Manmay LaKay Magazine Issue 2 April 2018 | Page 90

“I had a bunch of family photos in my
wallet. Among them was a photo of one
of my sisters who lived in Barbados at
the time. The Super saw the photo and
fell in love,” James chuckled.
“We were paid 50 cents for the first
couple of hampers. The others would
be 75 cents and a dollar for the last
one. The plantations were infested
with snakes but we were only allowed
to kill the rattle snakes,” he recalled.
“When the snakes saw us they’d hiss
away except for the rattle snakes.”
James never got bit but he didn’t
always feel well. He recounts when
illness kept him from working.
“I needed clearance to go back to the fields,
but my Super wouldn’t let me. He said I
wasn’t well enough. I told him that I needed
money to feed my children. And within two
days as opposed to several days I was given
my money, and was told I could go back to
work.”
James said it was a no work, no pay policy.
And with mouths to feed and the ultimate
sacrifice to fulfill, he reported back to work
and worked every day until his contract
ended and returned home.
Now almost 50 years later, he was back on
American soil
On January 28th 2014, James turned 75. To