First trip to Negril - Travel Report - Day 4 - Moving over to the Coco La Palm

[Hubby-man]

A friendly Jamaican man and his young daughter had also joined us. The father was going from person to person showing his kid asking everyone, if she wasn't the prettiest thing in the world. First I was a little put off by that, but it really seemed utterly harmless, so I finally took it at face value. He was just genuinely a proud father!



Daisy in the meantime was running around showing everyone the T-shirt she had bought from Ikey. At that Ikey pulled me away from the crowd and pointed to her. He had tears in his eyes as he pointed out:”Look! She is helping me. She is trying for others to buy my T-shirts! One-Love man, One-Love!” He was buzzed from his JB which intensifies emotions, none-the-less I was really touched by how small a gesture, which could be interpreted in more than one way, could stir him so deeply.

The crowd grew constantly or rather, it was a coming and going. Two ladies from Belgium where in a deep discussion with Daisy when I found her again. Next to them was a young Jamaican fellow dressed in the latest fashion and laden with a golden chain. He was short but very handsome and gave off an air of someone you ought to pay attention to.

He zoned in on the Belgium girls, particularly the blond one, who towered above him by a good two heads. They made a funny picture together and his flirtatious advances were so exaggerated that they were obviously full of jest. The girl, flattered at the advance and the three or four proposals for marriage, took it semi-serious and was not 100% sure how to react. So she flung questions at him like: “Who will bring home the bacon?”, “Who will take care of the kids” or “Will you be the one taking out the garbage?” which he answered with the most comical slew of responses, indicating that his job was to make her happy in bed and that's that.



Later he told me that really he was working very very hard in several jobs and considered his diverse talents, ranging from plumber to sous-chef, as his greatest assets over his libido. He was also far older than any of us had guessed, which he proved by producing his picture ID. He was also networking like a whirlwind. Unfortunately I lost the piece of paper with his cousins phone-number, through which I was to contact him until he had more suitable means of communication. There are so many reason to come back to Negril.

The whole time Greeny and his friends had been playing. Several times Greeny's ability to create crescendos and control the volume and character of the notes pounded out of the two steel barrels had amazed me so much, that I stopped mid-sentence to listen.

Finally it was over. The band and the Britts were tired. The Germans had to get up early the next morning to meet with some Rasta-Man in the mountains. So we sipped our last beers and said our good-byes. We hugged Greeny and Ikey tightly. It was an amazing feeling of connection that had formed in our two encounters time. If we lived in Negril, I have no doubt, we would be the best of friends.


Daisy and Greeny

Despite the dulling effect of the alcohol it really hurt, when we turned around the corner and began to march down Norman Manley boulevard.