True story - Jackie Baisden: more than special

It is said that you may never remember exactly what a person did or what they said but you will never forget how they make you feel. This is the case with Jackie Baisden.  Jackie Baisden was about 8 years my senior and a student of the prestigious "Girls High School." Even though she was just a young girl; Jackie Baisden was one of the most caring people I have had the pleasure of knowing as a child.

Jackie was the Grand Daughter of Mr. and Mrs Baisden who resides at Rose Place also commonly known as: Bottom Town. The couple was very serious people and protectively kept watch over their grandchildren; three of whom live with them. The Baisden were very contented and proud parents. They cared for and had the pleasure of seeing all of their children working in a professional capacity in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and within the Diaspora. The senior Baisden owned their home, which sat on a large piece of land that bordered the beach on the southern Eastern side of their property, on which they operated a small farm. They reared ducks, chicken, goats and sheep. They grow a variety of food crops on the land on which their home sat.  

The Baisden's also had several fruit three on their property. Among the fruit trees they had a very large Paul-Over Mango tree that sat on the south-eastern side of their property. This tree sat on boundary line of that property and half of that tree hanged over the Baisden's property and the other half hang over the big gutter that separated the Baisden's property from the public beach; the bloomage of that Mango tree was so big that a portion of the tree extended beyond the gutter and hanged over the beach. For the kids in the neighborhood, mango season was a delight but for the Baisden's, Margo Season was a disaster. Very frequently, the children will throw stones at the tree to try and knock mangoes from the branches; as a result, quite a few of the stones fell onto the roof of the Baisden's family home, there were many instant when those stone, will miss there intended target all together and cause damage to the Baisden's property. 

The Baisden had suffered many broken window, which only contributed to the added expense of their budget. When this happened, everyone will run away from the scene.  The culprit did not want to be discovered and none of the other children, who were also pelting stones at the Mangoes, wanted to be blamed for causing the damage, or to be forced by our parents to tell who was responsible for the said damage.

Jackie was one of the three grandchildren that lived with the Baisden's; Damion Baisden and Rodman Baisden AKA Roddy AKA Bruce Lee were both brothers and were the other two of the Baisden's grandchildren that resided with the Senior Baisden. Jackie was a beautiful young girl, but more than her beauty, she was the most caring person, I have ever met. Jackie Baisden was everyone’s friend. 

At this stage of my  life, I was struggling, and desperately trying to come to term with our mother’s death. Jackie’s intervention in my life was a sign that God will never leave you or forsake you. Jackie will even come to our home, especially on Sunday afternoon, and as well as when school was closed for vacation, to get permission to have me go to the nearby beach with their family.  Although Jackie was just a teenager and hang with the older girls; she always found time to spend with the neighborhood kid. She helped with school homework and any problem we may encountered, doing that was one of her delights. Even the children who did not need help will find Jackie Baisden for help; those who did not need help; fabricated some academic deficiency just to get her attention. That was so because Jackie was such a wonderful, unselfish and caring human being.

Jackie’s life back then was not perfect, because she to had lost her parents through migration; but she had the hopes of being reunited with them as soon as they had put the necessary things in place. She must have missed her parents tremendously, but she never allowed her personal problem to affect her attitude. Hence the reason, once she graduated from the Girls High School and found employment as a teacher, teaching at the Anglican Primary School, most of the neighborhood children, would be ready to walk to school with Jackie, each morning. It was Jackie the teacher and a crowd of children walking to school. but once on the school compound Jackie then became Miss Baisden.

Like many other, I was convinced that I was Jackie favorite little friend. All I wanted to do was to grow up and get married to Jackie Baisden. I can remember vividly that once, I got into an argument with one of my other friend over Jackie and who was her favorite. How dear this child had the audacity, to have thought that he was Jackie’s favorite.  It was bad enough that he entertained such though but to actually publicly declare such was begging for trouble.

I could remember it like Yesterday, a few of us younger children, were sitting on the big rock on Zombie Rock, having swam there, when one of my best friend at the time made the declaration of being Jackie’s favorite. This led to a big argument between both of us; an argument that got childishly personal. In order to get me to abandon my claim of having Jackie’s superior affection, he said: because Palmer is your father and you all have a shop you think you is Jackie’s favorite. These words were serious words, had it been another person, those words may have met the standard or the equivalent of being fighting words.

Those were serious words; However I was not going to give up my claim to the most beautiful, kindest and at the time my favorite person so easily. I responded, because you think your mother “day” (is living in) America and she does send barrel and thing for “all yo” (your family) you are Jackie’s favorite.

This argument was so serious that we thought it was fitting to take the matter to Jackie so she can declare which of us were her favorite, but instead, that argument led to a falling out between my friend and I. After a week or two or so, we be became friends again, however, our friendship was never the same; even after so many years, myself and that person are still friend but we are not as close to each other as we are with the other children we grow up with.

Sometime later, Jackie Left the neighborhood and went to live on her own. It was always a big event for me; whenever, I was told that Jackie was visiting. I will ensure I am in place to see her. Damian Jackie's cousin who was around the same age as I was, with whom I became very good friends, will often tell me that Jackie was visiting, in order to get me to come by their home, to play with him. Mr. Baisden did not want his grandchildren running around outside and he did not take to lightly of selected children coming into his home, because of the damage they cause to his property stoning mangoes from the Paul-Over Mango tree, damages which he had to restore himself with no compensation from their parent. 

After which Jackie left St. Vincent and the Grenadines to join her parent overseas. I can remember how sad I  became when I was told; Jackie was going overseas. I often though of Jackie Baisden, I also honestly hope to see her again and one day marry to her. But I have never seen her again. One thing that has not changed is the beautiful memories of the wonderful young girl that touched my life: Jackie Baisden.

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