Peeling Back the Top Layer 🇯🇲

4| Sisters no matter what

My jaw drops as my mind registers Gillian's unfiltered response to Marsha's upcoming trip. Her reaction evidently hits a nerve and wipes the excitement from our friend's face. Too stunned to utter a word, I sit there like a fool looking at the two women with my mouth wide open.

"Yuh really nuh understand di kinda hurt yuh cause other woman when yuh behave so enuh," Gillian continues in a near whisper, tears welling up in her eyes.

But dis mus personal fi mek she waa cry. Wah really a gwaan?!

Marsha has thick skin so Gillian's diatribe is like water off a duck's back. "Woi! Trouble inna di camp," she claps and laughs mockingly. "A nuh my fault mek your man a gi yuh bun and a nuh mi a yuh matey enuh but try know dis. Man a dawg and nutten weh woman do cyaa stop dem from go road when dem ready so lef mi mek mi live mi life."

Gillian pushes her chair back, gritting out "fuck you" to Marsha before storming off to the restroom. I'm afraid to say anything because both women said their fair share out of anger. And mi honestly still a try process wah dem jus seh!

Gillian has always been the emotional one. She'll cry for any and everything. During our schooldays, Marsha and I had to always defend her whenever she was involved in a confrontation.

"Okay then," I exhale, sitting back in my chair and staring at Marsha in disbelief. She crosses her arms over her chest and heaves a sigh then gives me the side-eye before chuckling.

"Nuh look pon mi suh Kelz. She know better dan fi come fi mi," she tries to justify her position. 

It's true, Marsha is never one to mince words or keep her thoughts to herself during a confrontation. Once she starts attacking she keeps going until her opponent is obliterated — and that's putting it lightly.

"Listen, both of you were very harsh but if wah you seh is true den Gillian really need us right now suh try relax."

She rolls her eyes and visibly relaxes. "If a did anybody else mi woulda fight har a while ago enuh. God know! A jus because oonu a mi sister why mi nuh lef right now."

Moments later, Gillian returns to the table in a much calmer mood, having simmered down somewhat. She hangs her head and slouches in her chair. One, then two sips of water from the glass in front of her then her attention turns to us.

"I never mean to attack you like dat but mi jus tired of women facilitating men when dem know seh dem have a woman," she tells Marsha, who looks up from her phone screen and reaches across the table to hold her hand.

"Weh Ricky do yuh? Tell mi mek mi fuck him..." Marsha trails off.

Gillian and I stare at her, suddenly confused when we realize that she's distracted by something on her phone. "Up!" she clarifies, turning her attention back to us. "Sorry. Tell mi mek mi fuck him up!"

We all erupt in laughter at how the incomplete statement could have caused a serious misunderstanding.

"Mi nuh know fi sure... but mi see some message between him and a woman. We don't go anywhere together anymore and him always busy wid work. Me and di twins hardly see him because him come home when we gone bed and leave as cock tek off dem drawers a mawning time," Gillian shares.

"I hate to say this but dat definitely sound like him preoccupied to me," I opine.

"Yuh sure yuh waa know di truth?" Marsha asks. If anyone can confirm the suspicions it's Marsha. She's well connected and knows how to get information.

Gillian nods and proceeds to tell us everything else she knows. "I will tell yuh as soon as mi find out anything," Marsha promises, adding "Now, mek we enjoy wiself!"

We order meals followed by a few rounds of alcohol and are in better spirits as the night progresses. By 11:00 pm, my bladder is at maximum capacity and I make a dash to the ladies room. In my haste to pee, I enter the male restroom instead and by the time I spot the urinal, it's too late to turn back. Fortunately, it's unoccupied. If I'm quick enough I'll get out unnoticed.

"Kelsie," a familiar voice calls when I'm washing my hands. I turn to see Steven, my most recent ex, leaning against the wall like he was patiently waiting for me. The business attire he's wearing seems to add a couple of inches to his six-foot height and I must admit, he looks especially handsome tonight.

This is a pleasant surprise, especially if my body's reaction is taken into account. Just the sight of this well-dressed man and my inadvertent abstinence is out again, its ears twitching in anticipation like it got a whiff of something delicious.

"Hi Mr. Morgan!" I beam. There's something about a well-built man in a tailored suit that gets me every time. We ended on amicable terms despite the toxicity that preceded the breakup but we have only spoken a handful of times since then.

"Good seeing you," he grins. "Yuh grow a dick now?"

We both laugh. "Yuh good?" he asks.

"I'm alright enuh. Jus same old same old. Nutten new."

"Well you look fine," he compliments, biting his lower lip and giving me a seductive grin.

I find myself blushing as a yearning grows deep down below. Quickly washing my hands and drying them, I try to distract myself from the heat rising to my face. "How have you been?" I ask him.

"Not too bad myself. Jus a tek life one day at a time."

"Well, it was nice seeing you," I nod, giving him another quick glance before saying goodbye and exiting the restroom. As I make my way past the crowded bar to get back to my table outside, an even taller male figure bumps into me, spilling cold drinks all over my attire. My hands go up in the air and I shuffle backward, looking down at my body to assess the damage. Thank God a black mi a wear.

Before words could part my lips, a napkin is thrust into my hand and I use it to dab the excess liquid from my clothing.

"Sorry bout dat," comes a deep, mellow voice. "Let me help you."

"That's good," I grit out in annoyance, looking up at him for the first time since we crashed into each other. My anger dissipates at the sight of the fine specimen of a man planted firmly before me, exuding an air of raw, vibrant masculinity. His beard and hair are freshly trimmed and he's sporting some neat braids on top.

A which star athlete dis because nuh regular man nuh suh propa.

With the poor lighting and the dark-colored clothes he's wearing, I'm unable to tell if any of the liquid got onto him but damn, he's a sight to behold. My automatic reaction is to bite my lower lip in appreciation of God's handy work and my eyes roam over his body.

Slightly embarrassed by my ogling, I smile as politely as I can and brush past him, inhaling his delectable scent as I make a hasty retreat to my table. His cologne slithers into my nostrils and then fills my body, causing an even stronger thrumming between my legs and setting off sparks at each nerve ending leading straight to my core. Di rum and di drought really at work tonight!

"We goin to a club," Gillian says as soon as I take my seat. I'm in shock. She tek di cheating to heart cause she nuh go club nor party.

"No seh nutten man. Jus come on," Marsha smirks, giving me a look that tells me to just go with the flow. But the night gets wild. Liquor buss inna Gillian head an yuh waa see goody a bruk out.