Page 264 of Not My Type
“Me too,” I say honestly.
“Fi real enuh! You were all about trying out new places so yuh coulda wear out the clothes dem weh Aunty spoil yuh with,” he grins before he gets sad again. “And now yuh just... different.”
I sigh. “I feel like I’m changing too,” I admit.
“Maybe a Nickoi,” Gavin speculates. “Or maybe a cause yuh pregnant.”
I shrug. “I don’t know. I just feel stressed these days.”
He walks over to me. “Yuh affi go cut out the stress thing cause it will affect the baby.”
“Gavin you realize say mommy and Mama nuh know this yet?” I’m worried sick about that enuh.
“Mi seh we will find a way... A never that mi seh yesterday?” he snaps at me.
“Sup’m like that,” I mumble and press off Good Girls.
“All dem a go do is cuss yuh, yuh need fi learn fi ignore things cause mi sure dem a go accept the baby, cause a nuh like you underage. The only problem is that you’re not working and the way how Nickoi spend pan yuh, mi nuh see why him wouldn’t spoil his baby,” Gavin says. Yuh fi listen miss ma’am! Miss subby scolds.
“Well when I graduate and hopefully get a job I’ll feel better,” I say after a while.
“Yes lady. Anyways the cereal alone cya work enuh wah yuh wah fi eat?”
Nothing. “I don’t know,” I shrug.
“Yuh affi eat cause Nickoi a eat fi him food, mi know fi sure and cut out the bawling too. Mi know seh you is a emotional gyal but cut out the bawling man,” he advices.
“Yuh want chicken?” Gavin asks.
There’s the sudden hum of a car engine outside. Gavin moves the curtain, looking outside. “A Mama dem come,” he tells me then he gasps.
I look up startled because him look like him see a duppy. I spring up. “A wah?”
“Nickoi out deh,” he whispers. Wahhhhhh?! Yay!! Daddy come!My subconscious shrieks.
I look through the window and he walks into the house with mommy. Mama is walking with a box, looking far from happy. “She’s in that room,” I hear mommy say, and my heart starts beating fast.
Gavin smiles at me before he squeezes my hand as the door opens. I sit on the bed, staring at my fingers, feeling the weight of the moment. Theawkwardness is suffocating, my thoughts tangled. Just breathe. “Gavin,” his deep voice makes me shudder, sending a jolt through me. Mi feel so nervous.
“Wah gwan Nick yuh know seh mi just did a leave,” he springs up like he was already leaving. Him lieeeeee!
“Ah,” Nickoi simply says and Gavin walks out, closing the door behind him.
As he walks over to me, my heart races, every step making the air feel thicker. Jesus, this nuh safe. “Zara,” he murmurs, his voice low and commanding. I turn to face him, every nerve on edge, not knowing if I should pull away or let him pull me closer.
His face softens when he looks at me. “You nah eat?” he asks. Mi know a mommy say this to him enuh.
“Mi eat,” I stare at my toes.
“Wah yuh eat?” his eyes frigid. Yuh nuh really eat nutt’n enuh Zara but cereal.
“Cereal,” I say waiting for him to go off.
He glances at his watch before he looks back at me. “Zara a 4 o’clock and yuh only eat cereal?”
“I know but...” I stop myself.
“But what?” him still bossy ehh? A nuh like a years unuh nah talk fa Zara.
