Page 170 of Not My Type
“Years,” is the best way to put it.
“Just vague so?” her tone off.
“Truth is… mi train fi this from around eight,” I admit.
“Eight? As in... as a child?”
“Nickoi... a weh yuh find deh nice girl yah?” Teyanna jokes as she gets closer to
us. I hug her briefly.
“Zara, a Gutta ooman this. Gutta a one of mi close friend. Anna, meet Zara, Mi ooman.”
“She nice..” is her remark, surprised too. “Nice bad.”
“You too girl,” Zara blushes.
Teyanna smiles at her. “Mi name Teyanna but call me Anna.”
“Ohh nice, I’m just Zara,” she tells her.
ZARA
I finally see what Nickoi’s world is like and I just can’t wrap my head around him being trained at eight year old. Like, do you know the level ofcrazy his dad had to be to think that was okay?
“Nickoi a guh ride the bike a it mi a go watch yah now,” Rick tells me and I smile. We were talking for a while, mostly ‘bout his son, Aden, and how much he misses his mother.
“Arite,” I say, then Suzanne and Anna fall in line as we head to the edge of the road.
Nickoi slides on his helmet, and my smile just grows. His brother Junior and his bodyguard, Gutta (found that out just now), hop on their bikes, ready to race. I make my way over to Nickoi, and he’s in the middle of talking.
“Long time mi nuh do this but a bay dut mi a lef pan unuh!” he brags.
“Eeeh?” Gutta laughs. “Bad man mek the race talk fi itself.”
“Y’all heard him!” I say hyping him up and they laugh. “And he didn’t stutter.”
“Wifey a hype yuh up enuh, Don,” a random guy says, his face marked with a scar. I glance back at Nickoi, raising an eyebrow.
“Be careful enuh,” I tell him, watching as he hops on the bike. He shoots me a look, then pulls me in by my waist, all smooth and aggressive.
My God, why him so ruff?
“Why you affi a play with me now?” he rasps, voice low and captivating.
I blush and give him a quick peck on the lips. “All the best, stink.” He stares at me for a second, then turns his focus ahead.
After a bit, they ride off, and just like he warned, the dust is thick—I can barely see anything. While we wait for them to return, I eat, sip on some soup, and dance with Anna and Suzanne. They are a vibe. What a nice piece a vibe in a the Sunday evening yah? That mi a seh too. I need to go out more and experience more of this.
I hear everyone cheering and of course, Nickoi speeds in first, skidding the bike to a perfect stop. My smile grows—he’s just good at everything he does.And just have yuh a smile like idiot so.
I wrap my arms around him, and he buries his head in my neck. I laugh, feeling the heat of his breath against my skin. “I love youuu stinky!” I laugh and he nibbles on my neck. How him nuh have no problem with the nickname?
Mi nuh know him probably nuh hear cause all mi a bother him mi nah get no reaction. I love how loving he is no matter where we are though. He gets off the bike and walk with me. “Nuh call me stinky,” he laughs after a while. I laugh out.
Him nuh like it man. Popcaan’s Live Some Life starts blasting through the speakers and Nickoi and his friends start getting hyped up especially Rick.
Rick a just the vibes man. “Killi dem out deh pon di outside!” Rick and Anna sings. I chuckle. “Work all day and night mi and Nickoi dem affi live some life mhmmmm,” Rick dances. I laugh.
