The Holidays are always a hectic time of year for most people around the world. Although most Granny pride themselves on staying ahead of the chaotic holiday rush, there are times when tradition has to be broken to add a little Holiday Spirit.

My Granny always scolded me about the Western World and how important it was to stay true to my heritage. She disliked certain pastimes of western culture, such as hanging out, going to the mall and talking slang.

I remembered a Holiday Season where Granny Gheeta had bought a lovely sari for the seasons' festivities. Eventhough she had made the measurements quite clear to the seamstress, somewhere along the way, the length of the sari was bungled. By the time Granny received the sari,  the sandal she had planned to wear with it, had become inappropriate because the hem of the sari was left dragging on the ground.

Granny Gheeta was quite put off by the shoddy workmanship of the seamstress. She went on and on about the gown's length and how she had the perfect sandals to wear with it, and now she had to reorganize her attire for the Holiday. Granny felt that if she sent the Sari back to India for alterations,  she would not receive the outfit back in time for her special event. Therefore, she ranted and raved for hours to ease her frazzled mind. At first, it was funny to hear Granny Gheeta going on and on about the error of the seamstress, then it became laborious to hear her kevetching.

So, I suggested to Granny for us to go to the Mall. To Granny Gheeta, that suggestion was like an invitation to the electric chair. She commented, "The Mall? What for? So people can toss and push me like cattle, no thank you Dearie. Those are western ways."

I persisted, "But Granny, you love that sari, and your mind is set on wearing it to the Christmas Pageant. C'mon Granny, I understand your feelings about the mall, it is kind of crowded during the holidays, but think of it as going on a Safari........"

My eyes brightened with great expectation, awaiting Granny Gheeta's response. After several minutes of sweetening her up, and rubbing her shoulders, I finally got a response.

"Oh, alright, but we are going straight to the shoe department at Maribou and then back home, so just hold your head straight. No looking in the other stores....eh?"

I must admit, I did have a hidden agenda of wanting to go to the Mall, however, Granny was so stern about her intentions, I knew we had to play this expedition her way.

Whenever Granny went out, it was a family event. Everyone in the entire household had to go.

So, off we went in my uncle's fiat to the mall. Whenever I was out in public with Granny Gheeta, I always felt like we were the Mumbai entourage, there was always tons of excitement, people staring and chattering. This occurred mostly, because Granny Gheeta was quite different. She paraded arounded in her saris night and day and often wore shoes that curled at their tippy toes. She never left the house unless she had a few choice gems adorning her person.

Granny was a star at doing everything just right, never wearing too much perfume, jewelry or accessories. She had a regal style about her.

Granny always looked as if she had just stepped off Air India, well dressed with bag and baggage. She had to carry several bottles of water, snacks and medicines.....Just in case. I often had to remind her that we are not going off to war, just to the mall. But she would not indulge "any of my nonsense" as she would call it.

"It is good to be prepared. Suppose my "sugar" starts acting up, I have a little juice to build me back up. No, I have to bring my own things. I can't rely on, IF the stores are open, or IF they even have places to accommodate me. You children would do well taking a page out of my book."

She was always instructing everyone all the time, because it was important  for her to maintain order and decorum. Going out with her, was like parading with an Empress who was inspecting the Universe. Most places either inspired her curiosity or ired her to no end.

Nevertheless, we sauntered through the Mall like the Banjalli Connection, making a path straight through to Maribou, where they sold, uncommon shoes and sandals for discerning people.....

Granny Gheeta was the type of woman who knew what she wanted when she stepped into any establishment. Within a few seconds, she could determine if the store possessed what she was looking for.

Granny perused for a few seconds, then made her selection. It was the most bedazzled sandals I had ever seen in my life. It was petite and dainty, with tiny straps and tons of rhinestones adorning the toe area. It was the perfect height. Granny brought her sari to make sure of it. She beckoned the Sales Girl to bring her a 1/2 size bigger, because the pair she tried on, had pinched her feet .

The store was crowded, and the Sales Girl seemed a  flustered, almost unable to handle the shopping frenzy that was going on in the store. The Manager seemed to be too busy with a personal call. After making several attempts to get sales attention, Granny became unnerved by the lack of respect that she was receiving.

Suddenly, Granny's frail, little voice became several octaves high, demanding sales help. The Sales Girl seemed  perturbed by my grandmother's insistence for wanting proper assistance. Granny had several grandchildren in tow, and she was annoyed that the Sales Girl had sassed her.

It showed a complete disregard for her presence and patronage. The girl finally sauntered over with two different sizes, suggesting that Granny needn't bother her again...At least for a little while.

The 61/2 seemed like the perfect fit for Granny, so she scrutinized the shoes to make sure they were the same size, and that there weren't any nicks or flaws. She summoned both the Store Manager and the Sales Girl to retrieve the remaining shoes in the box on the chair. However, they ignored her request. While Granny stood at the register paying for her shoes,  I glimpsed a woman put a box of shoes in her toddler's pram and sashayed out of the store.

Granny Gheeta always taught me, "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil".....So, I did not repeat what I had seen.

As Granny finished paying for the shoes she had selected, both the Store Manager and the Sales Girl were in a frenzy, barraging my Granny about the remaining pair of shoes. Granny Gheeta told them she left the shoes on the chair next to her. The Sales Girl shrieked, "The shoes are missing, where are they!!!?"

Granny answered, "Miss, I summoned both you and the Manager as I made my selection and prepared to pay at the register. You both ignored me! I am not surprised that you can't find the shoes in this chaos."

The Manager and the girl gave Granny Gheeta a dirty look. At first, I never thought much of it, but then, when the Manager insisted on calling Security, I pinched my Granny.

I said, "I saw a lady come in with a baby pram, she just took the shoes and put it under the baby's blankie and went right out of the store. I wasn't sure if it was your pair of shoes, because I couldn't see from where we were standing. But now, I am positive, it was the other pair of shoes that the Sales Girl brought over."

Granny Gheeta turned to the Manager and repeated what I had told her. The Manager looked on in disbelief and insisted on calling for Security, although Granny had paid for her selected purchase. The Manager continued in an accusatory tone.

Granny immediately realized that both the Manager and the Sales Girl were about to pull a nasty stunt by framing her for the disappearance of the shoes. She quickly got on the phone and called P.J. Bhoorasang, Esq. of Bhoorasang & Bhoorasang to come straight to the Mall.

It was a good thing that Granny had the foresight to do so, the next thing we knew, the Security was mishandling my grandmother, and trying to haul her off for questioning. My uncle and my cousins explained to the officers that the store was neglectful with their merchandise, and that my Granny had only requested one pair of shoes . Therefore, it was the Sales Girl's responsibility to make sure her items were accounted for. She should have been more diligent with the stores' merchandise.

We got the general sense, since we were foreigners, and that my Granny was clad in her ethnic attire, they had no interest in acknowledging the truth. The store was only interested in making a scapegoat out of someone, because they did not want to be responsible for paying for the items themselves.

Mr.P.J. Bhoorasang arrived just in time to straighten out the entire Mall. He listened to the chatterings of the stores' staff, he spoke to my Granny, and then he listened to my account of what I had seen happen in the store. They illegally, strip-searched my Granny and found nothing, except the shoes she had paid for. Neither of us had any other bags on us. So, it was a clear, cut case of racism and prejudice.

Mr. P.J. Bhoorasang made it very obvious that they did not have probable cause to accuse my Granny of such a deed. He emphasized, that they owed her an appology because she was an upright, and standing citizen of the United States of America and a National Treasure of Jamaica. He re-iterated, that such indignities were an unforgiveable violation of Human Rights. He felt that their actions were demeaning to one of her stature.

The stores' staff were suddenly apologetic to my Granny, offering her all sorts of discounts and free merchandise, for fear of a lawsuit pertaining to slander and defamation of character. My Granny turned to them calmly and stoicly, replying, "The only thing I want at this time is a refund. I am returning these shoes. I refuse to wear merchandise for any company that lacks class and decorum."

The Management of Maribou were so embarassed and ridden with guilt that they gave my Granny a gift card for a lifetime of free shoes. Graciously, she declined.

Granny felt, in life some things can not be bought or pacified. They had tried to strip her of her dignity and pride, simply because she was from a foreign land.

With that said, my Granny Gheeta brushed off her sari, straightened her posture and departed the Security office with her head held high and P.J. Bhoorasang, Esquire at her side, and the rest of us, her entourage trailing behind.

Once Granny had simmered down and recuperated from this horrifying experience, she put things in perspective by saying, "This is the reason why, we always have to cling to our culture. We, have a legacy and heritage to embrace and others will always try to taint it with their atrocities and indecencies. When we venture completely into the "other world" we become open targets. That is why too much western world is not good!"

I felt remorseful for having coerced Granny into going to the mall. She comforted me by saying, "Sweetheart, perhaps what happened today, will set a precedence for other minorities. Maybe folks will not be too quick to judge books by their covers?"

Granny's words of comfort provided a little relief, however, in Jamaica we have a saying, "Follow your spirit", I had felt that I had persuaded Granny not to follow hers, which resulted in bacanal.

On that day, Granny Gheeta made me realize why it was important for minorities, to let other nationalities seek them out, and for them to refrain from western influences. Because when something goes wrong, "they" are always looking for a Fall Guy or Girl, and will be more than willing to sacrifice an outsider.

Despite the degrading events that had occured, we all went on to have a wonderful Holiday Season. The world may have tried to dampen our spirits, but we had God on our side and that made all the difference.

Tags: Granny Gheeta's Night at The Mall