Power of the Pum Pum (From Guns to God)

Chapter 36

I rummage through the boxes of old clothing that Tafari had on the ground of an old outside toilet in his backyard. My hands quivered when I finally found what I was looking for. I took it up with shivering hands and examined it. How the hell did this work? I had no idea what I was doing or was about to do but Terry was right AGAIN, I dare not approach Bobby unarmed.

I positioned the gun under my blouse and hurried back inside the house. As soon as I got into Tafari's bedroom I hid the gun in the back of his closet.

Then my phone rang. It was Bobby.

"Weh you want ?" I opened the line and yelled.
"Me nuh tell you nuh call me phone?"

Bobby chuckled and it drove more fire through my being.

"Me wah see you Princessa"

"Don't..." I was about to swear but thought better of it.
"Don't call me that!"

Bobby chuckled again.
"Easy you self baby girl"
"Me and you nuh have nothing"
"Just meet me later and make we settle this, me nuh want no vibes between me and you"
"Me love you, girl, even though you nah no taste in a man"
"It nuh stop me from love you"

I ended the call and flung the phone on Tafari's bed.

When did my life get like this? I didn't know if it was when I decided to love Tafari or when I allowed Bobby to persuade me.

I went back into Tafari's closet and pulled out the gun. I tucked it carefully into my handbag and headed for the door. When u opened the door I saw his friend Max. I froze in the doorway when I remembered what Terry said about Max and how he would hurt me if he knew that Tafari was injured because of me.

"Wah gwaan muma?" Max greeted.
"Yah deal with?"
"How the boss?" he scratched his head.

"He's... He's fine" I stuttered.
"Well not fine but him a come on"

"Hmm" Max nodded
"Good news that"

Max walked closer to me and it took everything in me not to pee on myself.
Max sat on the bottom step and patted the area beside him. "Come siddung beside me mek me show you a pree"

My insides quiver as my body gestured over to the area on the step where Max was seated. It was as if I wasn't the one in control of my movements anymore. Max's voice had a tinge of commander attached to it. I feared that I would lose my life but the thought of losing Tafari ached my heart even more. When I sat beside Max he turned to face me. He studied my eyes for a moment before he spoke.

"Me rate you eno and me eva a tell my dawg seh, you a good woman"

I nodded and let out a breath as I try to hold back the tears.

"Them seh you know how the dawg get shot and nah talk"
"Like yah protect the shoota"
"Me nuh bright eno, me barely finish 7 grade but me anuh fool muma"
"Me know if yah protect somebody that mean you rate that somebody more than Tikka" Max ran his hands through his cane rows and shook his head as if he was using everything in him not to kill me right on the spot.
"Me know you love me dawg so me refuse to believe that"

Tears ran down my cheeks and I didn't stop them. There was no use in doing that since Max had already seen them.
"You nah fi cry man"
"Everything ago maths up and make sense man"
Max paused for a moment, I assumed to allow me to console myself a little. Then he spoke again.
"Me a give you the benefit of the doubt... Me want you tell me what you know"
"A your word me a tek, nah listen to nobody else right now but you"
"Cause me boss love you and hurting you innocently means hurting me dawg"

Caught between a rock and a hard place, I closed my eyes and let out a loud breath.
"Me never see a who but..."

"But what?" Max grunted and clench his fist.

"Me...me and him did get in a something with one a me old friends"
"Well nuh me and him, him and the youth" I felt like I was a little girl reporting to Uncle Sam when I did something I knew I should not.

"Hmmm, wah gwaan?" Max scratched his head and fidgeted as he anticipated what I was about to say.

"Them threaten each other and the waiter seh we can't stay. When we reach outside me a walk up suh me could a reach over to Tafari... Tikka.. cause him did upset with me".
"When me bend down to tek off me slippers me hear people start scream"

I brought my hands to my face and sobbed in them. Reliving the moment drove a fresh wedge in my heart every time. I wanted to wake up from this bad dream.

"Suh your boy...a weh him name?"

My body tensed when the implications of what I had just done hit me.

"Bo... Bobby"
"Him a police"

Max got up from the step and spun around before he roared out all the tension he forcefully held the entire time we spoke.
"Same Bobby weh beat him with the rifle?
"Dah pussyhole police boy deh yah talk?"
Before I could answer Max roared again.
"Yow dah bwoy deh a live pon over time eno"
"Yow him a play with him life eno!"
"Watch yah Muma, nuh seh 40"
"Me ago do the right man"

I pushed up from the step to plea with Max but he jumped on his bike and sped off.