Page 53 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Zara

My smile grows when Nickoi walks into the house. He greets everyone before he sits beside me in the sofa next to Mama.

“Yuh just full a polo so,” Sash says to him. She’s sitting beside Gavin on the side sofa.

Nickoi looks at her briefly before he responds. “A mi brand mon,” he snakes his arm around me. I smile, getting comfortable in his arms, eyes on Gavin and Sash talking about the cake sale.

“Mi seh mi go take fruit cake weh comin like dem dash wah big sup’m a rum in deh mek cas it mek mi drunk like a bat,” Gavin laughs.

We laugh. Except Nickoi, his eyes are glued to his phone. As usual. Mi doubt him even a listen Gavin dem.

“Nuff yuh nuff,” Sash says before she falls to the ground. “Woiiie mi cya bother!” she laughs.

“Nuff mi nuff yes,” he admits.

Mama looks at them. “Arite mi a watch mi show. Keep it down,” she tells them.

“Alright Mama,” Gavin says, trying to hide his laugh before he looks back at Sash and starts whispering. Him naav no chill thou?

“But fi real mi cya believe seh wah cake mek mi feel like mi drink all 10 ciroc,” he says in a whisper loud enough for me to hear. Him cya even whisper.

“You a light head all one beer can drunk yuh,” Sash laughs out. Mama looks at them again.

“Mi seh mi wah hear wah Micheal a seh,” she’s annoyed.

“Sorry Mama,” he apologizes. You can tell that she’s irritated as she shakes her legs slowly watching the TV.

She’s watching My Wife And Kids. Mama love Michael essi wid he foolishness dem everyday. My mother walks out of the kitchen, she was talking on her phone. “Watch yah? So everybody deh yah,” she smiles, eyeing everyone.

“Yes,” Sash gets up.

“A wah cas you fi deh a grung?” Mommy asks her.

“Laugh mi did a laugh Aunty,” she sits down and Gavin chuckles.

Mommy smiles at her before she looks at Nickoi. He doesn’t realize because his eyes are glued to his phone. I touch him. “Wah gwaan Nickoi?” she asks him.

“Deh yah mon,” he retorts.

“Alright,” she looks over at the others and Nickoi looks back at his phone. I try to peep but I’m unable to see anything because his phone has a privacy screen. It well dark. Why him even need that?

“Mi done cook enuh, unuh ready fi food?” Mommy asks and I nod, looking away from Nickoi’s phone. Gavin and Sash spring up immediately walking towards her, making me laugh.

“Unuh two mek different,” I laugh.

“Mi hungry gyal,” Gavin playfully hiss.

“A really brother and sister unuh be,” Mama chimes in with a chuckle, looking back at the TV.

Mommy looks at babe. “Nickoi you want food? A brown stew chicken and rice,” I look at him and he shakes his head no. Why? I don’t know why but I’m offended. Laad God Zara him just nuh wah no food and you a question it?

“Arite,” she walks into the kitchen.

“Why?” I stare at him hard.

“Wah yuh mean why?” he asks annoyed, looking away from his phone.

“You a judge me moth–” he interrupts me.

“Zara why me would a judge yuh mother? Mi just nuh eat dem thing deh,” he breathes.

I give him a crazy look. “Oh yuh too nice fi chicken? Wah yuh eat Wagyu steak and sushi?” my attitude stink.

“Zara stop,” Mama chimes in. I raise up off his arm and move over a little but he holds my wrist, stopping me. I glare at him.

He face palms himself. “Mi nuh eat none a dem thing deh as in meat,” he tells me and I stare at him, shocked. See seh yuh love jump to conclusion. Wow, do I really know him?

Yes Zara yuh just never know this cause it never come up. Simple.

How me fi nuh pick up that? Mi should a at least ask him.

I remember when I offered him KFC and he refused to take it.

.. So this is the reason. Mi did think him did a judge me too.

But look how me love meat. If we live together in the future a wah mi affi go deh do, steam veggies?

Fi the rest a mi life? Mad gyal shut up yuh mouth.

You can still eat yuh meat while him eat him vegetables.

“Wow... that shock me,” I tell him, coming back to reality. “So you just eat steam veggies, where’s the fun in that Nickoi?” I ask in a sad tone. “Nickoi you a miss out when you’re being a vegetarian no offense,” I add.

He shakes his head. “No enuh mi a nuh vegetarian me a pescatarian and I find more fun a eat seafood and vegetables,” he says and I gasp.

“Ohh so only fish and greens yuh eat?” I ask him. Yes Zara, him just just say it.

He shakes his head now confusing me. “Mi only eat swim around,” he jokes and I smack him. I move back closer to him, putting back his arms around me.

“But good to know that,” I smile at him. “So what’s your diet like? Like wah you favorite stuff to eat?” I ask.

Nickoi intrigues me. Nah lie. Like who nowadays live off a seafood when some of the fish over $1000 fi a pound. Plus some fish even more expensive. Who can do that everyday? Nickoi.

“So it nuh expensive fi be a pescatarian?” I ask and my mom calls me.

“Coming,” I say still waiting for Nickoi’s answer.

“Yea sup’m like that,” he says.

“So you want me to order something fishly— no, I mean swim around-ly and greenly for you?” I tease with a smile.

His smile grows. “B shut up,” Nickoi laughs and I join him.

“Zara!” Mommy calls again.

“I’m coming,” I say, still looking at Nickoi. “Okay but fi real, yuh wah mi order something for you?”

“Mi have a fish burger in my car,” he tells me.

“Zara yuh cya lef the bwoy fi a second eeeh,” is Gavin’s remark.

“Mi notice seh she glued to him,” Sash jokes.

Oh shut up chatterbox. Mi nuh know why but Sash sound a way.

Grudgeful, mek mi sayt fi yuh!

I sigh and walk into the kitchen and mommy hands me the food. “Thanks,” I say putting it in the microwave.

Mommy looks at me. “A wah yuh nuh ready fi eat?”

“I’m gonna get something to drink on the road,” I just remembered that I ran out of juice.

“Weh the shop deh?” Nickoi asks.

Mi nuh wah bother him. “It’s okay a long time mi nuh go a shop,” I say walking out and Mama gasps, grabbing our attention.

“Tun up the TV deh!” She exclaims and Gavin quickly turns up the volume.

I walk back inside when I hear the journalist saying that there was a shoot out in Constant Spring. Laad Gad! Everyday a dem foolishness yah.

“... Chaos on Constant Spring Rd on Friday close to midday as gun men engaged in a gun fight with a security team from Pérez Club which ended with 1 female and 12 men dead and one man missing known as Carlos Pérez, a Mexican businessman who resides in Kingston..” I stare.

His picture pops up on the screen and I gasp. I saw him at Western Union. Oh my God. 13 people dead one time!? This sound like Iraq and a Jamaica this. I look around and the whole house is silent as they listen to the news.

“... one of the residents shares his experience,” the journalist adds and a man comes on the screen but his face is blurred out.

“What drew your attention to what was happening?” he asks.

“Yuh know seh mi and mi wife did in a Pérez club when mi see some man run in and just start bore up all of Carlos security them. Bay gunshots so mi start run lef mi wife cause me frighten and then mi tun back and grab har and them spot mi but dem neva’ shoot after mi so mi know seh dem know who dem come fa,” the witness explains.

I glance at Gavin and Sash and their mouth are wide opened while Nickoi’s eyes are fixed on the screen.

“A really so Jamaica stay now?” Mommy asks.

“Yuh better believe,” Mama retorts. I continue to watch the news.

“... Them drive off in a silver Probox weh nuh have on not even plate and wah woman push out har head and den the shoot out start wid them and the police dem. She bore up eh police dem and a so eh police dem crash and them just do road,” the man continues.

“Jesus of Nazareth,” Mama breathes. “Wi need yuh.”

“So the police dem dead?” Nickoi questions and I nod.

“Two a dem dead,” I retort.

“All mi know the man dem a bring wah different type of badness down yah. Dem dawk bad,” Sash shakes her head.

“Yah,” Nickoi says.

“A when we deh a Mystic Mountain this a tek place enuh,” Mama’s eyes on Nickoi.

He nods. “Yah... dem time deh yes.”

“Laad God mon and the poor police dem weh a do them work just dead so,” I say in a sad tone. “People wicked enuh,” I sigh.

“Like why dem would a wah kill whole a 13 people plus eh two police dem... 15 people just so?” I ask in disbelief.

“A sup’m deh man deh do weh dem tek weh... affi!” Sash says.

“Go see how dem a kill him now,” Gavin sighs, sitting down. “Silk Boss did know wah him a talk bout.”

“So dem nuh have surveillance camera?” I ask and Mommy shakes her head no.

“Yuh nuh hear dem say it premeditated, cause every camera disconnected so a inside job too,” mommy shares. Jesus.

“Them evil enuh cas dem dweet like a show,” mommy shakes her head.

“A who dem deh?” I sit beside Nickoi and he puts back his arm around me.

“Dem nuh lef no Trace,” Nickoi says to us and I nod.

“Dem work clean or whatever but mi wah dem find them yuh see, them too wicked mon,” I say, snuggling into Nickoi. He smells so good.

“Mi too but as Nickoi seh dem nuh lef no Trace,” Sash sighs .