ᴘᴏᴠ ᴏᴅᴇᴀɴ✾

I was not in the mood or the frame of mind to deal with the many people that were milling around to wish me and my family condolences on the passing of my grandmother.

For the past three hours since my return to my grandmother's house, all I wanted to do was to get in touch with Patrice but in all attempts, her phone only went unanswered.

"A wah d bloodclaat dis man!" I cursed throwing the charger that I held in my hand angrily on the linen shelf beside me.

I made another attempt to reach her this time using the land line, but just as my failed try to get to her on DD's and later my mobile the same occurred.

I leaned against the leather padded lounge chair and shake my timberland feet in further agitation.

I was trying hard to keep my frustration in check and but with every passing minute that was going to turn into more hours of my not being able to talk to her I was quickly losing my control.

I push my phone into my pocket and left to find DD. I had somewhere I needed to be.

I did not give a damn at this moment what my decision was going to result in, all I wanted was to push down the barrier that separates me from my heart's desire.

Today had turned out to be a most trying day. I was days away from getting my car that was still in Mo Bay with the new engine finally arriving but waiting to be fitted. The mechanic to fit it was at home sick.

Majority of the day had been spent driving from one place to another (Kensington Police Station and then back to the hospital) to get the documents for the death registration to make arrangements to put the funeral details in place being Sunday everything turned out twice as hectic.

I had ended up getting in an argument with my Aunt about starting things tomorrow being it was
a work day but she had insisted the preparation started now thus it had taken spending hours to fill out forms online only to have to actually finish up the documents at the Registar General Department Office tomorrow morning.

"Yow DD mi waah yuh drop mi some weh?" I said the minute I found him standing by the naseberry tree at the side of the house with a few familiar faces.

I barely acknowledge them as they pass on their condolences. My automatic response to them reaching out only made me wanted to get away with more haste than I already did. Unlike the majority of my cousins present, I was by no means grieving my grandmother.

"Weh dat?" he asked before taking a deep drag from the spliff he held daintily between his thumb and forefinger. He let out the smoke on a soft whoosh and handed it to Kronazz.

But wait maybe if he's around that means Patrice could be here with his woman which was her friend but as soon as the thought occurred I pushed it away. It was just my wishful thinking no way would she turn up here after what happened in the past.

I did not answer him but continued walking. If he want fi know all him affi fi duh a follah mi, mi nuh affi a advertise mi business.

"Yow dawg wait up nuh," DD called behind me as he moved to follow.

I continue to walk away making my way to his car. Wah duh him man,'im c mi inna d mood fi a laylay?

I pull my phone from my pocket and dialled her number again getting the same unanswered result. I swore under my breath.

A ignore she a ignore mi?

It was now minutes to six in the evening and I was past the level of my patience.

I have not eaten anything, I needed a shower and some rest but all I could think about was seeing Patrice. I was not going to let my grandmother in death keep us apart as she did alive. No longer will she have the upper hand in my life.

If everyone here decides to make a mountain out of a mole hole because of the passing of their beloved love one (sarcasm intended) let them do so, as for me I was moving to my own damn beat.

I was tired of seeing everyone mourning and well-wishers pouring in to offer condolences that could wait, after all, it wasn't even a full day since she died.

I was leaning on the hood of the car when DD caught up with me. He made to say something but his phone started to ring. He fished it from the pocket of his jeans and answered.

"Hey Pat," I heard him say and I turned to face him.

Was it Patrice, after all, I did use DD's phone to call her?

"No sah a Odean did a link yuh enuh," I heard him respond after a short pause.

With my curiosity confirmed I took more interest in the conversation, thinking about how she returned DD's call and not mine. I knew the answer and I hope to let her know it was no intention of mine to stood her up.

"No sah Mama pass off so...wait yuh neva ere? No enuh. See him here yuh waah talk to him?"

I did not wait for her to respond I took the phone from a startled DD and put it to my ears motioning for him to get in the car.

"Hey, how yuh return DD call but yuh nuh ansa fi mi?" I asked in way of greeting.

There was silence on the other end for a brief moment before I heard her sigh.

I now sat in the passenger seat of the car and tell DD we were going by Patrice and he stared at me surprised but said nothing and started the car.

"Hey yuh nuh affi ansa dat mi a come dung deh now," I hung up before she could respond.

"You feel seh yuh fi guh a dung a Pat yaad OD?" he asked pulling from the gate where he had parked nonetheless. "Yuh know how things set between them and Ms. Murl."

"DD mi tyaad fi ere bou Ms. Murl and adda people, a Peggy and mi daughter mi come yah bou an a dem mi a guh deal wid," I said matter of factly.

He glanced at me and shook his head in understanding. He too was a father and Shenice was not apart of his life the way he would have preferred because Opal took her and went overseas giving him no opportunity to bond with her.

Dem talk bou pussy feelings but when it came to Opal she carried cocky feelings and to a whole other level.

She knew DD was by no means ready to be tamed. He was very much keen on being wild and having all the woman he could get but she wanted the wifey position and even went as far as getting deliberately pregnant to keep it.

At twenty and at the prime of his young wild and carefree life he was willing to take care of his youth but he was not going to set up house with Opal.

Shenice was ten and the most she knew of her father and her family was what Opal saw fit to share and considering the way she was and the grudge she carried for DD it was mostly toxic.

The ride from Davis town was about ten minutes but it seem like an eternity before DD was parked by Patrice's gate. I got from the car and walk up to the house in front of me where I saw to my disgust Peggy standing by a car a little too closely to Pretty Boy Floyd wanna be and him holding onto her hand a little too possessively.

A weh the rassclaat this?!

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Please👇

Nuff love 🇯🇲