Fatal Attraction (Jamaican Novel)

•Chapter 25•

Jack's Hill, Kingston||Wednesday||10:00 A.M

Imani Sybron

"Mummy"

My grandmother turns her attention to the phone screen, giving me her full attention.

I've been on the phone with her for half an hour, she's gotten up to do at least ten different things in that space of time.

"Chinna, your cousins going to send up my blood pressure" she quarrels, she bent down to pick up something then she threw it up.

I hear one of the kids let out a yelp.

"You still throwing things at people?" I ask carefully, I can't afford for her to give me one of those 'try me' looks.

"Peter, get down from the grill and put on a shirt!", glad me never live there too long, mi wuda mad out.

Miss Angela Sybron, she was the grandmother people feared but had to love, she's just 5ft, brown, chubby and has the prettiest Indian hair.

She practically raised me, she lived with me and my father when I was growing up. He was her son but she had a strong dislike for him, I wouldn't blame her.

After everything he did to me, it was hard enough growing up in the same house as him, he always wanted me to cower down but I never did.

The first time he hit me I was ten, man come in and fi no reason start make argument about school shoes, and the fucked up thing, a never my shoes.

Him know mi never wear a Reebok inna mi life, him never buy one gimme, mi can say me did have more Clark's than any other shoes.

Mi granny affi stop him and even then him never want fi stop, it continue on and on, if him raise him hand me a raise mine to.

That lead to problems, man accused me of trying to be a man in his house.

Nobody ever understood how he kept his job, I just knew he pissed everybody off.

Mummy rolls her eyes, "sorry about that, what were you saying?"

That took an entire fifteen minutes for her to get them in order?.

Damn.

"I was saying I might come by this weekend, it depends on work because work get racy right now, things a move fast" I explain to her.

She nods slightly, "that alright Chinna, as long as you taking care of yourself and not fighting with yuh father"

"Mummy, that man fighting with himself"

"Him won't leave June alone", she sighs, rubbing her forehead, "she contemplating to close the restaurant"

"Mi will sort it out Mummy"

"Mi know baby, how yuh sister doing, she and her mother?"

"Dem good, a likkle while me carry some groceries go give Paulette, Brielle alright"

"Oh, that's good to hear, mi a mek yuh get back to work, be safe, love you"

"Alright Mummy, love you too"