Episode 14: From ‘grumsy’ tea to teabag
RYAN WAS awakened by a prolonged tapping on his bedroom door. Turned out it was Uncle Benji. It was just about 5 a.m. He wasn’t accustomed to getting out of his warm and cosy bed at that time. At first, he thought something was wrong with his uncle. But as he lethargically opened the door, he noticed his uncle standing robustly, as if the time had no effect on him. He realised nothing was wrong, except for the banging. At that moment, his uncle appeared fresher and fitter than he. “What happen boy? Why yuh sleeping suh late? Yuh musn’t sleep till sun catch yuh,” Uncle Benji said firmly. All Ryan could have mustered as he rubbed his sleepy eyes was, “Hmmm!” “Come out and tek some fresh air; all-yuh young people does sleep too late. Mek haste and come down,” Uncle Benji added. It was as if he was in control. As Ryan ventured to the lower flat, his sleepiness was bordering on disbelief. Who gets up so early when on leave, he asked himself. He hopes this doesn’t become routine during his uncle’s stay.

Ryan has his morning habits, and waking this early wasn’t one of them. A seven o’clock rise is normal for him, given that he has to be at work for 08:30hrs. Now that he was on leave, he looked forward to sleeping far beyond his seven o’clock deadline. That now looked in jeopardy. After a few moments, he eventually found the energy to overcome his sleepiness, and proceeded downstairs. This wasn’t without its challenges. “As ah did tell yuh before, abee couldn’t sleep late. We had to get up and do house-wuk and suh before we went to school,” Uncle Benji blurted out as he saw Ryan descending the stairs.

“When de sun catch yuh in yuh bed, it does mek yuh feel lazy whole day. It does sap up yuh energy; yuh can’t do nutten, and is like yuh wake up feeling sleepy,” Uncle Benji added. Ryan’s discomfort was noticeable. “Uncle, this is a different time. Those days you talk about are long gone. We, at least my peers, don’t have to milk a cow or cut grass or tend to a garden before we leave for work or study,” Ryan replied. “Many are now fortunate for not having to stand on the roadways for lengthy periods to access transportation. We drive. We have our own vehicles so we can leave home half-hour before the scheduled time to commence work, and still get there on time, depending on where we live,” Ryan added.

Uncle Benji wasn’t going to give up that easily. “No wonder all-yuh always tired. Sleeping late is not very healthy. Come! Let’s go outside!” Ryan reluctantly followed. As they stood on the patio, Uncle Benji said, “Tek some deep breath. Come! Try it and see how it feel! Swing round yuh hand and bend yuh back lil bit! It good fuh yuh!” Not wanting to offend his well-meaning uncle, Ryan obliged. What Uncle Benji didn’t know was that Ryan frequents the gym in the evenings, and is conscious about living a healthy life. Ryan now understands why his Uncle appears well-kept and healthy for his age.

After a short while of indulging in some simple non-strenuous morning exercises, Uncle Benji returned inside. Ryan, still a bit dazed, was impressed. He wondered how many at his uncle’s age are so conscious about their health. He said: “What are we supposed to do? The sun isn’t up as yet!” “Just start preparing fuh the day,” Uncle Benji replied. “Ah early start is not only good, but healthy. Go tek a bath; it gon mek yuh fresh.” he added. Ryan wasn’t that much interested in such an early bath. Uncle Benji sensed as much. Ryan began to make some much-needed coffee as Uncle Benji continued.

“Just before meh leff this country, meh know some schoolchildren that had to go to school in town. Dem time, de school use to call in early, like ‘bout 8:15 meh think. Plenty people nah had pipe. Water had to fetch from far. Dem pickney use to full up de afternoon before, since dem had to leff home by 5:30 in de morning fuh get ‘trans-pee’. De overnight water use to be too cold fuh dem bathe; dem couldn’t tek am. Suh some use to bathe late in de night, just fuh nah bathe in de morning. Dem just brush dem teeth with black-sage and dress. Dem nah had perfume and t’ing; dem went to school just suh. Some had to do lil house-wuk before dem leff house, and dem still use to pass wid flying colours.

“Dem nah had dem fancy thing what all-yuh ah now eat fuh breakfast. De thing wasn’t even call breakfast; it was ‘tea’. Dem days, it was tea, breakfast and dinner. Now is breakfast, lunch and supper. In dem days, tea was lil black t’ing in a flint-up cup and lil boil-and-fry green plantain or cassava. Before flour didn’t ban, some use to get roti. Now is toast and sausage and bacon and cheese and cereal wid milk and orange juice and suh. Meh can’t help sehing how all-yuh really gat am good; how lucky all-yuh is. Now, yuh nah even gat fuh light stove fuh mek tea; just plug in a electric kettle and yuh get hot water. And then yuh put a teabag in de cup. Even de teabag gat different flavour,” Uncle Benji lamented.

“In we days, we nah had teabag. It was Red Rose tea loose-up in a big packet. Yuh had to throw some in de water and let it boil till it ‘draw’. De whole pot use to be sweeten one time. Just add in two pot-spoon ah sugar, and if yuh had cow milk, yuh throw lil in. De pot ah tea use to get ‘grumsy’ when yuh stir it. Every house had a big strainer fuh strain tea; de strainer use to rest ‘cross de pot, waiting fuh de next cup fuh pour. Sometime de ‘grums’ use to use back. Now all-yuh just pull out de teabag and throw am way; no ‘grums’ leff back. How me wish me could ah been young in all-yuh time,” Uncle Benji added.

Ryan unplugged the electric coffeemaker and poured two cups. Every time his uncle narrated stories of the past, he wondered how people managed life then. How could they have survived without simple things like an electric kettle, coffeemaker, flavoured teabags, gas or electric stoves, microwave ovens, refrigerators and other basic necessities, he thought. He is getting to understand his uncle’s passion; a passion to appreciate the monumental positive changes that have taken place since his time. As he gave the hot cup of coffee to his uncle, he wished that the children then, who were forced to bathe with cold water in the mornings or couldn’t, because of its temperature, could enjoy the use of the hot-and-cold facilities many, including he, have installed. Indeed, as his uncle would say, “dis time ain’t lang time.” Guyana is out of the woods!
To be continued…