GWEH (Go Away)

9. Jacket For Sale

"Good afternoon, Daddy," I greeted Eric, who was strangely smiling at me as if I were his whole world. Am I dreaming or something? Maybe someone swap and clone my sperm donor?

"Wah gwaan mi big daughter?" my father responded, which caused me to choke and cough. I am definitely daydreaming, or I am dead and in heaven.

When the coughing stopped, I could not even find words to respond, so instead, I kept bobbling my head up and down like a bobblehead doll. My eyes were for sure wide as if mi see duppy.

"Your mother told me what took place and that it's because you forgot to lock up the place before you go road," my father said, shocking me once more.

Jeesam peas! How mommy lie so?

My father continued, not giving me a chance to defend myself. "How did you manage to do that? Anyway, don't worry. This is Jermaine. He's a real general... a good youth. He will be driving us to replace the stolen stuff." Eric gestured to Jermaine, who nodded in my direction and then got behind the wheel of his car.

Jermaine, so that his name.

I thought he said my father was a waste man and that he did not support his mistreatment to me, but now they are friends.

I was speechless.

Come my father said getting into the back seat and I made to follow him in but he pushed at me and said, "Go sit up a front mon and keep Jermaine company."

Excuse you?

Excuse me?

I raised my brow because the cat still got my tongue.

"Hurry up bae, I need to come back to pick up my son," Jermaine called out to me.

"My name is Tammy, not bae."

All what a gwaan I was suspicious. Why my father acting so strange and why him nuh want me sit beside him?

I shock it off and just got in the car and I could feel many eyes pon mi, so I was sure news ago carry about me getting in this man, I mean Jermaine vehicle. But my father was here too so what could they possible say, he was just giving us a ride right?

As soon as I put the seat belt on, Jermaine zoom down the street as if he was driving a nascar.

"Hey take time. A one life me have!" I said to him. This was a completely different driving than when he had dropped me to school. Back then it seems like he was driving a turtle.

"Mi nah make nothing do yuh mon," he said winking at me and continued driving the same way as if I never said anything.

"Nuh worry him a pro car racer" My father chipped in.

"Racer?"

"Mi forget say you a house mouse. Yes, every Sunday, up a the dirt round in a the open land.

"Well Jermaine, I don't know what you take this fah but you nah race now so please take your time because a one pickney mi mother have. My fathe—Eric good, him have other pickneys." I said, taking a shot at both Jermaine and Eric.

Jermaine laughed and slowed down the vehicle just as we got closer to the busy downtown.

While my father kissed his teeth then said, "I spoke to your mother, and she say the TV and some other things missing but she never told me specifically what was stolen. She said you knew."

"She did?" I asked panicking because I knew I can't come back with exact things, or mommy ago ring mi neck so I ended up lying although mi feel bad about it. It was all in the name of self-preservation.

"Oh yes, them basically empty out the kitchen, The microwave, blender, toaster oven," I paused thinking about other things to add that I know we did not have, or they were old. "The pressure cooker, the electric kettle, mommy have a hot plate for when gas finish and they take that, the gas pan gone too."

"A so them a gwaan bad?" Jermaine asked.

"Jah, Jah," my father said.

"Yes, them even empty out the fridge take all the meat plus they empty the food pantry. Daddy, you know how mommy keep her place stock a grocery so you can just imagine the amount of food them take way."

"Yow. That hot mon," Jermaine said.

"Yea." I agreed.

My father got unusually quite around back. He was probably checking in his mind the amount he have to spend and wondering why he offered to help. I know this because he is a certify myzer. Him mean so til.

"What else them take?" Jermaine asked.

"My laptop that my grandmother got for me and the box of gold jewelries and pearls," I said. I heard my father hissed his teeth because he never wanted me to have them, but mama gave them to me days before she died and made a show of it. And could you believe, Eric my so-called father had asked me for them one time, but I had told him no.

"And?" Jermaine probed.

"And what I asked.

"And what else did they take."

"Them thief my pan—" I stopped myself when I realize what I was about to reveal.

Jermaine laughed. "Say what you did ago say," he encouraged but I shook my head and look straight ahead, seeing that he stopped at a shopping center that sells both appliances and grocery.

I heard my father sneakered around back and I held my head back down, feeling uncomfortable.

"You nah fi say it, the whole community know say them thief you baggy." Jermaine said and I covered my face out of embarrassment.

"So, some sexy lace panties they take, like G-string and pon the river business?" he asked, and I was shocked, so till I moved my hands from my wide eyes to my mouth. How him fi ask me that much less in the presence of my father? I was waiting for a reprimand from my father, but instead, he stayed quiet.

Some father he is.

"So, you nah answer me?" Jermaine asked and I shocked my head no because once again I was speechless. What's going on?

Really. Smaddy tell me what really a gwaan.

"Come, Miss Shy. Me soon broke you out of your shell. Let's get the shopping over with so we can have fun." Jermaine said getting out the parked car. I watched as he nodded to some men who greeted and dap him up.

"Fun?" I said aloud to no one in particular.

"Daddy, you are taking me to shopping and then we are going straight home, right?" I asked Eric but instead of answering he exited the car.

I had no choice but to follow him out.

(1095 words)