Strong Back

16| Suprise

Thursday afternoon, July 11...

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I froze in my spot the moment I entered Nick's apartment but I had to step outside and look if I'm in the right building that uses the same key in the lock. I sniffed the air like a dog trying to figure out if I'm loosing my senses like few minutes ago when I was dreaming about Sincere. Now it was my mother's favourite perfume that was mixed with plenty others. There was laugher coming from the kitchen along with my favourite soul foods.

Coconut run dung, golden fried dumplings, cabbage, fried rice plantings, hot and spicy chicken, jerk chicken or pork, curry goat and run punch. It was thick in the air like to mother's perfume and I lift my hand to wipe the tears from my eyes.

Removing the slippers from my feet, I counted my steps to the larger kitchen in Nick's apartment. The moment I stopped at the opened doorway, my eyes got blurrier with tears at the familiar frame of a short woman like myself smiling like crazy. She was the first to see me and she choked out a sob walking around the island to greet me.

The way she hugs me I was feeling like a child all over again and the memories hits me like angry droplets in a hurricane. I held her close and tight crying like something was wrong. "Mih miss yuh mummy.".

"A miss yuh too daughta." She tells me and I feel her hand in my hair, releasing it from the tight bun and I cried a little harder. She knows me so well that I actually misses her, even though we speak on the phone daily but not today.

Wiping my cheeks and sniffling my nose, I look up into mummy smiling face. "You're the surprise."

"He did it to all of us." Tracy grumbled so I look over at her and the small crowd of people.

Tracy, Terrence, Terrell, Nick, Doctor Sarah, a unfamiliar man, twin boys and no other than Sincere. My heartbeat quickens when he lick his lips watching me but Terry who was seated next to him whispers something to him so I looked away.

Nick was standing in the corner watching everything but as he saw me, I put a grin on my face then told him thank you.

"Mhmm hmm. Small world." Mummy spoke aloud so I look up at her. "We'll talk later."

"Krysceal, this is one of our best friend Daniel, his wife Sarah, eldest son Sincere and the youngest Derrick and Devin." I wave politely to them except for Sincere but ignore the look from Mrs Sarah as Tracy introduced them.

"Dinner will be ready soon." Nick announce to me so I hug mummy one last time then moves to exit the room.

"Okay papa bear, but mih going to take a quick shower." I rushed out hearing nothing but laugher as I rush up the stairs to my room.

My hygiene routine was quick, I spent more time in the shower than brushing my teeth. Water was all I used since I needed to taste all the food flavours and I know the toothpaste will only take it away. I walked in wearing a t-shirt and short shorts with a pair of pink fluffy socks on my feet.

Terrell and Sincere were both glaring at each other so I went between them to reach for a paper from the bunch of sticky notes on the island. "Watch him, ketch him, nyam him."

They look up at me and I rip a few pages off then took up the pen. I scribble a reminder on papers for a dentist appointment and a trip to the nearest hair and beauty supply store. I went around with the sticky notes pasting them on the refrigerator, walls of the kitchen exit, pantry and leave to put the last one on the apartment door.

Everyone was staring when I renters the kitchen so I got seated around the dining table with everyone. While the adults talk, I was eating like a starving pregnant woman who's is moody and I wasn't the only one. It wasn't until I made a move to go for seconds when Tracy got me in a coughing fit.

"Take time girl, yo' eating like your mother when she was pregnant."

I took my little ass out of the kitchen and into the nearest bathroom that's down in the hallway. I returned to bring my plate to the sink for wash when Tracy held until my wrist when I was passing her seat.

"You not pregnant right?"

"No aunty, I'm on my period." I told her but she keeps staring after letting go of me.

"I'll schedule a..." She started and I shook my head.

"I have an allergic reaction to condoms, I already went to the doctor and don't worry about me having sex for a long while because someone told me I'll have to find a big belly man with a small dick so I'll be waiting."

"What!" Nick, Uncle Terrence and Sincere exclaimed at once.

"Who told you that?" The women in the room asks while Sincere's brothers try to hide their laugher.

Leave it to me to ruin a night by bring jokes to some and vexation to others. Maybe I shouldn't kept my mouth shut but since Terrell couldn't, I wouldn't either.

"Terrell." I answered looking at him watching me.

"Why would you say that to ha'?" His dad questioned but he just kept on glaring at me.

"I told y'all she wanna be grown and get her legs opened. I'm not sitting around an allow ha' to leave Jamaica good and come here tryna be a hoe...."

"Terrell..." His mother started but he continues.

"Y'all know I speak facts. She wasn't er' for two weeks good and made a random nigga fucked her on a one night stand. She's definitely acting like a hoe..."

"You can be a hoe but with me having sex for the first time makes me one?" I asked him challengingly as I put the plate back on the table and stand akimbo.

"Yeah when you don't know the nigga?" He adds and I laughed dryly.

"No you're just upset that you didn't get the chance to announce bro code to yuh friends for them to stay a mile from yuh best friend..."

"You more than just mah best friend, you been mah lil sis since the day you started breathing. Of course I'll protect chu from mah friends because I know them. I expect you to have some damn sense and probably get a boyfriend who loves you and shit then you do whatever. You got me fucked up when you..." He stops there and glare at Sincere who was glaring right back.

"I already opened my legs to yuh best friend and yuh should be fucking considerate because him tek time wid mih. An which boyfriend yuh talking bout? I can't even talk to a guy good because yuh feel like seh yuh have the privilege to clip mih wings everything mih try fih fly!" I shout, moving my arms to make a point.

"Yo' just ain't ready to have one coz you too fucking soft! Get chu self some help before you regret doing something you don't understand about!" He laughed and I shook my head.

"Just shut up because you don't know me..."

"If I don't know you then who the fuck you called when you stressed the fuck out? When you crying about wanting a male figure in yo' life. Who's shoulders yuh cried on when Kris died? Who was thea' when you first gotcha period? Who told you to fight or speak up when you've been bullied at school? It was me you asked to protect you when you was crying at eight when you realise Kris is really gone! Kris told me to protect you for him the last time I saw him. Imagine meeting in an accident on mah way to the airport tryna get to Jamaica to spend some time wit'chu and went into a fucking coma. I fucking saw Kris and some of mah other niggas asking me to protect there sisters. You ain't know bout dat coz as soon as I was out I made sure I come see you. You was sitting in yuh moms living room watching a muthafucking documentary on a thousand ways to die. How the fuck you think I feel running around tryna be there for you every holiday so you don't feel left out. I know how it feels to be abandoned coz you were the only one who lost a fucking twin. I lost mah fucking sister two years before Kris died and you not her replacement but I owned you as one of mine. I know everything bout chu but since you came here things changed. I don't see you answering mah text or some of mah calls. You don't even call back but you just read mah shit and get off the app. I'll fucking die for you bruh!"

I was quite after his outburst, wiping the tears from my eyes to see him clearly.