Moving Moments.

This is a family story told by everyone affected. The events I witnessed, but I am only the writer now. The two children and a housekeeper will tell what they saw. The head of household will finish the tale. Moving countries can be traumatic, especially for children. They often slide along but that is not to be presumed. If things start well, they usually end well. Now, the story.

The men came to Sandy Lane and they started to unload a big truck with a lot of cargo.

When the men started to unload they brought in pictures, chairs, and a television.

These were elderly men ,who worked slowly and inefficiently. We asked them why no young men were in their crew/team. They said "They are sitting on the block." They also said that the boys had taken on 'our' culture: we are Jamaicans. The man meant that the boys were becoming Rastafarian. We got angry and told him that Rastas are not all of Jamaica and that he should not talk about another culture if he does not really understand what he is talking about.

The men also brought in kitchen items and bookshelves.

They brought in paddle boards. One is red and yellow, the other is green and blue. They are made from plastic, and have a warning sign that tells me that they are not life saving devices. Do not leave child unattended while in use.

The crew worked for seven hours, and took breaks for water and lunch (30 minutes). As the day wore on, the men seemed tired and looked haggard.

One of the children became restless and asked her 'uncle' (the author) if they could go for a drive. We went to a hotel to say a quick hello to some of 'uncle's' friends and we also went to a restaurant to have lunch. I ate chicken nuggets with fries and BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER and CARROTS. But I did not eat them. My 'uncle' tried to force me to eat the vegetables but it did not work. But he made me take them home for later. My face was not happy.

After lunch, the two children went into the pool for a swim. They did cannonballs. They did underwater handstands. When the boy came out of the pool, he cut his foot on a piece of metal. His foot bled and he trailed blood all over the patio. His 'uncle' cleaned up the wound.

As the team worked, we noticed one member who never went upstairs. He would unload from the truck and just climb two stairs with his box and wait for one of the others to take boxes from him.

It was now late afternoon and they continued to move things at their own pace. There was a new face: he started to help; he did not look as old as the others. With him, worked speeded up a little, and they finally finished the job after seven hours.

"You coming back tomorrow?" Asked the renter. "God willing," said one of the men. They are due to come to assemble beds.