guyana5

Saturday, 7 A.M.

The pots and pans were scrubbed and laid out to dry. The smell of breakfast and lunch wafted into the bedroom of the sleeping parents. Mrs. B. opened her eyes then nudged her husband, saying, "You smell that?"

Startled from his sleep Mr. Sing bolted into a sitting position looking around him then at his wife and anxiously asked, "What? What? Fire?"

Exasperated, she replied, "No man, then gal must ah been up since four day morning. Can't you smell the food?"

Scratching his head, he glanced at the clock by their bedside and smiled.

"You know what day it is, right? So why you so surprise? They bribing us you know?"

In the kitchen, below the stilted house Sheila and Rita busied themselves putting the finishing touch to shelves, rearranging, filling empty bottles. When everything was to their satisfaction, and hoped silently to their mothers', they both at the same time asked, "You think they are up?"

Looking at each other they burst out laughing. Rita, the eldest, said, "I hope they let we go to the movies, we got those new dress and shoes and everything. Besides we did all the housework for at least the whole day?"

"Well it all depends on Ma", Sheila replied.

Hearing the sound of footsteps coming down the steps into the kitchen, they both ran into the open yard, looking at nothing in particular. Then their father called out, "Sheila? Rita? Come, come. What you hiding for?"

He could see his daughter giggling nervously pulling at each other saying, "You go first?"

"Okay girls come on, your mother is not here yet?"

They approached him slowly then Rita the elder of the two said, "Well you see Pa, we want to see that new movie with Hema Malini and Dharmandra."

"Oh you mean Sholay. Yes man, nice movie. You know, I see it in Georgetown three weeks ago."

"What you see three weeks ago?!?"

Turning around they saw Mrs. B. smiling. That was a good sign.

"So I see you girls going to the movies, who else going?"

Sheila answered, "Well mom, is me, and Rita and some of the girls down the street."

Nodding her head in approval, Mrs. B. replied, "Very good, they is good girls, but still be careful. Don't let no boys come sit next to you. We don't need neighbors talking now."

"So what time the picture start?" Both girls replied, "11:30".

Then Mrs. B said, "So get yourselves ready, and look nice now, both you hear?"

As I reflect towards the memories of the past, I can't help to think that those were the days that made our busy lives exciting ... Those Saturdays at the movies.