Plantation Boy

I really do not know what Boney M was singing about in their 'Plantation Boy' song. I was a plantation boy. And this is my brief story.

Even though I was supposedly born in a General Hospital in the state capital,my childhood was in a rubber plantation. No, we do not own it. My parents work in one. The plantation or as we called it a rubber estate was owned by Harrisons and Crossfield of UK. My parents were paid wages to work there. They endeavoured and supported me through school and the university.

Let me tell you about life as a plantation boy.

My mother was a rubber tapper and so when it is the annual school holidays, it only meant one thing for me-to help her while she tap rubber trees. In the early hours sometime between 5.00 to 5.30 am, I would wake up; have an early breakfast of coffee and some dry hard biscuits and then I will be on my way to the plot where my mother taps. With mosquitoes buzzing all round, I will remove the dry rubber crumbs from the glass rubber cups as well as from the tapping tracks on the tree bark.

Quote of the Day:

Heartsong