Tears-o-Rama

Tears-o-Rama
By Denise Balgobin, Newsday News, Sunday, December 2nd, 2007

Once upon a time there was a young girl in Trinidad who fell in love with a big singing star. After a whirlwind romance, they started living together and she bore him four children.

After a few years of living together, one day the star came home and told the girl he was having financial trouble with his business and needed to use their home as security to get things back in order. As a loyal spouse, the girl unhesitatingly signed over their house into his name, in the hope that the business would benefit.

Does this sound like the first chapter in a fairy tale romance/drama novel?

Well it could be, but actually it is Valarie Green's account of the events that unfolded during the late 1970s and 1980s between Calypso icon the late Lord Kitchener and herself.

Boom!!

This is how the end of the fairy tale began.

On October 26 this year in the Port-of-Spain First Civil Court, presiding judge, Justice Lennox Deyalsingh ordered Green and three of her children (Christian, Kernal and Kernister, daughter Quweina is in Atlanta) to vacate the property, which is the famous Rain-o-Rama on the Diego Martin Main Road, by December 31, 2007. Rain-o- Rama was named after one of Kitch's mega hits in 1973.

When asked about the value of the property, Green said the land was about 15,000 square feet but she did not know the current value of it. "This is because I am not interested in the monetary value. I hope to live here until I grow old and pass it on to my children and grandchildren. No matter how difficult things may be financially, I know I will never mortgage Rain-o-Rama, or use it for anything other than to preserve Kitch's musical legacy."

For Green, this is the second time in her life that her contribution to Rain-o-Rama may be reduced to nil. The first time was four months after she signed the property over to Kitchener back in 1988.

Back then, it was like a bomb had been dropped on her when she was given legal notice that she had 14 days to vacate the premises, by the owner Betsy Ann Howell- Pollard.

"At that time in 1988", Green told Sunday Newsday, "I was living with him, we were building a life together and I had worked very hard to help him build this house. It was a shock to me when the legal notice came." She said she soon found out the reason behind Kitch's action. She explained: "It was the norm every year after the Carnival season, Kitch used to go on tour and when I was still dancing, I went with him sometimes.

"That year I had been hearing about the Calypso tent being in trouble, so when he came to me with the plan about using the house as security, I did not hesitate. I never expected what was to happen next."

She said that after Carnival 1988, Kitchener went on tour as usual, "Or so I thought. Four months after I signed over the house to him, the notice came from Betsy. When I started asking around, I learned he was having a relationship with Betsy, who was a married woman, and that he had put Rain-o-Rama in her name."

With nothing to her name, Green took her children and obeyed the order. She remembers: "While I was living with Kitch, he never allowed me to work, and I was mostly confined to the home taking care of the children. Since he was the sole breadwinner, I contented myself taking care of our home and family.

"When Betsy put us out, Kitch never gave the children or me anything. He betrayed the children and disinherited them by giving away their legacy to a married woman. I didn't know what to do and I had nothing."

Valarie explained that Betsy lived with Kitchener at Rain-o-Rama for ten years before her death in 1998.

"During that time the children, his own flesh and blood, were not allowed to visit him there, but he would sometimes come to see them unknown to Betsy. There are times when I didn't know where my next meal was coming from. I used to scrape money together and buy food on a daily basis to cook for the children. She never allowed him to help them out and I guess he himself never wanted to."

At Kitchener's request, the children moved back into Rain-o-Rama after Betsy died, according to Valarie. "I believe he wanted to make an effort to get to know them before it was too late, but he became ill soon after and died within two years in 2000."

Green told Sunday Newsday she didn't move back in with the children until after Kitch's death. "But I used to go often when he was sick to take care of him, and I had to bury him when he died. I think he wanted the children to forgive him and I hope he made his peace with God before he died."

Valarie said she returned to Rain-o-Rama in 2000 and has been living there since. "I used my own money from my business to do repairs to the inside of the house, since it was in deterioration when I returned. Betsy had so much hatred in her for us that she probably hated the house, but she just wanted to have all of Kitch's material belongings. It was obvious to me that she never took care of the place."

Green and her children have also established a museum on site for Kitch, with assistance from the government, "But mostly with my own funds. Now I am being forced to leave because of Betsy's will."

In the October 26 ruling, Green and her children were also ordered to pay some form of rent for occupying the premises, as well as costs, to June Ann Howell-Logan (Betsy's sister), Susan Gittens and Charmaine Kumar.

Immediately after the case ended, Green had voiced her intention to appeal the judge's ruling. Repeating her words at the time, she told Sunday Newsday last Tuesday, "I have to be strong once again. I had to protect my children in 1988 from things I never told anyone about and I have to protect their birthright now."

She said she could not describe the immense pain and hurt she felt when the ruling was made. "I was also amazed at the description of Betsy as the innocent party in the matter.

What about my children who were so young at the time? Kitch took me out of my parents' house when I was still a teenager at 19 and I had these four children for him in his 60s when he thought he would never have children.

"These people who won the case were not around when Kitch was alive, they didn't visit him when he was sick. They don't know how hard we worked to build up this home and they are now the owners. This is all unbelievable," Green ranted.

"Strangers are going to inherit what should rightfully belong to Kitch's children. What do they want the children to do?"

However, she said she hoped it was a lesson to other women out there who may be all too trusting of their spouses.

"When I thought I was acting out of love and loyalty, I was stabbed in the back by the man I thought I would spend my life with. This could happen to anyone.

We were a couple and when he needed help, I was there for him. Now look what has happened to me and my children."

With just under one month to go before the order takes effect, Valarie said she was not going to give up hope. "We have until the end of the year, but I am leaving everything in the hands of God and our lawyers. I put my faith in God as I did so many years ago. And I thank him that my children, despite all the trauma in their lives, have turned out well. I urge people out there, don't do to your children what Kitchener did to his."

In the event that Green's appeal is not successful, she said she has no hate or dislike for Betsy's heirs. "When that time comes, if God deems it so, then I have already discussed it with my children and we don't think we will be able to stay in this country and not be able to enter our rightful home. We will migrate."