Going to church is serious business for the folks of Savanna-la-Mar. - photos by Norman Grindley /Deputy Chief Photographer

The sun was already high in the sky by the time Brother Henry arrived at his church. He was late today because his favourite pair of trousers got wet on the clothes line the night before.

"Is pure rain a fall from last week. Mi tell di gyal a yard fi mek sure watch if rain set up and tek up di trousers if anything, but di gyal gone bout har business and di trousers soak," he said, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat. He frowned as he spoke and then made a sucking sound with his mouth.

Brother Henry was one of many people heading out to church in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on a recent Sunday morning.

Photographer Norman Grindley and I were standing near to a variety store on Great George Street when we spotted Brother Henry pedalling his bicycle with great fury down the road. He stopped to remove his hat and used ahandkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Already late

"Every day sun hot and den when night come is pure rain. Mi caan chat to you long though, for mi late already. Mi nah get nuh good seat," he said.

With that, Brother Henry replaced his hat and pedalled off. He caught up with a woman a few feet down the road and the two strolled casually into a nearby church.

We walked along the roadway for a while until we came across an intersection near to what looked like a courthouse. A woman was sitting on the sidewalk behind some bright green breadfruit, some pieces of yam of varying sizes and coconuts. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be fast asleep. The second we walked over to her, however, she sprung to life.

"How you do? What mi can sell you today?" she said with a raspy voice.

We introduced ourselves and asked her to tell us a bit about Savanna-la-Mar.

"Sav? Yes man. Sav alright. No problem in Sav. Is just di rain waan wash mi out today and di school pickney dem nuh hab nuh manners," she said.

More alert

The woman used the back of her hand to rub her eyes and then seemed more alert.

"Yes, as mi was saying to you. Sav is a likkle place where nobody nuh really faas wid you. If you is selling you likkle thing then nobody not going to molest you wid it. Mi is a old woman now and so mi nuh stay out here all day, but when mi do stay it alright," the woman said and then turned her attention to a prospective customer.

We said our goodbyes and then walked away. At the end of Great George Street, near to the market, we met a few boys, some of them shirtless, the others shoeless, who were playing with a deflated football.

They were laughing, jumping around and shouting obscenities to each other and seemed to be having a grand time. A grand time, that is, until a heavyset woman whose head was wrapped with a red scarf and who seemed to have been selling in the nearby market spotted them.

"What mi just hear you say, young bwoy?" she shouted.

The boys all stopped in their tracks and turned to face the woman. "Mi know dat sinting must wrong wid mi hearing for anyhow you really out yah a cuss bad word den a gwine buss you behind today!"

No more prompting

Business isn't exactly booming, but it's enough to survive, according to the street-side peddlers.

The boys needed no more prompting. They took off immediately, abandoning the football in the street. The woman stood and watched them go, her arms akimbo. When they disappeared, she shook her head and went back inside the market.

Where we were standing, the sea breeze was picking up. The waves actually come right up to the market and close to the road, making a beautiful scene.

The clouds started to get ominous and a few drops of rain started to fall. This hastened activity on Great George Street quite dramatically. People started running about in haste, shouting in many different ways that the rain was about to fall.

The woman who was earlier sitting lazily beside her coconuts and breadfruit, grabbed them up in a hurry, threw them in a box, put the box on her head and scampered off with the speed and agility of a 20-year-old. After that, the streets emptied in a hurry and the rain came with a fury, bringing a sudden end to another lively day in 'Sav'.

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com