NOVELETTE:

I beg your pardon little miss. An insult you want to insult me about my breath. (beat) Well thank you anyways. And I know you never mean to come in here and bruk down mi shop because if you bruk it down I will bruk you up. Anyway Give Miss Novelette a kiss, (STACEY-ANNE leans in and kisses her.) and how is your mother?

STACEY-ANNE:

Fine Miss Novelette. She’s at work again. A Mr. Brown a look after we and him give me money to come do my hair. Miss Novelette you can perm my hair today please, please—because I want to have tall hair like my teacher at school.

NOVELETTE:

You want tall hair today Stacey-Anne.

STACEY-ANNE:

Yes please.

NOVELETTE:

Today? Well, Miss Novelette will see what she can do. But Stacey-Anne I know you are in Canada now and it’s cold outside, but it is warm in here so you must can tek off, the jacket, scarf, and sweater.

STACEY-ANNE:

(She sits in chair.) Me know Miss Novelette, but me still feel cold.

NOVELETTE places her fingers in STACEY-ANNE’s hair. The GRIOTS starts to sing a soft melody. The lights go down and STACEY-ANNE steps into her spotlight.

Mi excited mi come a foreign but lawd it cold! Mi love de feel a snow pun mi lip and mi luv to lick it off but lawd it cold! And no matter how much jacket, coat and sweater you wear it still cold! Mi wear three pair a long john, mi na know why dem call it long john because it catch mi right here. Mi wear three pair and mi still cold! (points midway to her knee) Bwoy Canada cold! But mi know sey mi lucky fi come a foreign because nuff people back a yard mad fi come a foreign. And when Granny hear sey Mommy did marry Mr. Brown him a mi stepfadda now. Granny sey you lucky you mudda marry Mr. Brown so now she can send for onnu. A Granny a she luv Mr. Brown. One time Mr. Brown send Granny two hundred Canadian dollar one time! When Granny get de money, she jump and dance, and grab up mi and Carrie. Dat a mi likkle sister and dance round de place. It was the funniest thing mi did ever see, every time mi think about it mi have to laugh. And Granny say Mr. Brown is the best ting which ever happen to dis ya family. And she tell mi nuff times, mi beg you Stacey-Anne when you go a foreign, do na do nothing which will make Mr.Brown mad cause him send fi onnu and him can send you right back! Mommy and Mr. Brown pick we up a the airport with Gary who is mi likkle bradda who mi never did see before. And Mommy cry and hug up mi and Carrie and she start bawl and say what a way you grow big. Lawd a six years now mi never see you. And Carrie grab up pun mi cause she never did remember Mommy. Cause she did one likkle baby when Mommy did leave and mi did six years old. But mi still remember Mommy. Mi remember she did wear one daisy smelling perfume, and when she hug mi a de airport mi did remember her. And Mommy did feel bad that Carrie na look like she remember her. And she ask Carrie if she did get di dress and di clip for we hair, and de socks and de soap powder, and de tin of bullybeef. And Carrie say yes but she still wouldn’t go to Mommy, and she put down one piece of cow bawling for Granny, and she wouldn’t let go a mi hand. And den now, Mr. Brown him did look like him a get mad. And him say to Mommy mi hope sey you no bring na spoil spoil pickney inna ei hope you no bringsey yu na badda bring na spoil spoil pickney inna mi house you know. And just try talk to dem inna de car because mi a park for parking. And him did look so vex mi did think him would a send we right back pun de plane we did come. So mi whisper to Carrie try no badda do nothing which will mek Mr. Brown mad. And Carrie musey stop bawl for one minute and sixty-two seconds and den she put down one next piece a cow bawling fi Granny.