Curepe. Thursday. 6:15 PM. The cart is going. Slight pepper for everybody. The news on the radio. A bench against the wall. Five people who do not know each other’s names but know each other’s order.
FIRST VOICE (lady with the BWIA carry-on, going home from town): You hear about this desalination ting?
SECOND VOICE (man with the high-vis vest, just off shift): Three plant.
FIRST VOICE: THREE.
THIRD VOICE (older gentleman, newspaper in one hand, doubles in the other): And how long it taking?
SECOND VOICE: Long.
THIRD VOICE: Define long.
SECOND VOICE: Pass me the pepper.
FOURTH VOICE (lady on her phone, only half-paying-attention): (to phone) Yes mummy, I going. (to cart) Doubles. Slight. (to phone) I just here for one second.
FIFTH VOICE (young fella with the headphones, taking one earbud out): Allyuh see they lift the gas cap in Jamaica?
FIRST VOICE: Same week.
FIFTH VOICE: SAME WEEK.
SECOND VOICE: And they raise it.
FIFTH VOICE: By four-fifty.
THIRD VOICE: (turning to him) Per litre?
FIFTH VOICE: PER LITRE.
THIRD VOICE: (shaking his head, biting doubles) Mm.
FIRST VOICE: And in Barbados they bringing a points system.
SECOND VOICE: For what?
FIRST VOICE: Immigration. They counting points. Education. Lineage. Money in the bank.
FOURTH VOICE: (off phone, briefly engaged) So if I had a Bajan grandfather I getting points?
FIRST VOICE: If you can prove it.
FOURTH VOICE: He born in Bridgetown.
FIRST VOICE: You have papers?
FOURTH VOICE: (pause) He born in Bridgetown.
THIRD VOICE: (without looking up) That ain’t papers.
SECOND VOICE: (to the cart man) Two more. Slight.
CART MAN: (without speaking, building doubles)
FIFTH VOICE: (to second voice) You watching the cricket Sunday?
SECOND VOICE: Pride playing?
FIFTH VOICE: Yeah.
SECOND VOICE: Then I watching.
THIRD VOICE: (folding his newspaper) Allyuh see what the Government doing about the catchment pond?
ALL OTHER VOICES: (silence)
THIRD VOICE: That’s what I thought.
FOURTH VOICE: (back on phone) Mummy, I coming. Yes. I bringing six. Yes the slight kind. (pause) I PROMISE.
FIRST VOICE: (to nobody in particular) You know what they should do? They should take the same money for the desalination, put it in the catchment pond, and we done.
SECOND VOICE: That’s logic.
THIRD VOICE: That’s why it ain’t happening.
FIFTH VOICE: (picking up his bag, putting his earbud back in) Anyway. Allyuh have a good one.
FIRST VOICE: Goodnight.
SECOND VOICE: (nods)
THIRD VOICE: (opening newspaper again) See you Thursday.
FOURTH VOICE: (to phone, already walking) Six. Slight. I have them. I HAVE them. Yes.
The cart is still going. The doubles is still slight. The radio is still on. It is 6:23 PM in Curepe. The conversation will continue. Some of the people here tonight have never spoken before this evening. Some will never speak again. The doubles cart will be here tomorrow, and the Thursday after that, and the one after that, and that — barring procurement delays — is the closest thing this island has to a parliament.
Doubles Cart at 6:15 is a satirical voice column. The voices are fictional. The cart is, in spirit, every cart. Views expressed are dramatic exaggerations for comedic effect.