Dear Editor,

Here is a story I told to bunch of children I saw playing ‘de other day.’

A long time ago a family outing was planned to somewhere in the mines (McKenzie, where bauxite mining took place) and which was a frequent location chosen for outings/picnicking. But this kind of activity for us was infrequent and whenever it came about we (children) would get all excited and long for the day to dawn. So we were all set in our minds until the day before when my mother informed us that we would no longer be going. These trips were virtually free, since there was no fee for transportation, but money was required for the preparation of the food basket-food for about the eight of us who were going. And so our excitement vanished! No money, no food, no outing.

Later on that very day I was sent to the market, and along the way I found a ten dollar note − that brown piece of paper, man! I couldn’t wait to get back home. We children were trained differently back then; in no way was I going to spend that money. To buy what? When I got home and gave it to my mother in all excitement, she followed through with questions: You find this? Where? Whilst going? Anybody see when yuh pick it up? Then finally, “Ah right, keep yuh mouth shut, we going to the outing.” She then began preparing the basket, and I can vividly remember what that $10 took care of. In our food basket was chicken chowmein, roti and curry, cook-up, channa, patties, sandwiches, sponge cake, buns and sweet drinks (bottle). And as a reward for my find, she bought me a brown pair of socks and a lime green short-sleeved shirt!

This story came back to me quite recently while watching children playing some of the games that we adults played when we were like them. I intervened and began chatting with them. A few of them had money between $10 and $100 but it was difficult to get them to make the connection or fathom the value that one hundred dollars carried then. It was strange telling them that $20 was the car fare from Linden to Georgetown when they were paying $20 for an icicle; that one dollar is made up of one hundred cents.

I amazed, bemused and amused my audience with my ‘fairy tale’ story of times gone. They took out their money and looked hard at it in pure amusement, and loaded me with questions. Such is the changing and diminished value of money through time.

Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe