. you know… i staat to, yo no.. i staat to get very rough on me, as a man… to deal wid my mom…. So when I drop off my mother up there…. di man see me di cry… me no shame, yo no?… but di man da wahn… a neva even know yo gat man doctor weh… man nurse, yo no?…

A: Yaa… dehn call dehn Male Nurse…

W: Yeah… a neva know, right?… so, di man seh, “Listen, Mister Johnson,” i say, “Don’t cry, mein… you did the right thing.”… becaa, da hihn wahn tend to her…. i say, “You could take care a yo mother?”… i seh, “You did the RIGHT thing, sir, in bringing your mother here.” …yo no?… and den I staat to… yu know… adjust myself, and go up de go hail ahn…

And one Sunday evening after a left Show Grounds… happy and everything… I get a phone call from him… hihn neva haf to tell mi not’n…

A: Yaa, yo done know…

W: Yeah… caa a went and visit her bout two weeks before she died… and she… she drop off di bed there… and bruk her hip…

A: Ayy!..

W: End up eena hospital…

A: Yaa, yo know dat da…

W: Lose blood…. and dat da weh.. dat da weh hurt dem, yo no… wahn lot a dem… old folks?… once dehn bruk dehn hip… yo could figet it, bredda…
So I gaan up de and see my mother… a couldn’t tek it… I came back down… and I know dat was di last time ahn wahn see mi ma, mein… alive, no?… she dead Sunday maanin… she dead… yaa, di Sunday.. as a left Show Grounds… 17th a May ’97….

A: Agricultural Show mi de on dehn time de?..

W: Yes.. 17th a May, 1997… me just call up mi brother and mi sister, yo no?… and wi did weh wi had to do…
Mi have wahn son round Miami too, right?… with two bwai and one gial… mi got seven grandchildren right now, yo no?… di youngest one nine…

A: So yo still di trod… di try geh dehn youths pahn di right track… and get dis positive…

W: Yeah!.. music and football, mein… emm… Jah has opened da way for me, weh I… if I go da Scotland… or England… anyway now, Chalwa… all I haf to have da one a those… my gears… and people wahn come round… and I only have to go inside on di drum… go mek noise… and youth wahn cohn round… so I have sop’n weh youth love… and I wahn nourish dat… and do dat eena my best way… till I kyan, yo no?… and who no wahn help, da fi dehn business dat…. God wahn help me…. If God help me.. I spread it out to dehn youths… dat da weh di hap’n right now…, yo no?

A: Yo no gat di music… play ya right now… yo no got no band right now?

W: Right, right now… well… J-Vibes, yo no… wi play wid different… mi play more international music now, yo no… me no play wid too much homey no mo… becaa dehn de pahn wahn timing still, bredda… yo no?… why mi play wid more international… because.. a do wahn lee tour guide ting…

A: Ahahn? Down south?…

W: Yes…

A: Yo base right now… yo seh…

W: Sarawee… Sarawee and emm.. Mahogany Heights… And I do… whatever I do there, I do da both place, yo no?… a go home dis evening and play ball wid di youths,… yo no?.. ahn emm…

A: Yaa, well… bless-up, mein… Big respect! Keep it going…

W: Oh… as yo ask mi bout music.. not playing… a get a good news Saturday… Jeff Adolphus?…

A: A hear da name…

W: Jeff Adolphus is the ex-Commissioner (of Police, in 1960’s)) son… weh used to live right pahn da lee lane de like yo gweyn da Barracks?…

A: Okay… a know Eugene, caa…

W: Well, da 3 a dem… yo gat Jeff, Eugene and yo have dehn sister name Bunny, dat married Ray Davis, di ex-Senator… Well Jeff just come home… and i send tell mi i de ya… caa i cohn fi live now… a know i mi di cohn fi live… weh happen, i house musti finish, yo no? … so, i send tell mi already, i de ya…. So, tomorrow a fi go check im… and all a wahn need da wahn base… becaa him up front on da keyboard… unu wahn hear sohn vibes..

A: (laughs) J-Vibes!!…

W: Serious, Chalwa… All a need now da fi find wahn good base player… Yaaaiiii!!!….

A: Alright… wi wahn piece it together, Winty.

-THE END –

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