I remember the first time I saw the elderly gentleman with his prom, walking slowly but purposely up Albert Street, coming from the vicinity of the Swing Bridge. I causally passed him, wondering where he was going. I remember also the first time seeing the young man with the grey eyes in the wheel chair being pushed along the pavement from in front of Brodies, not sure where he was in a hurry to go, as I parked. But as I walked to the famous information corner, ideally positioned just opposite and across the street from the top of the taxi stand, and at the corner of Brodies, facing the intersection of Albert and Church Street, to pick up my white rice, split peas with pigtail and dumpling, chicken and plantain from Ms. Birdie, I realized that all three of us were converging at the same place. I patiently waited for my turn, for you see, the other two gentlemen had already sprinted to the tape. They had seen me coming, and they were to be attended to first. They made their request for their food, and Ms. Birdie graciously complied. After all, they were valued clients, as I was informed.

It was not until a long time after, that I got to know that Ms. Birdie gave them lunch every Friday if they came by, which was almost every Friday, and accepted no payment, and that the elderly gentleman got two plates instead of one, as he had told Ms. Birdie, that a neighbour had a fridge, and was prepared to store his second plate, and warm it up for him on Saturdays. You see, he relied on Ms. Birdie.  Ms. Birdie has been doing this for many years with no fuss and fanfare, and this is besides her many other personal causes, such as providing Father’s Day Dinner when she could to Ghann’s Rest House, and food to church members and the forgotten elderly in her neighbourhood. She does not call the media for a show, or use taxpayers money. She does it from her heart, her earnings and her sweat. For Ms. Birdie, it mattered not that she sells food to earn a living pay her mortgage, her bills and take care of her sibling and family. She has been doing it for forty two [42] years.

Ms. Birdie was 26 years old when her mother died. She was married and starting a family. However, it pained her heart to know that her siblings would be separated and placed in different homes, all seven of them. So she demanded that she be the one to provide them with a home. It mattered not that she had not the financial means. She believed that God always provides. She said she had no other talent. Cooking was all she knew, and she felt that God gave that skill to her for a purpose.  She will tell you the tale of getting up every morning and baking 12 pounds of journey cakes, and in the evening, 15 lbs of bread, so she could feed her family and earn money. At that time, flour was 10 cents a pound, and bread sold for 25 cents for one, and she opens her eyes wide and roll them to emphasize how big the bread was.  She also tells of selling dinner at the Market, and later at both the market and the park, for 1 dollar a plate. And you know, she would say, fish was only 25 cents a pound. She smiles as she fondly reminisces and speaks of those days. But she brightens when speaks of moving just before 1981 and Independence to her last and favourite posting, from where she was ceremoniously removed by the Belize City Council. She remembers clearly, as she is a general of the PUP, and 1981 was everything to Ms. Birdie, as that was the year Belize became independent. She was one of those persons who fought the fight, ended up in piss house many days singing we shall overcome, left her pot when the call battle sounded, and campaigned and worked tirelessly for the PUP and Belize. As late as this year, she was at the court house supporting her past party leader.

Unfortunately, spirited, hard working, struggling and nationalistic Belizeans are not the interest of the Belize City Council. The fact that between the taxi men and one corner and her at the next, they man information corner, is not of interest to the Belize City Council. The fact that she is icon, an institution, a part of the landscape, an integral component of downtown life is not of interest to the Belize City Council. The fact that she will not be able to make a living, is not of interest to the City Council, why should it be, they are not doing much and collecting between $36000.00 to $90000.00 a year and lots of perks. You see, they are brilliant. They decided to transform Albert Street in something some one probably saw on a trip abroad, and by doing so seems hell bent on destroying its Belizean identity and cultural character, its life and soul, the people who made Albert Street what it is. Ms. Birdie is only the victim, collateral damage, that is what they say, just as all the other vendors have been, to change downtown Belize City from being warm, embracing, dynamic and vibrant, colourful, chaotic at times, and teeming with people hawking their wares, carts and stalls of assorted shapes, materials and colour, the life blood of a downtown, what sustains it, to a cold place with unattractive brown monotonous alien pavements, like San Pedro they say, with stagnant street plant hangers posing as people and empty benches for pigeons to perch on. A park with hacked off trees and empty stalls that looks like something from another planet. No vendors. No Ms. Birdie. No life…not dying, but being killed…

While she was not there, Ms. Birdie was told that it was sad to see the elderly man walking with his pram for support stand on the pavement, lost, for there was no Ms. Birdie. Imagine how the grey eye boy in the wheel chair felt when he went. But Oh, that does not interest the City Council. Why should it….As for Ms. Birdie, she is not worrying about herself .She is worried about them.  She says she will survive. God always provides. Care to give her a job, contact her at 207-1129. For sure, the downtown is dying…being softly killed …..to rebirth something….what is any one’s guess…. 

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