I switched on the engine, eager to be on our way. "What's that?"
"You don't drive in Miami because you're afraid, but you're okay with driving here? I've heard some things about Jamaican drivers."
"We're not all daredevils."
Still chuckling, Kofi said, "I guess we'll see."
"Stop teasing." I threw him a mock glare to shut him up. "Remind me of the address where you're meeting Kemar."
After checking his phone, Kofi gave me the information. I knew the street but not the exact building. Hoping the constant stream of words would prevent Kofi from starting a conversation, I tuned the radio to a talk show.
Apart from looking at me as if I amused him, he kept himself occupied by scrolling through his phone.
In fifteen minutes, we were in front of the building where Kofi had his meeting.
"What time should I pick you up?"
"I'm not sure how long we'll be here. I'll call you."
He released the seatbelt and kissed me softly. "We'll talk later."
I nodded, hoping he didn't mean what I thought he meant. As I watched Kofi walk away, I was convinced I didn't have a clue what I was doing with him. I was already out of my depth and we hadn't gotten to the serious stuff as yet.
I drove away knowing I'd be able to release some of my anxiety by talking to Casey. We hadn't spoken in a couple of weeks, but time didn't matter between Casey and me. Whenever we caught up with each other, it was as if no time had passed.
Apart from being my closest friend, she was also my cousin on my mother's side. I called her father uncle and he was nothing like my mother. Where he was like many Jamaicans of Chinese descent—focused on being successful in his business and taking care of his family's needs—my mother was more interested in maintaining the status quo and running her children's lives. She was different from all our relatives.
Casey was a Yoga instructor, which made it easy for her to join me like this with only a few hours' notice. We were meeting at a restaurant and as I pulled into the parking lot, I suddenly couldn't wait to be reunited with her. The last time we'd seen each other was during Easter when she came to my parents' house to visit.
I walked into the restaurant, a converted house that opened onto a patio where tables were set under a circular roof. Palm trees hugged the area, providing additional shade for those customers who sat near the edges of the patio.
Casey was already at a table and got up when she saw me. We hugged each other tightly and smacked each other's cheeks loudly. When we sat, we wore identical grins. My cousin and I could pass for sisters, but where her skin was like toffee and her thick hair had tight curls, my skin was paler and my hair nowhere as full.
"You've been very quiet these past few weeks," Casey said, reaching for my hand. "What's been happening? Tell me you've been living a little."
I nodded, picking up the glass of coconut water she'd ordered before I got there. After I swallowed a couple mouthfuls of the cool, sweet liquid, I put the glass down. "If only you knew."
"For real?"
"Yes, I'm seeing someone."
She sat forward, waiting for me to continue. "Sounds exciting."
"Yeah, and I brought him home with me."
Grabbing my handbag off the chair where I flung it after we hugged, I pulled out my phone. I scrolled through my pictures, hunting for several selfies I'd taken with Kofi. While I did that, I filled her in on how we'd met and the way things were developing.
Casey reached for the phone and swiped the screen after looking at each photo.
"He's into body building, right?"
"Not exactly, he works out regularly."
"He's a looker. I like that, but ... "
We both knew what she wasn't saying, so I filled the gap. "Yes, I took him home with me and no, Mom definitely didn't like him."
"Apart from his skin, buffness—is that even a word?—name and nationality, what didn't Aunt Rose like about him?"
