Secure in her space

AS TOLD TO BC PIRES

My name is Esther Montano and I’m in charge of a car park in town.

I am actually related to (TT's biggest soca star) Machel Montano on my father’s side.

But I don’t get comps for Machel Monday. My brothers more have relation with him.

As far as I know, the extended Montano family is pretty big. But in my circle, it’s pretty small.

I have a daughter, a granddaughter and one on the way. My daughter is Carelle Stanley. My granddaughter is Zamiya Stanley, she is two. And my grandson Zaydon arrived safely on Valentine’s Day. Thanks be to God.

My mom, Eden Montano, like the Garden of Eden, is a really strong lady.

I take that strength from her. I’ve been through a lot and I’m still here.

I was born in San Juan but I grew up in Toco, countryside. My childhood was in Toco. My parents moved there when I was one and a half.

We actually had no family up there but it was pretty interesting.

My first school was in Toco. It wasn’t distracting to go to school near the sea because we actually lived close to the sea and went there every day.

School days was very nice in Toco.

I went to Cumana Seventh Day Adventist and passed for Toco Composite, but my mom didn’t send me there.

I went to Bates Memorial, a private school in Sangre Grande.

Back in San Juan, I went to St Andrew’s, another private school. We grew up Seventh Day Adventists and both private schools were SDA.

I am not Seventh Day now. I’m Pentecostal.

I could swim and I love it.

When I moved back down to Port of Spain, I went and did a lifeguard course. So if anybody gets into difficulties swimming, I’d be able to assist.

I play mas with Showtime. I used to play J’Ouvert but I stopped when I started playing mas because is too much.

I am a believer. At some point, some time, there would be a second coming.

I love cooking.

I came from a family of five kids and I’m the eldest, so,when my parents went to work, I was the one cooking for everybody from a pretty young age. I used to look at my mom cooking and, at school, we had home economics as a subject and I took that to heart.

I just LOVE cooking and I eat wild meat and everything…Well, not anything. like monkey or anything like that.

And now, with this coronavirus, you see why nobody should eat things like that!

I don’t know why but I just love Sunday food – rice, callaloo, pie.

I just love cooking many different dishes. Even if I cook Sunday food during the week, I still have to cook it again on the Sunday. Depends on my mood, I could probably bake/barbecue a chicken or fry something.

Depends on the meat, too. I might stew a little turkey.

It’s a lovely thing to cook for people.

My daughter always tells me I should have my own restaurant.

I love music and listen to any type – soca, dancehall, jazz.

I come from a singing family. My mom and my dad used to sing in church. All of us.

I probably could have sing backup for Machel.

It’s my first time being in a car park but I’ve been with the security company I work for since 2012.

I was hired as a sentry and usually work in head office.

But I had a little family situation with my daughter and I am now in the car park. My daughter had a little complications with the pregnancy so she had to be in hospital since last December 6 so I have to see about baby-girl, so I need daytime hours.

We have regular parkers in the car park and we don’t have to worry about them. We have special spaces for employees of the companies who use the car park. We have reserved spaces for CEO and managers and the other bosses. And then, on this (most accessible) side, we have customer parking.

Sometimes we get difficult customers who tell you they going to the company but then they sneak off elsewhere. Sometimes they’re honest enough to tell you they’re not really going there.

You have to be a little lenient at times, but the majority of customers are accustomed with the car park so I’ve never really had a complication.

The best part of the job is I am a people person and I like greeting the people.

I like giving them their little slip of paper. And seeing them come back out.

I like interacting with people. It’s a small interaction (between customer and car park attendant) but it could make a big difference to someone’s day.

The bad side of the job is that it gets a little hot in the car park from about 3 pm.

But I have a little fan in my hut to keep me cool. And the hut is big enough for me to go back or go to the side a little bit to avoid the sun. And I finish work by 5 pm anyway. So it’s okay.

I start at 7.30 am. It’s a long day. But the hours fly fast.

I like to read and I like writing. But most of the time, I’ll pass the hours by playing games on my phone. You have to walk with your charger! For real!

Actually, the onliest thing I’m bothered by in Trinidad is the crime, but any government that goes there really can’t do much about the crime, so I wouldn’t blame the government. It’s the people!

Other than that, I does just pray and come out and do what I have to do.

You can’t let things that happen in life keep you down or keep you back. You pick up yourself and you move forward. Because life goes on as usual.

Tobago is a lot like Toco.

But the beaches are much nicer.

To me, Trinis are a nice, loving people who do whatever they want.

But they are a nice loving people.

Trinidad and Tobago is home.

Anywhere you go, we are happy. Everything is a party, a celebration. We could do nothing and still celebrate.I love it.

Read the full version of this feature on Saturday at www.BCPires.com