I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was nearing the end of a wonderful six-month vacation in Billy's Bay, Treasure Beach......
A route taxi could be difficult to get in Billy’s Bay as there were two brothers (Kenny and ?) who were the regular drivers that came down that far to pick up and drop off passengers. It was easier in early morning to get one if you had to go to Black River and I had to go to pay my telephone and internet bill for September. Later in the day it could be more hit and miss. I went down at about 6:00am to be on that first trip. When I got to Black River, the C & W office down by the river had just opened so I stopped there first and paid my bill. I needed to do a little shopping at the market so I went to Juicy Patties first and grabbed a callaloo loaf and a box juice to fuel up for the day. It was a short walk around the corner to the town market.
I bought some spices and some vegetables that the fruit and vegetable higgler didn’t have on his weekly rounds. I was shopping as quickly as possible with an eye out for the Treasure Beach Route Taxi or one of the brothers who would take me straight to Billy’s Bay. I was just finishing up when Kenny came around the corner with two passengers in the car. I got the front seat and put my shopping in the trunk and off we went over the Iron Bridge and back to Irie Rest. We were cruising down past the Parottee turnoff when a voice came over the car’s radio. The announcer said, “A plane has just flown into the World Trade Center Tower and it is a fiery inferno!” I started to chuckle at what was said and Kenny, the driver shot me a quizzical look. I went on to tell him about Orson Wells and the “War of the Worlds” broadcast that was a hoax and this must be one as well. Then the announcer broke in and said another plane has hit the second tower and they were collapsing.
Now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe this is real. Could it be? The car went silent the rest of the way. When we reached Treasure Beach, I asked Kenny to drop me off at Golden Sands as I knew they had cable TV. When I walked up, Jackie (Mr. Lewis’ daughter) was running for the cottage where the TV was so I ran to follow her up the stairs. I watched it in stunned silence. Somebody had actually attacked my country and maybe we would be going to war now. I served during Vietnam and knew the country didn’t have the stomach for war but also knew we could do nothing either. I watched for a while angry at what I was seeing before catching another taxi down to Billy’s Bay. I was walking around simply stunned at the turn of events. There were two couples from the US staying over at Hikaroo a guest house next door to Irie Rest and they came by to chat about what was going on. They too were feeling conflicted over what was happening.
I put away my shopping, washed up and then walked down to Skips where a group of about 20 Billy’s Bay residents and the two couples were sitting in the pool table room watching a satellite broadcast. It had always amazed me when I first started coming to Jamaica at the passion these people projected towards the news on TV. In the earliest days, it was mostly bars and larger shops in small towns that had TV as it would take some time for the sets to make it into the family homes. People would come in to watch the news and maybe a John Wayne movie or a show like Lime Tree Lane before going home for the night. When the newscaster told of a killing or beating and showed pictures of victims, the people would shout back in anger at the perpetrators. When they showed the victims, people would praise God and even cry over what they were witnessing. So it was with this broadcast. The Jamaicans were more angry and upset at the terrorists than we Americans seemed to be. Maybe because we were in shock or maybe they just felt the pain in a more personal way.
Skip would normally put in a VCR tape of some Kung Fu movie or a “shoot em up” Western but tonight the news just kept playing and we all came a little more together as citizens of a world gone mad.
Peace and Guidance
