🌸ڿڰۣ-P̠O̠V̠ P̠a̠t̠r̠i̠c̠e̠

"Watch hotness," Petrice called out as I left my room and came to stand in the living room where everyone had gathered. "Gyal yuh neva affi tan good suh."

I cut my eyes playfully at her as I stared at all the people I loved and cared for. It was a blessing to see my mother settle in with them all.

My stepfather and my siblings would be arriving in two days and you could only imagine the excitement that is erupting from Mama and the girls.

Deenie was over the moon already in being able to be a part of OD's life and his family and to now have her grandmother and her other children spending the remainder of the Summer as well she was on cloud nine.

"Mummy yuh pretty," she chimed as she ate from the plate of diced ripe bananas drenched in condensed milk nestled on her lap.

I must remember to call and ask Uncle to get some Semi Contra when he's coming from his field and ensure Mama sort out both her and Jay.

I only hope Deenie knows she has a worm out due before her returning to school September.

Jay who was sitting there purposefully licking off the condensed milk and putting back the bananas in the plate much to Deenie's ignorance smiled sweetly at me.

I gave a small chuckle as I look back to my sister who was nestled against her husband oblivious at the moment to what Jay was sneakingly doing as she was engrossed in whatever she was spelling out on her man's bare upper arm with her acrylic neon pink, yellow and green marble design coffin nail on her index finger.

Gyal naah lef ar man an inch, my inner voice said then added as the demon in me rise to the occasion. A cudda did yuh n Medz dat but yuh run lef e.

I look away from them and fish my phone from my studded clutch as a means of distraction. I did not want anyone to pick up on the melancholy feelings that were now bombarding me.

To say I miss Medz was an understatement he was in my every thought and at nights he plagued my dreams in ways that left me drenched in sweat and raging with need.

I shook my head to rid my mind of how close I came to relieving myself of the frustration between my legs with my little toy nestled in my panty drawer. If only it hadn't decided to vibrate like the wings of a bat from hell in the silence of my room I might have succumbed.

I tried touching myself instead but all I needed was Maleeks sweet carress so instead I lay there and cried on my pillow tears of regret and longing.

I felt a familiar arm wrap itself around my shoulder and I nestled into Mama and inhaled her comforting scent. It was good to have her back, the days pass when we were estranged had left its toll on me.

"Yuh duh wah mi seh?"

I know what she was referring and I shook my head. There was no use telling her a lie.

She took me and lead me to the verandah and stood for a second just looking at me before she spoke.

"Where is that determine girl that always decides that comes what may she is going to do what she mus eee?"

"Mama that girl causes too much heartache for the people she claims to love," I told her looking back at how much pain it had cause both her and my mother my wanting my own selfish needs met.

"Shush chile," she said in mild irritation. "Peggy mi proud a yuh fi yuh strength and you determination. Yuh is a brave girl. Wanting to love and be loved is not selfish. It's us who sat by and let our pride turn this family inside out to be blamed."

"Your my Mama yuh suppose to do that," I said with a wobbly smile.

After all...

...𝘼 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨.

I look out to the road as a car drove pass the gate but my attention was brought back to Mama who took my hands in hers.

"I push your mother away and in the end, I was doing the same to you because I could not bear to face losing my man to another woman and I let that overshadow me doing right by your mother and then later by you.

It caused so much to transpire and created a cycle that could have been prevented. I am happy Deenie won't follow in the cycle of you and your mother but Peggy other cycles can come into play that could hurt us deeper."

"Mama..."

"Listen chile mi lose mi chance at love because mi neva fight for it. Don't defeat yuh self by giving up on that man."

"What if him loves somebody else?" I whispered.

"If that is the case walk away mi neva raise no side chick mi raise wife, but make sure it's so before yuh make a mistake," she said releasing my hand.

Mama sure surprise me at time with the terms she uses but my real surprise came when she said.

"Anyways look like Nikki did a call yuh n neva a get yuh suh she call the house phone. Some a Kronaz ppl dem a have problem fi come up so she seh a suhmadi else a come fi yuh..."

"What?!"

"Yes, mam an e look like e reach."

I look towards the gate to see the car that had earlier driven past had headed back down and had come to a stop at the gate. The car was unfamiliar and I stood there just staring wishing I had received Nikki's call to know who she had sent.

"Tell Deenie fi bring the gift bag pan e chair a d table come," I said to Mama as I waited for the driver to alight from the car.

Mi naah quick fi guh towards no strange car.

When Deenie came a few seconds later with Mama the driver had still not made himself known instead I got a to-the-point text from Nikki.

"Yuh drive reach."

I push my head through the ajar front door and bid my family later, kiss Deenie and said I was leaving now to Mama.

"Remember wah mi seh."

I nod and took my leave my feet in my rhinestone decor point-toe clear pumps apprehensively making their way to the car. My mind was raging with a thousand scenarios on how I should handle seeing Maleek tonight and how I was going to salvage our relation after the storm.

I took a deep breath trying to calm my whirlwind thoughts. As I made it to the car I raise my hand to knock on the tinted window but before I could do so the window slides down and my lips parted to speak one word.

Maleek.

Was I dreaming?

Was this my need manifesting to play havoc on me?

I shut my eyes and quickly open them to see if I was somehow imagining him there, but this was no dream. There he was sitting there looking at me his dark eyes drinking me in with intensity and a what I wanted to term as longing.

I did not know what surprise me more him being there, or him being there wearing a green jacket suit.

Was this some mistake?

I could clearly remember Debz saying couples and spouces would be colour coordinated. I would imagine we would by no means be given the same colour.

Yet here we both were dressed in green.

I did not know how long I stood there staring at him nor did I remember him even getting out of the car to open the passenger door and assisting me in.

I guess he was pissed at seeing we were both colour-coordinated and knowing what it signified seemed to irritate him.

I attempted to say thank you and make civil this unplanned meeting between us but clearly, he was not into it.

In seconds he was starting up the car and driving away his eyes firmly focused on the road ahead.

All I knew a thousand emotions gave way to one overpowering feeling as his nearness and the familiar scent of his cologne assailed my senses.

Love.

The storm clearly had by no means destroyed this deep-rooted feeling that seem to pull me like a magnet to Medz.

If only the storm had not destroyed his.

✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Please👇

Nuff love🇯🇲