Mark McWatt

Our Rebecca was the perfect daughter: A’s in almost all her subjects at school, a wonderful help around the house— both with domestic chores and looking after

Sent to the corner shop to buy empanadas and pan dulce, Isabella, wandering home through wild city streets,

When Jairo Mackenzie was little more than a toddler, his parents lived in Mabaruma, in Guyana’s North-West district, where his father was a government district officer. They lived in a large wooden house in the government compound, and for Jairo and his two brothers it was a perfect life. Jairo was five and a half years old and his two brothers –the twins—were almost four. The boys wandered at will around the small government compound—around and under the houses and other government buildings and, especially, among the fruit trees that grew behind the buildings and at the edge of the forest. They plundered mangoes and guavas and golden apples and whatever other fruit were in season. Adult relatives of the family who visited from time to time were put out by the fact that the youngsters were allowed to wander around freely on their own; but any children who visited thought it was wonderful and were happy to join the boys’ adventures.