The following afternoon.

ᴘᴏᴠ ᴏᴅᴇᴀɴ✾

"A dem foolishness deh mi cyaah tek wid ooman enuh a rass," Gold Teeth said pushing back the phone to DD. "Dem a trouble to pussyclaat."

"Kronazz muss bex," Trent a tall lanky youth that ran the jerk pan stall in the square where DD and I had decided to get some jerk pork said shaking his head in dismay.

"Dem ooman yah need fi find man dem age," Gold Teeth said hissing the full set of gold dentures that he sports. "Weh Debs a duh wid dat deh likkle bwoy deh?"

He asked the question but no one made an effort to respond so he continued to speak his voice growing loud.

"Look deh now she tun YouTube sensation fi the wrong reason."

DD took the foil paper that Trent handed to him and doused the pork within with an ample amount of pepper as he laugh at Gold Teeth's comical dispear.

Bulby a big eye Indian guy who assisted Trent at the jerk stall was leaning against the side of the stall and watching the video of Debs drunkenly making a fool of herself and the two females who were just as ready to offer her a beat down to add to the embarrassment lookup from the video and said.

"Lef e ooman alone a pussy feeli
ngs yuh a carry mek yuh a get hype so."

"Moof yuh bloodclaat mi nuh waah ooman weh nuh av no ambition," Gold Teeth barked looking ready to punch Bulby's face in.

"Watch e lyad fucka yuh tink a likkle pull mi c yuh pull dung paah Debs wen she roun a Simone," Bulby said waving his hand at the older man. "Yuh figet how she run yuh d night dem did deh up a Can'D, a Peggy affi buy yuh waah rum a send yuh guh dung."

Gold Teeth glare daggers at Bulby but everyone present was enjoying the little flare-up and was not overly concerned it would get out of hand because Gold Teeth was mostly bark and no bite.

"Yuh mussi a bloodclaat XNews mek yuh know people affair so," he mumbled giving a smiling Bulby a dirty glare.

"A bex yuh bex GT," DD said laughing loudly. "Tek piece a mi pork n calm yuh nerves yaah."

"Fyyyaahhhh pan a grunt Rasta nuh nyaam pork!" he bellowed jumping away from the outstretched foil paper.

"But yuh nyaam e pork eee doh," Indian chimed in causing everyone present to burst out laughing.

Gold Teeth who was not prone to animosity said with a little smile."Mi tell yuh ooman seh she chat too rass much enuh."

Laughter rang out again and the banter continued as I took my jerk pork from Trent and added a little less pepper than DD before I paid for our purchases as well as left behind some extra cash for them to buy themselves a drink.

"Bless up mi genna," Trent said knocking my fist before adding. "Yow still OD mi sorry fi know Ms. Murl drop out my condolences to you guys still."

I gave him a polite smile but said nothing.

My grandmother's death only created a bigger void between myself and my intentions. I was nowhere near getting to the root of the matter that made Patrice and I illicit to love each other.

My mother was just as reluctant to speak to me about what she might be aware of where the situation was concerned when I spoke to her on the phone earlier this morning and with my father long since gone due to some accident he met in when I was a baby I could not turn to him to provide me with answers either.

His mother was so willing to die with this secret and still in death it was being kept from me.

I excused myself and walk to the car and place the jerk pork on the dashboard and then went lean on the bonnet to wait on DD who had gone into the supermarket to get a few things he was asked to get for Aunt Daphne.

My mind was now on Patrice. Last night seeing her and not being able to talk to her was another bitter blow. I had tried numerous times to text her but every message I typed I only end up deleting them. I came close to calling her too but I was scared of her hanging up on me after the spectacle I made at her place.

It had not been my intention to cause a fuss all I wanted was to talk to her and to explain why I had not been able to meet her.

I figured by now she must be aware that my grandmother's death contributed to my lack of seeing her as planned however, but it would have been nice to tell her in person than leaving her to fit the pieces together.

I was still beating myself up on the matter when I felt soft hands cover my shades and the scent of fresh nail polish assailed my nostrils. I raised my hands to snatch those hands away and straighten my glasses when I felt warm breath and a wet tongue flick against my lobe.

I eased away not in the least bit prepared to indulge the person who I knew it was before she spoke.

"Hey baby, yuh neva see mi a link yuh."

Goodaz's voice and her presence grated on my nerves turning me into a chiselled mass of contempt.

"Hey move yuh hand fra out a mi friggin face, mi nuh even know weh yuh hand a come from!"

My voice was harsh and when I turn to face her and see the look of embarrassment on her face and the way her eyes darted about I felt a tinge of regret for being so brutal.

A little less aggressive I said, "Nuh sneak up paah mi."

She folded her hands and I saw her eyes travel across the street I look to see Petrice standing at the entrance of her shop and with her were two little girls along with her grandmother.

As I stared one of the girls look over at me and after a few seconds, she waved. I felt my heart flutter in my chest and the white t-shirt with the dark blue and white pinstripe pants seem to all of a sudden shrink in size and squeeze my heart into my pristine white tennis shoes.

I felt as if I was about to stifle. There was my daughter only a few feet away and still out of my reach. Her face much like her mother's was alluring and sweet as she tentatively smiled. I glanced away only when I felt Goodaz reach for my arm.

I scowled at her but she held her ground. It was clear to see that she wanted to lay ownership of me. I look at her realizing that if it was not for my emotions that crippled my better judgment I would not have spared her the time of day and also she did give glorious head.

My eyes travel to her mouth and as her eyes follow my movement her lips quirk in a teasing smile as she slowly licked her lips. I frown and look away only to see that it was now only Patrice standing at the entrance and she was glaring with disgust at Goodaz.

Guess the animosity from back in the day still exists. Tiny, Goodaz's older sister had gone and gotten pregnant for Petrice's boyfriend and when she found out she had beaten Tiny, a few days later she was said to have lost the baby.

Tiny was no saint, that was not her first time playing foul and everyone had questioned if she was even pregnant and if it was even for Larry. She had walked everywhere telling people Patrice obeah her and killed her child.

It was clear knowledge that Tiny--- who was the total opposite of her name--- was not going to let Petrice get away with beating her up.

She was a few tons heavier, taller, and older than Petrice so being thoroughly whupped and being a laughing stock was too much to bear so fabricating a story to let Petrice look bad had been her way out but even though that was years ago it seems the bitterness still runs deep and the animosity spilled over to the siblings.

The last thing I wanted was for this matter to be a thorn in my side too. I wanted a nice clean slate when I made my move to get Patrice back.

It was bad enough I had that promoter bwoy to deal with.

"Listen see DD a come deh we a guh cut now," I said pulling my arm away from her grasp.

"Mi a come a dead yaad tonight," she said as I continue to the passenger side of the car.

"Weh yuh a tell mi dat fah it's not like yuh need mi permission," I told her opening the door to go inside the car.

"See yuh tonight babes."

I deliberately reach for DD's gold headphones and slipped them on drowning out her desperation.

This girl was a fucking misery yow.

I could not agree more.

"Yow yuh ready?!" DD asked as he slipped into the driver's seat.

"Like Freddy," I said.

When we pulled away and drove off in the direction of home I knew without a doubt I wanted to be a part of my daughter's life. Her sweet smile filled my mind's eye fueling my need to fight harder for the truth to tear down the barriers.

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Please👇

Nuff love 🇯🇲