This week, I saw a Facebook post from my friend Louise Williams; she had just got married.
It made me think of all the people we get to know throughout our lives; the different circumstances under which we meet; and the impact they make.
In Louise’s case, she was a beauty therapist in Cayman about three decades ago, and she was the first person I allowed to wax my legs.
Yes, now I have your full and fascinated attention.
She was a very bouncy personality, full of beans. She managed to convince me that having something akin to hot lava poured over my gams, covering it in muslin strips, then pulling it skyward – taking all my hair roots with it – was a fabulous plan.
I had only shaved up until then, which was relatively painless (save the nicks around the knee and ankle skin – remember the swatches-of-toilet-paper days?) but time-consuming. I had avoided the waxing for ages, because to hear friends and comedians speak of it, it was a sensation akin to having glass shards driven into one’s legs.
Louise made the appointments fun, with jokes between every rip. “OWWWW! Ha-ha-ha!”
She also told tales of working on the Cunard QE2 ship and The Pig and Whistle crew bar onboard. When my best friend Lynne and I sailed on her in 2000, this became vital information.
Pre-security cameras, we were able to sneak down from our deck via the crew staircase to the crew pub, which was about 100 degrees, had a DJ that played all the top hits, and a bottle of white Zinfandel was about $4. I toasted Louise with every swig. It was awesome.
She left the island years ago, but thanks to the magic of Facebook, we were able to stay in touch. When I saw the announcement of her nuptials, the first message I sent was to express regret that I hadn’t been able to return the waxing favour for her big day. Based on her response, I get the impression that she was just fine without my help.
Another friend I’ve known for a similar amount of time is Lisa Goich Andreadis. Anyone who was in Cayman in the early ‘90s will remember Coconuts Comedy Club in the old Holiday Inn (site where The Ritz-Carlton now resides), which was basically a licence to print money in those days.
I can’t exactly recall, but I think it was open at least five nights a week with new comics constantly visiting from the US. There would be queues at the door, and often a waitlist. Definitely a sign of the times, as I don’t think any venue down here could boast such popularity now. Too many places to choose from.
Lisa was from Detroit, and in the early days of her stand-up career. She was on a long-term contract as the permanent host, warming up the crowd and introducing the opening act and headliner.
Frankly, she was much funnier than a number of them that hit that stage – I instantly became a fan. She was young and feisty and performing with confidence – exactly where I wanted to be.
We became friends, and she hung out with me and Lynne a fair bit. For me, it was like spending time with a bit of a celebrity. I mean, she had actual professional head shots … in black-and-white, fer cryin’ out loud!
Despite the fact that Lisa was doing very well in the job here, it was a bit dead-end as far as her career was concerned. She left Cayman and went on to further stand-up, radio, working for Playboy and then the Grammys. I knew she’d go far.
Along the way, she met Teddy Andreadis – a musician who’s worked with Carole King, Guns N’ Roses, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Alice Cooper – and they got married. A match made in heaven.
Lisa was a big supporter of mine, which is part of the reason why I ended up becoming the host of Coconuts and started a stand-up career of my own. She and I still chat, and I have so much admiration for what she’s accomplished, including writing a book – something I have yet to achieve. She is one of those people who lifts up others and makes them believe in themselves, and definitely contributed to my confidence as a performer.
Someone else who became a friend years ago, and right now is working tirelessly in Jamaica to get aid to those who need it, is chef Jolene Nelson. Many of you will know her for her amazing food and catering company Nyamaste.
She’s passionate about everything, including her home country of Jamaica – one of those women who just exudes cool, know what I mean?
Years ago, when the Bon Vivant Cookoff Brunch – as part of Cayman Cookout – featured amateur local chef teams, the heats would be held at Bon Vivant in Camana Bay. Despite barely being able to boil an egg, I was asked to emcee the competitions.
Jolene was one of the chefs in the first year. She had never cooked professionally, but she knew her way around a kitchen. Needless to say, she made it through to the finals and won on the big day, impressing the likes of chefs Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain. This led to a career at The Ritz-Carlton, followed by starting her own company.
She has always been such an impressive person – and a great role model for Caribbean women. Strong, knows what she wants, and goes for it until she gets it.
Whenever I saw her at Cayman Cookout or the annual Out of the Kitchen event, I’d happily embarrass her by singing a few lines from Dolly Parton’s hit song ‘Jolene’ at the top of my lungs, over the microphone. How I didn’t end up being pelted with conch fritters is beyond me. Although the idea of reducing beautifully cooked food to ammunition would probably be something she couldn’t contemplate.
On 28 Oct., as we all know, Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, causing widespread devastation. I posted on the Women in Cayman Facebook page about sending our retired helper credit for her phone. Not long after, Jolene contacted me to say that she was gathering supplies to fly over to Kingston, and did I want to send something with her? Of course!
We got together a care package, and dropped it off at the address I was given. Already, it was obvious that she had gathered an extraordinary number of food donations and containers, ready to pack and get to Cayman Airways for the trip. The speed and efficiency with which she worked was something to behold, particularly when we were all dealing with the added delight of telecoms issues that same weekend.
It was a mammoth task, but Jolene approached it in the same way she did when she had any goal she wanted to achieve: This was going to happen, and it was going to be done properly.
Sure enough, Sunday night, 2 Nov., she was onboard the Cayman Airways flight with hundreds of pounds of hurricane relief items – everything from cans of food to soap and toilet paper.
Huge shout out to our flag carrier, who didn’t charge for any extra baggage, even as crew loaded up a mountain of containers into the hold.
Our helper got her package on Tuesday night, after her grandson picked it up from Jolene in Kingston and drove it to her. She was thrilled to receive it … and so were her neighbours. She’s always been one for sharing. It meant so much to us that we could send her something.
When I last spoke to Jolene, she was basically in the trenches, trying to help as many people as she could – with all the other volunteers who were working with barely any rest.
I admire her enormously, and I’m really glad I was lucky enough for our paths to cross all those years ago. There are some people who come into our lives and make them better. Those are the ones we should truly cherish.
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