Pa’s helper

Satiricus is a simple man. An uncomplicated man. He admired those who can sacrifice their own lives for the good of others. He would’ve liked to do some good himself. Like Dr Jagan. But he admitted he just couldn’t forego all the good things in life he would have to if he went down that road. Like bending his elbow with the boys at the back street dive. And of course, his wife would certainly walk out if he wandered in at all kinds of hours. Satiricus always felt Cheddi had made a good choice because he found a wife who agreed to help people.
“Bai, Pressie gie dat MaxBell good, eh?” chortled Cappo. “Imagine he seh dat Comrade was pulling de strings fuh Comrade Cheddi.”
“Budday, wha you gon say?” replied Suresh. “Those fellas live in white man country and tek orders all day from them. They believe only white people can tell we what to do. So if Cheddi marry a white woman, then she had to be the one telling he what to do!”
“Pressie right. Blasted racist!” blurted out Kuldeep.
“But you got to look at the real reason why MaxBell and the rest of KFC pushing the line that Janet was the one who really made Jagan communist.” The rest of the table put down their bottles and leaned forward. Kuldeep didn’t speak much but when he did, he made sense.
“They preparing for the next election. They going after the Indian vote and they know they can’t cuss down Cheddi but they want to cuss down he policies which Pressie following.”
“Ah can see wha deh doin’ now!” jumped in Cappo. “If deh get people fo believe all de policies come from Janet den and de cuss de plans, dem get off scotch free!”
“Dem gon suck cane and blow whistle same time,” agreed his cane-cutting partner Bungi, shaking his head ruefully.
“I notice KFC praising up Cheddi and saying how they gon save he legacy and all that,” noted Hari. “I was wondering what was goin’ on.”
“They think people cyaan pick sense from nonsense,” said Suresh heatedly. “Cheddi daady was a cane cutter, his big brother was a cane cutter. When he talk about ‘working class’, he know what de ass he talking about. He didn’t need Janet to tell him that.”
Teacher Samad had been listening carefully as usual and he decided to throw in his two cents now.
“Listen chaps. Jagan was just like Chávez, born in a mud house. Was no white woman teach Jagan and no white woman teach Chávez. Experience was their teacher.”
“So Jagan was just lucky to get a wife who agree with him?” asked Satiricus.
“Damned right!” everybody said in unison.
Satiricus smiled. Maybe tonight he would talk to his wife on staying out and helping people.