Mere feet separate the two doubles vendors who ply their trade under the eaves of the Brooklyn Bar at the corner of Carlos and Roberts Streets in Woodbrook.
To the average early morning passer-by, like myself, it was a case of making a purchase from the box where the line was shortest until one Saturday morning my teen-aged granddaughter pointed out the names painted on the two boxes and gave me the reasons behind "George" and "George X". "They used to be married and are now separated" she explained.
Daniel (George is his trade name) and Sandra Sammy were married in April of 1972 for 27 years until they divorced in 1999, and were in the doubles business together from the start of their marriage, first at Fatima College and for the past 25 years on the Carlos Street corner. It was easier getting to talk with Sandra, who has since re-married, and lives in San Juan. Daniel, who lives in Morvant, was more elusive and even when pinned down for a specific meeting time, managed to leave the corner much earlier than his normal closing time, before I arrived for our appointment.
The couple have five children and two grandchildren. One of the three elder boys has remained with his father's box while their only daughter, Charlotte, assists her mother who must get up at two in the morning to be at the corner every day of the week, except Sundays, by 6.30 a.m. until like clockwork at 11.20 a.m. the Mazda station wagon is packed and mother and daughter head for home. On one of the mornings last week that I visited the corner, Daniel was there even earlier than his 'X' taking full advantage of those who are happy buying from either box.
"If George is not here they buy from me, if I not here they buy from him. If the two of us here some buy one way, others mix and eat" explained Sandra, who has no problems whatever standing "a pebble throw away" from her former husband on a daily basis. The only problem at times is that if she is late, the first parking spot will already have been taken by Daniel's jeep, which was actually one of two vehicles, the only things left from their life together after a fire destroyed their home in 1995. "He took one, I took the other. We had just bought a house and moved to San Juan in June 1995 and by the 31st December the house burned down."
"I am very comfortable here and I am minding my two children who stayed with me, Charlotte, who is taking courses and the last boy still in school. Doubles is all I know about as I did not get to further my education. I was married at 17 years and started having children, the eldest is 28 years" says the very well-spoken and pleasant woman who served a steady stream of customers while we chatted without missing a "pepper or slight pepper" till closing time. One young man reminded her of the Fatima days where he was a student, while another regular customer rated the day's doubles No 8 on a scale of one to ten: "the channa is soft, the flavour is there, the barra is good, and the main thing here is that you get plenty of channa, in other places you have to make sure you get enough of the channa and not just plenty liquid."
How did Sandra come up with this unique name for her box, which Charlotte proudly lays claim to have painted. "It was a customer who told me to put a label on my doubles as I also do private orders sometimes. There were no names on the two boxes. We came up with the 'George X' idea and he soon followed with 'George'."
The atmosphere under the bar is peaceful although neither word nor look is exchanged by the divorced couple who stand right next to each other on a daily basis because says a very philosophical Sandra, who admits to making more than one attempt to mend her 27-year marriage "this is what you know so this is what you have to do. This year we would have been married thirty years, I knew him from school, so he does his business and I do mine without confusion" as could be seen from the crowds milling around from as early as seven in the morning.