AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

My name is Alvin Alexis and I run a car park in San Fernando.

Running a car park. That’s what I do right now.

And I can’t do nothing more until I get my shoulder back in order.

I am born and bred in San Fernando.

I’ve lived in Vistabella all my life. Never left.

Boy days were nice because, them times, they didn’t have no crime and thing going on. You could play pitch, bounce ball, buss bamboo, make box-cart, all them thing.

Children still bussing bamboo now, but they not making box-cart again. I have to make one for my nephew-them.

I not so young that I don’t know about spinning top. I’s 48 years.

I’m married to Bernadette and we have three children, Colin, aged 13, Celine, 11, and Claude, seven.

I started my family late. The majority of my friends had children before me. Their children are big fellas. I’m the only one behind.

This one decide she ent ready for children. That one not sure.

I just pull away from them. I ready to start and all you just studying to lime!

Things real good family-wise now.

I met Bernadette when I was on the Chaguanas MovieTowne construction site and she came in as a trainee. We teach them how to lay blocks, plaster and thing.

It wasn’t unusual to have females in construction at the time. They have plenty now. And some of them better than you, yes!

I went San Fernando Methodist Primary, then Pleasantville Junior and Pleasantville Senior.

I liked school. But I wasn’t so good at it. In maths, yeah! English? Not so good.

While I was going to school, too, I was doing a little construction work with my father. That’s where I picked it up. He worked on the Scotiabank building, all kind of thing. He would carry me on jobs.

I grow up RC but I do my children in Revival Time. On the wharf right there.

When I wanted to married, the Catholic church didn’t want to marry me and my wife, ‘cause she had a divorce. Them don’t believe in them kinda thing.

[caption id="attachment_991633" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Alvin Alexis - Mark Lyndersay[/caption]

But when two people can’t make it, it don’t make no sense for them to stay together. They believe you have to stay there.

Your body is just a shell. It will pass on.

What I really go on is day-by-day. I don’t study too much far in front. You never know what could happen today, tomorrow. You does still end up having to make a lot of plans, eh. You can’t help it.

I don’t have any chance to relax. With them children? Nah!

My big son is right at the age where children get difficult. And my daughter right behind him!

Them always fighting, every minute. I ent know why.

I like my pan music, my calypso and my soca.

But I listen to my little soft music, too, to relax my head. Slow jams. On a Sunday and you sleeping out, I put on the Bee Gees and thing. And my friends say, “Wh’appen? Like you’s a old man!”

After school, I used to be High Street selling clothes. Standing up in front, telling people come take a look inside, buy clothes and thing.

After that, I was spraying houses an