Satiricus was feeling very chipper. After all, in addition to all the goodies that were usually circulated during the Christmas season, there were always the slew of Holidays. Which, this go around, had been increased by one extra day. He and the fellas were seated at their usual table at the back of the Back Street Bar, valiantly trying to counter the rain that just wouldn’t stop.
“If people fight fire with fire,” he’d explained to Hari and Bungi when he’d suggested this retreat, “why not fight water with water – which is what beer really is, isn’t it?!!” There was no answer to that logic, and so her they were.
“So…what you think about Prezzie giving us one new holiday in January?” asked Hari.
“New haliday?” said Bungi, shaking his head. “Me na hear ‘bout da.”
“I did read he said Jan 12 would be ‘Chinese Arrival Day’,” Satiricus agreed. “But I don’t think he made it into a public holiday.”
“So, we don’t get off another day?” complained Hari querulously. “That’s terrible! I need a rest after all those Holidays in December!”
“I wonder why Pressie didn’t make it into a public holiday?” said Satiricus as he finished off his beer.
“Me t’ink me know why,” said Bungi, with a big grin plastered over his face. “Chinese people a wuksuh hard, dem na want de halliday!”
“But I don’t understand something,” interjected Hari. “If May 5th is “Arrival Day for all immigrants, now that we have Jan 12 for Chinese Arrival, are we going to have an Arrival Day for the Portuguese too?”
“Me na mind,” said Bungi quickly.
“Well, Indian Guyanese always called May 5, “Indian Arrival Day’,” Satiricus pointed out. “You think maybe Nagga Man asked Pressie to make it official?”
”Budday! Lehabeen ta’k about Nagga man an’ Indian!” smiled Bungi. “Me know he a yuhleadah!”
“Naah…Sato don’t mind,” Hari assured Bungi. “Since Pressie didn’t give Nagga Man any real work, every day is a holiday for him!!”
Even Satiricus had to smile as they clinked bottles all around.
