Chapter 50
It had been as good as old times having Mama’s fourth son and family with us on weekends and we made the most of the opportunity to spend time with them, soon becoming familiar with the children’s ways and routines, and recognizing the physical and other traits they shared with parents, grandparents and relatives.

One thing which had stood out, for instance, was the mental curiosity of the children, especially Edgar, which strongly brought to mind that of Matron, Jerome and Miss Millicent, easily traceable to their paternal great-grandfather. Like Teacher Bertram, who had acquired information about a varied range of subjects as different as astronomy, irrigation, the Maya civilization, etc. through reading widely; and of cultural practices and characteristics by conversing with Indigenous and knowledgeable people from all walks of life in the community, it had been a delight to witness their actions at first hand with three generations together in one place.

Edgar talked with Daddy about sailing and motor boats and about ships; with Miss Olive about crabs for making soup, where they came from, how they were caught, could he accompany her when she went out to catch them; with Mr. Reg about coin and stamp collecting, games like Chinese and regular checkers and cards, learning and playing them with him and members of our family and friends; and with everyone around him about trees, fruits and vegetables unfamiliar in their town.

I could easily detect echoes of Jewel in all three children’s method of approach, often prefacing their questions with the hope that they were not “making themselves a nuisance.”

Everyone took to the children, but it was not long before special attachments began to form. Matron, like Miss Millicent before her, became closely bonded to Edgar, while Mr. Reg and Arreini soon developed a special rapport; but it was Adrian who charmed everyone across the board and whom we all wanted to cuddle, play and converse with. His physical movements, like Jerome’s, were quick and he was into exploring everything around him. Jewel was kept very active keeping him under surveillance and out of trouble, sharing with us Lucille’s half-serious prediction that when he grew up he would be either a detective or a sprinter, or probably both!

Jewel mentioned that Matron had asked about her sister and whether they planned to bring her along in the future; even suggesting that they ask Jerome to coax her out of her fear of flying because if anyone could do so it, would be he!

“She is right, too,” Jewel had said, as Aunt was one of three persons, Mama and Matron being the other two, who were susceptible to his influence; but when she had made the suggestion he had been unwilling to move his aunt out of her comfort zone, saying: “Leave my old lady alone, let her do as she pleases when she is ready!” an indulgent attitude he often adopted towards the elderly in general, including his patients.

He had asked Jewel on the weekend of their first visit to put off returning home until Monday, but agreed with her to leave it until another time so she could arrange it with Aunt beforehand. Many developments had coincided with the presence of Jerome and family in our midst during those weeks when Simon Serrano and his wife were preparing to take leave of us for what had turned out to be crucial years in the life of our family, the hospital and our country as a whole.

A significant one had concerned Lloyd, our first-born, who had been promoted to the second position in the Audit Department, at the early age of twenty-seven, when the results of his success at the degree examination had finally arrived in late August, 1974; and this entailed his acquiring a vehicle in order to travel all over the country in the performance of his duties.

A few years later he had stood as godfather to Adrian along with Alvin and Justin’s wife Shelley as godmother.

Then, as often happens in small communities, people began making enquiries about when he was getting married, his having a good education, a comparatively well-paying job, and a vehicle being considered good qualification for the marriage state.

The thing about Lloyd was that, being a lot like Nigel, he was serious about his religious beliefs, which inspired and guided his interests and behaviour. He concentrated on his work, was courteous and helpful to all his female friends, but was slow in forming close attachments.

During a discussion in the nurses’ lounge one afternoon, the subject of grand-parenthood had somehow come up, and a colleague had asked whether I had no interest in having a grandchild; but living a full life with family, friends, relatives and the many children attached to them, my work, and the progress of my country towards nationhood, I had never given the subject any special thought before, and had said so.

I had the uneasy feeling at the time that there had been an ulterior motive for the question, that it had been discussed before in that same venue during my absence, and that my answer had been of some significance to the group gathered on that occasion.

I soon discovered that the origin of the sudden interest in my family affairs had been the curiosity aroused by the attention paid by Lloyd to Sonia and Emerson, more noticeable now that Jewel and family were in town and the close interaction between and among them had resumed. I had dismissed the idea of anything being serious as mere speculation on the part of idle onlookers, but mentioned the incident to Nigel in case he knew something I may have overlooked.

Then, at the dinner table one weekday evening, when it came up in the course of conversation that Nigel’s cousin had been interested in buying the property he owned along with his aunt, Lloyd had surprised us with the question why his father would dispose of property which was now at a high premium when he had sons who might be interested in its ownership, thus giving us rare insight into thoughts occupying the mind of our first-born, who tended to keep things to himself.

When, a short time after, he announced to the family at dinner his intention of marrying Sonia and adopting Emerson, it had not really come as a surprise to us, the grapevine having heralded the news with their early speculations!

However, it did arouse a feeling of guilt that I had not seen this coming long in advance, probably because of concentrating too much on the two children who were abroad and neglecting the one at home. Lloyd being so mature, independent and self-reliant had led to our taking for granted his model behaviour!

While our other two children were coping with their challenges and not complaining, being out of sight I still felt a certain amount of anxiety about them, especially Victor, as while his disease was reportedly in remission, fate can be so unpredictable.

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Unknown to us, Lloyd had persuaded Uncle Lito to divide his house into two apartments and rent one to him while he occupied the other himself, mentioning this only after the work was in progress, and implying that his marriage plans depended on when this was completed.

There was plenty of space in the building, as, when my grandmother had been alive she had supported herself by taking in boarders; and my uncle had remained a bachelor until late in life and did not need so much room.

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But I’m getting a little ahead of myself, so let me insert some information regarding the two medical officers’ arrival in the country the first weekend in May and showing up for work at the hospital on Monday the 5th.

They were from different islands and at the forefront of the academically gifted in their respective territories, anxious to prove themselves and prepare for service to their home countries eventually. They had been impressed by Jerome’s record and reputation and were somewhat in awe of him; but, being nearer their age, Dr. Serrano’s presence and participation in the orientation of men in their early thirties during the month they had all worked together facilitated their interaction with Jerome, who, apart from being of an earlier generation, tended to be somewhat formal, although courteous and considerate by nature.

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Dr. Serrano had met privately with Matron and discussed his situation in light of the government’s action and his need to discharge certain family obligations before returning to honour and complete his commitment to serve the hospital for ten years, a condition of the Bertram Fund’s sponsorship. He assured her of his preference to work at home, but that the powers-that-be had been responsible for ruling out that option at that time.

He had spoken in depth with Jerome also, explaining the urgency of the action he had taken and his regret at abandoning him, one pressing reason being the need to make payments towards his wife’s student loan. They had married when she was fresh out of college and come home with the intention of her obtaining a job and contributing to discharging that obligation in a timely manner, since her parents had been guarantors. Two things had worked against them, however, one being that she had majored in Music Education, for which there had been no opening in the local high schools for a teaching post then; and, consequently and secondly, remaining at his present salary indefinitely would allow him to make only minimal payments towards this loan while interest would be accruing.

A third and important consideration had been the wisdom of taking advantage of the opportunity to obtain further specialist training now that it was being offered, which would enhance his qualification for future employment by putting him in a better bargaining position when the country became independent.

A close friendship had developed between the two men during the three years they had worked together, based on mutual respect and admiration, the younger man putting into words his deep regard for Jerome’s perseverance in performing extraordinary service to the Surgery Department on his own those many years. Jerome had even contributed practical suggestions as to how he might incorporate the duties of the new staff members into his programme so as to relieve the excessive demand on his time, joking that “institutions have no heart,” and that his family needed him alive!

Jerome was heartened and encouraged at this expression of appreciation coming from his fellow countryman and colleague, one familiar with the conditions under which he had been forced to function and knowledgeable about the absence of any relief during those years.

The Chief Medical Officer having been an expatriate had not precluded fellow countrymen of his from serving under him in other specialties; but not so in the case of the Chief Surgical Officer, there having been unwillingness among those qualified in that specialty to serve under a “native” head of department. It had been this reality that had inspired investment by the Bertram Fund into the training of local specialists in the first place.

Jerome had been both impressed and amused at his younger colleague’s resolve ‘to fight and run away, and live to fight another day,’ as he had put it.

All in all, I would say that among the contributions made by Dr. Serrano to our lives had been his upbeat attitude towards dealing with the problems at the hospital, reminding us of and strengthening in Jerome the “can-do” attitude of the early years of his tenure.

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On the second Sunday in May, Matron and Mr. Reg had invited the young couple to an informal farewell dinner, the attendees including our whole household, plus Linda and Ernesto. On that occasion we had all taken to Dr. Serrano’s African-American wife who, like Matron, wore a corn-row hair style and was a very lively and sociable young woman. We had been told that she had fit like a glove into the life style of her Garinagu in-laws, even learning the language and speaking it confidently with what they called her American “twang,” to their amusement.

During her stay Mrs. Serrano had become active in the town’s adult Chorale, an amateur music group, voluntarily doing conducting, arranging, accompanying on piano and drums, and singing; and, when introduced to Arreini one weekend, had invited her to one of their practice sessions, given her the chance to perform on their piano, and expressing a high opinion of her potential, to the great delight of us all.

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(Chapter 51 in next Tuesday’s issue of the Amandala)