TRANSCRIPT

JG - James Gibson, interviewee [with Wilma (WM) Morrison present] / LR - Lyn Royce, interviewer

JG: Frances... Okay, so we got another place, then we're moving. So I got my cousin Harold, he's from, he's from Nova Scotia. He's my mother's sister's child. [sneezes] My mother's sister, there was a sweet woman. That's another story. She had arms like a man would admire, [body builder grunts] they were man's arms. Saw her chop wood with left hand. [demonstrates while speaking] She's right handed; pick up an axe; CHUH-BOUNG! CHUH-BOUNG!

WM: Really!

JG: Whew! This woman... And she was so sweet, so gentle. We would do anything she'd ask. And could she cook! Better than my mother, right? I'm quite sure my mother was jealous, 'cause my father was... Obedient to her, 'cause she could make pies, and stuff, oh man... At any rate, this guy Harold, he was well built: he got, his, his wrists, my wrists skinny, his were like this [showing much bigger in size], going into his hand. Okay? A strong, strappin' man. Okay, we were moving from this West Indian guy's place, and Harold and I were doing all the moving. We didn't need anybody else; we could do it. In those days, gas stoves were very heavy. The 4 burner gas stove. Harold and I disconnected the stove, closed off the gas thing and all that kinda stuff. We picked up this stove, and we got as far as - we were living on the second floor - we got as far as the steps leading down to the ground floor. We put this thing down; WHEW, this thing is heavy. Yep. No, no; we wasn't that far. We were back, and we moved it from the kitchen out to the hallway or something like that, and we put this thing down. [under his breath] Son of a... Well, we gotta have something because underneath there was sharp at the edges - we didn't have no gloves - so we were looking for a cloth, so Frances down there, [as though hollering between floors] 'What are you guys doing up there?' 'We're coming, dear, we're coming.' We move it another 2, 3 feet, put the damn thing down. This is heavy, man. Yeah. 'N we hear [as in footsteps] boom, boom, boom; boom, boom, boom; Frances comin' up the steps. Boom, boom, boom. 'What are you standing there for?' 'Well, this thing's heavy Frances, and blah, blah, blah, and it cuts underneath our hands and this and everything, and it's very heavy.' 'Cause it was heavy with 2 guys. Know what she did? [demonstrates gripping it on both sides, as though hugging it, and picking it up], walked to the head of the steps, PUIT! 'Maybe you guys can carry it downstairs?' [collective laughter] I don't care...

WM: I so often... I... Maybe that's why you've...

JG: I don't care if that thing would have cut my fingers off. I wasn't putting that thing down 'til get down to... [finished in laughter].

WM: I get a mental picture of this and, boy oh boy...

JG: We, she, she just hugged it! She bent down, hugged it, STOOD UP! And walked to the... All up the hall, put it down... Harold and I looked at each other, 'How the hell'd she do that?!' [laughs]

WM: Oh-ho-ho god...

JG: I tell ya...