Banking

For quite some time there was only one bank on Bequia and that was Barclay’s. It was the only air-conditioned building on the Island and at times the relief from the sun’s heat was welcome, especially during the summer months.  However, most of the time I dreaded going to the bank as it could be quite the timeless experience!

There were no ATMs on the Island so people wanting to draw money from their accounts had to line up and wait.  Electricity and telephone bills had to be paid at the bank, although in those early days few people had telephones. Often the person in front of me would be handed half of Southside’s Vinlec bills from someone not willing to wait in line, prolonging my slow progress to a teller. Whether I was at the bank to withdraw money or make a deposit, my transactions could very well take half the morning and it drove me nuts.

There were no roped areas, everyone leaned on the long counter and shuffled their way up to where the tellers were located at the front of the room.  It was a chance for gossip sessions, the wait was long and there was commess to be had!  Once you got to the long counter (and that could take quite some time) you at least had something to lean on and it made you feel like you were on the “home stretch”.

One day Barclay’s Bank got its first female Manager, a lady by the name of Laura Antoine.  I don’t recall which of the Caribbean Islands she was from but she had sophistication and style. She was no raving beauty but made the most of what she had, her make-up was always expertly applied and she dressed well. Laura had a dry sense of humor and I liked her a lot.  She had been put in charge of a bank on a tiny Island where people felt strongly that the manager should be a man.  Miss Antoine had her work cut out for her and she took it in stride.

Miss Antoine changed the way things were done at the bank pretty well immediately.  She didn’t hide inside her office, rather stayed by the counter and monitored what was happening.  She tapped the counter with a wooden ruler as though conducting an orchestra, watching for those trying to avoid the wait by passing Vinlec bills to a friend in line.  I LOVED her for that, she would order offenders to the back of the line to wait their turn, and it made the line in front of me move a lot faster.

It wasn’t long before Miss Antoine had ropes installed for the line-up, something Bequians weren’t accustomed to.  No-one was allowed to lean on the long counter anymore, the tapping ruler made sure of that!  I was in line one day when a woman waltzed into the bank and tried to pass a bundle of Vinlec bills to a friend at the head of the line.  Miss Antoine caught her in the act and ordered her to the back of the line.  The woman grumbled about the lady manager and how she was ugly to which Miss Antoine responded, “the good Lord may not have blessed me with a pretty face but he DID bless me with an excellent brain.  That is why, Madam, I am behind this counter and YOU are at the back of the line!”

I was sorry when Miss Antoine was transferred to the Turks and Caicos.  Her ropes stayed in place but those damned Vinlec bills started being passed to those in front of me again while the new Manager hid in his office.