Safety

Early into my service, my sons came to the island for a couple of reasons. One reason was to see and enjoy the beauty of the island. They came here because they hadn’t been to a Caribbean Island. They also came here to look around, see how I live and to get assurance that I am safe so they could relax. At times, I find this annoying. Other times, I ignore it. On rare occasions, I find it very sweet.

Melisa is my friend and a facilitator in the After-School Program where I work in the next village. It is Tuesday and she will be here any moment. She takes the bus to come to my village each Tuesday and Thursday morning. She stays here for most of the morning working on my laptop. I have been teaching her Microsoft Office and little things on the internet. She will learn new skills and pass them on to others.

On most weekdays, I board a bus at 2:30 for a ten minute ride to the nearby village where the after-school program is located. The bus lets me off on the road and it’s only a ten minute walk to the school where the children will be waiting. Sometimes it is dark when I head home but the village is safe and I’ve never felt uncomfortable.

I walk back up the road to the main highway and usually only wait a couple of minutes for a bus. There are always people standing around the area and I’m rarely alone.

Lately, I’ve noticed Melisa standing on the other side of the road while I wait for a bus. On some occasions, when I’ve just walked in the door, my phone rings and it is her. It took me a little while to see what was happening. I wonder…humm. Jay, Kevin and Brendan: have you been talking to Melisa? Nah, your reach cannot possibly be this far!