Captured

Joyous

"Hey Lily, Is there a boom box here I could use by any chance?"

"I'll check for yo"

"Thanks."

After Lily returned with the speaker I connected my phone via Bluetooth and started blasting my anti-depressant playlist.

D'Yani's Wife Anthem comes on and I'm already in a better mood.

I need to dedicate an entire day to my bestie.

"Yannnnn!!! Yaniqueee-ouiii- Yannnnn" I yell stomping up the stairs to find her.

She was in our room, on her phone, like a kid in love. How sweet, I'm about to ruin that.

"Come on girl, a party time"

"Wah..uh Alrite shan?"

"Yes, mi gud, but today a fi we, jus we, no distraction, starting with the dance party downstairs so come on."

After maybe two hours of our very off-key Karaoke session Yani and I decide to take a break,

"Lily, can we please have something to drink," I ask kindly

Lily has been our little helper today, from helping us take pictures and snaps to teaching us about tik tok dances or mostly just somewhere In a corner laughing at our antics, nonetheless, it has been fun hanging out.

"Sure, would you like something to eat as well?"

"Eh - I'm not really hungry, how bout you Yan?"

"Of course you're hungry, we haven't eaten all morning, yes please Lily, an egg sandwich or something just food girl"

"I had tea and a boiled egg"

"That's not food"

"It is"

"Girllll"

We stare at each other and then burst out laughing, I needed to seriously talk to Yan today though, I leave for the US tomorrow and we literally just made up, plus I need to makes sure we're actually good good before I leave

"We need to talk though girl, for real. You lef the work? I mean finallly!! But why uh neva tell me?

"Girl, mi not even wah focus pan that, god knows, uh know a long time me fed up but from wah day dem jus a piss me off more and then me request vacation time fi come here and management deny it, can you believe? After years of not taking any, me ask fi two weeks and dem couldn't give me? Me siddung right a me desk and type up the resignation letter, effective immediately to..

'Sound like me a rub off pan u thou"

"Maybe eno, me need fi buy a ticket den and see if me can find a rich white bwoy to"

More like buy a plane ticket, get abducted and pray your owner is actually a well raised catholic mafia boss my subconscious taunts and for a quick minute I just wanted to blurt it all out,

You can't shanice.

I quickly shake the thought and refocus my attention before she realizes I fazed out

"Me neva know a so uh did stay girl honestly"

We both scoff a little

"Seriously though Yan, me worried. What's your plan?

"I dont know yet but...the lord will make a way. Me cyaa Badda no more"

I felt bad that Yan quit her job to spend time with me and i was about to go back to America and leave her stranded.

"But still, wah bout uh rent and supm? Mi can see if me can get uh fi live with the twins dem eno

After Kev and I graduated high school our parents basically packed up and moved to the city with us , they bought a house and everything, it was short-lived though, the city life wasn't for them so they returned to the country but my brother and I still had the house and now the twins do too...there are plenty of empty rooms there and it isn't far from where Yan lives and pays rent now, the least i can do is help put a roof over her head, thats one thing she doesn't have to worry about, plus my whole family loves her so thats no problem.

"Shan, nuh worry uhself, me gud"

"Uh sure?"

"Yes, me just aguh get another work"

"But uh know how Jamaica job market stay already"

"Me gud man, me wi figure it out"

"Okay, but if uh need anything and me mean anything, uh know uh can ask me"

"Ofc"

"So me have supm fi tell uh"

"Lawwwd , wah dissa now?"

"Calm dung, it nuh bad, well- kinda"

"Just tell me"

"Because a some business weh me affi help daniel with, me flight move up and me a leave Friday"

"Shan- today a Thursday..which Friday?"

Tomorrow" i whisper

"Girl, we not even get fi spend real time together"

"Mi no but it ave fi do with him father and you know him deh pan him last days"

"Mi kno say uh wouldn't leave just so without a good reason so me undastand, "

"Me aguh mek it up to uh soon man

"Nuh worry- we gud."

"Thanks Bestie and Again, sorry fi everything weh happen-

"Miss stop Apologize, we both did wrong, but that a inna the past, we gud, uh worry too much"

"Well good, so now tell me bout the bartender, me wah know EVERYTHING

"Shan nothing much nah gwaan deh so, we just a get fi know each other, me guh stay with him because me did upset but him did leave fi work inna the days so...not much.

"One thing thou...."

"Eeee- tell me"

"Him have a daughter"

I send her a puzzled look, it's my first reaction because one thing we always agreed on is, we don't date guys with kids

"That's nice, how old is she?"

"That's a your first question?

"Yes, you know if the kid is under eight that means the parents still a ...ykkk"

Lily walks over to us and sits a tray down with OJ and some breakfast sandwiches, eggs, plantains, sausage and cheese

"This looks so good, thanks lily"

"Sure thing, if you need anything else, just call, and I'll be in the back"

"Thanks, goodaz Lily"

"Omg, Yanique"

We all laugh and then Lily disappears.

"So wah uh did a say now Therapist"

"Haha" I jeer

"How yaa gwaan like uh new to this? This a wah we know..."

"He says they're not and it new so, me nah pressure nobody son"

"Alrite mama, you know I support you in whatever, the same way you support me, I'm the last one to be judging anybody considering I'm ...engaged-

"Yes, tell me bout thaaaaat, all now we nuh get fi really guh down inna the nitty gritty and dont think me nuh see dah big ooooolllle ring deh pah uh finger"

"Me just ave one thing fi say"

"Yes wah"

"Budddy big suh!!!!!!!!!!"

Chobble deh deh!! Hey dolls! What do you think? Let me know. Thank you as always for supporting and dont forget to follow the book's instagram @1capture_d.