“Nuh true… sen it come gimme after,” Mommy says.
“How mi fi miss it?” Gavin keeps the energy high. “And yes, Aunty, mi a go sen yuh but mek mi check if the old phone have space, cause if it shut down pan mi, it mek a sad mistake,”he jokes.Him nuh ramp enuh.Nickoi and Gutta step closer to Doctor Jacobs. She chuckles, stepping back as she pulls an envelope from her bag. She tilts it, smiling wide before meeting our eyes.
“I had to double check because we did do the ultrasound and just gave it to the balloon artist.”Ohhh.
“So you didn’t know the gender?” Gavin asks.
She shakes her head. “No, I made my assistant look at it,” she says, smiling. The only one who knows the secret, and that smile makes my stomach twist. Mi nervous bad bad! Nickoi looks calm, more than calm, like he’s holding the whole room steady.
“Dawg a wah likkle youth mi would a wah see eno,” Gutta says, hitting his hand and Nickoi chuckles.
“Yuh know,” he smirks. My mother is quiet on the phone now her silence heavy. I know she’s nervous, too, like Gavin and Mama.
“The time is here,” Gavin hums, and Gutta looks at him, then back to Doctor Jacobs.Laad Jesus.
“Alright, so starting with mommy, how you feeling?” the doctor asks me, and I smile.
“I-I’m nervous,” I laugh, biting my lip. Nickoi bites his lip too, eyes on me.Whew.
“So you think it’s a girl?” she asks. I nod slowly.
“I’m not even sure.” Laughter bubbles around.
“Yuh affi sure, man,” Gutta says.
“Just make a guess,” the doctor says, and I glance at Gavin who gives me a reassuring smile.
“Yes… mi think it’s a girl,” I blush.
“Nickoi?” she asks, looking at him. He scans around us then smiles back at his aunt.
“Big woman thing a wah son mi a look fawud to, but it nuh really matter cause a still heart a love.”
“No joke, fam,” Gutta says, then they murmur‘Awwz ’around me.
“Mi just want know the gender, enuh, cause even if a save, mi affi save fi buy a nice gift fi him or her, mi a dweet,” Gavin says, making us chuckle. Him eva affi save. Once everyone shares their predictions, the attention shifts to Mama.
“Mi think seh a boy, enuh,” she chuckles.
“Yuh feel so, mommy?” my mother asks. Gavin shakes his head no.
“No, Aunty, mi feel seh is a girl,” Gavin speculates. I smile, he’s rooting for me. Yuh think him easy?
“Alright, let’s get ready,” she says, pulling out two black bags, handing them to Gutta and Nickoi. He looks at me.
“So unuh a go stay over yasso yuh zi mi and mi a go do the burnout,” he says.
“Alright,” we nod.Burnout him go?My subconscious jumps.Yup!Gutta and Nickoi walks away, and everyone bursts into chatter, but I stay silent, eyes locked on Nickoi. Anna squeezes my hand, she knows I’m nervous. “Watch Zara,” Gavin teases. Gutta sets the bags behind the wheel. Gavin moves to the side for a better angle on his video.
“The time is now, mi gyal!” he chuckles. Nickoi slides into the Jaguar, engine growling low. I shift awkwardly, focus on the back of the car. The tires spin fast, burnout starting, but the car doesn’t move. I smirk. He’s good at everything he does, turning me on every time.Wrong timing, lady.
Mr. Joe steps out with a wide smile. The smoke at the back curls thick, white and heavy, billowing upward in slow waves. Then, almost like magic, like the breath of hope itself, the white smoke begins to blush, soft pink tendrils weaving through the mist, glowing gently and warm against the sky. My hand rises to my lips.
“Hold up the phone, Mommy,” Mommy says, voice shaking with excitement on the line. Gavin and Anna are the first to scream ‘‘Yes!’.
“Oh my God!” My mouth falls open. “Oh my God!” I scream again, louder.
“It’s a girl!” Anna hits Gavin, laughing as he keeps filming.
