Zoya
Wonder Island
The weather wasn’t the best, and we still found ourselves sitting on the beach in lounge chairs.
From the way the clouds gathered in the sky and the choppiness of the water, a storm was about to swing through.
There was electricity on the island, however, it wasn’t as stable as back home.
The smallest gust of wind or storm could knock out the power and leave us in the dark.
Other than a few light storms in the afternoon, we had been good.
“The lights are on back home,” Navy looked up from her computer with a smile. “Nana just texted me.”
Greene sighed. “She could have been on this beautiful island with electricity.”
Navy and Greene’s grandparents stayed behind. They didn’t want to come to the island and that was their right. Soon as Don heard they weren’t going, he had security put at their house.
“You know how stubborn they were. We were literally telling them it was an emergency and they refused to listen.”
Greene shrugged. “And your parents?”
“Now you know my mother wasn’t going nowhere if her mother wasn’t. Same reason your mother stayed behind, too,” Navy called her cousin out.
“They want Menace. Probably don’t even know your family exists. I’d like to think they’re safe,” I spoke, as I looked up from reading my book.
I understood why Menace required quiet hour. When I came out here alone with my book, I expected that I would have remained alone. Not even twenty minutes into enjoying the wind and the view, Navy came out here.
She was recording a video for a book she had finished and was loud with her different takes of the damn video. Each time she messed up, she would suck her teeth loudly and mutter something.
As soon as I got used to her talking to herself while filming her video, then Green came out with her laptop. The sound of her fingers moving across that screen had me about to strangle her ass.
They both were looking at me like I had seven heads. “So, fuck our family. They’re not important?” Greene accused.
First, she was around Menace too much. Second, she needed to understand how important it was that her family was not important. If she wanted her grandma to keep dancing at block parties every Sunday, she wouldn’t have been as offended as she was.
I stared at them both blankly, annoyed that I was being interrupted from reading my book again.
“Well yes. When it comes to wanting to put a bullet into your skull, or any person connected to you, they’re way down on the totem pole.
I could have someone snipe me right now because that’s how high up I am, and how important I am to Menace.
So, yeah, being important isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be. ”
Greene pulled her legs underneath her. “Very fair.”
Navy was over the entire conversation. She understood way more than her cousin because she was soon to be married to Landon. Her life would change immensely, and she had already been getting prepared for that shift.
Gone were the days of her hopping on a train to get from point A to point B.
She would be subjected to being driven around, and mostly in that big ass tank that I despised.
She was going to be Don Caselli’s wife, and Don wasn’t the tech genius anymore.
He dealt with very important things within the Caselli family, and she needed to be protected.
“What are you reading?”
I handed her the Tanvier Peart book that I was reading. “Working my way through her catalog like you threatened.”
“I didn’t threaten. All I did was suggest that we make her latest book Tender Offer our next buddy read, and both you and Stevie hadn’t even read the first two books in the series.”
“We could have still read it and got the cliff notes from you.”
Navy became serious and narrowed her eyes as she stared through my soul. “There are two types of readers. Those who follow the proper order of a series and then those who like to jump in because everyone else is reading and don’t know what the hell is going on… don’t be the second kind of reader.”
“We love both readers, but my God… read in order,” Greene added.
I looked past Navy. “And you read in order?”
“She knows where I live… I have to,” Greene smiled sheepishly, because Navy probably would have been waiting in her apartment with the lights off.
With the way she was so serious about following the reading order, I believed she would. “You recommended this book while you were in St. Lucia, so I bought it and I’m reading it.”
Sis relaxed her tense ass shoulders. “Good. I’m currently reading the book of the month with the Books-n- Brunch girls.” She happily clued me in on something I didn’t ask.
“Oh, they so fly and pretty,” Green chimed in.
“Uh huh… ain’t nothing like pretty fly girls who love and keep it about the books.”
“And aren’t mean girls.”
They slapped hands. “Exactly that.”
They both shared a laugh as Navy handed me back my book. “Between the videos and the clacking on the damn keyboard… you two have interrupted my quiet time.”
“Does every Caselli have a quiet hour?” Greene asked.
“No, but maybe I should implement it.”
Greene stood up. “I know when I’m not wanted around. Beans said he was going to call me anyway, so I have other things to do.”
“And instead, you thought slamming your hand on the computer keys was better?” I raised my brow, as she tossed her hair over her shoulder, almost tripping on the sand. “See, God even told you to get on.”
Navy giggled as she got more comfortable on the lounge chair. I could tell she wasn’t going to leave. “Why are you so angry all the time?”
“What the hell, Navy?”
She nuzzled her face in what I thought was a blanket, but it was Don’s college sweatshirt. “You’re my sister-in-law. I’m marrying your brother, so you can’t get rid of me.”
“You do know I ignore him, right?”
Navy laughed and sat up. “Seriously. You are the biggest softy that I know with the biggest heart, but it’s like you don’t ever want to show that side.
I know this because we walk every morning and talk almost every day…
aside from when you ghost me and stare at me out the peephole like I can’t hear you breathing. ”
“Bitch, I don’t breathe that loud.”
She broke out into laughter. “So, you did stand there and watch me ring your bell… real low, Goonette.”
I tossed a chip at her. “Don’t you ever call me that.”
We both nearly fell out laughing because Navy was so damn silly. She and Landon were the perfect match because at times he could be serious, and she brought out his silly side. She reminded him to live, and it wasn’t always about work and our family business.
“I’m serious, though. You should start vlogging.”
“Navy, I don’t need a bigger social media footprint than I already have.”
My page was boring. I mainly scrolled when I had downtime and even then, I was looking at fashion pages.
If someone wanted to get some dirt on me, they wouldn’t find a damn thing.
Aside from vague vacation pictures that I always posted months late, there wasn’t anything on there.
I used to use it to track Sigel’s dumb ass.
That’s how I should have known he wasn’t the real deal.
The man posted almost everything on his stories.
If he was fucking around with a bitch, I would always find out in his stories.
I never confronted him about it because I felt stupid that I cared enough to snoop in the first place.
“Not like that… for yourself.”
I raised my brow at her. “You want me to set my camera up and record myself talking to myself.”
“Yes. I have a whole folder of videos that will never see the light of day. They’re videos of me doing the dishes and just calling myself out on the bullshit that I do.”
“So, verbally abuse myself.”
She snorted. “I’m also kind to myself, too.
Some videos are of me extending grace to myself, giving myself permission to cry.
We’re so hard on ourselves as women that we don’t ever praise ourselves out loud.
We need those reminders. You can delete them when you’re done…
I did with my first few videos and I regret it now. ”
“Why do you regret it, and do you ever just watch them back?”
“All the time. How else can I grow as a person? It has gotten to a point that I watch them with wine, popcorn and a notebook. If you cannot be the first person to check yourself, then what are you really doing, babe?”
“That is very true. Do you ever feel shame when you watch them back?” I questioned.
She clapped her hands excitedly. “And this is why we need to bring shame back. Too many airheads walk around not feeling it, so they speak out their asses often. It’s like looking into a magical mirror of yourself, Zoya.
A different you at a different place and time.
It’s like watching a recap of every season of your life.
My favorite video is the one I made the night I met Landon.
Right before that video, there’s one of me crashing out because my ex-boyfriend chose someone over me again. ”
“Niggas,” I muttered.
If I had a quarter for the number of times a nigga put someone before me, I would be as rich as I was now. It wasn’t something that I was proud of, and something that I tried to pretend never happened.
I watched as she stared out to the water with the biggest smile on her face.
“The night I met Landon; me and my boyfriend broke up. When I watch it back, I’m talking and then start smiling about a man that I didn’t even know for real.
It’s less about Landon and more about the smile…
it wasn’t forced that night. I didn’t have to think about it before my lips curled into a rehearsed smile.
It was genuine and real, all the things your brother has been. ”
“Awe, you should share that video as part of the wedding.”
“No, I said some other shit in that video, but I will edit and have it sent to Landon’s room the day of our wedding.”