The Girl Nextdoor- A True Jamaican Love Story

Baby Steps

Chapter 2: Baby steps

TYRA'S POV:

4:00 pm

After the sweet encounter with Josiah. I found myself constantly looking out my bathroom window with every given chance. Excitement bubbled in my tummy, wanting to tell my best friend, Tameka, about the ordeal.

Peeking through the window, I saw that the kitchen door at the side of the house was open giving me a decent view of the kitchen. I continued to stare through the window until a familiar silhouette came into view.

It was obvious that the person was a girl, with messy, dark brown creme hair and a dark skin complexion. "Nuh Tameka dat?". I gasped, rubbing my eyes twice to ensure they weren't fooling me again. "A she yes!". Feeling another surge of excitement, I opened the window much wider this time to try grabbing her attention.

"Tameka!". I shouted, watching her intensely. "A who a call mhi?". I heard her say, making me hold in my ghetto laugh. As luck would have it, jaylon walked outside from the side of the house, his chest puffed and proud. "Tameka!". I shouted again, this time jaylon spotted me and came over to the window.

"Yaah call me?". He asked, pointing at himself. "No, I'm trying to call Tameka". I said, talking fast out of eagerness. Jaylon walked away and went up to the kitchen door, delivering my message to Tameka.

I watched them disappear from the kitchen and come outside through the front of the house, a confused Tameka looking around searching for me. "See eh girl deh!". Jaylon shouted, pointing a finger in the direction of the where I was standing, cupping my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh.

It took a while until Tameka finally spotted me and came running over to talk to me. "Gurl a you did a call mhi?". She asked, her eyes wide with surprise as she edged nearer to me. "Yeh a me did a call yuh name how long.. me deh yah a say Tameka, Tameka, and hear yuh nuh bout 'A who a call mhi?' ". We both laughed at our silliness.

"Suh wah mek yuh nuh come out?". She asked, a questioning look on her face. "Gurl yuh know say me cyaah come out already". I said, still smiling from ear to ear. "Me waah tell yuh something doh". Her face lit up, making me chuckle. "Run eh story mi love.. but wait, a fi yuh room dis?". She pointed at the big window, that was much lower than the one at the bathroom. "Yeh a mine". I said. "Pull yasso and tell me wah gwan".

Stepping down from the bathroom window, I hurriedly opened my bedroom window and sat on my bed getting comfortable. " Mhi say Tameka.. some drama gwan todeh essi". I whispered, not wanting to be loud. "A wah gwan?". She asked, curiosity clouding her eyes. "Suh jaylon Neva tell yuh?". She shook her head.

I sat and explained everything that happened to her with Josiah and how I wasn't aware that he had texted me before and he was the one I blocked. "Rawtid gyal a weh yuh naah say!". Tameka hollered, erupting laughter from the both of us.

Just then, speaking of jaylon and Josiah, both were making their way outside from the side of the house. Josiah, who looked tired, walked lazily to a smaller house that was at the edge of the yard, and sat in front of it with jaylon not too far from him. "A wah dem come out yasso fah?". I asked, watching them with hawk eyes. "A true jaylon go wake up eh bwoy and tell him say me a talk to yuh". Tameka said, glaring at her brother.

This earned a giggle from me as I stared at Josiah, who was already staring at me.

"Mhi know say a me unuh a chat!". He shouted, making both Tameka and I laugh. "Tyra, it look like we a chat him?". She asked, loud enough for him to hear. "No sah". I countered, kicking my feet in nothing but excitement.

'mhi love eh fuckery Eno '.

"Jaylon!". Tameka shouted, watching as the boy looked up from the ground. "Go fi mhi slippaz fi mhi". Tameka ordered. "A who yah talk to Suh?". Jaylon back talked, earning more glares from Tameka.

If eyes could kill, he'd be dead by now.

"Memba say yaah eh younger one, yer?". Tameka said this more like a reminder than a statement as she watched her brother enter the kitchen and disappear. "Anyways yaah Tyra, as I was saying". She turned back to me, and continued on about an experience she had with a boy an her friend.

After two minutes, jaylon could be seen coming out of the kitchen and walked over to the window. "Thank yuh very much". Tameka said, as jaylon dropped the slippers at her feet. "Suh gwaan now nuh... Remove yuh self". Tameka said, watching a reluctant jaylon as he edged little by little away from us.

"Yaah gwaan like a u alone eh girl waah talk to". He said, as I listened in silence. "Yuh waah talk to him?". Tameka pointed her thumb at him, looking at me as if she already knew my answer. "No mhi nuh have nothing fi say to him". I said truthfully, as I listened to his footsteps get farther away.

The time flew by quickly, and it was already late in the evening, I assumed it to be around 6:00 O'clock, because of how dark it was, and the current still hadn't returned after hurricane Beryl passed through. Tameka's grandmother called out for her from inside the house, forcing Tameka to cut our conversation short as she went inside.

A little girl was outside the house, making a fire from dried bushes, using the smoke as a mosquito repellent. I sat and watched her, until I saw Josiah come out the side of the house and into the yard.

'not even did know say him did gone in '. I thought, watching him help the young girl with the fire.

Tameka finally came back outside the house, but this time, she didn't come back to the window but instead she went up to Josiah and gave him a piece of paper. 'im guessing that's for me? '. I thought as I watched them interact. Josiah looked hesitant and perplexed, but tameka seemed to be urging him.

Surprisingly, he began making his way towards my window and I sat there and watched as he came closer, stopping once he's near enough. "Hey". He said, making eye contact with me again. "Hello". I muttered, feeling slightly shy, but my voice coming out strong. "Tameka say fi gi yuh dis". He handed me a piece of paper and I took it from him, and read it's contents.

-hey bestie grandma say mhi haffi come in now so me cyaah come back and finish talk to yuh so goodnight.

XoX- Tameka

"Okay". I smiled at the letter, placing it on my tiny dresser for safe keeping. "Yuh have nothing yuh can use and write down mhi numba?". He asked, his eyes roaming my room watching the decor that I had set up. "Yeah I do, give me a minute ". I got up, walking to one corner of my bedroom and taking out a notebook and pencil from my sprayground bag.

"What is it?". I sat on the bed edge again, pencil and book in hand as I wrote down the number. "Alright I got it". I said, closing the book. "Alright latah then". He bid, as he walked away.

Closing my window, I layed back on my bed, finally allowing my mind to wrap around the events that happened in just one day.

'its all about baby steps '. I thought to myself, as I allowed the darkness of my room to consume me.