I helped Jah Mike re-beach and turn over the boat and hide the oars before following him up to the house. It was still early, and Jah Mike asked me if I wanted to accompany him to football practice. Sure. He changed into a soccer uniform that closely resembled one of the National Team uniforms I had seen on TV and he told me it was an old one of theirs from when he used to workout with them.
We arrived at the pitch and I witnessed firsthand the leadership qualities and the respect the youth in the area had for him. He practiced them hard. I was saddened by the lack of shoes as most of these boys had none to wear. Without a man like Jah Mike to guide them, I shudder to think what would happen to these youth.
Practice wound down and we walked back to the house. A young man that I had seen that first night on the verandah stopped us and handed Jah Mike an ounce or more of ganja which he passed to me. “Here is your $2 bag”. I had almost forgotten about that ordeal last night. “You keep it”, I said. “You can roll me a spliff later”. Jah Mike smiled a signature toothy smile. It was done.
Back on the verandah, Jah Mike and I were still talking when my wife and her ever changing entourage kept coming back down the lane and, after getting things out of the tent, running back up the hill. I stopped her to remind her Jah Mike was cooking the fish for dinner and she said she would be back around sunset before running off again. Jah Mike remarked that he was grateful for my wife helping these young women as many did not have positive role models in their life either.
Jah Mike did not like to talk about money, but I knew I owed him some but did not actually know how much. Meals. Beers. It all adds up quickly. He told me that Peter had put $20 US in the envelope that I brought him. Jah Mike explained that he met peter at Sun Splash in Montego Bay about a week ago and Peter borrowed it from him. I told him that Peter was coming by to pay him for our camping at $10 per night next week but that he should not have to wait. I gave Jah Mike $20 and asked if it covered everything until Peter and he worked out the rest. “Jah Bless”, he said with a smile.
The dinner was cooking, and the smell of herbs and spices was filling the house and making me hungry when my wife arrived alone. Finally. Alone on the verandah, she told me about how the girls did not understand the most basic of feminine hygiene and how they were constantly asking questions. She said that the girls asked if we had children and when she said we did not, the kept saying how sorry they were thinking we were unable to have them instead of not wanting them.
Jah Mike’s girlfriend had steamed the fish and stuffed them with crushed up Cream Crackers and callaloo which was delicious. We finished and Jah Mike, my wife and I went out to the verandah where at least 15 people were gathered around in respectful silence. They were waiting patiently while we finished our meal. Again, I was feeling a little ashamed having eaten such a big meal and most of them had not enjoyed a full meal in a long time. One of the girls, Beverly, was sitting next to my wife and holding her hand. I knew right then and there, I had to do something for these people.
We sat, talked, and laughed a lot until around midnight when Jah Mike asked about our leaving tomorrow. I said we wanted to catch the country bus and he said we needed to be out there on the road early as there wasn’t a firm schedule of times that anyone knew of as it depended on a lot of things like mostly breakdowns. We told everyone individually goodbye and thanked them for everything. It was an extremely hard moment.
I went to the tent to lie down. It took my wife a little longer with Beverly.
