Zoya #3
Beretta sat on the dock while waiting on Meer to give her the next command.
She made me miss Bando so much. He would have loved this beach and running around without a leash on.
Sharon would have been feeding him whatever and he probably would have been following her chair around.
His dog sitter had sent me a few pictures and let me know he was alright.
She had family in Maryland, so they drove from the city to escape the blackouts.
“Cause Ms. Badass wanna be scared of the boat. Then your brother doesn’t make the shit easier, complaining about rats.”
“There were rats on the boat?”
Meer pulled me back and looked down into my eyes. “What the fuck is good with you two? He called my fucking dog a rat, Zoya.”
“And Hamza?” Syn ignored everything Meer was chatting about.
Quasim smirked. “Oh, you worried about Hamza, huh?”
“Quasim, not the time,” Syn laughed. “I was just asking about a friend… he actually owes me money.”
“Bullshit,” Meer faked a cough, spitting all on my damn hair.
Syn turned in our direction. “You too nosey, Pissy.”
His mouth dropped. “So, we telling everybody the inside joke now… nothing stays within the family?”
“Everybody knows, Pranceeeee!” Kobe sang.
Quasim held onto him because if he didn’t, he was gonna gyrate his ass right into the ocean. “You drunk or high?”
“Boff. Had me a little drink and an apple tart that Gams is testing out. Oh! I smoked me a little bit, too.” We all watched the spit fly from his mouth onto Quasim, who still held onto him because he was getting closer to the edge.
Meer smirked. “Oh, we got trees… bet.”
I watched as both my brothers were all in love while reuniting with their women.
Meanwhile, I sat here a single mother with my leave out looking like it had been left behind.
If Goon decided to take a dirt nap, I was gonna climb in that grave and whoop his ass.
I wouldn’t follow none of the Muslim protocols when it came to burying him, and I’d face him the opposite direction his body was supposed to face.
Then I’d order me the biggest sandwich with bacon known to man.
“Kora?” I asked, still looking out at the water in case his boat was truly right behind theirs. I wasn’t stupid, I knew he wasn’t right behind them, but a girl could dream.
“She’s safe.”
“Okay,” I replied, turning to head back to our villa.
When I entered the villa, Sharon was at the kitchen sink. She was cooking tonight, something she did more often now that she knew I was pregnant. Luckily, I didn’t have many food aversions, so I was truly enjoying everything she made for me.
“The guys are back.” She nearly tossed the bowl of meat she was washing into the sink. “Goo wasn’t with them.”
Sharon’s hand immediately went to her chest while worry entered her eyes. “Goodness… tell me no.”
I smiled, trying to reassure both her and me. “He’s safe. My brother says he’s right behind them.”
She took the biggest sigh of relief, as she looked at me. “Okay… okay. Let me get to work on dinner. He’ll be hungry when he comes.”
“Yes, very hungry.” I smiled.
I was the first person to scream I didn’t need a man in my life. All of my relationships were men I wanted, never needed. It was different with Gerald.
I needed that man.
I wanted him.
Yearned.
As I sat at this counter, I thought of all the ways I was going to tease and be mean to him. I’d never go easy on that man, and I truthfully didn’t think he wanted me to. I kept him young and on his toes.
“Mommy?”
She looked up from what she was doing. “Eh?”
“What kind of father do you think Gerald will be?” I climbed onto the stool and got comfortable as she smiled.
Before the doubt and the negative thoughts could fully enter my mind, I needed to switch the subject and focus on the positive.
She pulled the bowl from the sink and sat it on the counter facing me.
I could tell the question made her the happiest. Just the thought of her son going into his next chapter in his life made her completely happy.
Sharon was the kind of mother who lived for her boys but gave them the space to fuck up and grow from it.
I liked to think that was the reason her sons were well rounded criminals. Khaos was levelheaded and didn’t fly off the handle unless provoked. Goo was the same way, and when he did fly off the handle, he was going to make you wish you never poked the bear.
I didn’t understand when women said they didn’t feel safe in the hood with the niggas.
Hood niggas were where the fun, money, and security resided.
Keep me in the hood and give me the most gangsta one there was to offer.
Preferably with a mouth full of gold, gun tucked in the back and a pair of constructions with the floppy tongue.
She massaged the lime onto the fish. “I think he’ll be a great father. Even though he’s never had a true example or blueprint of what that looks like.”
“I think he will, too.”
Her expression turned stern. “You will, too… don’t even give me that look.”
“What look?”
“Like my boy is the only good between you two. He’ll be a great father, and you’ll be a great mother.
I know you lost your parents young, so the doubt is there.
That doesn’t mean that the both of you won’t make amazing parents.
Remember, amazing parents aren’t perfect parents.
There will be places you fall short and Goo will fill in for you.
There will be times when he’ll do the same, and you’ll pick up his slack.
The thing about parenting, when you’re able to do it with the person you love, it’s an amazing journey that you learn and grow on as a couple, but most importantly as parents. ”
“Yeah.” I smiled.
The lights flickered on and off, and Sharon kissed her teeth. “Dem lights are gonna go awff tonight.”
“Please don’t say that,” I let out a tired laugh.
“Let me cook this fish so we can have something good to eat in the dark. Are you going over to the other villa?”
“Nope. They all need to reunite and spend time with each other… I’ll catch them later.”
She smiled. “Just say you like being around your muva in love.”
I laughed as she winked. “I really do, though.”
Living in the same villa with Sharon was very peaceful. She didn’t pry and she liked to be in her own space at times. I’d find her sitting on the back patio watching the waves crash onto the beach, or on her phone looking at Facebook.
One time, I came out onto the balcony and looked down at her snapping selfies.
It made me smile because she was just a girl, too.
At times, we often forgot our elders were just girls living life for the first time, too.
They didn’t have the freedom that we had as women now.
Although, what was freedom with those saggy white men making decisions like they bled out their pussies and felt like their assholes were being punched in during their period.
“I enjoy spending time with you, too… don’t act funny once that man comes up in here.” She winked.
“I would never… girls over boys.” I lifted my water bottle for an air cheer and took a sip.
Sharon chuckled. “Uh huh… I thought the same until my sister fucked my bwoy.”
I spit my water across the counter, nearly missing her, while choking at the same time. Holding onto the marble counter, I continued to choke on the water that had gone down the wrong pipe.
“Gyal, you need to me to pat yo back?” she rolled over towards me and reached up, patting me on the back.
I don’t know what I thought she would say, but I can guarantee that it wasn’t that. What did she mean by her sister fucked her boy? “I’m good, Ma… I’m… what the hell?”
I couldn’t even pretend like she didn’t say that. Rolling back over towards the sink, she continued to clean the fish. “Love is a beautiful thing, but also a wicked ting.”
I loved whenever she spoke and said certain words with an accent. Her accent was still there, but it wasn’t as thick as her brother’s accent. Even Goo, he said certain words with an accent as well. It made sense since he spent the first few years in Jamaica as a child.