The Artist

Samilia, age 6

“Mummy! Daddy!” I call as I run down the stairs to the living room. I trip and fall on the last step, landing right on the ground.

“Rass!” Daddy shouts, getting up from the couch.

“Sam, nuh cuss in front a di pickney,” Mummy scolds. She comes over to me and picks me up off of the floor. “Are you okay?” she asks. I nod my head, and she lifts me up into the air. Even though I’m six, and I’m getting big, I’m so small next to Mummy and Daddy.

“Mummy, Daddy, mi finish mi ’omework!” I say with excitement. I finished all of my math homework, and I’m pretty sure that it’s all correct.

“In English, Samilia,” my father insists, sitting back down on the couch. I don’t understand why I can’t talk like Daddy and Mummy. I want to be just like Mummy. I want to talk like she does sometimes, like she did just now when she scolded Daddy. But I’m not allowed to.

“Why mi cyaa talk like you, Daddy?” I ask him.

“Because I want you to learn English first,” he tells me. “It was hard for me to speak English because I learned it so late.”

“But why mi cyaa speak English an’ Patois?” I ask him.

“I don’t want you to get confused,” he says. “So don’t do it.”

“Mummy, did you get confused?” I ask her.

“No,” she says, andI look at her in confusion. She sighs. “Daddy and I agreed that you can speak in Patois after you’ve learned English a little bit better, okay?”

I nod my head, even though I don’t fully agree.

“Now, what did you want to say to us?” Daddy asks.

“Mi, uh, I finish my homework.”

“Finished,” he corrects. “Use the past tense. Finished.”

Mummy goes to sit down, still holding me in her arms, but I’m not up high anymore.

“I finished my homework.”

He smiles at me. “Yes. Now, let’s see how many you got right.”

“All of them!” I insist. “Mi check… I mean, I checked three times.”

“We’ll look at it, and then we can eat strawberry sorbet ice cream after, okay?” he says.

“Okay,” I respond excitedly.

Mummy carries me upstairs as Daddy walks behind us. I love Mummy and Daddy. They make me happy, and we’re going to be the happiest family forever