Page 59 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

Nickoi

As soon as I get in my car, I light a spliff and stare at a selfie Zara took at the beach, her hair like waves, her features mesmerizing.

The weight in my chest loosens. Gutta next to me, smoking too, but he’s quiet.

Pensive. He’s never seen me like this. She calms me.

He sees it too. Jah kno... drugz. I need her right now.

In a beat, my attention shifts. My phone is ringing.

It’s Jordane. Nickoi yuh nah gwaan good enuh look how long yuh nuh link yuh son?

I chuckle before I pick up.“Yow,” he says and I start the car before I drive off.

“Wah yuh deh pon?” I ask.

“Did go link a b,” he tells me and Gutta looks at me chuckling. I start laughing. Then Gutta says. “Yah go haad fam!” I chuckle, connecting the phone to the car. Jordane laughs.

“Right way,” I add as I focus on the road.

“Yuh just dash mi weh so,” I hear Lorie’s voice. My smile fades.

Mi glad fi hear from mi likkle bredda but Lorie just... Chro. I’m not in a good mood especially after killing Carlos and hearing Lorie’s voice right now is making me even more agitated.

“Not even a text yuh nuh sen mi,” she adds and I spot Gutta laughing while shaking his head.

“Lorie mi busy from wen,” I say.

“With yuh girlfriend?” she asks in a sarcastic tone.

“A wah do yuh Lorie?” I hear Jordane saying to her and I look at Gutta and we start laughing. I don’t know why I’m laughing.

I slow down at the traffic and take a quick swig from my Hennessy.

“Mi suppose to come check unuh in a the lataz enuh,” I tell Jordane.

“Ahh mommy deh cook beef, so mi will just tell har fi deal wid some fried fish fi you and Gutta,” Jordane says.

“Yeah bro,” I say, focusing on the road.

“Respect mi likkle chargie,” Gutta smiles.

“Mi a hear unuh, mi a go scale the fish and thing,” I hear my mother say in the background.

“Mommy,” I say with a smile.

“Mek sure yuh mek eh well pepper enuh mommy!” Gutta says excitedly.

“Alright nuh seh a word,” she laughs just before calling Jor.

“Come tek yuh phone mi a go get back to the food.” Big chef Nicki.

“So bro, what time you a reach a wi foot?” Jordane asks. I check my watch and it’s 1:58 PM. Almost 2 o’ clock.

“Bout 4 o’ clock wi a reach cause wi have some business fi deal with ya now,” I tell him.

“Ah... do eh right,” he says before he hangs up.

As we drive through Gregory Park a thought comes to my mind. The whole gang been a show dem loyalty and mi feel like mi fi keep a party fi just the whole family.

“Gutta,” I start and he looks at me, “Yuh know one thing dawg, mi never really believe in a people but a swear since lately me a see say God a show mi some rare people in a mi circle starting from you—the wul gang go right back to Juaqína and mi appreciate unuh Dawg and mi rate unuh loyalty,” I say to him.

He’s nodding as he taps the spliff in the car ashtray. As a stoner. “Mi a go mek some call and just keep a likkle thing a Spain fi just the gang.”

“Dat would a bad dawg,” he agrees.

“Mhm,” I smile.

“Real thing mi general, a one family mon we might nuh be blood but a one family,” Gutta says.

“One family til wi heart stop and we eye lock,” I say then my mind runs on Zara.

“Zara..” I start and he looks at me. Mi don’t even know wah mi wah say bout har. Jah. I laugh to myself. “As mi bring har up everything weh mi did go say fly out a mi head.”

Gutta chuckles. “A real girl that dawg.” Fi real.

“ Yah man, a she a the fuss ooman mi have weh know all a wah mi have and still nah ask mi bout money and that alone show mi say a nuh that she round me fa,” I say and realize the weird look Gutta is giving me.

“Bad man a the fuss mi hear yuh talk bout a oom–” I interrupt him.

“Tell mi seh mi sound like a clow—”

Gutta shakes his head. “No badman. Which clown? A natural thing mi Ghee and mi just glad bout the wul thing, yuh find a ooman weh yuh finally a tek serious,” he says and I nod.

“Cas yuh been a play dem gyal ya enuh Dawg.” He laughs.

I join him, chuckling as I go through the pot holes. “The road bad enuh,” I hiss as I slowly drive through it.

“And eh MarkX low,” Gutta says. “But no joke mon a she a the one fi yuh.” I laugh in agreement.

“Zara different mon and mi respect her and her fam y’know,” I say after a while.

Gutta gets quiet. “Yuh think yuh love har?” He asks and I breathe.

Mi been a think bout it but mi nuh know yow. I shrug. “Badman mi nuh know nutt’n bout love.” And a nuh no joke thing.

“Mi and you a fawud from high school days and the amount a gyal weh yuh did a deal wid daily and mi never yet see yuh treat none a them like how yuh treat Zara. Know yuh nuh do feelings; yuh just do things fi the moment so mi neva’ 3 expect this, but a from long time mi see seh yuh rate da girl yer differently,” he says and surprises me. I look at him. Him have a point.

And him mek sense too, my subconscious adds.

“Yuh feel a joke? Dawg yuh memba seh yuh mek Perry and Trevor get weh wid yuh money and yuh hardly a come a the underground weh yuh use to deh bout 5 hours a day and chap with eh wul a we a Spain in a eh evening. Yuh nuh do them thing deh again enuh boss, nowadays yuh scarce and eh wul gang know say this yah girl yah a the reason you a do things different now but bro we nuh have no problem cause likkle love good fi yuh mi Ghee a tell mi a tell yuh. But mi Ghee yuh literally a change pon mi so yuh cya come tell mi seh you nuh know if yuh love har when the B a change yuh,” He says and I stay silent as his words echo through my head.

Neva’ notice seh mi stop do them thing deh. Zara mi been a deal wid ever since. Mi all forget who mi did be before she come around. “Mi never a look pon it so,” I finally say after a while and he puffs his spliff.

Yuh never know say yuh could a have this talk with Gutta thou?

“Mi know mon cas yuh nuh used to it but yuh nuh affi tell mi nuhn dawg but mi know fi a fact say yuh love har,” Gutta says and I laugh.

Maybe cause mi know him right and mi feel guilty. I pull over at Jet’s mother’s house and I take up a bag and Gutta puts his gun in his waist as he walks out behind me. The yard have all kind of people. Some come fi comfort the family, others just deh bout.

I walk over to the veranda and spot Jet’s girlfriend and his mother. “Hey Nickoi,” she says. I can tell she was crying and she’s losing sleep. “Mi still cya believe Justin gone,” her voice breaks. I embrace her as she sniffles in my clothes.

I made a promise that if nutt’n fi happ’m to nobody inna mi circle, mi will take care of them family. She starts crying in my arms. “I miss my son... JESUS!”

I put my hand around her back. “Nuh worry yuh self mommy everything soon arite,” It hard enuh.

After comforting her for fifteen minutes she stops crying. “Dessy!” she calls Jet’s girlfriend.

She walks over to me with her eyes puffy and red, her hair sticking up in all directions as her blouse is drenched in tears, I’m assuming. “Nickoi,” she says, her voice hoarse.

“What’s up?” I give her a bag of money. “Just deal with wah unuh have fi deal with right now and call mi if unuh need anything,” I tell her and she starts crying.

“Jet always tell me say him respect you enuh and now mi see why,” she sobs then she thanks me.

“Deal with the funeral with it too and dem thing deh,” I tell her before I say my goodbyes to Jet’s mother and get back in the car.

I sigh to myself. It always hard when wi lose family. Everyone a mi dawgs dem a mi bredda dem.

“Real move that enuh mi Ghee,” Gutta says and I nod then I hear my phone ringing. A Zara cousin.

“Hey, yuh did seh yuh wah mi help yuh with something and mi end up affi lef so yuh nah go get fi see me wen yuh come back so a that’s why mi call,” Gavin explains.

Gutta shakes his head with a laugh. “As mi tell yuh before say Zara nuh fi know bout this,” I start. “Or yuh sister... nobody at all.”

“Yeah mi know. Is a surprise party?” he asks.

“Yah sup’m like that but mi wah know which country she always wah go. She ever say she wah go Paris or so?” I ask.

“No, not Paris but she ever a talk bout wah place in a Hawaii name Honolulu,” he says and I look at Gutta.

“A weh yah go do fly har deh!?” He asks, shocked.

“Yah just nuh tell har nutt’n,” I tell him again. I keep drilling it in his head.

“Arite. ”