Satiricus’ joy knew no bounds. For years his favourite politician Nagga Man was forced to hang his head down in shame of being a “rum drinker”. In fact, of late folks called him a “rum sucker”. Satiricus had to admit Nagga Man had a thing for rum – Bush Rum. Couldn’t help it – it was his village of Whimsey’s biggest product. Nagga Man was inducted into rum drinking even as he was wearing short pants at Whimsey Primary and was called Nagga Boy.
His classmate – the young dimple-kneed GrainJa – tried a shot of the Bush Rum once, but spat it out in disgust. Nagga Boy and his friends had a good guffaw at the callow GrainJa’s expense. Young GrainJa was forced to leave the village, since Nagga Boy and his cohorts wouldn’t let him forget he wasn’t a real “Whimsey Boy”.
As he grew up, Nagga Man always wondered what the fuss was about some snot-nosed Trini singing, “Rum Till I Die!” Satiricus wasn’t surprised.
“Heck!” he muttered to himself, “Most of Nagga Boy comrades DID drink rum till they croaked – long before it became a hit.”
Nagga Man kept up his Whimsey culture as he moved all over Guyana, and that was how he became known as a “rum sucker”. But Satiricus always had faith and knew that the day would come when Nagga Man would be recognised as a true Guyanese hero.
And that day had come! Here it was – on the front page of every newspaper in the country – was Nagga Man with a shot of rum from a bottle that cost 0,000! That shot alone must’ve cost ,000! And guess who was at his side with his shot of the rum? None other than GrainJa who was now called Prezzie!! When it was time to drink the shot of rum, after all the twirling and sniffing, Prezzie balked as he remembered his humiliation at Whimsey Primary.
But Nagga Man saved the day! He quickly offered to drink Prezzie’s rum and saved the distraught man from losing his dignity.
This was what Nagga Man had been training for since he was a lad in Whimsey? And he didn’t even like the taste of the 0,000 rum.
It tasted nothing like the Bush Rum Nagga Man grew to love ever since he was Nagga Boy. Now people wouldn’t sneer at him for being a rum sucker. This was his destiny.
