Kizzy

Back home.

Good morning, Ms. Heart. We will be landing in just under an hour. The weather will be dry and mild.
Ms. Joyce Heart stretched her hand out from under the warm duvet, pressing the intercom to reply to the flight attendant, "Thank you, my dear."
Getting up, she goes into the bathroom to freshen up for the day ahead.

Landing she put on her shades thanked the crew and headed towards her driver.

Looking out the window of the town car, Joyce was glad to be back home. She loved Barbados, but England had been home for 70 of her 75 years. She knew her neighbours and they knew her.

Pulling up to her home in Maida Vale, West London, she got out and opened the front door. Walking around, she smiled.

"Where do you want me to put your bags, Auntie Hart?"

"Oh, Marcus. Place them in the utility room, please, but place the cases of falernum in the kitchen."

He did as asked

"Thank you, Marcus, make sure you give your parents my regards, I'll be joining them for dominoes friday." She laughed

"Your father might be paying for my next trip after I thrash him in colockie..... You play?"

"Ooohhh, no, no. Unlike my father, I know when to quit.... so I don't play." they laughed as they hugged goodbye.

Walking into her kitchen, she decided to have some tea. She turned on the radio, listening to Premier Gospel. Washing the sorrel, she put the pot on to boil. Picking up a bottle of water out of the fridge, the doorbell rang, so she looked at her phone, but it was dead, so she went to answer it. Opening the door, there was a young lady with her back turned.

"Hello. Can I help you?"

The young lady turned around, surprised.

"Oh, I.......errr" She started crying
"I'm sorry I've been coming here every day for a week, and HE would always say you're not available, and I... I'm leaving today..... I was losing hope I .....I'm sorry." She wipped her eyes

Joyce looked at her, confused, and was thinking she had pretty hazel eyes. As that was all she could see, due to her wearing a face mask.

"My name is Natalie Smith. My mother was Amanda Smith, I was born in New Jersey in America, umm .... I'm looking for Mr Nathan Heart"

"Okay, and what does that have to do with me?" Asked Joyce

"My mother said that he's my father and..,"

"You making sport?"
(What kind of games are you playing?)

"Joyce kissed her teeth." If I had a thousand pounds for the people who tell me that same story.
Huum, but you come clean from America for dis?
How did you get my address?"

"My mother, she used to live around the courner with her grand mother......she........" The tears were streaming down Natalie's face she couldn't breathe. The rejection was hitting her hard she needed her asthma pump, putting one hand into her pocket, and the other to remove her mask she closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths to calm herself down.

Joyce was now looking at her full face closer she dropped the water she was holding.

"No, no, no," she shook her head.
"What was your grandmother's name?..... No, no, the woman who you mother lived with! You said around the corner! What corner? What year?"

"Mrs Brown," Natalie was fanning herself. "Please not now, focus...not here"

Joyce grabbed Natalie by her arm pulled her into the house and sat her down on the sofa, running to the kitchen she took the pot off the fire, grabbed a bottle of water and ran back to Natalie, She put her feet on the sofa. "Lay flat and focus, you're okay."

Joyce knew exactly what was going on.

Natalie calmed down and sat up.
"I'm sorry. How did you know what to do?"

"The first time it happened to me, I was an emotional wreck. I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I passed out. I used to get angry that I couldn't control how my body outwardly expressed what I was feeling inside, I eventually learnt to focus on my breathing, and if it got to a certain point I had to lay flat before I'd passed out."

Joyce let out a breath.
"I'm sorry. There were so many..... I just. " She held her head down.

"I'm going to show you something."

She got up and walked across the room, pulling a photo album off the bookcase. Sitting next to Natalie, Joyce looks at her in the eye and says, "When you removed your face mask, it was like I as transported back to my childhood" She pushed the book towards Natalie "you look exactly like my mother. Your great-grandmother,"
Natalie smiled as her grandmother hugged her.

"I know my son, he's going to need proof. I'll have to get you tested with me to prove we're family.

"I've got to call Marcus back. We've got things to do before we see Nathan

A/N
Falernum -
(pronounced fə-LUR-nəm) is a syrup used in the carribean that is used for drinks. It can contain 11% ABV.

Colockie - A game played with a deck of cards.