Page 42 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Zara

Sash laughs out boisterously. “Unuh stop laugh after me! Everybody know seh mi a chattabox.”

“Yuh right,” I smile.

“Mi seh gyal mi hear seh dem a keep family reunion and girl yuh couldn’t tell me seh yuh mo—” Sash was saying and Mama slaps her. I burst out in laughter. Mi not even see when Mama come out.

“Yuh chat too much Sashieka,” she says before she smiles at us, waving at Nickoi. Wah she a hide?

“Goodnight son,” she greets, shaking her hand. I smile at him.

“Yuh good Ms. Sandra?” he asks.

“Yes mi bwoy mi alright... God is good,” she beams. “You alright though?” she adds.

“Mi good mon,” he retorts then Mama runs her hand through my hair.

“This yuh love wear,” she chuckles and I smile sweetly.

“It mi love see har inna,” Sash chimes in.

“So Nickoi yuh nah come out?” Mama questions and I watch as her face falls when he says no.

“No sah mi have some things fi deal with,” he tells her. The thought of asking him what he’s going to deal with comes to my mind but I refrain from it.

“Nickoi call me when yuh reach home,” I say instead and he kisses me briefly.

My face flushes because Mama is right here. Jeez Nickoi nuh care about nothing. He asked if it was gonna be a secret and yuh seh no, sooo ...

“Jeez mi wah be Zara and have a Nick too!” Sash exclaims. This ya gyal ya mon... Sash mad enuh.

Mama laughs. “God bless you two.” Aww. Nickoi’s smile is so pure and so pleasing to look at.

“Unuh take care zeen... tomorrow,” he says and I slowly get out of the car. When I turn, I close his door softly, eyes fixed on him.

“Tomorrow mi G,” Sash smiles and Mama waves and says. “Alright tek care mi bwoy,” he nods and meet my gaze. Awww.

“Be safe Nickoi,” my voice low, then he blushes when I say. “Promise me?” He stares in my eyes. Silent for a few seconds. Pensive.

“Doh wah lie to yuh... but m o’ try,” I didn’t even realize my fingers gripping his. I step back. We stare a little while longer then he drives off. I pray for him quietly.

The Next Day With my stomach flat on my bed, my laptop in front of me. I smile sweetly at my professor’s kind words.

“We’re almost there so congrats to you all. The journey has been rough but you guys did it. Now there’s only two months left before you graduate.” We’re on a zoom meeting with the other trainee teachers.

When I was a little girl, every time someone came up to me and asked me what I wanted to be, I’d always tell them a teacher.

I loved the idea of having control of a class and watch them grow.

Not only that, but I admired how the teachers dressed so I’d wear my mother’s clothes and imitate the teachers even though the clothes were too big and they were swallowing me.

I remember how often my ankles were sprained due to me modeling her heels.

Now I’m almost there. In just two months I’ll graduate from college and start my dream career. Awww, Big up God!

One thing mi know is that dreams really do come through when you put in quality work. It nuh matter weh yah come from because life was never easy for me especially with a father like Henry. Facts!

I’m dragged from my thoughts when the door opens. “You in class?” Sash whispers looking at my laptop screen.

“Yes just a meeting,” I tell her.

“Oh,” she yawns and rest her hand on her waist.

“What’s up though?” I ask and she sits beside me.

“Gavin find a girlfriend enuh,” she says in a sarcastic tone and I know where this is heading.

“Good for him,” I simply say, hoping that she doesn’t go any further. She breathes, throwing herself on my bed.

“Mi did feel seh a wah man him would a have,” she continues. If she chat har own brother so wah she do with me?

“Stop... mi nuh wah hear nutt’n about Gavin’s life,” I say and she looks at me.

“Mi not even did know seh unuh could a stop chat,” she half laughs.

I shrug. “People change and things happen.”

“Him seh him nah chat to yuh back enuh, but mi affi a wonder if a him want eh bwoy,” Sash mix up enuh. Mi hope that’s not the case though.

“Sash wah wrong with yuh?” I can’t stop laughing. This is crazy. Why mi a laugh when this is hilarious?

“Mi just a talk the things dem out a mi clean mouth,” she pops the gum and pats her blonde wig.

“So di bwoy bad inna bed?”

Wah deh girl yah just ask mi?

I shake my head and laugh again. “Lowe mi life nuh miss mi a ask you nuh’n?” I laugh even though I mean it. I really don’t care about Sash’s life.

“My life nah happ’m enuh a your life a happ’m... cas a you everybody a talk bout. All mi a get a bun bun bun suh without cheese,” she takes the ‘d’ out of dramatic.

“Wah you mean by everybody though?” I don’t like the sound of that.

“Everybody a seh a Sandra grand-daughter deh with Prezi which is yuh man ... yuh man is Portmore, Spanish Town and Kingston president!” she claps excitedly.

“Mi all hear say a the wul fourteeeen him run off!”Hear ya?

I roll my eyes with a smile. She extra.

“How dem know that though?” I ask, wondering.

“Jamaica wi live baby! And everybody bou’ yah fass so of course dem ago know... who yuh see a drive dem big car deh round yer? Nobody!! A you mek the top man a come round yer so often and a right a fi yuh gate him a come so dem nuh muss watch weh a gwan?” I shake my head at that. People disgusting.

“Oh,” I simply say.

“Yuh cya get a money off a him fi mi? Mi want a new wig,” she has the audacity. It’s not even funny.

“Yuh mek different,” I laugh though I’m dead serious.

She joins me. “Girl mi affi different, one thing enuh me is a go-getta and mi need the wig and Marko nuh bingo nothing yet... mi seh a go bun him yuh see. Anywayssss, last night mi did go ask Nick fi a money enuh but mi neva’ wah come off disrespectful yuh know so mi affi ask you first since a your man,” she tells me.

I want to laugh but this serious. “Mi suh glad yuh neva’ do that,” I say to her.

“Mi nearly dweet enuh, a wah mind seh no,” she sits up. “Tell him seh mi want it fi go a family reunion and mi wah look good so mi can find a rich chappa.” I laugh again. Sash cayliss eeeeh mon?

From Sash come in yer mi cya stop laugh. Cause is she for real?

“First of all mi nah do that... I’ll help you though mi have some money and second of all it’s a family reunion so mi nuh know how you a go with that agenda.”

“Thanks cuzzz! And you stay deh! Cousin and cousin boil good soup!”

Sideeyeeeeee.

A market laugh leaves her lips. “A jokeeee girlllllll! Anuh family alone aguh deh deh,” is her excuse.

Mi nuh put nutt’n pass har.

Her eyes lands on my hair. “A this hairstyle you a wear?”

“Yes mi nuh just do it?” I ask pointedly..

“Oh yeah,” she turns to the mirror. “Well this yah wig yah fi throw weh off a my head.” Here she goes again. I shake my head with a chuckle.

“And dem bright yuh see like dem put down money fi people... a tomorrow enuh, dem just frighten wi so,” she whines. Tomorrow!?

“So sudden?” I gasp.

“Yuh betta believe,” she rolls her eyes. “Mi did a change mi mind from it but mi probably find a man down deh.” This girl...

“You nuh easy enuh, anyways weh the family reunion a keep?” I ask as I leave the zoom meeting and power off my laptop.

“Portland them mussy go have bus weh you haffi pay thouz’n dalla,” she tells me.

“Ohh,” I say. They didn’t even tell me this.

“Mi affi go do mi hair today enuh,” she tells me and I open the bag with the money and hand it to her.

“Thanks cuz... so yah come with me?” I nod.

“Ohh cause mi want you come!” she’s overly excited.

“Alright mi affi get ready though,” I tell her.

“Clova expensive?” is her next question.

I shake my head. “No sah.”

“She probably all booked today mi affi go call her,” I tell her.

Clova is one of the best, if not the best. So she eva’ fulllllllllllll!

“Call har deh,” Sash says.

I dial her number, she picks up on the first ring.

“Zara baby?”

“Wah’m Clova? Yuh nuh booked out today?” I inquire. My eyes on Sash as she walks over to me, listening to the conversation. Clova tells me that she’s almost done with her last client but she’ll do Sash’s hair since she knows us.

“Alright Clova, wi soon come.”

“Okay baby,” she hangs up.

My eyes on Sash. “She a guh do it fi yuh but we affi go up deh now so mi a go hurry and bathe,” I make it to the bathroom.

I shower, dry my body and walk into my room. Sash’s eyes are glued to her phone. I step out in a Fashion Nova blouse and a denim paired with my favorite transparent slides.

Slippers yawns my subconscious teases. A mine.

I quickly straighten my hair, sprits on flower bomb and pick up my phone and my black Saint Laurent purse.

She smiles. “Bwoy yuh just nice in a the place so and a put on weight.”

I laugh. “Thank you... yuh ready?” she gets up.

“Yes lady,” she walks out with me. Fifteen minutes later and we’re at the shop. Sash pulls the door and we walk in.

Clova smiles. “Watch nice hair and pretty face!” Like mi look pretty today mon. Yuh always pretty ma’am.

“Thanks,” I smile sweetly.

“All a unuh pretty cas this ya browning yer pretty too,”Clova’s eyes on Sash.

“Donkey neva’ bite weeee,” Sash makes the period gesture and we laugh out, then we settle in.

An hour rolls by quickly. Clova is in the middle of Sash’s wig, my eyes on the LMN movie.“Watch har inna the show,” Clova laughs.

“All when it predictable mi still a watch it,” I giggle then my eyes fall to my phone.

I open Instagram. One minute I’m double tapping Gavin’s post of him with a brown girl. Next minute, I’m flipping through Instagram stories. I pause on Nickoi’s. It’s a small clip of me. In the video I’m leaning on the car window staring outside with an attitude.

The caption reads: Pretty Mami’ eva’ in a har likkle mood. Pretty Mami? Okay... that’s cute.

When did he do this? I blush. Him a post me now? Yuh nuh see?

I react with heart eyes and hear Clova saying. “A affi your man a text yuh mek you a smile so.”

“Him yes,” my cheeks warm.

Sash giggles. “Cute nuh brute!”