Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Party like a rock star: This lady had a generous helping of the dance floor and put it to good use at Ghetto Story, held at Fletcher's Land square on Sunday, Janaury 27. - Nathaniel Stewart

If Sunday night's 'Ghetto Story' was to be written in a book, the first few pages would be blank.

The empty space would represent not only the very late start to what was advertised as a Sunday night affair, but also the expanse of empty asphalt which greeted THE STAR at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

Sure, the sound system Swatch International was in place and pounding, but apart from the selectors and the ladies at the bar close to where the music equipment was set up under a tent, there were only four persons in Fletcher's Land square.

And one of them was sleeping, sitting on the low sidewalk and crouched over, looking like he really needed the Night Nurse Gregory Isaacs was singing about.

So The STAR took a spin by the Sunday night oldies street jam in Rae Town, which was really happening, then returned to Fletcher's Land at 4:20 a.m. Not much had changed; there were about 20 party people there and the sleeper had changed to the other side of the road but retained the same position.

And the music was still in 'early warm' mode, with Natural Black rejoicing It Nice and Sasha and Turbulence announcing "we got the love". That was, of course, before Ex-Girlfriend days.

Still, one dreadlocked ma did not need a crowd or a girl to celebrate She's Royal, his white rag flashing as he pranced in appreciation, while a man in full white slow wined with a lady in full black as the song got extended play.

As the African Queen was celebrated, an older man in full white from buckers to shoes, pants suspended from white suspenders in between, minced across the square and hot-stepped up the road. He would later return from whence he went.

The beat was changed to hip hop, Akon, Biggy and Tupac selection rocking the few as the selector congratulated those who have cable television. With more people trickling in, the female ghetto fab dress parade of evening wear in the early-morning hours began, one hottie lifting the hem of her green, strapless dress as she crossed the square to stand at the bar.

And the men were decked out, one man in a red suit rolling his matching hat to the beat as he walked and prodded a smiling, bent over woman many a foot up the road.

"We no deh pon no haste, is alright," the selector said, two cars pulling up as those who were there, including a hot girl crew in one corner and a more modestly dressed set in another, grooved to Return of the Mack. "Big up all de girl who have only one man. That mean he is royal," the selector said.

"We a party like we party when we deh a New York," the selector said as the hip hop continued, a couple tunes coming before Ghetto Superstar, which got an enthusiastic response from the small, compact but growing audience upfront in the corner of the square closest to the bar and sound equipment. It's Tha Party got a restart and, as a police van marked Central Police Station passed through, the selector said "big up peace officer, everything good".

Fiesta rocked the house, Baby Cham ordered "hands off ma property" and Akon illustrated life in the ghetto as The STAR called it a morning close to 5:30 a.m. It was, after all, a Monday morning, the beginning of a school and workweek.

And as The STAR left a crew rolled into Fletcher's land square, indicating that there was much more to come in Ghetto Story and those who knew chapter and verse of that story knew what time to come.