Do not shoplift. Do not take up the people things. If you do not have any money, come out of the people stores and go home.
It was impossible not to hear those words of advice blasting from a loudspeaker anytime you went into town. And at the other end of that loudspeaker was a old fella, bathed in sweat, pacing up and down Swan Street, but focused on getting his message across.
I would often hear him first before I saw him, and at times I would wonder if everything upstairs was okay because I could not understand why a man would leave home with a loudspeaker and spend the whole day in Town telling people not to shoplift.
Well, I understand that he passed away recently. He brought life to The City and will be missed.
His name was Hartley Farmer and may he rest in peace.
Anyhow, Sunday is Father’s Day. Yes, believe it or not, there is a day set aside for us fathers. Albeit, it runs a distant second to Mother’s Day, but it has been gaining popularity over the past few years.
I remember a few years ago, a friend of mine li’l daughter was at kindergarten school, and as was the norm, the children made special cards to take home to the mums for Mother’s Day. However, when Father’s Day came around, it passed like a full bus; not a card, not a drawing, nothing to take home to dad wishing him happy Father’s Day.
So out of curiosity he asked the teacher why they did not do anything special for Father’s Day. She explained that many of the children in the class did not know anything about their fathers, some didn’t even know who their fathers were, and it was only a handful who saw their fathers on a regular basis, so she did not want to make the others feel bad and left out by allowing those few to make cards and make a fuss about their fathers, so she chose to play down the day. Unfortunate, yes, but true.
Anyhow, I want wunna to know that we fathers watching how the mothers does get treat for Mother’s Day and we want some of that nice treatment too for Father’s Day.
The same way you don’t give mum a new broom or mop for Mother’s Day, don’t be buying us no lawnmower, weedwhacker or hoe. We are on to this trick ’bout buying tools for us. Tools mean work.
Secondly, we like to smell good too. So the same way mum cologne and perfume does get buy from on Broad Street, with a recognisable brand name that she does brag about and that she does only need a li’l dab to keep smelling nice all day, we want the same kinda treatment.
Email: madderic@hotmail.com.
