The Name of the Boat is “Bamonitias” ………….

A name selected for a boat ought to be an important decision for a boat-owner. It certainly is for me. I love the name, and I enjoy people’s reaction to it. In fact, I believe it is the best boat name I have ever heard. It is proudly displayed in large, tasteful, vinyl letters on the sides of my boat.

When I drive past other boats on the bay I can see people in some of those boats moving their lips, trying to say the name and sound it out. I see the same thing in the parking lot at the grocery store when I stop to get ice and provisions. I also see it when I am fueling up. It is generally there that someone will walk over and ask about the name and how to pronounce it.

When told how to pronounce the name, most folks ask if it is Spanish. I chuckle and tell them it is not. They are really surprised when I tell them the boat is named after a black man in a story.

The story goes like this:

Years ago, when life was slower and folks lived differently, Bamonitias worked for a lady named Miss Lucy.  Miss Lucy owned a fine home and was considered ‘well to do’ by folks in the community.  Everyone knew Bamonitias worked for Miss Lucy and that he worked full-time, just like the housekeeper/cook.  No part-time work for Miss Lucy. Most people said he worked for her for something like 30 years, but no one really remembered for certain, just that it was a long time.  Bamonitias did her gardening, yard care, kept her car clean, did odd jobs around the place, and drove her in her Cadillac when she needed to go places.

Over the first few weeks of his working for her, they settled into a routine that would become a custom with them.  Each Friday afternoon at quitting time Bamonitias would clean his tools, put them away, park the Cadillac in the garage, and wipe his hands and spiffy up a bit. When he felt he was presentable, he would tap at the back door. Miss Lucy would invite him in, have him sit at the breakfast table, she would go to the frig and get him a beer, grab her purse and return to the table and sit with him. As he drank the beer, she would count out his week’s wages and then discuss what she wanted him to accomplish over the next week. It was a good system and prevented a lot of interruptions throughout the day for instructions.

Miss Lucy did have a bit of a drinking problem and that lead to some bickering between them from time-to-time.  Bamonitias was a man who could not abide rude behavior or a person being abrupt or snappy with him without making some form of reply. That was just his nature and this became part of their relationship, such as it was.

After many years, on one particular Friday afternoon, Bamonitias went through his normal ritual and tapped on the back door.  Miss Lucy didn’t answer as she normally did. He knew she was home because he hadn’t driven her anywhere.  He knocked again, louder this time. After a bit, he heard her rustling around inside the house. He wondered what was up with that. Finally, she opened the door and when he saw her, he immediately knew.  She had been drinking and she had been drinking pretty good, too. As she stood there in the door, still in her housecoat at 5:30 in the afternoon, with her hair uncombed, she barked in a slurred voice, “What do you want?”

He replied, “Now, Miss Lucy, we have us a custom on Friday afternoons, and I am just following that custom, so don’t be barking at me.”  Suddenly, a puzzled expression came across her face and she asked in a softer tone, “Is today Friday?” He assured her it was.

She invited him in and they went through their normal routine with him sitting at the table and her getting ready to do their normal Friday-afternoon business. This time she brought along a beer for herself. As she sat at the table, took a long swallow of beer and opened her purse, her face grew concerned. She looked up at him and said, “I am so embarrassed. I didn’t go to the bank today and get money to pay you with and I have no cash.”

Being a sporting man and not about to get caught on a weekend without some walking-around money in his pockets, he was pretty quick on his feet. He exclaimed, “Why, Miss Lucy, do you mean to tell me that all those Friday trips to the bank was to get cash money to pay  me with?” She said that was the purpose. He quickly replied, “Well, that is not necessary at all, I will always be happy to take your personal check.”  After a moment, she agreed that was a good solution to the dilemma. She once again opened her purse and removed her checkbook and pen. She began to write the check and stopped at the Pay-to-the-Order-of line, looked up at him and asked, “How do I spell your name?”  He chuckled and said, “J. G. Green” and then spelled Green, “G R E E N”

Her face again showed confusion and she asked, “Well, who on earth is J. G. Green?”  He said that was his name. After thinking about that for a moment, she asked, “Well, is this Bamonitias name just a nick-name or something, then?”   He chuckled and said, “Ever since I been knowing you it has been. If fact, you got everybody in this town calling me by that, but it never was my name before I knew you.”

Now, totally confused, she asked, “What on earth are you talking about that I gave you that name?” He grew very serious and said, “Now, Miss Lucy, you done gave me that name so don’t go trying to deny it now after all these years.”  He then recounted for her what had happened.

He reminded her that she had put the word out that she was looking for help all those long years ago. He heard about it and came to her house to inquire. She visited with him in the shade of a tree in the back yard and agreed to hire him for the position.  He said, “After we agreed on terms and pay, we walked around the side of your house and I started down you long driveway  headed back to my old car. When I was about halfway down the drive, you hollered out and asked me ‘What is your name?’”, I told you my name was J. G. Green just like I just now told you. You hollered back and asked ‘what is it folks call you by’ and I said, they just call me by my i-n-i-t-i-a-l-s.”  He paused and then concluded, “and you hollered back and said, “OK, Bamonitias, I will see you Monday morning at 8 a.m. and don’t be late, and you been calling me Bamonitias ever since that day.”

That is the name of my boat.

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