Page 155 of Not My Type
“ Yah man, a she a the fuss ooman mi have weh know all a wah mi have and still nah ask mi bout money and that alone show mi say a nuh that she round me fa,” I say and realize the weird look Gutta is giving me.
“Bad man a the fuss mi hear yuh talk bout a oom–” I interrupt him.
“Tell mi seh mi sound like a clow—”
Gutta shakes his head. “No badman. Which clown? A natural thing mi Ghee and mi just glad bout the wul thing, yuh find a ooman weh yuh finally a tek serious,” he says and I nod.
“Cas yuh been a play dem gyal ya enuh Dawg.” He laughs.
I join him, chuckling as I go through the pot holes. “The road bad enuh,” I hiss as I slowly drive through it.
“And eh MarkX low,” Gutta says. “But no joke mon a she a the one fi yuh.” I laugh in agreement.
“Zara different mon and mi respect her and her fam y’know,” I say after a while.
Gutta gets quiet. “Yuh think yuh love har?” He asks and I breathe.
Mi been a think bout it but mi nuh know yow. I shrug. “Badman mi nuh know nutt’n bout love.” And a nuh no joke thing.
“Mi and you a fawud from high school days and the amount a gyal weh yuh did a deal wid daily and mi never yet see yuh treat none a them like how yuh treat Zara. Know yuh nuh do feelings; yuh just do things fi the moment so mi neva’ 3 expect this, but a from long time mi see seh yuh rate da girl yer differently,” he says and surprises me. I look at him. Him have a point.
And him mek sense too, my subconscious adds.
“Yuh feel a joke? Dawg yuh memba seh yuh mek Perry and Trevor get weh wid yuh money and yuh hardly a come a the underground weh yuh use to deh bout 5 hours a day and chap with eh wul a we a Spain in a eh evening. Yuh nuh do them thing deh again enuh boss, nowadays yuh scarce and eh wul gang know say this yah girl yah a the reason you a do things different now but bro we nuh have no problem cause likkle love good fi yuh mi Ghee a tell mi a tell yuh. But mi Ghee yuh literally a change pon mi so yuh cya come tell mi seh you nuh know if yuh love har when the B a change yuh,” He says and I stay silent as his words echo through my head.
Neva’ notice seh mi stop do them thing deh. Zara mi been a deal wid ever since. Mi all forget who mi did be before she come around. “Mi never a look pon it so,” I finally say after a while and he puffs his spliff.
Yuh never know say yuh could a have this talk with Gutta thou?
“Mi know mon cas yuh nuh used to it but yuh nuh affi tell mi nuhn dawg but mi know fi a fact say yuh love har,” Gutta says and I laugh.
Maybe cause mi know him right and mi feel guilty. I pull over at Jet’s mother’s house and I take up a bag and Gutta puts his gun in his waist as he walks out behind me. The yard have all kind of people. Some come fi comfort the family, others just deh bout.
I walk over to the veranda and spot Jet’s girlfriend and his mother. “Hey Nickoi,” she says. I can tell she was crying and she’s losing sleep. “Mi still cya believe Justin gone,” her voice breaks. I embrace her as she sniffles in my clothes.
I made a promise that if nutt’n fi happ’m to nobody inna mi circle, mi will take care of them family. She starts crying in my arms. “I miss my son... JESUS!”
I put my hand around her back. “Nuh worry yuh self mommy everything soon arite,” It hard enuh.
After comforting her for fifteen minutes she stops crying. “Dessy!” she calls Jet’s girlfriend.
She walks over to me with her eyes puffy and red, her hair sticking up in all directions as her blouse is drenched in tears, I’m assuming. “Nickoi,” she says, her voice hoarse.
“What’s up?” I give her a bag of money. “Just deal with wah unuh have fi deal
with right now and call mi if unuh need anything,” I tell her and she starts crying.
“Jet always tell me say him respect you enuh and now mi see why,” she sobs then she thanks me.
“Deal with the funeral with it too and dem thing deh,” I tell her before I say my goodbyes to Jet’s mother and get back in the car.
I sigh to myself. It always hard when wi lose family. Everyone a mi dawgs dem a mi bredda dem.
“Real move that enuh mi Ghee,” Gutta says and I nod then I hear my phone ringing. A Zara cousin.
“Hey, yuh did seh yuh wah mi help yuh with something and mi end up affi lef so yuh nah go get fi see me wen yuh come back so a that’s why mi call,” Gavin explains.
Gutta shakes his head with a laugh. “As mi tell yuh before say Zara nuh fi know bout this,” I start. “Or yuh sister... nobody at all.”
