"Oh,” Nodding slowly, I added, “That’s not so long ago."
"When was the last time you set foot in Jamaica?"
"Just a few weeks ago at Easter." I drank the last of my slushy. "See how you made me eat all the fries? Anyway, I may go home for the summer. My brother is getting married."
That confused Kofi and he frowned. "Chase?"
"No, I have an older brother, Garth."
I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. After scrolling through the gallery, I found a picture of Garth and held it out for Kofi to see. I swiped the screen to move to the next shot, this time with Garth and his fiancée at the golf course, then another with a bunch of their friends.
"They look happy," Kofi said, sitting up straight.
"They're good people. Garth has known all of them since high school. They do everything together."
"So, when's the wedding?"
I chuckled and spun my empty cup. "I think it's at the end of August."
"I have a question, but why are you laughing?"
"Well, between my mother, my brother and Anna-Lise—the woman my brother is marrying—none of them can decide on a date."
"Surely, it's fixed by now?"
I shrugged. "Mom thinks she needs to move heaven and earth to get this wedding done right, while Garth and Anna-Lise just want it to be over and done with."
"Your mother sounds like a force of nature."
Kofi didn’t know the half of it. Keeping my tone neutral, I said, "She can be when she gets it into her head to be difficult."
I don't know what he saw in my eyes, but with a slight tilt of the head Kofi asked, "Could this be why you are reluctant to return home?"
"You know, I like the way you put your sentences together. Reminds me of an English teacher I had in high school. She was from The Gambia. I like your accent too."
I don't know where that comment came from, so it surprised me when it popped out.
Kofi studied me until I wanted to squirm in my seat. When he smiled, it had a pensive quality and his words were measured. "Can it also be that you're trying to avoid giving me an answer?"
He smashed the nail on the head with that question, but I wasn't about to let him know he was right.
