“Tomorrow is the big day!” Mommy says excitedly, and I laugh, sitting on the sofa while I wait for Nickoi to come downstairs. He’s supposed to bring me to his mother’s house.
“Saying!” I grin, the nerves and excitement bubbling beneath my skin. “Can’t believe I made it this far.”
“A God, man,” she replies, and I nod in agreement.
“Where’s Mama?” I ask, expecting to see her face pop around the corner.
“She excited yuh see round a har church sister she gone get hairstyle,” Mommy replies, making me laugh.
“Hey, my grandma hot enuh,” I say through my laughter.
“Mi a tell yuh,” she chuckles.
Just then, Nickoi comes downstairs and I instantly blush. He looks different today. Clean. Fresh. White tees, brown Gucci shorts, matching brown Gucci slides, and crisp white socks. Simple. But buzzy. Still, it could never touch when him in all black.
“How you a smile so?” Mommy asks, grinning knowingly. I drop my eyes to my phone, laughing.
“A Nick?” she presses, and Nickoi looks at me with that little gleam in his eye, the one that makes my stomach tighten in the best way.
“Stop nuh, Mommy,” I say, cheeks still warm.
“Ms. Michelle… Good Afternoon,” he greets politely, and I hand her the phone so they can talk. He gives it back a few minutes later, then nods.
“Mi ready,” he says. I follow him outside, sliding into the passenger seat and putting on my seatbelt as he does the same. The moment we pull off, he says, “Mi a go buy a Crown.”
I smile. “That’s the only car yuh don’t have besides a Bentley?”
“Mi nuh have every car, but yeah,” he replies casually.
“So how come yuh never drive the red Porsche?”
“You affi be careful when yuh a drive certain car,” he says, focused on the road. “Mi rather drive the common car dem.”
“Yeah. Less eyes,” I say.
“Yeah,” he nods. He makes a few stops, picking up food, then buying black and gold Berger paint. I raise an eyebrow at the cans when he hops back in.
“What’s that for?” I ask.
“December a mi father month… so mi a go paint him grave,” he says quietly.
I nod slowly. “Okay.”
As we drive through the Garrison, I notice groups of street men on both sides. They look terrifying, if I’m being honest, most of them masked with kerchiefs wrapped around their faces. Nickoi honks the horn and they immediately respond.
“Up mi Don!”
So he’s not just a Don in the business world…
He pulls up to a large house surrounded by towering walls. “This your mom’s house?” I ask. We’re at Johns Road.
He nods and circles around to my door and opens it, helping me out. Two tough-looking men walk over, and Nickoi knocks fists with them like they’re brothers. Then he leads me to the house and I follow closely behind.
“Yuh finally come today,” Nicki says with a bright smile as she hugs me. “Come in… a my house this.”
She rubs Nickoi’s back affectionately. “Yuh good, mi bwoy?”
“Yah, mi Gov,” he says, walking inside.
