78. If only this could come true

This fiction story was written by Patrick. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental, although Patrick admits he was inspired by his real friends.

I set out on my morning walk along the shore. Waa Gwaan! A Jamaican fellow suddenly shouts at me. I have no idea what it means, but I respond by saying Good morning, how are you?  Luckily, he understands English and tells me that it means How are you going? in Jamaican Patois.

This made my day: a total stranger greeting me in such a cheerful way. I wasn’t used to this; where I came from people on the street would not talk to each other, on risk of being seen as a bit loopy. No, in colder climates people turn inward, and at best mumble something to someone they already know. 

Here, under a bright sun rising, it seems everyone talks, and many of them know each other by name. And they are a very mixed bunch. Ife, the Jamaican loves music, and given the strong music culture here, that’s no surprise. But he plays the mouth organ, which not many musicians do, and he’s very good at it. It took a while to find this out, because he would not play when on a walk. He is too busy whistling and singing or greeting strangers. Only much later did we find out, but let me introduce the others first.

There is also Willem, a tall Dutch sailor, who has spent his best years at sea and has seen many places around the world. He has many interesting stories to tell, and despite having been at sea for years, he walks steady and straight. He doesn’t just tell stories, he also writes them down, so that others can read them in their own time. Like the newspaper man, he hands them out each time a new story appears, and enjoys elaborating on the stories a bit more. As a result of his travels, he knows quite a few languages: English, Dutch, French, Bahasa Indonesia, and probably a few more.

Then there’s Ryan from Scottish descent (although you wouldn’t hear it), with a particular sense of humour. He is very good at imitating other people’s accents, and this sometimes makes you double up with laughter. If he sees something that’s not right, he will tell people straight away, and he’s a very good observer of what is happening around him. Like people not picking up their dog’s poo, or riding a bicycle in a dangerous way. Or spitting and lifting the finger at us. But somehow, he’s never got into trouble over this; maybe because he surrounds himself with a friend versed in martial arts, who knows. Being stingy as the Scottish are, he often complains about how his little luxuries are so expensive and of so little value.

Then, there’s a retired chef called Ranil from Sri Lanka who can cook the most wonderful exotic dishes. When he is cooking for catering events, he also gives away some of his food for others to enjoy.

Another fellow who is quite tall called Silom enjoys riding on and conducting miniature trains, to the great hilarity of the children who board the train. Although this ride is a small trajectory, he is also interested in much larger transport: train lines, airlines and shipping lanes. You need to know something about air, sea or land traffic, he is your man! He hates to eat fish and is the opposite of some others who love fishing.

As far as fishing goes, there’s two others to mention. Harry is a retired fisherman, who used to enjoy going fishing with his mates in a small dingy, more for the company and the beers than for catching fish. He likes a change of scenery and would never get seasick. Then there’s our Filipino fisherman, Ben, who can tell you everything about what’s under the water, and loves a good catch. Anything too small he gives away for cooking up Filipino style. He’s a bit shy at times, but still loves a good yarn.

One day, Ife invited all of us on his yacht, which we saw moored in the distance every day. He said we were welcome to have a look at it, and have a small party in honour of his birthday. Of course, all of us were keen to see this magnificent yacht, although it took a bit of convincing Ben, the shyest of us all, by telling him he had to provide the fish for the party. After Ranil was convinced the yacht had full cooking facilities on board, he agreed to cook up the fish Filipino style, together with some wonderful Sri Lankan side dishes. It was then when Ife displayed his musical talents on the mouth organ. He encouraged some of us to dance and cheer, and what a wonderful party it was!

One thing led to another. After many drinks and pirate songs, Ife proposed that we should take a trip from Kingston, where we were based, to Santiago de Cuba, which could be reached in about two days. Once there, we would be invited to a wedding party of Ife’s cousin, without having to worry about presents or not knowing bride and groom. In Cuba, parties were often open to friends of friends, and they were used to cater for all the ones barging in, as is the case in Latino culture.

Silom immediately checked the sea lanes, to find out what the traffic was along this route, and which were the safest ways to sail. He confirmed that the distance was about 135 nautical miles, and Ife reassured everyone that he had done the trip multiple times. Willem, who was nostalgic for his days at sea got very excited about the idea.

So one day, we all set off on this adventure. The sea was calm, there was a nice breeze, and we departed from Kingston without a glitch. Ife was beaming with pride that he could show off his sailing skills to all his friends, and we were all admiring the wide ocean views while listening to Willem’s stories from yesteryear. Ben preferred to try some trawl fishing, something he hadn’t had a chance to practice much being on land most of the time. And at slow speed, he managed to catch enough bream for a good meal for all of us, which got Ranil really excited. Our first evening on board was a feast of Filipino style bream, with a lentil paste and biryani rice. Silom had to content with some eggs to replace the fish. Some Bob Marley cocktails (Jamaican Rum Punch) accompanied the meal and we all got quite sleepy after a whole day of ocean air and merriment. Ife decided to turn on the automatic pilot for the night cruise, and given we were in open waters and the ocean was calm, this seemed a safe and sensible way to go. The next morning, we were woken up by the smell of wentelteefjes, a Dutch recipe for French toast, suggested by Willem, who assisted Ranil in preparing it. This was served with Jamaican style coffee, but without the rum as we needed to stay sharp for the trip ahead. Ife mentioned he would need some assistance with the sailing, and although some of us had no experience, we were all keen as mustard to have a go. Silom took hold of the helm, while Ife changed some of the sails to increase the speed of the yacht. Willem was at the radio listening in for messages, while Harry and Ben were tidying up the deck from leftover fishing gear, plates and cups and deck chairs left from the previous night. Ranil was washing up and tidying the kitchen area. As for me, I was trying to read nautical charts to assist with our direction. My science background on issues related to water were not much help, because they did not relate to sea faring transport. Our Scotsman Ryan was working out our budget for the trip; once we would land in Santiago de Cuba the spending would start, and he wanted to make sure our money would last the whole trip. Apart from some choppy waters when we arrived at Santiago, the second day of the trip was uneventful, and we were excited to enter the harbour. How would Cuba be different from Jamaica? How would we make ourselves understood in Spanish? What to expect from this big wedding party? Willem and I were confident that with our limited knowledge of French, we would be able to manage to pick up survival Spanish quick enough. Ife also knew the language from his many trips, so we would manage as a group.

Once landed, Ife had already organised for his cousin to welcome us and take us to the hacienda where the wedding would take place. The eight of us were taken for a drive in two vintage Chevy Bell air convertibles into the mountains, about one hour away from the seaport. There we were treated to some stunning views across the ocean, from the sugar cane farm situated at the foot of the mountain ranges. Many guests were already there, and the colourful dresses, hairstyles and animated discussions made us feel as if we were suddenly part of a movie set. Our arrival caused a lot of interest: Who were all these friends of Uncle Ife that had arrived, who could not even speak any Spanish?

Many guests started to mingle with us, and in no time did we lose each other amongst the crowd. Much of the conversation was done in sign language, something which Latinos are very used to, until the music started. Suddenly, we were all expected to join in with salsa dancing, and it was not a problem finding a partner, as the women were keen to test out our dancing skills. Ife took part in the singing and playing, and made a whole show of it, to the great admiration of us all. While we were all getting in the swing of things, suddenly the music stopped, and the bride and groom were announced. There they were, walking down the aisle together stunningly dressed, beaming with happiness, and accompanied by their parents, best men and bridesmaids. The vows taken in Spanish, the catholic priest’s blessing, and the speeches that followed were a truly romantic event, even though we didn’t understand the language much at all. After this, we all were seated on very long tables, and the food was served.

Lechón Asado (roasted pork), was a main dish on obvious display: a whole pork roasted on a spit was carved up, and served with rice, beans and plantains. Many side dishes were also part of the feast and it seemed to go on forever. Towards the end, people started getting shrouded in cigar smoke, because Cuban Havana’s are a still a must in this part of the world. But it didn’t matter anymore, and we were happy to sleep in a bed at the hacienda that night. Ranil was happy to eat someone else’s food for a change, and he got inspired to try out cooking some new dishes himself. The following days were spent sightseeing Santiago and buying some souvenirs to take back home. Ryan, who was managing the collective budget, had given each of us some money that we could spend on incidentals. But given the limited range of souvenirs and the Scottish and Dutch tendencies to spent frugally, they set an example that most of us followed, except for Cuban rum, very much loved by Ife, Ranil and Silom.

In the end, we sailed back to Jamaica and profoundly thanked Ife for this opportunity: A trip of a lifetime lasting ten days, and all starting for me with a simple greeting Waa Gwaan!

Patrick

P.S. Pieter will publish the next post on 17 August 2025, titled: “A DayTrip to Montville”.