I felt like running for the hills when the mob came at me with pieces of meat and sharpened utensils. There were perhaps, seven of them, all holding something or the other. They came at me with menacing speed except, of course, for the heavy woman in the back who took a while longer to get started.

I was at St Ann's well-known eating spot, known simply to most as Faith's Pen. Now, those who have been there expect to be hounded by the eager vendors competing for a sale, but it never ceases to cause even a bit of anxiety when the sellers launch into attack mode.

"Sell yuh piece a yam, boss? Yuh want a quarter chicken? Jerk pork? Anyting fi drink?"

My head was spinning, but luckily a bus filled with tourists arrived just then. I immediately became small potatoes, so the crowd of vendors ditched me and headed straight for more lucrative prospects.

Last hope for sale

I must admit that the sudden departure of the crowd left me feeling a bit lonely in the ensuing seconds, but thankfully, the heavy woman who arrived later than the rest was too winded to start another run for the bus. This left me as her last hope for a sale.

"Buying something, sweetheart?" she asked. It seemed a cruel act to send her back without a sale, especially after the effort she had put in just to get to me, plus, she was the only one who didn't abandon me for the bus. So, I decided I would have a drink. I walked back to her stall with her, where she retrieved a bottle from a freezer and handed it to me.

The woman, about 50-something years old, goes by the name Miss Jane. She has a friendly face and sports a gold tooth that you can't help but stare at when she smiles.

"So what yuh doing in these parts?" she asked. I told Miss Jane that I was actually on my way to Ocho Rios when I decided to stop.

"Yes, man. Most people who stop here dem is either going or coming from Ochi," she said, smiling.

Distracted by the tooth

I caught myself staring at the gold tooth again, but quickly snapped out of it and asked her if she had been selling there for a long time.

"Oh yes, mi child. I selling here from before yuh born," she laughed again. This time I forced myself not to look at the tooth and quickly asked her if she enjoyed selling there.

"Well, yes yuh know. Mi not as young as one time, so mi can't run like di young foot dem, but mi have mi regular long time customer dem who will come straight to me," said Miss Jane.

I asked her if sales were still going well.

"Well, yes yuh know, for we nuh really raise up di price dem. Times hard pan most people so at least dem must can come eat piece ah yam or pork and nuh broke dem pocket," she said.

"When worries reach people ah Kingston, dem teck a drive go Ochi go cool out, so we just deh here fi meck sure dem enjoy demself."

robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com