Employed to the streets

File photo
Some boys waiting to get their chance to wipe the wind screens of passing vehicles.

Merrick Andrews, Staff Reporter

DWAYNE JOHNSON, 14, and Shawn Lewis, 13, are self-employed - to the streets.

When school is dismissed at 2:35 p.m. each day, they get busy making money.

The boys spend at least three hours on the streets around Half-Way Tree, St. Andrew, wiping the wind screens of vehicles in exchange for money.

They have to, they said, otherwise they won't have lunch money the next day.

Working the streets was their idea, explained the two, because their parents, although employed, cannot provide lunch money and bus fares every day.

"A mi lunch money mi come look man," said Shawn whose father is a mechanic. "Mi don't know which work mi madda do, but mi know sey mi father do mechanic work," he said.

Dwayne, who rarely spoke, said his parents sold outside their yard gate.

The boys who attend Haile Selassie Comprehensive High School, off Spanish Town Road, and live a few blocks from each other in the vicinity of the school, share a brotherly friendship. Each day they leave school together and hit the streets together - starting and stopping at the same time. Unlike the other boys, the duo tend to work together - wiping the windscreen of a same vehicle and splitting the money.

'Juggling' on the streets for about three years now, Shawn and Dwayne have reaped success from their job because of their unmatched politeness - which is not a characteristic of most street boys. On receiving money they say 'thank you' and move on.

They earn plenty - especially close to the weekends - which enables them to eat a good lunch meal at school, save and turn some over to their parents.

"Sometimes wi mek all gran ($1,000 - mainly coins)," said Shawn.

"I save it, sometimes I give it to my parents," said Shawn.

They noted that motorists rarely got angry with them and sometimes exchanged jokes with them before giving them money.

While the streets have been kind enough to them, the boys say they want to stop juggling. Life can be better, they believe.

"Mi waan come off a di the streets now," said Shawn, "wen mi grow up big I am going to stap coming on the streets. Mi ago try stap when mi a 14 or 15."

He wants to become a mechanical engineer. "Mi waan turn mechanic," he said.

"I waan do the same ting to," said Dwayne.

In the meantime, however, they're like thousands of others, who attend school, juggle on the streets and dream of a better day.

"A whole heap a wi out ya a evening time," said Shawn.

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