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Hugo's Recollections


As you well know, "stories and anecdotes" of the good ol' days, will tend to "border on the truth" depending who is telling them. So I would caution you to use them prudently and "strictly in-house" and since the whole idea is "para el deleite de todos nosotros", there is one which I can imagine to have happened as I am telling it, even though I cannot "quote any reliable sources".

Scenario:
The Lago Heights Club Recreation Committee and Club members are having a formal meeting (complete with Chairman, Secretary, etc. etc.). The Chairman has opened the floor to suggestions on a number of topics and one of the persons who just made a "sensible" suggestion is Mr. Leoncio Sharpe, my eldest brother.

"En aquel entonces" (in those days) as we all know, we had a resident of the 8 hundred street, who, even though was married to a Bonairiana, did not speak anything Papiamento; he only spoke St. Maarten English. Their only daughter was known to "us boys" as "Aunque me cueste la vida" or "Mucho corazon".

"Veegeel" as we knew him, had the "onhebbelijke gewoonte" (insufferable habit) to challenge each and everyone and always was to have his "ideas" prevail, even though may of them were downright "chimbo" (asinine).

The meeting, being a formal one, and conducted according to the conventions and rules of this kind of meetings, the Chairman, after having heard the motion made by Leo, asked the assembly if anyone would second the motion.

Veegeel, as being his "costumbre" (custom) got up and started to talk, but before he could continue, the Chairman asked him:
"Sir, do you recognize the previous speaker?", upon which Veegeel replied:
"O'yo hear dat? He aks me if oi recongise the speaker. What he take me fo'? Somekine a fool? Everybody know who the previous speaker is, bu' juss to please the Chairman let me tell o'yo, dat oi know dat boy from time he use to play marbles in de yard. He name Leo Sharpe, he is one of Chawny boys and everybody call him "Mambo" because he does wiggle he behind when he standup in the batters' box. If da' ain recognising a person, den oi doan know how else to describe 'im."



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