“Yes, for real. But that’s ‘cause mi never had your personal number,” she replies, voice light.
“That good, man,” I mutter, eyes fixed on the road. “Mi a come link yuh. Weh yuh deh?” I ask, honking again, this time more aggressive as the car in front of me crawls slow for no reason.
I suck my teeth before overtaking him cleanly. “You know I’m in Liguanea. Mi just a grab something fi eat,” she says.
“Patty, doh?” I ask, smirking.
She laughs. “How yuh know so?” Her laughter lingers through the phone, that same playful tone she always had. Aftershe tells me exactly where she is, I end the call and head straight in her direction.
***
“You?!” she gasps loudly, eyes wide. I nod with a small smile.
Mi expect har fi be shocked, yeah ‘cause everybody weh really know me know seh mi nuh do relationships. Or at least, not for too long. So, fi hear say mi engaged and a expect a youth? That affi shake dem up.
Simone bites into her patty. “I can’t even get it like this in England in their so called ‘Jamaican’ restaurant,” she complains, licking her lips, before smiling again.
She’s staring at me now, still halfway in disbelief. “But come again… you really have a girl you serious ‘bout?”
“Definitely,” I tell her. No hesitation.
She looks at me like she can’t believe it. “I mean… mi a hear you… you sound sincere but it’s sooo hard to believe. If mi never a eat this,” she says, waving the patty, “mi woulda come round deh come give you a bear hug, essi. Even though mi know you hate hugs. I’m super, super proud of you though, mate.” She grins and I nod.
“Respect, fam,” I smile.
“So why you never tell me this earlier, so mi coulda grab a gift for your fiancée?” she asks.
“Phone wid yuh number mash up,” I reply and she sighs.
“Mi nuh wah your fiancée feel no way say a you alone mi buy gift for. Tell her say a because it’s always you alone mek mi only buy gift for you,” she says in an apologetic tone.
“That good, man. And yuh nuh need fi get me nothing, mi good,” I say, and she looks at me like mi mad.
“Nickoi… how many times are we gonna have this conversation? Every year? Okay fine, I know you don’t like it when I bring gifts for you, but I did anywayyyys.”
I start laughing. “A every year thing this fi real,” I say through the chuckle, and she laughs with me.
“Then mi coulda really come back a Jamaica and not bring nothing fi me brother?” she asks, and I smile.
Mi know yuh probably a wonder who she be… so mek mi tell yuh.
When I was staying at Nature’s house, she lived there too. She used to be overly friendly, even when I didn’t want to socialize. She’d annoy me until mi finally talk to her. I was mean to her, too ‘cause at the time, even her voice irritated mi. She was too happy. Too bubbly. All about family and I had no clue what that felt like. I grew up in a toxic home. Plus, I had just witnessed my father’s murder by a close family friend. So people being ‘too happy’ around me? It rubbed me the wrong way.
I was damaged. So when Simone come around wid har bright spirit, all it did was annoy mi. But she was the only female in my past I had a platonic relationship with. She wasn’t ugly, not at all but I never saw her like that. She was more like an older sister.Still is.
“So how are your twins?” I ask her, snapping out of the memory.
She beams. “Those girls are so rude, let me tell you. Sometimes mi wonder if they’re boys… no sah, man,” she says, throwing her hands up dramatically.
I chuckle. “Ah so everything good though?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, everything is good.” Then she pauses. “Just happy to be here again, yuh know? So when mi leave yasso, mi a go look fi uncle.”
I stand up, and she pulls me into a hug. “Congratulations again… and tell your wife I apologize for not getting somethingfor her,” she says, patting my back before she tells me to follow her.
She drives a BMW now. “Yuh get a Bimma? Mi love that,” I say with a small laugh. Last mi know, she used to drive a Chevy.
She pulls a box from the car and hands it to me. “Mi know you nuh want it, but take it.”
