📍 Manchester, Jamaica | Newport
A Week Later | Wednesday, August 3rd
8 AM ⏰
"Mi nuh wah guh noweh today enuh..." Sevana whines.
"Why we cyaa juss lay here forever babes?"
I look down at her, and catch sight of the pout set on her lips.
My big baby.
Glad seh we get over di likkle rough patch.
Still need fi deal wid har mad head sista doh...
She snuggles deeper into my arms, resting her head under the crook of my shoulder as she throws her free hand over my stomach.
"Anuh yuh seh yuh wah Chanel bag? How mi aguh afford dat if mi nuh guh work?" I tease her, tickling at her sides to make her giggle.
She throws her head back, trying to free herself from my hold, her laughs ringing through the room as they turn into a full-blown fit.
"Babe please" she begs, clutching her lower belly as she tries to contain herself.
"Stop before mi piss up miself"
I watch her squirm around for a bit, deciding on if I should show her mercy.
"Alright mi done now" I announce, clearly amused, a huge grin comes across my face.
With everything going on right now, I didn't expect us to reach back here anytime soon.
Drive off leff mi poor baby...
But mi did inna fight or flight mode.
Sarai and Samir had temporarily succeded in putting a stop to our relationship, but we survived the static and will continue to push through as partners.
Nobody cyaa stop dat.
Especially not har two mad head sibling dem.
Who God put together, no man can put apart.
Rolling out of the bed, my feet land lazily on the floor beneath me, I stretch my arms up as I try to adjust to the cold air in the bedroom.
"Which site yah work today babes?" Sevana asks, moving up behind me before wrapping her arms around my waist.
She dips her face into the crook of my neck, taking in a huge breath as she inhales my scent.
"We gone up near Clifton Heights today, some new apartment complex weh dem ah build" I tell her, rolling out my neck and shoulders.
New month, new job to bomboclaat.
My original plan was to go to England at the end of August, but I somehow misplaced my passport and had to reschedule my entire move.
The change of plans put me back on the job market, and I recently got hired as a Senior Site Director for Cohen Construction & Real Estate, something that was done quickly and on the fly.
My degree in architectural design and construction ensured that the interview process wasn't long and drawn out, I was their perfect candidate.
But mi still nuh know weh di fuck mi passport deh.
When I lifted that bed and it was nowhere to be found, mi nearly shit up miself.
Nah lie.
I will never get over the fact that I let it out of my safekeeping, and right now there's nothing I can do except wait for another appointment at the embassy.
Which nah happen anytime soon.
Sack of bomboclaat salt.
I have lost so much money and had to dissolve so many plans over my negligence. Disappointed is not even a strong enough word to describe how I am feeling.
Regardless, money still haffi mek.
Mi have mi daughter and ooman as mi responsibility, and nobody else aguh tek care ah dem when mi deh yasso.
Even if Sarai wah keep Lailah from mi.
But mi soon deal wid muma chippy.
"Yuh did serious bout di Chanel bag?" Sevana asks as I stand up from the bed.
Having a ooman is not for the bruk and light-hearted.
"Yea," I affirm, scanning around the room for my slides.
How much dem bag deh even cost?
Cyaa be much, right?
"Really? Mek mi bring up di website suh we can browse" she squeals excitedly, searching on the bed for her phone.
Walking over to the dresser to put on my slides, I find an open spot on the corner of the bed soon after.
Sevana doesn't hesitate to crawl over to me, shoving her phone eagerly in my face.
Why mi pocket ah bun mi?
"Seet yah! I want the flap bag in black, lowkey ah di big one mi ah eye, but I would honestly be fine with the mini " a huge grin is placed on her face from ear to ear.
I take the phone from her and look down at the screen in front of me, immediately shutting it off once my eyes land on the price.
"Hmmmphh," I say, handing the phone back to her as quickly as she gave it me.
Mussi sick inna her medulla.
Muma ah try live har maddest life, betta she gwaan walk roun wid ah scandal bag.
"Ah wah?" she questions, confusion evident in her voice.
Anuh mi name Meech enuh...
"Six thousand dollars? United States at that? Yuh chest high yuh fuck"
"Aye bwoy! Anuh yuh seh yuh wah buy mi it?" she screams, punching my arm with full force.
When she get suh fucking strong?
"Neva know seh mi did haffi sell mi soul fi one bag" I rub at the sore spot she hit.
"Doh worry yuhself, mi know wah man dung ah Mandeville market weh mi see ah sell di same bag fi less" I tease her, trying to stifle my laugh.
"Nah ask yuh fi nutt'n else, yuh dutty likkle germs yuh"
She kissed her teeth in agitation, but I could tell she was trying to hide a smile.
"Woulda tell yuh seh meeda mek mi bredda come beat yuh, but I guess that already happened"
Di whole family mad enuh.
Three people who belong inna white padded cells.
"Mi nuh fraid ah Samir, juss neva wah deal inna nutt'n dah day deh" I lie, turning away from her.
Di man nearly bruk off mi door wid some big raatid rock stone.
Of course mi fraid ah him.
"Mmmhhm...lie to somebody else, doh lie to me" she demands, grabbing my face and turning it back towards her.
"Samir ah gunman, everybody fraid ah him"
Well, she said, not me.
"Everybody but me" I protest, trying to put up a front.
Mi pass fraid, and collect my hundred dollar already.
Lucky seh him neva kill mi dah day deh.
Dem man deh nuh frighten fi pull ah trigger, especially if yuh hurt people weh close to dem.
Sevana doesn't play into my words though, choosing instead to shift the conversation.
She moves away from me, finding a new spot on some pillows near the headboard.
"So...Lailah's birthday party. Weh we aguh do fi dat?"
Fuck.
How we reach August already?
"What about it?" I inquired, hoping that my question didn't come across as too interrogative.
"Well, are we going or not? Cause mi know Sarai nuh get ova dis yet" she says, pointing between the two of us.
Oh, ah dat she worried bout?
"Mi nuh care how Sarai wah feel, mi daughter ah turn one and mi nah miss it"
"If she even think fi seh feh bout di issue, ah war mi aguh start"
"Lailah have two parents...not one" I bellow, my aggravation present in every word.
I look over my shoulder at Sevana, her eyes are locked on me, an uneasy expression sported on her face.
She lets out a defeated sigh, rubbing at her temples gently.
"Anuh Sarai alone mi worried bout, Samir aguh be deh to wid all ah dem fren"
"It's just embarrassing is all, and mi know Sarai nah guh push the issue aside, she nuh know nutt'n weh name forgiveness" she says, kissing her teeth.
Moving back on the bed, I motion for her to come sit closer to where I am. Pulling her into my embrace, I kiss the side of her head gently.
"Nuh worry yuhself, we aguh do dis together, hand in hand"
"Plus you're Lailah's aunty, you deserve to be there as much as the next person"
"Yuh can remind Sarai ah dat please, cause it seem like she figet" she says, looking up at me with tears in her eyes.
I wipe them away gently, hoping to give her the right amount of comfort she needed.
We sit in silence for a bit, the fleeting tension begins to turn into optimism, and I soon start to plot out our moves for the party on Saturday.
Sarai still hasn't sent any details to me about anything, but she sent them to my mother and sister who I bribed the information out of.
Dem wah play Switzerland right now.
Which cyaa keep on ah happen.
Regardless, I was going to that party, and I was going to bring Sevana with me.
So whatever issues Sarai wants to have, she will just have to take it up with us face-to-face.
There was a child involved here, one who I refused to let get caught up in certain kind of fuckery.
No matter how mad har muma is.
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📍 Manchester, Jamaica | Mandeville
Two Days Later | Friday, August 5th
7 PM ⏰
"Yah sleep over yasso tonight?" I ask her, finding a seat on one of the island stools.
Mi pay all dis money fi dah apartment yah and ah dis first-time mi ah sidung up yasso.
What a bloodclaat condition.
"Ohhhh. Yuh ooman ah come suh yuh wah mi fi liff up?" she taunts, a sly smirk on her lips.
I watch her pour some pack seasoning on the raw chicken in front her, before rubbing it in meticulously with her hands.
"Yuh love run some serious joke morewhile enuh..." kissing my teeth, as I shake my head.
Nah mek har stress mi tonight.
"Look pon yuh to bout yah push up yuh mouth" she teases.
"Woulda love fi push up sumn else" I reply, a feeling of lust rushing over my body.
Would bend her ova di counter.
Fuck di food.
She reaches over to the sink and splashes some water from the running pipe in my direction.
"Yuh so sick stomaching" she laughs, astonished by my statement.
She pumps some hand soap into her palms before washing her hands clean of any impurities.
These days, Amina swears she's going to stop eating out, and cooking meals for us was one of her first steps toward that goal.
Lucky for me, she escaped her mother's lack of cooking skill, so tonight's food would be more than enjoyable.
Celine kinda remind mi ah Rameish, juss ah put shit together fi fun.
A couple of weeks back Amina brought over some "oxtail" that Celine had cooked, and tasting it made mi nearly vomit inna mi mouth.
She need fi be blocked from entering kitchens.
"Yuh wah raw or cooked vegetable?" Amina asks, looking back at me from her new position by the open fridge.
"Raw please babes, wid likkle vinegar, salt, and pepper" I reply, standing up from the stool.
Times like these make me miss my mother, it's been a crazy ride without her here with us holding us down.
I miss her hugs, her love, her advice, and of course her food.
Jacqueline West was a force to be reckoned with.
My G.
My queen.
Whenever I find myself thinking about her, my emotions shoot right down to rock bottom.
Grief is everlasting.
Dis ah sumn weh mi nah guh eva get over.
"Alright babes, dat can gwaan" Amina says, pulling out the ingredients from the lower storage containers.
She turns back around quickly to face me once she realizes that I have stood up.
"Weh yah guh? Anuh date night tonight?" she questions with disappointment.
"Yea of course babes, juss ah guh roun ah back fi smoke" I reply, walking over to where she is.
I pull her body into mine, my hands finding their way to her ass as I leave kisses on the nape of her neck.
The things I would do to this woman...
Meeting Amina has been one of my biggest blessings, she had this amazing ability to be a source of calm whenever I was going through something.
She wouldn't push anything further than it had to go, but she was always here to keep me accountable.
Love har bad.
Yah nah tell her bout weh yuh really do?
Bout time now yuh come clean...
No use telling her something she can't handle.
Better mi keep up di facade.
"Wahm? Yuh good baby?" her voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I can tell she's picked up on my energy shift, a knowing and anxious look has now taken over her face.
I try to move the direction of the conversation quickly.
"Yea man mi gov, juss need a spliff" I laugh, kissing her forehead.
Thankfully she believes me, or at least she pretends she does, because she doesn't push the matter anymore.
I take this as my sign to retreat towards the backyard, throwing my body down on one of the outside chairs.
A sigh of relief escapes my lips immediately.
"Thank you fada God"
Definitely ah get old.
Maas Mir.
The sound of my phone ringing breaks the small amount of peace I had just grasped.
"Why people nuh leff mi alone, ah my number alone dem have?" I ask no one in particular, reaching into my pocket for the device.
"Yow" I snap as soon as the line connects.
"You want to hang up and try that again?" Sarai retorts on the other end.
Muma chippy.
"Jah Jah" I mumble silently, kissing my teeth.
"If mi hang up mi nah call yuh back, ah gone block yuh bloodclaat" I tell her.
"Block mi den nuh, and see if yuh can come Lailah party Satdey" she quickly shoots back, taunting me.
She wouldn't dare.
"Seh bet?" I provoked defensively, but my tone was still humorous.
She mad, but she nuh insane, right?
"Nah even aguh entertain yuh bredda..." she mutters, backing done from the fight.
Wahm now?
"Cause ah yuh ah pay fi di catering, so mek mi shut mi friggin mouth" I hear her let out a small chuckle.
Awoooh...
Glad she remind me, need fi pick dat up tomorrow.
"So wah? Yuh juss love yuh bredda fi him money?"
"Of course not, I love you because you're you," she objects, switching her tone so that it comes across filled with adoration.
"...and you also have a heavy wallet" she quickly mumbles, trying to slip it in without me hearing.
"Come off ah mi phone yah" I joke, laughing at her antics.
"Alright alright, just memba seh mi need you at the house by three o'clock" she lectures, before forcing me to promise to be on time.
Three o'clock.
If mi tell Amina she will keep us on schedule.
Cause mi ago figet dis as soon as di call end.
I send Amina a quick text, hoping that her memory can serve us better than mine.
"Oh, and mek sure fi bring yuh mystery girlfriend, cause ah mi alone nuh meet her yet"
She's been talking about this all week.
"Don't worry, she'll be there madhead, mi can heng up now?"
"Gwaan yah....dutty germs" she bellows, ending the call for us both.
Before I can even take in our conversation fully, my phone buzzes with an incoming call.
Dutty Samson.
Weh dah bredda want from mi now?
I decline the call, placing my phone on the side table.
People love to talk bout how mi have an attitude problem, but anuh dat enuh, I just can't ever get a moment of peace.
Whenever I try to take some time to myself, some shit is always coming up.
It was as if people lost their ability to deal with their problems with me around, I always had to be in charge of getting shit back on track.
Then when mi ah walk roun inna rage ah mi dem love blame...
The ringing soon stops, but it is followed by a few buzzes soon after, indicating that he has sent some text messages.
From: Samson West
Julissa and I will be in Manchester for the party.
I called your sister but she refuses to accept my calls.
See you guys tomorrow!
Mi pussyclaat!
Unuh seh weh mi mean?
Not a moment of peace was available for me, and dis drancro was the worst inhibitor of them all.
Tomorrow aguh festive bad man.
His attendance would bring up unwanted emotions.
Samson West was a man who walked with his baggage, dropping his issues and problems as he moved along.
If he was bringing Julissa, that meant she was coming with her bagga fuckery too.
God guh wid we, cause ah ruption alone mi ah see fi di near future.
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A/N
one day early 🤸🏿♀️, expect another on saturday 🫶🏾
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