"A church activity wih a deal wid. Look how people a look pah yuh wid yuh neck full up a hickies."
Mommy grumbled as we went to another elders house that needed cleaning.
The government built these homes so with the help of the clinics and church, we made reports on each individual who needed care. Few made upgrades and those are the ones with children.
"Yuh nuh si yuh self enuh." She hisses.
I just carried the two container of vanilla and chocolate ensure that was taken from the foods barrel.
"Mih look inna mirror mommy." I laughed, using my hips to bounce hers. The slap I got in return only made me laugh.
Seeing her husband coming, I showed her my tongue then faked a sad look. When Mister Palmer looked from his wife with a smile, if vanishes when he saw me.
"What have you done to Kai-à, Raj?" He asked.
Mommy looks at me and glared. "If a slap yuh, yuh remember how breast milk taste."
I laughed out and replied. "If it did sweet and taste like dem ensure yah, sure, but no thank you. Mih nuh want nuh running belly."
We laughed at her as she walked away with a frown.
"Love, it's not true." My step father shouts after her and I made a face.
"Ew, that's disturbing. I wonder how Jess-Ann lives with you both." I said regaining their nine year old daughter. My litter sister.
Junior Palmer couldn't have children so both him and mommy choosed to adopt through the church.
Its even a blessing as she loves almost everything that her dad loves. She's the ideal daughter born from strangers.
"She's always in our library so she wouldn't know." He said which I believes.
Mommy loves reading like I do, so Jess-Ann adopted that from mommy.
"Ah, Miss Atkins." He greets someone and I looked at the lady and my eyes widened.
If a nuh Gio relative this, a him much older female twin.
"Mister Palmer. You know I have a bone to pick at you." She point at him and laughs. "How could you leave the salt."
A muss the big bag of salt they left at home.
It's mummy's fault for bothering me about these hickies.
"You're the third person to remind me." Then he gestures to me. "This is Kai-à, my stepdaughter."
"Oh, the chef who has the British boy Raj boast about all the time." She looks at me grinning.
Suh mommy a run wid mih name up yah.
"It's a pleasure meeting with you, Kai-à." Then she turns to my step father. "I'll take her."
He left me with her and she took one of the cases.
"I'm Kadeja Atkins, a founder of this red cross groups. I've heard so much about you from your mom and although this wasn't planned, we're having a small issue down here."
We stopped on the hill where we could see a crowd of people mixed with ours who were in uniforms to represent us.
"Some non chefs volunteered to cook for these people but it seems too many rats can't dig a good hole."
Her comment had me laughing.
A muss Gio mada dis but mih naw guh ask.
"What is been prepared?" I asked.
"Fried chicken, rice and red beans, coleslaw and mixed veggies. They only got the coleslaw, mixed veggies and the igloo of syrup right." She shook her head with disappointment.
It is shown how stressed she looked.
Almost like how Gio did look when him find mih at the beach the last time.
"It's okay, Miss Atkins. I'll do it."
She thanked me and that's how I ended up saving the meal. I even tasted it to make sure all was good.
Out of the nine rats, I wanted three to remain with me until it was time to issue the food.
I also used the remaining flour mixture from the chicken; adding sugar, little cornmeal and add more flour to make mini festivals.
The left over meat they wanted to fry, I asked for browning so someone got one from the shop. I made chop up, added it to the remaining plates till nothing was left.
My back was aching when I was finished and I almost fell when I went to wash my hands.
"I'm so sorry, Kai-à." Miss Atkins fussed when she was my condition.
"It will pass."
"I can't believe you all." She says to the ones who sat and complained about being tired. "If you think I'll leave a good report on your community service sheets then you've had a next thing coming. You have two more days to prove yourselves. Clean up and when I return to see even a napkin..."
She lets the threat hungs there.
She helps me up through the lane and to my step father's car where mummy was standing talking with some of her church sisters.
She saw me and got worried.
"Dainty, what happened?" She held me, helping me in on the front seat while Miss Atkins fills them in. "Lord Jesus!"
Mummy jumps up with tears in her eyes. Her hands flew to her head and she called out for Jesus.
Mih could only hide mih face.
"Yuh nuh love yuh self?" She stresses. "Mih know yuh helpful bad, but yuh forget yuh back pain."
This time she fills them in on how I suffered from back pains after the birth of Kyng. The raw emotions in her voice only made Miss Atkins felt bad.
I had to tell the lady that it will pass but no one believed me.
If anything, she'll return to make the ones doing community service suffer.
Miss Atkins had took my number as did many. She however was worried as much as mummy.
Mummy even took the day off to accompanied me to the dentist. It took some time but she stayed, then brought me to the doctors where an appointment was made for a professional to help either the pain, permanently.
The amount he charged had me stressed. I couldn't afford it so I told mommy that it will heal like last time.
When she finally dropped me off in Montego bay where Pretty Rasta was waiting. I see the look in her eyes when she saw the way he was with me. Talking about, she'll call me later, which she did and inquired about him.
From there to my home, Onique and Zuri would've helped me up to my house but from the pain I couldn't go up the hill.
I could barely stand or sit up for a good ten minutes as I've been reclined in the car seats.
Stress came and so did the depression as I stayed with Onique.
I had to lie to Gio about having a headache and faking it, just so I could say in.
The least I expected was mommy to pull up Monday morning.
The chuch had contributed to paying for my treatment. I could smell the lie and know Miss Atkins was all over it.
The treatment was more than just my bones being cracked back into place. There was a spa treatment afterwards.
I cried like a baby in mommy's arms.
Zuri took a day off work to be with me and she had to help mommy get me off the floor.
What had took years to heal, now took a day to be set in place. It was a miracle and I swear I saw Jesus in the light when I closed my eyes. Instead I should be seeing darkness but no.
The pain in my joints and spine left, I stood upright for over an hour and cried. I finally felt like myself and my sweet posture was back.
"Look how eh batty cock up." Luzi laughs.
"Yuh mean shi shape like duck." Mummy grumbled.
"Yuh nuh jealous, mommy?" I blurted and Zuri shook her head.
Wih both know mommy and har family batty flat like Chinese but all a wih blessed with hips still. A daddy mek mih have high ass and rounder hips.
"Jealous a duck?" She hisses and we hid our laugher from her. "Mussi crazy."
"A true yaa, Auntie Raj."
I rolled my eyes at Zuri's lie.