One Mother's Pain

Chapter 1 In January 1955, momentous times lay ahead for one young woman living in Jamaica, she was about to embark on a life-changing journey to Britain. Sitting under a large, shady almond tree, she contemplated what might lay ahead. The Jamaican nation was also in expectant mood. Their hopes soared high when a young Jamaican solider, Norman Manley, was awarded the Military Medal for serving in the Royal Field Artillery during World War I. He was a brilliant scholar, athlete, and, lawyer. Driven by his political ambition, Manley founded and went on to lead the People’s National Party (PNP) to a triumphant win in the general election earlier that month, becoming the chief minister of Jamaica. Did the mild earthquake which occurred on election day foreshadow events that would subsequently change the fortunes of both the PNP and the young woman? It would remain to be seen. The earthquake in no way dampened the spirit of the nation. Neither did it deter the process of decolonisation, which could now begin in earnest. Chapter 2 Across the Atlantic, ten years after World War II, Britain was bankrupt. It would require an immense effort by the government to reboot the economy and rebuild the country’s extensively damaged infrastructure. There was an urgent need to resolve labour shortages caused by the mobilisation of armed forces, the necessary expansion of the merchant navy, as well as the government’s need to control industries that had been vital to the war effort, such as steel and agriculture. The country also faced a chronic shortfall of nurses. To address the crisis, Britain reached out to its commonwealth countries through collaborative recruitment campaigns. An advertisement posted in a local newspaper in search of trainee nurses caught the attention of Miss Mae, a talented dressmaker living in Jamaica. Her curiosity was aroused. As a firm believer that a child’s interest should not only be acknowledged but followed, she recognised that this might be a chance for her eldest daughter to make a fresh start and realise her childhood dream of becoming a qualified nurse. She learned from her enquiries that the British government had devised various schemes to assist with fares to Britain. She hastened to arrange for her daughter to attend a recruitment session. The young woman easily met the criteria, which required that candidates were aged between 18 to 30 years old, literate, and willing to sign a three-year contract. If she was accepted, she would undertake her nursing training in Britain. The opportunity undoubtedly raised several issues for the young woman. She questioned her ability to cope with the training. How would she manage her reaction at the sight of an injured patient’s blood? Would she be able to successfully administer patient’s injections or dress their wounds adequately? Further, and most importantly, she had to consider the needs of her three young children. She knew only too well that the implications for the children included them remaining with her family in Jamaica for a minimum of three years, possibly even longer. What really excited her most of all was the idea of being free, for the first time in her life, from Miss Mae’s, jurisdiction, and that of George Horton, the father of her two youngest children, Delton and Denise. Her ties to Thadius Granger, the father of her eldest daughter, Jumokah, had been severed by him some four years earlier. Miss Mae was the matriarchal head of her household. Her family had resided in Connor Town, since her childhood. Her father, a building contractor, originally from the suburban parish of St James in the county of Cornwall, had built two adjoining houses on Bloomberg Street. The larger of the two properties were sold at the time of his death. She had continued living in the remaining property with her husband, Papa Gustavia, their five children, and her eldest sister, Rose-Anne. As her travel plans progressed, the young woman was mindful of Miss Mae’s input and her efforts to make the trip possible. Being a nurse may be all she had ever dreamed of doing, but she was terrified of letting her mother down. Therefore, the prospect of living independently in Britain away from her family, was overshadowed somewhat by these and another growing concern which, for the time being, she chose to keep secret from her family. Miss Mae, on the other hand, saw beyond the possibilities that the training programme offered, she was determined to use it as a means of getting her daughter as far away as possible from the influence of George Horton. Chapter 3 The entire family stood together in the front garden as the young woman waited by the gate in readiness to leave. She glanced fleetingly at a fragrant rose bush growing in the middle of the garden. She would later recall that it was ladened with delicate peach-coloured blossoms. Her children were unaware that she would not be returning for some time. “Where yu a go Mummy? Can we come with yu?” they implored petulantly as they ran towards her. She knew that their heart-rending plea would continue to haunt her long after she left the island. Embracing each of them in turn, she kissed them tenderly. But it was her youngest daughter, Denise, who moved her intensely. Her fragile health had always been a worry. She reluctantly released Denise from her arms before handing her over to her mother and her aunt Rose-Anne. Between them, they would care for her children. Turning away sharply, she climbed hurriedly into a waiting taxi which would to take her to Kingston Harbour. She waved through the window until it was unbearable for her to look at her children any longer. “Please, let’s go now,” she urged the driver. The car roared into life and sped away from the house. She whispered doubtfully to herself, “I hope me a do the right thing?” before sinking back heavily into the car seat.