http://www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=128&a=9720
http://www.jonesbahamas.com/
16th August
From The Heart: Mama Looka Boo-Boo
By Rupert Missick
Hi, my name is John Jack. I’m from Haiti. Of course that’s not my real name if I gave you my real name I wouldn’t be John Jack, I would be Jack Ass. Okay, so I’m no Jack Ass. I am John Jack; my cousin is Boo-boo, also a Haitian man just like me.
Now I’ve been living in Nassau before Hubert Ingraham came to live in Nassau from Abaco.

When Mr. Ingraham came to Nassau from Abaco and moved through Quintine Alley, I was working right across Wulff Road from Quintine Alley to a place called Heastie Tile Factory.

Heastie Tile Factory closed down and I was put out of a job. One day I was making tiles in Heastie Tile Factory, next day I was cutting grass like a Long Island goat.

Let me tell you something…I been in Nassau a long time, I do all jobs. Best job I ever had was with a former Minister of Immigration. For that minister all I had to do was find Haitians who wanted to pay to get their papers straight or who wanted to get out of Haiti and would afford to pay.

Boy, that was an easy job. I used to dress up every day, make some contacts for the minister and play the members.

Unfortunately that immigration minister went away and I was out of a job again.

So, you see now why I can’t tell you my real name? So I’m John Jack, not John Ass.

But I want to tell you about my cousin Boo-boo.

When Boo-boo came from Haiti – with the help of me and that minister of immigration, Boo-boo only had one cutlass.

Boo-boo used to use that cutlass for everything. He used to work with his cutlass, cook on his cutlass and sleep on his cutlass.

Everybody always ask why Haitian cutlass so wide, I’ll tell you; Haitians cutlass wide because Haitian do everything on his cutlass: work, sleep, cook, everything!

Anyway Boo-boo worked with that cutlass until he could buy one bycyclitic. I think that’s how you spell bicycle, but you know what I mean. Bahamian say bicycle, Haitian say bycyclitic. Next thing I know Boo-boo buy one wheel barrel.

When Boo-boo write home Boo-boo tells all the people that he had cutlass, bicycle and wheel barrel. Some people were so jealous of Boo-boo they almost started working voodoo on him.

But the voodoo backfired and instead on keeping Boo-boo down, it caused Boo-boo to have good luck. So next thing you know Boo-boo had a pick-up truck.

Boy! A real pickup truck; A Chevy! Wow!

Next thing I know Boo-boo got a job to clean ten yards. Ten! That’s right, ten, ten, the Bible ten!

Boy Boo-boo luck was off the chain! Thanks to bad voodoo!

Boo-boo hired ten Haitians to put to work and they all rode on the back of his Chevy Truck.

One day when Boo-boo had made some good money, he got all of his workers together, he cleaned his truck and his wheel barrel and all of the workers cleaned their cutlasses and all standing around the truck, Boo-boo took a picture.

Boo-boo sent the picture to Haiti to his mudder and when his mudder see that picture she bust out a cry!

She cry cause she was so happy. She was shaking and trembling so that she dropped the picture.

One of her grandchildren picked up the picture and looking at his uncle he said, Mama looka Boo-boo!

Yeah looka Boo-boo! Boo-boo got four trucks and twenty-five Haitians working now.

I am so proud of Boo-boo I almost want to cry myself.