100 NOT OUT: Aunt Lou who celebrated her hundredth birthday last June.- Dennis Coke WE were travelling along the Alexandria main road and noticed a woman with a walking stick.
We kept guessing her age.
She's about eighty years old," guessed one man.
"Eighty! you mean seventy-five. Don't you see the woman is still in her prime," said another.
As we got closer to her we hoped she would be 100 years old. This would save us the trouble of driving around much longer.
Looking at her closely didn't do much for our hopes. But, Louise Grey came up with an age that we all wanted to hear.
"I am 100 years old, born June 4, 1900. People around here call me Aunt Lou," she said while still walking.
She continued, "You people should be here a week ago when mi celebrate mi hundred birthday. A whole heap a people and a lot of nice time too.
"People come hug mi till mi face tired and as for gift a can't count dem, hand bags and all sort of something."
Aunt Lou was about ten metres away from her house. "A feel good yu see. Real good to be a hundred. A could do about another twenty years or more," she added.
As we spoke, one could tell Aunt Lou was proud of her parents, Emmanuel Grey and Rebecca who had seven children.
"Yes man mi parents work hard...but is mi alone left back here. All a di other one dem ded off, " she said.
She told us of her school days and that she was no bright spark.
"Mi head couldn't tek di edication. And mi never hide it from my parents. So a always tell dem (parents) a want to turn a housewife. Later a find out a could bake so a start do that."
Aunt Lou sold pastries in the market, mostly on Saturdays when there were many customers. Baking, she recalled, was done in a brick oven with wood as the fuel.
Aunt Lou has weathered many storms...too many to keep a proper count. But, she recalled hurricane Gilbert in 1988 because that disaster destroyed sections of the house in which she lived.
"The wind was wild. I shiver man when a see the tree dem bend right down but the house top and sections blow off. But it never too bad cause after the hurricane wi fix back the house."
Aunt Lou adopted two children and helped to raise many. Miss Olive Duncan, one of the children she cared for, said Aunt Lou, was loving and willing to share.
"I can't forget her. She would offer me fruits from her trees," Olive said.
Despite her age she is able to wash, cook, clean and shop around on Saturdays. What is the secret of Aunt Lou's longevity?
"I eat fresh foods and a serve mi God. I pray, for only God can keep us from all earthly problems," Aunt Lou said.
