It have ting dat so define Trini culture, all de Facebook an all de WhatsApp in de world ah social media could never make ah dent in dem. Of dat ah damn sure. However, since it look like me an dis one High Court judge doh agree orn ah example ah one such ting, all I could speculate is it might be time tuh check where he spend he formative years. He might just have tuh go back dey.

Ah doh expect ah soul tuh disagree once dey hear dis saga.

Ah did done memorize de story details by de time ah phone mih pardnah tuh lay out de scenario. All ah wanted from him was he opinion. As boys tuhgedder in Triniland, we was exposed tuh de same influences so ah was confident of how he would answer. Fuh once it wasn’t goin an have no argument.

Ah start orf: “. . . two men in ah discussion, one ah dem is ah civilian, de udder is poleece. Eef de discussion get heated, which onemore likely tuh call de udder one ah imps?”

Wait. Jeezanages like it goin an happen again or what.

Just like when ah was layin out dis simple scenario tuh mih pardnah. Ah must be cyar help mihself. De laughter does take over just so. Dat word an de situation combine tuh form what . . . look, eef yuh not ah Trini yuh not go understand. An fuh we, like me, who eh been arong de situation fuh ah while, preventin de laughter is ah waste ah time.

So just give mih ah minute tuh regain mihself before carrying orn wid de story.

. . . . 17 minutes later.

Okay ah ready.

Shoot, not yet.

. . . . 4 minutes more.

Okay ah tink ah ready dis time.

. . . . Oops, too soon, Sorry.

Dis is de same ting mih pardnah had tuh deal wid. Only de laughter was non-stop.

Tink ah dat word — Imps.

One syllable.

Idiot wid one letter more have too many syllables. Words used tuh insult should be easy tuh pelt, someting about ah inverse relationship wid dem an dey sting. Only among Trinilanders gettin fatigue doh mean yuh tired. What is not tuh laugh at? Steups.

Plus dat word? Imps? Lob it at ah person in authority an is fireworks. Dey branded fuh life. At last dat is how I remember it.

Mih pardnah wouldn’t wait fuh mih tuh stop laughin.

“Of course is de civilian who go call de poleece officer ah imps”, or words tuh dat effect he rush an say. He wanted tuh tell mih about de larse time he see it happen buh dat wasn’t orn de agenda. Ah had tuh get tuh dis High Court Justice who didn’t have de same viewpoint.

Dis whole ting stem from ah lawsuit ah taxi driver file against de poleece claimin dey behavior was less dan acceptable after givin him ah traffic ticket. De justice say de taxi driver more believable wid he story. Ah story in which de man claim he get call ah imps.

More believable mih tale.

Justice Frank backgrong need probin de next time he show dis kind ah flagrant lack ah understandin of how Trinis does insult dey poleece.

Ah good liar could exhibit de same believability.

Frankie should ah look at who end up losin more by de time de discussion was over. Wasn’t dat de taxi driver?

No poleece officer eh call no taxi driver any imps in dat discussion. It never happen yuh honor sir.

Dat piece ah fatigue reserved for poleece officers or anybody in authority. Check de extra fine print. Besides, who here in all dey born days ever hear ah poleece officer use dat word? Not me.

What is reserved fuh de poleece tuh use is de, “haul yuh mudder &*@”, response.

I would bet five Trini cents dat close tuh what de officer go bark back at de civilian while everybody else roarin wid laughter, but ah cyant. Cents not legal tender in Triniland no more.

De Justice wasn’t done yet doh.

He say de taxi driver was consistent in he tale of poleece malfeasance.

Dat taxi driver better tell somebody else dat ‘nancy story ah how he tell de poleece officer in response tuh supposedly being called ah imps, dat he mudder eh make no imps.

Man please.

De end result ah de case was de High Court Justice rulin in de taxi driver favor.

Dis case wasn’t about who call who ah imps doh. I only focus orn dat cause I tink it hilarious.

De real story was how de poleece arrest de man an leave he in jail till parse de time he could make bail, den take him tuh court. De justice say de poleece have tuh treat people wid respect. Especially eef dey want respect in return, not tuh mention information orn crime.

Dat mean not abusin dey power an reactin tuh people callin dem imps.callin people imps, which ah never go believe dey say.

Deep dong all ah we know Justice Seepersad eh askin de poleece tuh do anyting  outside dey ability. Who never see de kind ah abuse dey does take an how dey doh bat ah eye? Wedder dey does be markin faces fuh future discussion is not my place tuh speculate.

Meantime, let mih finish de swing back tuh Justice Seepersad side. I find he does have some far reachin tort provokin decisions an does infuse ah level ah social justice in dem.

Ah totally agree how he chastise de poleece. He give dem ah dose ah advice dey been ignorin fuh donkey years. Eef de TTPS want de public orn it side den it have tuh be orn de side ah de public. As ah entity it cyar be advantagin people as eef it in dey standin orders. Respect is earned. Good luck wid dat concept cause me eh tink de service seein dem dots yet, far less figurin out how tuh connect dem. An keep dem connected..

Oh! Oh!

Ah better wrap dis up quick cause dat image comin back again.

Despite all what Justice Seepersad say in dis case, only one scenario plausible an ah liable tuh buss out laughin. Eef I doh look at de far bigger picture.

Scenario I

“Yuh know why yuh gettin dis ticket?”

“No Mr. Officer sir. Why?”

“Because you is ah imps.”

“Me Mr. Officer sir? Ah imps? Dat cyar be sir cause my mudder eh make no imps.” 

Scenario II

“Buh officer wid all respect, why de arse yuh bodderin mih for? Like yuh is ah imps or what?”

“What? What yuh just call me? It better not be no imps cause dis imps eh takin dat so. Yuh mudder&*@$ under arrest. Yuh sleepin in ah cell tuhnight.”