Come pickney come,

 she gone, come pickney come,

I have saltfish and dumpling today, come pickney come!

By Mutryce A. Williams BBA CTM

Joseph Bellyful enters his yard, after a long day of work to hear a bunch of wailing and bawling.  Jane was giving their son Jacob a proper washing out, that was after she had given their elderly neighbour poor Mrs. Tom a proper thrashing out.

Joseph

Woi, Janeykins, hold up! Hold up! Easy pan the licks no man! You going kill me only pickney. What the boy do again this time, for you to wash in he skin so! Cool it man, ease off! Watch there now, you cut him!

Jacob runs behind his father seeking refuge. He is relieved as his mother has shown no mercy on him. Jane is shaking frantically. She is very upset. She paces back and forth, sneaking a lash here and there as Jacob continued dodging behind his father to escape the onslaught of licks that he was getting.

Jane

Joe, I better calm me self for true, cause the blood rushing to head. Me to shame! Me cant tell you, cause it hurt me! It hurt me de boy aint know he wrenking place, and that woman, eh that woman! Imagine, what she went out a road go tell them people, Joe imagine! You pickney going make people drag me name, that long belly, boy a yours. I want he belly swell.

Joseph

Woman, calm down, you going get high blood pressure. Easy, I tell you, easy. Stop hit the boy. What is it that the boy do? Tell me. I will deal with him proper! 

Jacob peers out from behind his father and gives his mother a sly grin, infuriating her even more.  

Jane

You a watch me, you lucky, you father reach, you better run, cause me aint done with you. Let we see where you going sleep tonight! As you shut you eyes, all in you sleep you going get the licks them, all in you sleep! John, I take me time and make the usual Kraft dinner for the boy, with beef, just the way you all  like it, a bit on the oily side, with a lot of ketchup.

Joe screws up his face at the thought of the dish. Jane is a glamour girl you see and she is known for many things but cooking is not definitely one of them.

Jane

I full Mr. Brer Rabin, Mr. Long Gut glass with Kool Aid, lef him on the step a eat, walk out the gate, forgetting that I off today. As I opening the gate to come back in, I honestly think I hear somebody whisper, Come pickney come, she gone, come pickney come, I have saltfish and dumpling today, come pickney come! Careful, no tear your leg coming over the fence! I say let me sound me mouth and call me pickney because the  dog was lapping up the rest of the macaroni right where I left he. I walk round the yard and went to Mrs. Tom front gate, and call, nobody a answer. I open she gate and went in.

Joe

Girl, you know the woman aint like you. How you could walk straight in she yard so? You really going off today, first you forget you aint got to go work, then washing out the boy. What wrong with you, alright, alright continue, I will let you talk, go ahead. But is just that you know we trying to keep we peace with the people them.

Jane

Joseph James Josiah Bellyful, this aint no time to get on me wrong side. She pauses. So when I go in the yard I see you son, sprawl off pan the woman step with a big bowl a dumpling, saltfish and sweet potato in front a he, bowl bigger than he. He grinning and eating away, eating away I tell you. When he see me you think that stop he, not at all. Mouth working a mile a minute. He say, Ma you looking for me I nearly done, when I done I coming. Joe the boy act as if nothing was wrong. He know me and that woman dont get on that is what hurt me.

 Look Ma, I eating dumpling and saltfish, you ever had dumpling and saltfish? That is what Brer Rabin ask me, Joe the boy ask if I ever had dumpling and saltfish. Then he going list, he going list, what he had yesterday and according to he all the other days them and while he listing he lapping he tongue. He barefaced eh! He say, Ma. Mrs. Tom give me corn pop, oatmeal porridge, breadfruit and mackerel, corn and fish, Johnny cakes, cock soup, black pudding, goat water, souse, oxtail, bread pudding, potato pudding, soursop drink, ginger beer, bush tea, mauby and all kinda other things.

He going watch me and ask, and ask, Ma, maybe we should move where Mrs. Tom and Tan Tan from because I like how they does cook, where the hell he think, they from? Where he think they from? Is right here, the same place I from, that is what you son, Jacob Ezekial Malaki Hezekiah Bellyful ask me! You going tell me not to bang he, well Joe all in he sleep he going be getting licks, all when he reach Springfield he going be getting it, because is me bring he, is me lie down and bring he, let he take he long belly and watch me.

You better talk to he you know. He going make people feel I dont feed he. Who the hell she think she be to, that Mrs. Tom? Joe I aint done wid she. Joe, I aint done wid he you know, I aint done wid he, on me life I aint done with he. Imagine that, I grow up on them things and you ungrateful long belly pickney going ask me if I know what them thing is. Jacob you is modern child and I feed you modern things, that is why I dont make them things, is not because I cant cook, Joe is not because of that. Tell he is not because of that, cause I could cook.  I could cook.

But Joe you aint hear the bounce, listen, this is what got me, woi Joe, I tell you hold he, you better send he by he Tan Tan to sleep tonight, send him I say, send him! When I ask he, Well Jacob, is what, is what going on here? He say, he say, Well Ma, Mrs. Tom, say you look like you live far from you pot, and you look like you never hot water a day in your life, that I look worse than a meager dog so somebody got to feed me, so she feeding me Ma! Oh and Ma, she say she wonder how Tan Tan boy does make out because Tan Tan live in she kitchen, I think is Pa she mean! Is Pa you mean right, Mrs. Tom? Ma is one day long time she see me  eating macaroni and she say, Come Pickney Come, no tell you mother, Come Pickney Come. I doing this for you Tan Tan. You poor stomach must be pack off a oil. You Tan Tan really know what she when a say bout you mother.

Well Joe, I aint hold up! Right then and there I begin to wash in he lil tail part and as for she, Joe as for she I aint idle to lambasse she backside. I tell she everything I know and aint know bout she. How she could say I look like I live far from me pot? Joe watch me, I look good! I could cook! The boy dont starve! You dont starve! What if is Ramen noodles or macaroni and cheese, I does cook now and again, is food. It is food. If it is oily is how all you like it, that is why I does cook it that way. By the way, Joe , hold up there a second, you home late, what that in your teeth. Come here, come closer, what that I smell on your breath mackerel, where you get mackerel?

Joe

I pass off by Tan Tan on my way home, and she had just take off the pot and you know how it is. She would a feel bad, if I didnt take a liddle, mecno want to insult the woman.

Jane 

Joe, a look like I born yesterday. Well, well Joe you and you lil brute really know how to make a woman feel small, all you really know how to make me feel small eh, apple dont fall far from the tree, no wonder Jacob just run behind you when you say you going by Tan Tan, so that is how he know how and what Tan Tan just cook? What a thing! What I going do? Take you pickney and leave the place. Go!

Joe

Come Pickney Come! Jacob boy, let we go by Tan Tan. Come Pickney Come!