My name is Odilia Garcia and I retail bulk oil. The shop I work out of has been at the same Woodbrook site for over 50 years. I was born, grew up and now live in Woodbrook. I’ve never lived anywhere else. Maybe Tragarete Road, which is a Woodbrook border. And now I work in the same spot. I could walk to work. But, of course, I drive! I take up a parking space on the main road but I have a little basket of food to bring.
I went to school at St Theresa’s, primary and secondary. That makes me a good Catholic girl. From Adam Smith Square south to Wrightson Road, I counted 12 buildings. And only four were residences, including us! And we’re housed between two commercial premises! I started off playing the guitar in church on Sunday and then branched off into the drum kit. I play to an older, more mature crowd on Sunday mornings. Try to add a little upbeat to the Mass, if I could say that.
My aunt, who I grew up with, right on the premises I work at now, was a very staunch Catholic. I still go to church. I never had kids, though. I had two stray dogs, Brownie and Stripey, who I took care of at work. Now I have a stray cat who sleeps on my chair when I’m not sitting on it. He’s a great companion.
One time, a homeless man attacked me. A couple of friends had complained he was interfering with them. So I’m walking with him and asking him if he needed some help. Eh-heh? Bax! Stone to head. So I had to go off to West Shore to get X-rays and stuff. Some vagrants are obviously mentally ill. But I think some others fake it.
I used to wave flag for Phase II but I think that, in Panorama, every band is so good, they should put everybody in first place. I could never understand how the judges could say somebody won by half a point. It’s like money has taken over everybody’s mind and everybody’s just grabbing for what they can get. People need to come back together. Come back down to Earth and just live together as one. As it used to be.
Phase II used to have a drummer called Richard Bailey, a Trini who used to come from London. I admired that man! Being a drummer myself. I played percussion in the Marionettes production of Les Miserable at Queen’s Hall. That was amazing, to be part and parcel of that. I don’t wear green everyday but it’s a good colour, for the job. And a T-shirt is good, because it’s hot. I have to pump oil. I dress to suit the job.
My aunt and uncle started the business. Ships normally buy bulk oil, because they go on long journeys. But you’d get the odd taxi man come, pop his bonnet and buy a pint or a quart. It’s much cheaper than from the shelf. It’s the main seller. There was a guy, nicknamed Tall Boy, who worked with my aunt and uncle. He started at age 16 and died at age 63 and stayed with them right through.
He did what I’m doing: pumping the oil and everything. But it’s just me now. Me and the cat. I’m the boss and I’m the labour. The shop has containers from the oldie-goldie days. People come here and say, “Wow, I haven’t seen these in ages”. They have dipsticks so you can measure how much is left. But I have a leak on one, but I don’t know which one, so I just use the barrel. They’ve been sitting here for years.
Everything about the shop is kind of old fashioned. People tell me I should upgrade. Like, change the counters and that sort of thing. But I like the doors and stuff. It looks like old Woodbrook. Maybe I should sell some beers, too. The best thing about the job is meeting people. I used to be a sales rep and always enjoyed dealing with people, so it’s embedded. The bad part is things have slowed down a bit.
A Trini is a person full of spirit, full of life, having Carnival. Everybody together as one, partying. I don't have time to go to Tobago but T&T is full of mixed cultures. It’s amazing to see all the cultures and nationalities together in one. It’s so sad to see the divide.
Read a longer version of this feature at www.BCRaw.com
