JIM NO TALK
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His name and his personality all in three word, Jim was from the Island of Dominica, whose inhabitants were known as the friendliest of all the Caribbean Islands, Jim was an exception, big time.
Jim was an assistant chef in my restaurant Jelly's St. Thomas USVI, my friend and chef Kirtley had recruited him to possibly operate an auxiliary kitchen I had built to provide faster service to a waterfront deck seating area.
Kirtley informed me when I asked why Jim though smiling all the while would not only not speak to me during our first attempt at a job interview ,but basically avoiding looking directly at me , Kirtley said it was because Jim did not like white people.
I took no offense as I had lived in the West Indies for a while and that attitude comes with the beautiful territory, also I was outnumbered!..
I informed Kirtley to tell Jim that we had a lot in common , as I did not like people that did not like white people, so we got off to a good start, sort of. No BS between us.
, I asked Kirtley if Jim could do the job, seems he could and that was that, Jim No talk—to white people was now an employee.
A good one at that, my buddy white man Chuck is the waiter on call on my outside deck seating area and he and Jim get along fine, albeit Page 3
without talking to each other, it can be done.
Two years go by and nothing has changed between Jim and I, not a word has passed between us, the only reason I knew what his voice sounded like was that at times when I entered his kitchen domain his back was turned to me while he was talking to someone else,, and truthfully he was a good chef and that was enough, but after a couple of years the business has changed, so much so I am forced to lay off staff, so Jim No Talk was given his notice, by Kirtley as my proxy.
The very next day Kirtley informs me that the now unemployed Jim would like to speak with me, I am dumbfounded, and curious, so I say sure send him into the office. In walks Jim, and without even a very first hello ever says, and I quote: When do I get my severance pay? and in I might add in the Kings English, as Dominicans have that special accent, I am in shock as I had never heard Jim speak directly to me before, it took me a good 15 long seconds to gather my senses and retort that indeed he would be getting what he deserved in severance pay.
Jim no Talk liked that answer then asked when he would receive his just due?, I told him on the twelfth, he seemed elated as it was the tenth day of the month, that is until I mentioned that it would be the twelfth of fn Never, and off he went in huff and a puff, the smile missing from his face. Ps. Apparently Jim still thought he was a resident of the British Island of Dominica, where there under British law employees are entitled to severance pay , in the USVI at this time they were not. The End
