Page 244 of Not My Type
“A mi mother place this,” he adds. “Mi have family here.” Laad have Mercy!
He chuckles. “Yuh nuh affi worry Mami… everything Gov.” Is it?
66. VOXY
Zara
Nickoi parks the car and we get out just in time to see Nicki coming with her friend. Nicki is wearing a long blonde lace wig. A short white dress with nude Gabardine prada shoes.Dem shoes deh cute eeeh!The girl in my head shrieks. I look at her friend and she’s wearing a denim jeans, red tank top with Bridget slippers.
You wouldn’t believe seh dem a big woman. “What a way yuh stay good,” she smiles at me after hugging Nickoi. I smile.
“Periodd,” I do the pinch gesture, saying ‘Clock that.’
Nickoi chuckles. “You and Zara can par enuh, cause unuh love clothes the same,” he says, and I look away from him, returning a smile to Nicki.
“A so it fi go,” she points at her friend. “This a mi friend though she name Marsha.”
Marsha beams. “Nice to meet you nice girl.”
“Nice to meet you too,” I say and Jordane walks over to us.
“Mommy dem want yuh in a the kitchen enuh.”
“Arite mi go link unuh later,” and with that, she walks away with her friend. She looks at Nickoi alottttt. Mi glad she gone. Nosahhh.
“Wah gwan, bredda?” Jordane nods at Nickoi after greeting me.
“Deh yah enuh,” Nickoi responds then he asks. “When unuh fawud?”
“Mommy lef out 12 o’clock so we deh yah early,” Jordane tells him. If mi never know say he’s in grade eleven me would a think seh him is a big man.
“Pepper shrimp, Pepper shrimp any shrimp,” I look around once I hear that. Did I just hear shrimp? I walk over to the man and he smiles when he spots me. “Nice girl mi have pepper shrimp and a few weh nuh spicy but everything yasso hot,” he says showing me the shrimps.
I eye the shrimp for a moment. “Mi nuh want no pepper shrimp,” I tell him. He picks out a bag of shrimp, hands it to me, and I pay him without saying much. “Thanks,” I mumble, walking away. I can hear him saying something, but I just keep moving, tuning him out.
“You want one?” I ask Nickoi when I reach to him. He shakes his head.
“No mon,” he says, holding my hand and leading me inside. The moment we step in, I feel this weight settle on my chest, and then I hear it—the soft, familiar strains of Brandy’s Missing You. Damn, that song hits different. It’s like the floodgates open, and before I know it, I’m bawling, tears streaming down my face, no matter how hard I try to fight it. Right..
“You were my sister, my strength, and my pride, only God may know why,” a brown lady sings, gently shaking Aden as he cries.
“Who is she?” I ask Nickoi.
“Gina mother,” he responds. Damn. I spot Rick at the side smoking. I can tell he’s broken. He isn’t crying but I can see the pain… he’s hurting.
“Mi a go talk to Rick,” I say, popping a shrimp in my mouth. As I walk over to him, I start hesitating. He looks up, then smiles. Him strong eeeh?
“Wah gwan?” he greets me.
“Just a eat shrimp,” Jesus mi nuh know wah fi say to him. “You want some?” I offer and he shakes his head.
“That good man.”
“Yuh nuh have no appetite?” I question.
“Yeah man.” Okay...
“I can only imagine how you feel losing your significant other,” I start. He doesn’t say anything. “I don’t know exactly what to tell you cause mi cya find the right words but just know I care. I didn’t get the chance to know her... I don’t even know how she looks but my friend Aden says she’s pretty like me so I’mma go with that,” he chuckles when I say that.
