Shades of Gold | L'Esperance 2

2 - Sweet Like Mango

Love does something to you, You don't just feel it– it consumes you, like a raging tide in the sea, or sends shockwaves of pleasure down to every atom of your body or sweeps you in a whirlwind of romance. But that gust of love could be confused for lust, and before you know it, you're stuck in the eye of a tornado bound for disaster. Even despite all of these risks, we don't read the terms and conditions to the manual of loving someone, we click agree and give every fibre of our being. Who can blame us?
For love can be sweet like mango, when you don't stop snarling for the seed, and likewise it can be like a tropical cyclone, destroying everything and everyone in its path.

~

Ray POV

I open the door and see Theresa sprawled out on the bed. She's wearing a pair of cutoff shorts and a primrose top– the one I always complimented her on. My lips don't budge when she catches sight of me. My bag slides down to the floor next to her crocs. Ah cyaan do dis anymore.

"Wah take yuh so long?" She asked, getting up.

I pass my hand through my head. "Nothin' enuh." I reply, gazing at the orange hues outside. How late was it? Oh gosh, ah doh have time fah dis. Mind yuh she go say 'oh yuh give me belly and now yuh want to left me?' The thoughts race through my mind.

The moment her eyebrows twist and her lips pucker up, ah know she goin an say sometin schupid.
"Oh so yuh prefer dem ova me now?"

Man does suffer bad bwoy.

Kevon does tell me run, but mi nah pay him no mind, and look. Pregnancy in mi a–.
"Ray, yuh's a bullaman?"

Shock stiffens me quiet. It takes me approximately 30 seconds post-staredown to cultivate a response. "Wah yuh say gyal?"

I try my best to focus on her face, but the way her chest pokes out of the ribbed material can make any man lose track of what they're doing. Except if it did happen to be any man, they would convulsing on the ground in pain and I would be taken away for attempted manslaughter. But I'm too wise for that.

Theresa reels back in equal parts dismay and disgust, and looks down at the object of admiration– then back at me. Her face twists even more.
She fondles them, cutting badeye at me. "Bend yuh back fuh dem boys nuh, but yuh nuh getting none. Try again."

I crank my neck on both sides and head to the kitchen, her loud footsteps in the back evident that she wasn't done with Ray St.Lawrence yet. I ignore her comments. Mi nah bending fah nobody.
"Everyday, work work work! Did you even call the clinic yet?"

This ooman .

"Yes, I did." I say bluntly, careful not to spill the cup of water on my shirt. I hold the cup to my mouth, but not before adding: "But wait, why ah haff to do all di work? Iz not the one carrying child!"

Theresa places her hands on her hip and leans against the wall. "Oh, but it's yuh responsibility as well.?"

"Hm."

Theresa POV

I open my eyes more. "Hm?"

Ray takes a long sip of water and sets it in the sink, turning to me once more. "And you liked it, didn't you? Yuh lucky yuh have a man to make yuh feel good."

I draw in a heavy breath as I watch as the corner of his lips curl upwards. We're both having too much fun with this.

Maybe I really was a bit harsh with him. But had to have patience too, which is something he always had, even back then. He waited to date me in form three, and was understanding all throughout our firsts.
I shuffle over to him. He slithers his arm around my waist and wraps me in.

Hugging my man felt a calm ripple in the ocean. When the sun beats down on it, assigning the perfect glisten in each thread of water.

"Lemme make it up to yuh nuh babes."

He looks at me. The sunset casts perfectly to make his eyes an almond brown. "Yuh go do dat fah me?"

"Yea."

——

Bella Rosa

"Aha, I've been waiting for you Ms. Santos. Come in." Cathrine Killman extends her arm to the chair.A sharp pain gripes my stomach as I take the seat adjacent to her desk.

The walls are plaster a custard colour; rain tapping incessantly against the iron-gated window.

"I read your Email. You said you have a proposal for us?"

I nod. Her face doesn't give any space open to interpretation.

"You know I am a busy woman right?"

"I do, which is why I want you to hear me out— give me a few minutes please."

She crosses her legs and leans back against the chair. "Take it away, then."

Ms. Killman is finally giving me this chance. It was generous enough for her to give a simple anchor even one second of her time, let alone a whole ten minutes.

I fold myself in my knit white cardigans and open my laptop.

"As you and I know, Grenada's Broadcasting Network is one of the main influencers of the Grenadian public, agreed?"

"Basic knowledge."

Shit. Ah done spoil this fah miself.

"As we know, one of the main rivals of ours is CoCare TV and Caribbean Spice Network (COTV and CSN). I propose that we merge both companies, specifically CSN."

She tilts her head to the side and adjusts her black rimmed glasses. "Tell me more."

Jackpot.

"Well, buying out the smaller competitor is the easy part, it's rather a matter of perhaps making it a subsidiary of GBN rather than rendering them obsolete. They can be our sports division within the network.."

. "I really feel sorry that you took the time to come up here, Ms. Santos. I told you in the beginning that I am a very busy woman." She said, easing up from her seat.

My smile drops and any sense of enthusiasm is sucked out of me at that moment.

"Stick to anchoring like what you applied for, and don't waste my time."