Free From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison Page B

forthwith that they could not and would not let the red helmet clock go and so they laid claim to it. It has remained there ever since.
    After noting the time by the clock tower, the girls would dismount and leave the horses in the care of one of their relatives in Lucea, after which they would sometimes go to visit the Lucea Parish Church and pay their respects to some of theirrelatives who were buried in the churchyard. They would go by the Lucea Hospital at Fort Charlotte (named after George III ’s queen) and Rusea’s High School, built towards the end of the eighteenth century with money left by a Frenchman, Martin Rusea, in thankfulness for the safe harbour and hospitality that he had found in Lucea. These were the town’s main landmarks, situated fairly close together on the promontory overlooking the harbour. With the imposing Dolphin Head Mountains rising as high as two thousand feet, and an abundance of cabbage palms and tall coconut trees forming a lush backdrop to the azure harbour, the town of Lucea was a small but steady source of light.
    The eligible young men of Lucea gathered to feast their eyes on the Harvey girls whenever they came to town. These included the young men who worked as clerks at the courthouse and as civil servants in the few colonial government offices in existence at that time, such as the Collector of Taxes. Some of them were apprenticed as surveyors in the Lands Department, and a few were members of Her Majesty’s Jamaica Constabulary Force, but the Harvey girls would not consider giving the time of day to a policeman. For some reason (probably to do with their Irish grandfather, George O’Brian Wilson) their mother, Margaret, had a fierce prejudice against policemen and soldiers. Another of her edicts, in addition to “No child of mine will ever rule me,” was “No policeman or soldier will ever sit in one of my chairs.”
    Dressed to the nines to come shopping for yet more fabric, the girls would go directly to Mr. Jim Reid’s store on the Lucea main street. Mr. Reid, a slender, well-dressed, and soft-spoken man, was known for his exquisite taste. He stocked the finest cloths, lace, buttons, buckles, belting and trimmings, accessories, lingerie, and millinery, as he referred to his hats. Mr. Reid wasunmarried. Such a pity, for any woman would have been glad to have him dress her every day. He adored the beautiful Rose. “Look Miss Rose, I ordered this blush pink crepe de chine with you in mind, and these carioca kid shoes are perfect, just perfect.” Mr. Reid smelled nicely of Florida water. On Sundays he wore a crisp white drill suit and an expertly blocked Panama hat. He had a friend, Mr. Dixon, who owned a bicycle built for two. On Sunday afternoons, Mr. Reid and Mr. Dixon would go bicycling along the coast road, their well-seamed trouser legs secured by matching bicycle clips.
    Shagoury’s was the other store frequented by the Harvey girls. The goods there were not of the same quality as those stocked by Mr. Reid. Doris used the first one-pound paycheque from her job as a pupil-teacher to buy a pair of pumps from Shagoury’s. Mr. Shagoury, who was not too long from Lebanon, recommended the shoes highly, saying, “these shoes strong, you wear them till they bark.” Maybe that was a popular saying in his native country. But the shoes fell apart after a few weeks. The uppers and the sole separated, creating a flapping, gaping space in the front of the shoes when she walked. Her brother Howard said that was what Mr. Shagoury meant when he referred to the shoes “barking,” for they now looked as if they had open mouths.
    They would also shop at Emmanuel’s Haberdashery, sometimes for special linens and lingerie, for each Harvey girl expected to be married, and they each had a bottom drawer. After shopping, they would visit their Aunt Fanny’s bakery on what was called Back Lane, to buy fresh breads and pastries