Adventures In Journalism 2

As my birthday approaches I realize that it is going to fall on Discovery Day- the day that Columbus re-discovered” the Bahamas. I decided to do some re-discovery of myself. Yes I would go out and rediscover the girl in me, the fearless one who loved a wild party and could boogey down with the best of them. I think to myself a card and a hug just will not do this time around after all it is not everyday that your age falls off the calendar. That’s right, no longer a spring chicken I am now some thing of an autumn hen? Whatever! I love my life but birthdays only remind me of how old I am getting. While I am supposedly getting wiser, picking gray hairs from my chin is not a pastime I adore. So yes just for the heck of it I plan a girls’ night out, a kind of rebellious coming of age. For this night I bring along my younger unlined, non graying girlfriends- did I mention I am a sucker for punishment? I send out emails to three of my closest friends and a new one who I recently met. Then call them everyday for a week to remind them about our night out the following Friday.

Well as Friday approaches I decide to find some new duds at my favorite spot in the whole of Nassau- Sexy Thang on Robinson Road- trust me when I say whenever I have been out in the last couple of months I never fail to draw stares wearing some of the trendiest clothing and jewellery from that boutique- After finding what I am looking for I head home to rest so that I can prepare for my night out. My husband is babysitting and he is a little annoyed that I am leaving him behind on my birthday, but he loves me, so he will do anything for me to be happy-besides Direct TV is on and our fifteen year old is there for him to foist the baby off on while he watches basketball and ultimately falls asleep with his mouth wide open for my six year old to practice his free throws. My kids are all happy that it is my birthday and the six year old wants to come with me on my girls’ night out. Resting is out of the question as he plagues me with questions about where I am going etc. I look at the clock and it is almost time for me to meet my friends. I hurry to get ready.
My baby is wearing my makeup (in her hair) and my high heel shoes when I get out of the shower. She screams bloody murder as I extricate my earrings from her hair. My six year old son is running up and down playing pirate with my bra over his eyes muttering, “Walk di plunk mon” (too much Sponge Bob). My underwear is on his head. I breathe a sigh of relief as my fifteen year old bustles them through the door. Motherhood is no joke.

Finally I am fully dressed and as I apply face powder my phone rings. It is my Trinidadian friend Marielle. She is at the Shell Gas Station on Saunders Beach which is close to my house so I tell her to stay put and with a final look at myself and pecks to the cheeks of my little family I am off.
Marielle is dressed in a little black top. She looks good as do I- not bad for a Grande Dame I think conceitedly to myself primping in the rearview mirror. She hands me a bottle of some good red wine (my birthday gift) which I will polish off later. We arrive at the meeting spot and even though we are late by twenty minutes it’s just the two of us so we go inside and wait. Bodine my other intrepid partner in crime arrives next. She is rocking some serious heels and she has decided to wear a skirt and pastel spaghetti strap top, she looks good. After a couple more minutes it is apparent that the other two ladies are not going to make it to the girls’ night out so we decide to leave my car and once again I am a passenger in the “Bo-mobile” (Adventures in Journalism 1). We talk about our plans for this night and then we are off. The general consensus is dinner and then some serious club hopping with a little work mixed in Bodine is covering the Soca Party at the Old 601 night club.

We arrive at Johnny Canoe, one of the best “hang out with your friends” restaurants in the Bahamas. It is jam packed and we join a queue of persons waiting for tables. Initially I want to sit where the band is on the balcony but we opt to go inside and within minutes we are seated. Bodine whispers something to the Maitre D and does her run way walk all the way to our table. Marielle and I exchange grins then take in the ambience of the packed restaurant. As soon as we sit down our waitress presents us with our menus and the celebration begins in our mouths. Iced tea is my drink of choice and conch fritters dripping with a dip that is so delicious I want to lap it up off of the plate. Marielle and I decide to share because we want to leave space for the actual meal- Bodine orders Southern Fried Onions and I think to myself she had better not whisper anything to anyone tonight. The appetizer is barely on the table when the waitress once again appears with our orders. I am having pork chops with peas and rice and Cole slaw I do not care what the others are having I just want to eat. I push the conch fritters aside and dig into the succulent meat. I look up between bites and the other ladies are not being cute about eating either. I wonder aloud if I have gravy on my chin but they are too busy “chowing” down to answer. Yup, I think to myself ladies night out is on.




All of a sudden what is this I hear? goatskins pounding, whistles, bells and horns harmonizing? Dang! It’s a rush out. In the middle of the restaurant come costumed men and boys playing sweet junkanoo music as if they are on Bay Street. My ear drums and heart join in. The tourists love it and I am in my element. The waitresses form a line in front of the rushers and dance all through the restaurant. I smilingly ask the waitress for the cheque as we are all finished and ready to go shake our groove things.Bodine sees a friend and goes to say hello. All of a sudden I see the waitresses singing and dancing towards me. I think wow! Johnny Canoe has a little cabaret show going on here! They are all looking at me intently now and all of a sudden happy birthday is being sung to me in the most original manner ever. I am floored and I am literally grinning from ear to ear. I love this. They give me guava duff with one birthday candle on top and it is the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life.

After we leave the restaurant we get a free pass into the Living Room in The Nassau Beach Hotel. We leave after a while because it’s not yet hopping. The Club happy people are just waking up I think to myself. We go on to Café Habana a quaint Cuban Restaurant downtown. We are greeted like celebrities by the owner who opens up the bar and gives us free tequila shots. Marielle a professional dancer mops up the floor with the competition and we leave them in our dust as we forward to the main event the soca party at the former 601 night club where we dance the night away.