10.


๐˜— ๐˜ ๐˜• ๐˜’ ๐˜ 

***

I was getting ready to go and get my hair done. I was wearing an orange dress and I'm searching for my orange egg shells slipper to pair with it. I didn't find it so I put on my white crocs instead and a white cross-body bag, with my lipgloss, card, and money inside.

My hair was still in the 6 big plaits, I'm going to do my hair so I didn't need to pull them out.

"Pinky!" Andrรฉ called.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"What time you a leave?" he asked.

"Ten, now," I shouted back.

"Fawud make my drop yuh," he replied.

"Mi a come," I called out to him.

I took my phone from off the charger and checked my messages.

Kayla was notifying me that she left out already and was gonna wait on me at champion so we could buy the hairs.

Danay was questioning where we're gonna meet because she was in a taxi. I replied to her and told her at the champion supermarket.

The message that caught my attention came from Tyreek. He asked if I wished for him to pick me up. I declined politely and informed him my brother will be carrying me.

I left out my room and told andrรฉ I was ready to leave now.

He gave me the keys to his BMW and said "gwaan in, mi a fawud."

I took the keys and went to the car, sitting in the passenger's seat at the front.

A little while after, he came to the car and drove off, while questioning me about who was going to do my hair. He also said he likes how I'm happy this year, because last year dem time yah, I didn't even want to leave my room.

We had other conversations about how school is going and how his businesses are going as well.

"Me ago meet Kayla dem a the one cause a in there we ago buy braid," I told him when he passed the bridge.

"Nuh say 40."

I took out my phone and called Kayla.

"Yuh reach already?" I asked when she picked up the phone.

"Yeah my just reach, and Danay deh yah too," she replied.

"Alright mi deh a market," I told her then hung up.

Andre turned into the shopping center and parked in front of The One.

"Mi soon come," I said pulling the door and getting out.

"Wul on pan dis," he gave me his card "buy Wah unuh a buy."

Him know mi have money enu cause dem always gimi money, but a so him stay, long as yuh deh round him, fi yuh money Naah spend.

"Thanks," I took it and was about to call Kayla's phone when I spotted her and Danay. I walked over to them and greeted them.

"Andre dat?" Kayla asked.

"Yeah," I replied and walked into the store.

We went to the glass counter where the braids were hung up on the wall behind the counter, so we would have to ask one of the workers to take it down for us.

"Danay a number 2, yuh use?" I asked looking at her real hair.

"No 1B," she responded.

As I was about to call for someone to assist us, a slim brown skin girl came behind the counter.

"Good morning, unuh want something?" She asked politely.

"Yeah, mi waah 6 pack a 50 inch Ghana number 2 and 3 pack a 1B, 50 inches same way," I told her.

She took up the crotch stick and began taking them down.

"Suh 3, 50" one b yuh say and 6 number two, right?" She double-checked.

"Yeah," Danay responded.

When she took them down, she brought them to the cashier where I paid for them using Andre's card.

"Sell me a bag as well."

They cashed the bag and placed the hairs in the bag then we all walked out.

We went inside the car, where the girls greeted Andre and I gave him the card and receipt.

He drove up to Oliver's pharmacy and parked.

"Yasso yuh say don't?" He asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"A how much fi do unuh hair?" He asked.

"$5500, but mi have the money already," I responded.

He pulled out a stack of money from his glove compartment.

See, him nuh care.

He gave me six, five thousand dollars and said, "fi yuh and yuh friend."

He took out three more thousand and placed them on his lap then put the rest of the money where he took it from.

"Thanks," I told him.

"If yuh come and nuh si mi, mi deh a ochi. Mi a go check out Wah deh Gwaan fi di restaurant cause if it nuh reach how far it fi reach mk a man dead,"

"Hello, behave yuh self and later," I hugged him before opening the car door and getting out.

"Kayla!" he called when we were about to walk away, he held out the $15k that was on his lap to her and she turned around and went back for it.

That reminds me, to give danay her money.

"Here," I said to danay giving her three of the five thousand dollars he gave me.

"Thanks, him know say did too much to do our hair right?" she asked.

"Girl Mk yuh hear mi tell him we have money already, a just so him stay man?" I told her.

Kayla came back to where we were standing.

Andre blew his horn and drove off while I waved.

"Come on, ei a go up day white gate deg," I said remembering the directions tyreek gave me.

We walked up the stairs and reached the salon, where I spotted tyreek's mom and some other ladies.

"Good morning," we greeted together.

She looked up from her phone.

"Morning," she responded and got up pulling me into a hug and waving at Kayla.

"A di three a unuh hair fi do?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Unuh come in," she said.

"Joy," she called out to a worker, "start one, and me start one, which two first a go?"

"Mi last!" Kayla said sitting down on the sofa for people who were waiting.

"Come, Brittney," Marcia said pointing to the chair and joy did the same for Danay.

I took my braids from the bag and handed them to her.

Another girl became available after she finished the person's hair she was doing so began doing Kayla's.

Halfway through getting my hair done, my phone rang.

If a never him sumn wrong, I answered and place it at my ears.

"Wah yuh want fi eat?" He asked.

"Mi nuh know," I responded.

"Kmt, ask yuh friend dem wah dem want," he replied.

"Wah unuh want fi eat?" I asked Danay and Kayla.

"Mi feel fi patty," Kayla said.

"Same," Danay replied.

"Cheese?" I asked.

They both nodded.

I spoke back into the phone, "all a wi want cheese patty," I told him.

"Wah bout ih juice dem?" He asked.

"Grape water," I said.

"Aii mi soon fawud," he hung up.

When he came, my hair was almost finished. He gave us the patties and juices, while he had soup for his mom.

From him come in, the girl Wah do nails nuh stop look over here. Coulda swear mi see she cut her eyes one a di time.

Tyreek said he was in a hurry because he had to go and pick up something.

"Call me when yuh hair done," he said.

I was gonna say okay but then I looked over at home girl and she gimi waah dutty eye deh. No sah.

"Mi Naah call nobody phone, Gwaan weh yaa go," I told him.

He just laughed and walked out, mussi feel mi a joke.

I only ate one of my patties cause mi nuh know who tell him say mi one can eat two patties.

When our hair was done and I was going to pay Marcia, she laughed and said her son already paid for our hair to get done.

Like nigga how are you gonna pay for something and not let me know?

But mi Naah complain stills.

We wished her goodbye and thanked her before leaving.

***

We bought a few things here and there before we got a taxi to go to my house.

"Nuh pick up nobody else," I told the driver when he put our things in the back of his car.

When he reached my gate I paid him $5000 and me and the girls took the bags and got inside.

I left the bags with the grocery items in the kitchen and brought the bags with our items to my room.

Shit, I forgot I brought back one of my patties for Dante. I was about to bring it to him but my phone rang and it was tyreek.

"Mi Neva tell yuh fi call mi?" Is the first thing he said when he answered.

"Wul on deh?" I told him.

"Danay, do sumn fimi please," I said.

"Yeah what is it?" She asked.

"Walk through the passage til yuh see the walls painted in blue, just push any door til yuh see mi Bredda and give him dis," I gave her the patty.

"Alright, but suppose mi go push ih door and buck up pan Wah mi nuh fi see?" She asked.

"Nothing like that, just Gwaan."

I took up my phone and spoke "Wah yaa say now?"

"Mi waah fi know if stick bruck up inah yuh years or something," he hissed his teeth.

We argued about me not calling him like he told me to.

Mi Naah get involved, him mussi Neva see how Mumma did tough up her face. If eye coulda kill, mi dead long time.

He changed the topic and started to ask me how I'm doing, he also wanted me to tell him about my mom. I don't remember much but I told him what I remember.

We were now having a conversation about her.

"We did toil her grave a couple of years back, so all we a go do Saturday a decorate it and siddung and talk to her," I told him.

"Shi sounds nice, sorry say mi couldn't meet her," he genuinely said.

"Yuh can still meet her," I told him.

"You a go bring me to go meet her?"

"Yeah, one-day mi and you go," I told him.

***

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