15 September 2007

We have been invited round to one of Lady of Leisure’s friends houses for a barbeque. Dizzy Blond’s husband is notoriously parsimonious and when I see
That we are bringing a pasta salad, wine, beer, fillet steaks and various body parts of chickens all tenderly marinated, I enquired what exactly the friends were doing to host the barbeque. LoL had been asked by Dizzy to bring around a few things, and we should have been thankful we did not have to bring our own charcoal!

The third family at the barbeque are the Preston pair and when all the ladies adjourn to the kitchen, the men-folk talk as men-folk do. What the ladies were doing in the kitchen is a mystery, as being a barbeque, all the action should have been outside. Preston male, who works down at the Red Stripe brewery has brought a crate and the men-folk are well refreshed as the conversation progressed. This is the second time I had spent time in Preston male’s company and I notice that six months in Jamaica has changed him. No longer quiet and retiring, the man had become ignorant and arrogant. Of course, me not being one to shy away from a challenge, especially with a few Red Stripe on board, the conversation quickly resembled two stags rutting. I normal relish such conversational jousting, but only when the counter party is educated and informed. When arguing with someone holding such entrenched views and opinions based on nothing but his feeble imagination, I found an edge creeping into my comments. It was a relief to be rejoined by the ladies and conversation reverted to frivolities.

My opinion of Preston male plummeted to new depths as on the way home, he picked up the remained of his (perquisite) crate of stripes.