Bjorn Burke, Staff Reporter

Fruits vendor 'Mikey' describes himself as a nomad. The reason he is always on the move, he said, is not because the location where he sells fruits are not profitable, rather, he is playing a game of hide and seek with the police.

"Right now, mi deh ya suh; a look mi a look out if mi see none a dem. Dem move mi all the while. Dem tek weh mi tings dem. But when dem tek it weh, mi low dem mek them gwaan with it. Because when them gone with it, mi go back and go pick and come again. Mi nah lef. A it mi survive off of. If mi lef it, me nah nothing else fi go do," said Mikey.

The 40-year-old is mostly based in Half-Way Tree, St Andrew. He said he is always on edge, as he, most often, has to be on the lookout for the police.

The short, slender-build man who was dressed in a purple-and-white hooded jacket, a fitted hat, and a pair of green-and-white coloured jeans, was seated at a central location just on the outskirts of the Constant Spring Arcade.

In front of him were a number of crates, three of which contained ackees, sweetsops, and cherries. During THE STAR's visit, business did not appear to be booming. However, Mikey seemingly remained optimistic.

"Mi nuh know nothing else, yu nuh? Mi nuh base upon nothing else. A it mi like, yu understand weh mi a seh?" Mikey explained.

"Is not like mi a make a million yu nuh? But mi can survive out a it, yu understand? Yu can live out a it, mi a tell yu."

Mikey, who hails from Bucknor, Clarendon, said that he has been in the business of selling fruits since he was 11. He, however, did not disclose how much he makes selling fruits on a productive day.

He appeared carefree and content nonetheless. His long-term concern seemed to be the dream of having a fixed location, in which he could offload his produce, hopefully making a profit.

"Mi wouldn't mind if we did have a place weh mi coulda carry it go and dem nuh take it back from we. Mi woulda feel good bout it. Mi nah tell nuh lie," he said.

Based in the Half-Way Tree area since 2004, he boasted that he is a well-known vendor and has sold his quality produce all over the island, more often in Porus, Manchester, and in Three Miles, Kingston.

"A Clarendon mi live still, enuh, so everyday mi come in. Only Sunday mi nuh come in. Everyday, mi go down go pick and come back. When mi nuh sell ackee, mi sell sweetsop," the proud vendor said. "We deh all over, yu understand weh mi a seh? We have customers weh come from all bout come buy. A it mi live off a, mi a tell yu."

Though firm in his trade, Mikey admitted to our news team that the idea of 'foreign' certainly has its allure.

"Mi a seh it look like a nuh my time yet. Yu see weh me a seh? Me just love weh me a do," Mikey said. "Yu see when mi a leave it, a muss foreign mi a go. Nuh other else thing. Nothing else."

As long as Mikey and others like him continue to peddle their produce, Half-Way Tree passers-by shan't worry about a shortage of healthy snacks to grab on the go, or ponder for too long about how to have another day's dinner. This all-in-one stop on a sidewalk of the city, is one such spot.