She said, “You don’t look like you’re from Jamaica at all.”
Joe Black replied, “That’s because I’m not.”
And she said, “Oh, okay. Well, I guess I should just ask my friends back home about you. They’ll know.”
So he asked her, “What’s your name?”
And she answered, “My name is Rosebud.”
He said, “Rosebud? That sounds nice. My name is Joe.”
And then she said, “It kind of does, doesn’t it?”
Then he said, “Yeah, it really does.”
And he kissed her.
The Jamaican Woman’s Secret
Joe Black was a man who lived in New York City. He had been married twice, and he loved his wife dearly. But she died suddenly after giving birth to her third child.
After her death, Joe became depressed and began drinking heavily. One night at a bar, he met a beautiful Jamaican woman named Rose. She told him she needed a job because her husband had just left her.
She asked Joe if he would hire her as a nanny for his children. Joe agreed, and the next day, he hired Rose as a live-in nanny for his three young sons.
Rose quickly proved herself to be a loving caretaker for the boys, and Joe grew fond of her. After several months, however, Rose confided in Joe that she wanted to marry him.
Joe thought this was crazy. He’d only known her for a short period of time, and he didn’t feel any romantic feelings toward her. Still, he decided to give her another chance.
One evening, Rose came home late from work, and Joe went out to meet her. When he returned, he found Rose sitting alone in the living room.
“Where were you?” she asked.
“Oh, I ran some errands,” said Joe.
“Well, where were you when I called you earlier?”
“I was at the store.”
“Why weren’t you here waiting for me?”
“I’m sorry, honey. I got caught up talking to the owner of the store.”
Why she said it
Joe Black was a character in The Color Purple who had been raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was young. He was very smart, but didn’t speak until he was nine years old. His grandmother taught him to read and write, and he became a successful businessman.
One day, Joe met a beautiful woman named Sofia at a party. She asked him out on a date, and he accepted. They went on several dates together, and eventually fell in love. But Joe was still too shy to tell her that he loved her.
Finally, one night, Joe decided to confess his feelings. So he told Sofia that he loved her. And she replied, “Oh no, not me.” Then she explained that she wasn’t ready to commit to anyone yet.
But Joe persisted. Finally, Sofia relented and agreed to go out with him again. This time, however, she made it perfectly clear that she wanted to be exclusive with him.
When Joe returned home, he found his grandmother waiting for him. She told him that Sofia had called and invited them over for dinner.
Joe was surprised because he thought Sofia would never call. But his grandmother assured him that Sofia was a wonderful girl, and that she’d be perfect for him.
After dinner, Joe took his grandmother aside and asked her what Sofia meant when she said, “Not me.”
His grandmother smiled and said, “She means that she loves you, but she doesn’t want to marry you.”
Joe laughed and thanked her for telling him the truth.
Then he turned to his grandmother and said, “Grandma, I’m going to ask Sofia to marry me!”
And that’s exactly what he did.
What does it mean?
Joe Black was a character in the movie The Color Purple who had a crush on Shug Avery (played by Whoopi Goldberg). He asked her out several times, but she turned him down every time. Finally, he gave up and left town.
Later, when Shug met a Jamaican woman named Nettie at church, she told her friend about Joe Black. She said, “He’s been asking me out for years.”
Nettie replied, “Well, honey, you just keep saying no!”
Shug thought this was funny because she’d never actually said no to Joe Black. So she decided to ask Nettie what she meant.
Nettie explained, “When you say ‘no,’ you’re telling him to go away. But when you say ‘yes’ you’re inviting him over to dinner.”
That’s exactly what Shug wanted to hear. And that’s exactly what she did.
She invited Joe Black over to dinner. And guess what happened next?
They fell madly in love and got married.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the words used in this story.
First, we have the verb “ask”. This means to request something from another person.
Next, we have the noun “invite”, which refers to the act of inviting someone to come to your home or office.
Finally, we have the adjective “inviting”, which describes the state of being inviting.
Putting all together
What did the Jamaican woman really say to Joe Black? Find out here!
Answer ( 1 )
She said, “You don’t look like you’re from Jamaica at all.”
Joe Black replied, “That’s because I’m not.”
And she said, “Oh, okay. Well, I guess I should just ask my friends back home about you. They’ll know.”
So he asked her, “What’s your name?”
And she answered, “My name is Rosebud.”
He said, “Rosebud? That sounds nice. My name is Joe.”
And then she said, “It kind of does, doesn’t it?”
Then he said, “Yeah, it really does.”
And he kissed her.
The Jamaican Woman’s Secret
Joe Black was a man who lived in New York City. He had been married twice, and he loved his wife dearly. But she died suddenly after giving birth to her third child.
After her death, Joe became depressed and began drinking heavily. One night at a bar, he met a beautiful Jamaican woman named Rose. She told him she needed a job because her husband had just left her.
She asked Joe if he would hire her as a nanny for his children. Joe agreed, and the next day, he hired Rose as a live-in nanny for his three young sons.
Rose quickly proved herself to be a loving caretaker for the boys, and Joe grew fond of her. After several months, however, Rose confided in Joe that she wanted to marry him.
Joe thought this was crazy. He’d only known her for a short period of time, and he didn’t feel any romantic feelings toward her. Still, he decided to give her another chance.
One evening, Rose came home late from work, and Joe went out to meet her. When he returned, he found Rose sitting alone in the living room.
“Where were you?” she asked.
“Oh, I ran some errands,” said Joe.
“Well, where were you when I called you earlier?”
“I was at the store.”
“Why weren’t you here waiting for me?”
“I’m sorry, honey. I got caught up talking to the owner of the store.”
Why she said it
Joe Black was a character in The Color Purple who had been raised by his grandmother after his mother died when he was young. He was very smart, but didn’t speak until he was nine years old. His grandmother taught him to read and write, and he became a successful businessman.
One day, Joe met a beautiful woman named Sofia at a party. She asked him out on a date, and he accepted. They went on several dates together, and eventually fell in love. But Joe was still too shy to tell her that he loved her.
Finally, one night, Joe decided to confess his feelings. So he told Sofia that he loved her. And she replied, “Oh no, not me.” Then she explained that she wasn’t ready to commit to anyone yet.
But Joe persisted. Finally, Sofia relented and agreed to go out with him again. This time, however, she made it perfectly clear that she wanted to be exclusive with him.
When Joe returned home, he found his grandmother waiting for him. She told him that Sofia had called and invited them over for dinner.
Joe was surprised because he thought Sofia would never call. But his grandmother assured him that Sofia was a wonderful girl, and that she’d be perfect for him.
After dinner, Joe took his grandmother aside and asked her what Sofia meant when she said, “Not me.”
His grandmother smiled and said, “She means that she loves you, but she doesn’t want to marry you.”
Joe laughed and thanked her for telling him the truth.
Then he turned to his grandmother and said, “Grandma, I’m going to ask Sofia to marry me!”
And that’s exactly what he did.
What does it mean?
Joe Black was a character in the movie The Color Purple who had a crush on Shug Avery (played by Whoopi Goldberg). He asked her out several times, but she turned him down every time. Finally, he gave up and left town.
Later, when Shug met a Jamaican woman named Nettie at church, she told her friend about Joe Black. She said, “He’s been asking me out for years.”
Nettie replied, “Well, honey, you just keep saying no!”
Shug thought this was funny because she’d never actually said no to Joe Black. So she decided to ask Nettie what she meant.
Nettie explained, “When you say ‘no,’ you’re telling him to go away. But when you say ‘yes’ you’re inviting him over to dinner.”
That’s exactly what Shug wanted to hear. And that’s exactly what she did.
She invited Joe Black over to dinner. And guess what happened next?
They fell madly in love and got married.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the words used in this story.

First, we have the verb “ask”. This means to request something from another person.
Next, we have the noun “invite”, which refers to the act of inviting someone to come to your home or office.
Finally, we have the adjective “inviting”, which describes the state of being inviting.
Putting all together
What did the Jamaican woman really say to Joe Black? Find out here!