It seem like some good come out of being Massa son. Don’t have to bow down before Winston. Is still Busha Davis telling me what to do. I have to report to him every morning. Go wait outside him office till him ready to come out. Then him send me off to do whatever need doing. Work in Massa provision ground, weed, dig, plant, sprinkle lime round the fruit-bearing trees. Take away garbage and burn it. Sweep the long carriage drive, collect up the brown coconut leaf them that fall after a big storm. Ride the mule to fetch water from the river in the water barrels, sometimes a little bit of carpentry like what old cripple Jonnie used to do. Fix, paint, mend whatever need doing.

The only job I favour is when him send me off to watch the plantain walk, the provision ground Massa keep special for himself. Everybody surprised when I get the job, is plenty special. Massa must be tell Busha Davis to let me do it. Old one-arm Cato, him used to guard the plantain walk, but one night him ran away, nobody can find him. Maybe him flee up to where Maroon town is, hiding in some ravine. Mind you, Massa don’t put much effort into finding him. Call off the slave hunters. Cato not worth much anymore. Going be dead soon, anyway. Always sick.

The plantain walk is bout a mile away from the Great House, a quiet place of freedom, far away from all the coming and going and gossip that circle round and round the plantation. To get there is a nice cool walk down a path covered in shady, big-leafed trees, come round a bend and you going see it. Have a little wattle hut beside it, a place to sleep and cook beside. Must be hold bout twenty trees and Massa plant it out so the fruit don’t ripen all at the same time. In between the plantain trees, him plant cocoa, use the plantain trees to give them shade. Is up to me to tend, water them plants, make sure nobody steal nothing. Nobody but me, that is. Not all the time, mind you, but when the dry season is plenty dry and nothing much growing in our provision ground and bellies bloated from hunger.