 
## BAD GAL PINKY

### A Scandalous Jamaican Soap Opera

### Episode 1

Richie Drenz

.

Kindle Edition

Copyright 2014 Richie Drenz

Published by the Drenz Publishing Co. (Ja.)

www.RichieDrenz.com

License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Illustration by Ricardo Ink

Editor, Roxanne Wright

First Drenz Publishing Printing October 2014

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Interior design and typesetting by Richie Drenz

~

What is Love? Love is the absence of Judgement

Dalai Lama

~

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure inventions of fiction.

###  Table of Content

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

OFF TO PINKY'S HOME

CHAPTER 2

GONE WHERE?

CHAPTER 3

HERE COMES THE HOTSTEPPER

CHAPTER 4

PINKY REACH HOME NOW

CHAPTER 5

ANSWER THE QUESTION

CHAPTER 6

THE STORY OF THE LEXINGS

CHAPTER 7

YOUR MAN AND YOUR MOTHER BUSINESS

CHAPTER 8

TROUBLE NUH SET LIKE RAIN

CHAPTER 9

AS EASY AS ALKA SELTZER

CHAPTER 10

SOMEBODY INNA MI BEDROOM?

CHAPTER 11

SOMEBODY A HIDE IN YAH?

CHAPTER 12

SHOULD SHE TELL HIM THE TRUTH NOW?

CHAPTER 13

SET UP

BAD GAL PINKY

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

NO WAY HE CAN MAKE HER SEE IT?

CHAPTER 2

HOW MUCH IS PINKY WORTH?

CHAPTER 3

FEARS OF BEING A SINGLE MOTHER AGAIN

CHAPTER 4

SPIN AROUND

CHAPTER 5

BUSTED BY LOUD MOUTH PINKY

CHAPTER 6

WHO THIS NOW?

CHAPTER 7

TRY PREPARING FOR THE WORST

CHAPTER 8

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

CHAPTER 9

EXPLAIN THE UNEXPLAINABLE

CHAPTER 10

BEAUTIFULLY FRAMED BY A BESTFRIEND

CHAPTER 11

LEELIA FACES THE FIRE

CHAPTER 12

SHOT FIRED. BODY DOWN AND BLEEDING

CHAPTER 13

KILLED BY DAUGHTER

CHAPTER 14

WHY MI RATE AUBREA

CHAPTER 15

HEART TO HEART

BONUS

 "THE JAMAICAN NINJA BERT EXCERPT"

ABOUT AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS BY RICHIE DRENZ

#  Acknowledgements

Since yet and still, I still don't have a son, I do have a Dad, Micol Campbell, with quite a humor. I think I took the funny genes from him. I remember in 1993 when I exploded his car and he made fun of the tyres. Everybody needs a Dad like that who no matter what, loves explosions.

As usual special thanks to my editor, Roxanne Wright and her superpowers. Thank you for understanding that this book is what inside of my head looks like. I thank you tremendously Roxie!

My Mom, Bevolyn Smith this one is for you too. Finally I wrote a book you can read. Yes Mom, it's not only sex in my head. Love you endlessly. Omeil Hutchinson, Lisa-Kay Campbell, Tashari DaSilva, Esther Rowe, Meme Williams, Jason Williams and Patrick 'Pajujah' Anderson have all been my spine and support in major ways with this project. I know I annoy you guys too, so get ready for book three. I promise I will be no less annoying. Thank you so much.

Kerstie Carver & Jodian Drenz Goffe, you know without a doubt, you are two of my biggest fans; your tattoos of me says it all Big ups straight! I hope I will continue to inspire you in all that I do. Beverley 'Kaye' Cole, Bonne Vie, Keisha Banton, Sheree Warner, Karma Moonfire, Melissa Drenz Meliboo Williams, Melissa Teddybear Drenz Manning, Candy Mac, Tanya Seymour, Tania Baker, Chivelle Drenz Hines, Sasha Drenz, Shay Drenzii Diamond, Candice Banton, Samantha Bryant, Nicola Shorter, Alethia Gooden, Sash Drenz Dawkins, Sasha Morgan, Jai Drenz Keiko, Fonce Drenz, Shanice Steve, Ashoikie Saunders, Terry Jackson, Danique Brown, Stacyann Taylor, Carla McLaughlin, Mellie Drenz, Rosa Wood, Brigette Hudson, Alisa 'Prim' Sato, Bri-Bri- Anderson, Jacqueline Jackson, Truestar Barriffe, Kaymoy Drenz Johnson, Yenshae Morgan, Donna Worlashape James, Biggy Drewsland, Ty Allwood, Pia 'Shorty' Drenz, Jamie-Lee Richards, Shanae Brooks, Debbie Goodas, Sophisticat 'Dancehallbiz.co.uk, Franz 'I am a Jamaican.com' Hoilett, Dre1alliance.com, Shev Morgan, Candice Williams, Kareen Johnson-Shirley, Ishanna Nunez, Tarcian Smith, Tru Sheba, Mesha Dale, Jheneal Black, Amoy Miller, Ronae White, Drenz Dee, Brenda Lee Moulton you all have a special place in my heart, all have been supportive in some way in whatever I do and for that I want to thank you highly.

Shout out to some of the top Drenzers. Some of these names are funny because it's their Facebook names, but oh well ... in no specific order:

Shaniece Wenoy Conie, Ras Tania Drenz, Venisha Williams, Aline Ko, Lia Dimepiece, Shannon Reid, Sammi Skittlezz Henry, Melissa Roye, Jamaican Bakergurl Flamez, Diana Newgirl Divine, Slim Baker, Carlton Whyte, Junior Collins, Mishyboo Mhm Lee, Kenesha Sexc Gadiare, NeishaFabulous Young, Monumental Drenz Barbie, Tracey Drenz Beckford, Marsha Dennis-Jack, Yecart Ramaj Snilloc, Oneil Pink, Breezy Thompson, Dionetta Johnson, La'Than Coleman, Gemini Neil, Divabbz Gordon Drenz, LadyWaxx Rookwood, Nicky Dias, Mandy Le Flock, Ali Boo, Annmarie Brown, Kadian Facey, Kranberi Williams, Dejah Beckles, Dianne Andlovingit, Shanice Chronic Sasha, Bonita Sonrisa, Renzii Hibbert, Antoinette Rochester, Christine Columbus, Karamel Johnson, Shanny Shan Pitter, Yaneka Artwell, Christal Smith, Felicity Fortis, Renee Harrison, Chiney Kaye, Kristen Powell, Cleopatra Isaac, Chrishelle Rose-Green, Kenese Richards, Q-Taz Guthrie, Nesha Slim, Cavvy-Ch Drenz, Trudyboo DrenzRock, Tanisha K. Wright, Gemini Martina Parris, Susie Stewart-Branch, Queenie Hunt, Sachail Drenz Toookute, Tashaa Rodrigues, Shana Lee Cummings, Kemo Harley, Susie Stewart-Branch, Vicky Senior, Karen Kelly, Karen Risner, Samantha Stuart, Kelly Hanson, Tashema Forth, Lesi Cole, Lisa Phillips, Erica Malcolm, Kadian Samuels, Janine Foster, Baby Shash Whyte, Shauna-Lee Gouldbourne, Sancii Cuteface, Sherry Berry Henry, Angie Drenz Jen, Nandee-Ranae Backford, Marsha Lewis, Izzie reid, Andrea Mitchell, Neishy Nesh, Paula Love, Rashida Ramsee, Sarneik Barnes, Kaydeen McKenzie, Lorraine Drenz Campbell, Shauna Thomas, Kay-Kay Versatile, Tinesha Bowyer, Danalee Dunn, Pinky Bristish, Marsha Nelly, Marsha Nelson, Latoya Prettystyle, Melisa Darby, Lovely Jillian, Shanice Ramsay, Miz Empress Murphy, Chanty Summer, Valene Sewell, Angel Sosiq Drenz, Kaii-Kaii Dowie, Annmarie Dacres, Laurie Sanford, Grace Drenz-Zoel, Nesha Faboulous Young, Lattie Toya –Toyz, Channette Dell-Anderson, SaiChi Drenz Kafka, Heather Esson, Nicarla Baby-Drenz Baxter, Netts Diamond Ekralc, Tokayan Graham, Ro Ma, Excellent Tameka, Shannel Johnson, Zonya Simpson-Drenz, Zanika Davis, Alexis Vis, Latoya Lyn, Jaqueline Johnson, Kemii Allen, Kadian Smith, Jamie-Lee Taylor, Jasmin Tomlinson, LisaDiva Phillips, Kayd Forbes, Nicky Dias, Janet Gilzean, Flav Rasstar Ramsey, Cody Gallimore, Paula Hudson Stewart, Jenel Daisy, Shawna Gayle, Kadian Samuels, Kaykay Versatile, Shaneka Warren, Sugar Bear, Shaniel Anderson, Judy Jillian Bartley, Nadia Macombè, Shaktianna Drenz Chica, Brithaney Logan, Dadrian Drenz Lyons, Karen Bucknor, Jade Drenz Dean, Andrea Morris, Callmia Yaadie, Shanikia Bartley, Dia Jhovanna, Kemone Stoner, Shawna-Lee Smith, Kadian Cohen, Sherece Drenz Reid, Venice Dacres, Eunice Mandison, Mango Pilot, Shakira McLean,CallMia Yaadie, Sammy Wright, Davina Ebanks-Russell, Judine Goodasfidem, Kadene Gibson, Kooli Badu and Shelly-Simone TooImpulsive, HottSpice Jones, Monique Blessed Thomas, Petrona Ferrigon, Mandy Drenz, Kadian Cohen, Brezzybaby Drenz Campbell, Kirsten Anderson, Toni-Ann Shaneika Sanderson, Jean Gilzean, Drenie Wellable AndHappy, Debra Henningham, Ateika DrenzBlessings Wade, Vanessa Levy, Jodian-EvaKlean-Drenz Noteman, Apple Keisha McCreath, Sherri-Gay Douglas Grandison, Biggy Drewsland, Shauna Gayle, Kimone Williams, Santana Irresistible Campbell, Stacy Grant, Victoria Francis, Melessa Jones, NadineDionne Drenz Reid, Jessica James, Shanty HQ, Tiffany Dinham, Janine Supercute Foster, Sonia RastaQueen Bryan, Samantha Clarke, Fayane Brown, Samii Sam-Sam Iyana, Studyufrendem Holness, Star Candy, Kim Thompson, Lorraine Bubblious-Drenz Campbell, Stacy Ann Miller, Goodbody 'iLoveher' Lee, Hasiena Smith, Cornelia Alexander, Chantell Bailey, Gord'n D'Roy Drenz Nacquia, Samantha Wright, Amoi McPherson, Kimone Grant, Marjorie Denton, Joanne Francis, Kundai QueenNzinga Kasese, Petagaye Young, Tracy-Ann Morris, Kelly-Jo Mcleggan, Tracyann Everbless Bennett, Charnacaye Chambers, KamPar Drenz Whithak, Samantha B. Richards, Jody-Ann Lewis, Cameka Hairblessings, Tari Aaron, Tanya C. Mullings, Nadia Dannison, Natasha Hamilton.

### Dedicated to

### Biggy Drewsland

## OTHER BOOKS BY RICHIE DRENZ

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#  CHAPTER 1

##  OFF TO PINKY'S HOME

5:00 p.m. in the evening's eye. This girl was at Pinky's door in her yellow mini dress knocking. And like weekends are too short, so too is her dress, too short. The motion of her body caused the end of the pleats of her skirt to barely sway right under her firm ass. Her legs thick and sexy and shaved smooth. She brought her mouth close to the shut wooden door and tried to whisper-shout through the wood,

"Finaral. Finaral." She knocked quietly, ' _Dum-dum-dum'_ and called, "Open up, mi reach."

She waited two seconds, fidgeted and twisted her almost naked legs impatiently. Looked at the door not opening. She inched closer to the door, putting her lips close almost kissing the natural oak wood and impatiently called a little louder,

"Finaral, Finaral."

She pulled her head back, knocked louder, ' _Dum-dum-dum!_ '

"Open up before people see nuh." She glanced over her shoulder and looked behind her. Her eyes scanning the neighboring houses, their windows and walls, searching to see if the windows or walls had eyes or ears.

She switched the way she held her yellow handbag that matched with her yellow dress. For no reason she fidgeted with it and spun it around under her underarm. She only had four apparatus in her bag, a banger Samsung cell phone held together by a green elastic band, a pack of wipes, her make-up kit and her sex toys. She glanced behind her and looked both sides, turned around, bowed her head down, tightened her knuckles and knocked again making an urgent drumming on the solid wood.

"Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum!"

"Finaral come nuh Man. Pull the door. A me." She listened tentatively for a reply with her ears close to the door and head bowed.

"Mi a come. Mi a come. Mi hear you. Mi know a you." Finaral called out. His voice echoing in the belly of the house.

At the sound of his reply, she released her fingers from the knocking fist she had still held by her side. Straightened her back, clutched her purse under her arm, then glanced over to her right then left, trying not to make it look obvious that she was watching out for inquisitive eyes and peeping ears.

A few seconds later, Finaral cracked opened the door just a little. He sneaked a look through the narrow opening between the door and the door's jamb. He glanced- no neighbors snooping. He opened the door, inviting her in. He had on no shirt. Just solid muscles up top. She stared at his biceps, his dark juicy nipples, a darker chocolate circle around his nipples, the six iron pegs of his abs. All his muscles were solid iron. She licked her lips as she lifted her bosom and strutted her stuff by him, swaying her short pleated dress side to side under her ass. Her hips and her ass made the subtlest bounce as she moved. The fabric of her dress thin, the space between her leg and crotch seen right through and the 'V' of her panty line seen seated sexily on the round of her ass through the light yellow pleats. The fabric bounced right to left against her hips and made the slightest of dip between her tight round ass cheeks. God, she must have been begging to be fucked.

She deliberately made slow steps into Pinky's spacious living room. As often as she had been inside Pinky's house she could not get use to how high the ceilings were. When would she be able to afford a lifestyle like this, she thought. Maybe the question was coming out of ambition or maybe it was out of jealousy. She mentally thought that the ceilings were about twice as high as hers if not more. They must have had to use a ladder to put in the stainless steel overhead light.

It was on and it shone a pale dim yellowish light onto the square richly-black and thickly-fluffed carpet. The light reflected a pale sheen between the burrows of the velvety soft furs. The carpet's extravagant appeal complimented the simplistic but royal vibe of the interior decor.

She slid her nails across Finaral's naked chiseled abs with enough pressure on her nails onto his skin to let him feel her heated sexuality. Let him feel on his belly how intensely she desired him. How much she wanted to fuck his brains out.

She stopped her petting claws at the 'O' at the center of his belly, stared in his honey brown eyes, then dragged her nails to the other side of his obliques. A shrill ran down the spine of Finaral. And before he could catch or even understand the chilly feeling that he was feeling up and down his spine, she surprised him with one swift motion. Wet her finger in her mouth, between her thick juicy lips. Stick her wet index in his perfectly 'O' navel, ran a single finger to the right, dragging her nails across to the sculpted under sink of his obliques which formed the V-shape that lead to his cock. His belly muscles hiccupped with sensitivity to her touch. She traced it with the tantalizing hard edge of her nails down to his groin. She slid the tips of her nails back up to his navel. Toyed in it. Soft slow circles around and around. She then lightly and swiftly ran the head of a single nail from the end of his navel down the light stream of pubic Indian hair on his belly. Heading down. Downward toward his cock. In one swift motion, she grabbed on to his buckle. His body jerked.

She bit her lips and gave him a tigress stare. Finaral had known what was up. He had already sent away Perry and Dushawn to be by Aubrea's house as planned. He knew the sex would be noisy.

"She not here right?" She asked looking back over her shoulders at Finaral's as he closed the door behind him and locked them into privacy. Her stare was focused at the crotch of his pants, looking to see if his thick cock was bending his zipper forward and out.

"Who?" He asked for clarification.

"Pinky."

"She gone Man. You never call her before you come?"

"Yeah. But mi just want mek sure." She began lifting her dress up to her rib."'Cause if she ever ketch mi. Mi dead." She pulled her black panty to the floor. Her pussy naked under her short yellow dress.

"Relax Man. Mi naaw mek nobody do you nothing."

Just what she wanted to hear. She grew relax. She slowly bent over with her ass pouted to Finaral in her pleated mini dress with no panties on. Her skirt hiked up her nude spotless legs. Her thigh sheened, her shaved legs looking hotter than appealing. They were alluring, captivating, lick-able, edible. _Inviting_.

She daintily took up her panties off the floor, making sure to expose some of the light pink flesh in-between her chocolate pussy lips. She didn't look back to see if Finaral would immediately follow behind the clean shaved goodness.

She took her own time swaying her ass to Finaral's and Pinky's sacred bedroom. She knew she had enough time because she had already asked Pinky what time she thought she would be coming in from the doctor's office. She knew Pinky would be back the earliest eight o'clock. By then, she would have finished having sex, or more correctly finished _'giving sex'_ , collect her money and be long gone. Pinky wouldn't have a clue as usual.

#  CHAPTER 2

##  GONE WHERE?

The next evening, Leelia took Vance to Qwan's house. It was sad, it was disgusting, it was life-saving. Tears stained Leelia's face as she drove off from Qwan's house. The house she once called home, now the ray of hope for her brother and his hell hole.

Vance went by the guard without looking back at Leelia. He climbed up the marble steps and rang on the door bell of the oversized double door. This was it. His nerves should be racing. The one shot at getting his money. Hopefully he won't blow it. Vance looked calm.

No one came to the door or answered. He pressed on the button of the white buzzer again, this time holding on to it a little longer. No one answered. Vance looked back towards the security. Then by the gate, Leelia was gone. He had the urge to peep through the multi-coloured mosaic glass of the door. But instead pressed on the buzzer one more time, harder and even longer. ' _Bzzzzzzt_!' but inside it chimed elegantly, ' _Ding-dong_!'

He leaned his head in to the door. He heard the soft pattering of footsteps hurrying from the belly of the house, a voice belled out,

"Coming, coming!"

It was Qwan. Vance's heart shifted out of place. His face withdrew from the wood of the door. He clammed his teeth together and muscled his brain to deal with whatever he must. He didn't have any appetite since morning. He hadn't eaten. His belly growled lowly. The door flew open. Vance swiftly looked down at the freshly cut and well watered lawn at the side as a few heart beats passed by before he made eye contact with Qwan. Qwan was dressed in only a white robe loosely thrown over his shoulders and partially wrapped around his body and under it he wore colorfully patterned boxers. Mostly of royal blue and yellow.

Vance looked him head to toe.

Qwan looked him head to toe.

No one spoke to each other. Vance stood unmoving on the step. Staring at Qwan directly now. Qwan had a faint smile on his face. Maybe a devious smile. Vance's face was hard. Qwan stepped to the side of the door and did a welcome gesture as he said,

"You gonna stay outside all day, or you coming in?"

Vance stared him dead in his eyes as if a volt of anger surged in him. He carefully stepped through the door without taking his eyes out Qwan's eyes. Qwan's head turned away from Vance's intimidating stare as he shut the door behind them for some privacy.

He turned back around to Vance and Vance was still staring coldly at him. Vance was the first to re-break the ice between them. He pleasantly asked,

"So you gonna give me a hug or what?"

Qwan knitted his brows hard then opened his eyes to show a lot of white.

"Hug? What's wrong with you?" Qwan said a bit angry.

"Wrong with me? What's wrong with you? What is this all about?"

Time stopped ticking in the universe. Enclosed silenced was heard where they stood inside. The solid door already snipped off the outside noises. Both were standing just in front of the door and they didn't move. The air between them violently intense, stiff, uncomfortable.

"You don't think they gonna find out about this?" Qwan asked shaking his head in disgust.

"Yes they will." Vance admitted. "But by time they find out, mi gone long time."

Qwan asked, "Where?"

#  CHAPTER 3

##  HERE COMES THE HOTSTEPPER

Munchy took her cell out her bag then dialed. Finaral was walking up the corridor toward the bedroom to hear who she was calling.

She exaggerated the rolling of her eyes to the ceiling to Finaral, with the phone waiting by her ears for the pickup. Finaral said,

"Hey a who you a—"

Munchy hastily moved the phone from her ear, placed a finger over her lips and said,

'Sshhh!'

Finaral didn't bother to speak. He remained solid and watched her with steady attentive eyes. If she could read them correctly they were saying she better not try and pull off any hanky-panky fuckery. Finaral just didn't trust people anymore. The only person he had trusted was his best friend, who betrayed him two days ago. Two days ago he shot him. He stiffened his jaw and made a low growl as he paid special attention to her mouth.

The phone picked up on the second ring.

"Pinky," She greeted and Finaral's brows stiffly lowered as she called Pinky's name. Why call Pinky now? He gestured forward with strength running through his forearm, raising the muscle. Munchy continued to blabber on the phone, "Mi mind deh pon you, you alright gal?"

Pinky answered, "Yeah Man, mi just reach. Mi just ago tek a ticket from the Front Desk now. A wha?"

"Alright, good luck, a just that mi did call fi find out."

"Wait nuh Munchy. Don't hang up yet mi ago tell you sup'n. Wait." Munchy then heard the distance in her voice as if she had pulled away the phone from her ears to talk to the clerk at the Front Desk. "Hi Miss. . . Yes you. You same one. Uno nuh have none a di free cool water inna the big see-through bottle dem? Mi throat thirsty." Maybe the lady had pointed to the bottle or something because Pinky replied, "Ooh, mi see it." And a second after said, "Then a wha mek uno affi a hide it behind deh big old flowers deh, uno nuh want mi drink out the likkle water?"

Pinky's voice got closer to the phone but now she was whispering in it so she sounded slightly static and breathy,

"Munchy, a bay bleed mi a bleed from this morning. Mi a fret you fuck. Weh you think?"

Munchy began to blurt out, "Blee—" but swiftly remembered she was around Finaral and shushed. Instead she glibly spoke as if she wasn't speaking about anything important, casual matter but Finaral had already detected the slight growth in her eyes during her abruptly cut reply, the slight raise in the pitch of her voice. He cocked his head slanting it to the side as she continued to skilfully guise her conversation right before Finaral. "You mean like heavy-heavy sup'n?"

"Yeah, suppose a—" There was a renewed distance of her voice heard in the phone again, as her loud-mouth called out to the Front Desk lady it seemed. "Hey then how none a the cheap cone cup dem nuh deh yah? Dem must cheap because dem soft like a toilet paper mek dem. How mi ago drink some a uno water now? _Ehh_?"

It seemed the Front Desk lady replied with a helpful insight. Pinky in returned said, "Then a how long now the cup dem done and uno nuh put up back nuh new one? You have a cup under your desk? Or mi must just set mi hand underneath it and press the handle?" As Munchy waited for Pinky to return her attention to her, she looked at Finaral. His expression was stiff and uncomfortable, tight knots all over his forehead and jaw. She read that he was impatient with her phone call to Pinky. Munchy flashed her index finger casually by her cheek begging for just one more minute to wrap up the call. Finaral has had enough. He made a big forced exhale as his reply instead of signalling or answering.

"Dem people yah cheap you see Man." Pinky said in the phone, "A weh you deh now?"

In the blink of an eye, Munchy easily replied, "Mi deh down a Mathias bar."

"You nuh deh a nuh Mathias bar liad gal. How the place sound so silent? Like you inna one _'_ _arcade_ _.'_ "

Without missing a beat Munchy replied, "Den mi nuh must walk outta the noise before mi call you bitch." Munchy didn't stumble, she didn't stutter. Nothing changed in Munchy's voice. She sounded true, plausible. "A wha do deh gal yah Man?" Munchy glanced up at Finaral's tight face. His eyes squinted hard and unblinking. She sped up her voice to suit Finaral's non-verbal request. "A just that mi did call fah still, fi check up pon you. Later, mi gone."

" _Ohh_. You a mi real friend enuh bitch."

Munchy didn't reply.

She hung up. She was indeed a real friend.

The knots in Finaral's face loosened and his eyes unsquinted. "Weh she seh?" Finaral burst out as if he was holding down the question for years.

"She seh she just reach 'round har friend and har friend head big. She shoulda buy three pack a hair fi do the style and she only buy two pack, inna the middle ago empty. And dem nuh have nuh water inna dem fridge over the yard. So-so rum pon the fridge top."

"Oh, so she nuh soon come back then?" Finaral commented in a weaker voice.

"No sah, Queenie head tek 'bout a week fi do, she naaw done dat deh big head fi now."

Munchy smiled at her own humor – 'one week fi do Queenie head.' Finaral's face knotted, his brows stiff. Her smile dissolved.

"Suh how she seh a Latesha hair she gone do?" Finaral asked in a louder voice. "A nuh 'round a Latesha she gone?"

Munchy made a pause too short to be noticed by the naked ears. She had missed a tiny beat in order to fabricate a story. Munchy was one of those people who can lie on the spot smoothly without blinking and looking straight in your eyes. Lie from now till tomorrow morning. July people. July the 24th, Leo.

"No Man, a Queenie." She lied. "Queenie a dweet over fi _Latesha_ yard." She slowed down and stressed the 'Latesha' so Finaral could pick up that it was the name that was causing his confusion. But more convincingly was her opened and belittling facial expression to him which indicated that this was simple information how could he have messed it up and he would be a moron not to know this. Finaral didn't want to be looked down on or to seem like a moron if he hadn't known. He justified his wrong information and tried to reclaimed his ego by saying,

" _Ohh_ , 'cause mi know seh mi did hear she seh sup'n 'bout Latesha, mi a nuh idiot." Munchy said nothing. She pressed her lips downward in a 'whatever' expression. Finaral added, "Mi know a Latesha yard she did seh she a go." Munchy turned away as if he wasn't convincing enough and as if she had already picked up that he had actually messed up the simple information that Pinky had told him.

Which in fact, he didn't. Munchy had tampered with the facts in his head, contaminated it with her lies and he hadn't even realized the manipulation.

She knew exactly how to gage her lies, when not to overdo it. She added nothing more to the story, paid it no more attention, far too much effort might be seen and her story may seem fabricated. She tossed back her second-hand mashed up Samsung in her yellow handbag and got into action. She was silent.

She lifted her mini dress over her smooth curvaceous hips. Her waistline skinny, hips curved, the sexy dress passing over her clean smooth tits, her dress pulled the firmness of the underside of her breasts up as it squeezed passed and over her bust. Her breasts fell back on her chest with a bounce. Her nipples semi-hard. Small dark round areola and a tight budded nipple pointing. She looked at herself in Pinky's mirror ahead, as she knelt with open legs and arched back in Pinky's double queen sized bed. Her yellow dress puddled beside her formlessly on Pinky's puffy cream and turquoise comforter. She admired her broad hips and stiff tits for a few seconds. She was one of those thick girls that looked far sexier naked. Damn her perfect curves even often times surprised herself. She zipped her bag open and took out her toys. Her sex toys.

She knew the sex in Pinky's room will be loud, wild and kinky, to say the least. Nothing close to what Pinky had ever done in her bedroom. Nothing.

#  CHAPTER 4

##  PINKY REACH HOME NOW

It was late evening, after six, and the daylight was already rolling over into darkness. Pinky lost a lot of blood. She thought to herself on her way home, 'mi did tell Munchy mi naaw reach home till 'bout nine or ten tonight but mi a reach home early than mi did expect in the evening yah. A go home go get some good peaceful rest a mi yard.'

She felt a swift stab of pain. _Hm-hmmm._ Mi belly bottom cramping mi no hell. Her mind ran on the lady at the hospital where she just left. The lady had to be at least fifty something years old. She had on a blouse with some metallic accessories sewn into the blouse that made her jingle like Christmas bells. It was the jingling of her blouse as she lifted it over her breast that caught Pinky and everyone's else attention. She took out her breast right there in the hospital. Her husband beside her; he looked like about seventy, as she breast fed her new born. Pinky didn't find anything wrong with breastfeeding the baby in public. What she had said in her mind was, nobody can't tell mi seh a nuh jacket him get. Gooda all one young boy breed har. Her mind flashed on Vance and Ms. Merl. Vance had the heart of a lion.

Pinky didn't have much energy though, she felt so drained. She pulled the gate quietly and mounted the door steps, her steps were quiet too, no one inside could hear her approaching.

Mi belly a kill mi, she thought, wanting to take a seat. Standing on her green door-mat with a writing in white. It read, ' _Home Sweet Home'._ She was happy to see her home, peace and quiet and rest at last.

She sorted through the clutter of her handbag to the bottom for her keys. Her searching was a bit noisy. She heard a shuffle inside the house then something like a door slammed hard. Her eyes jerked and her head snapped up straight. 'What's that?' She thought. She looked down on her mat, _'Home Sweet Home'_. She didn't knock.

She shoved her key in the hole, curled her fingers around the knob and twisted it thinking, 'Then again the old people dem bedroom can tun-up, tun-up.' She forgot the pain for that short instance and smiled a little pushing the wooden door open.

All was beautiful at home. Even more beautiful than she had left it because she saw Finaral across the living room in the kitchen, quite unusual to see him in the kitchen, but a pleasant thought all the same. He opened the fridge door as she strode into the house. She wearily tottered over to the settee, she was dying to sit. Her back slouched over in a curling hunch. She tried her best not to hold her belly. She didn't want Finaral to suspect anything.

Finaral hadn't greeted her. She pretended to be in a chirpy painless mood and said, "Evening Finaral."

"How you come back already?" Finaral asked.

"Wait, you never hear mi seh evening?"

"Yeah Man, evening, but how you come back already?" He asked, particularly concerned about Pinky's unexpected early arrival. "And all look so sex out. Mind a nuh Queenie hair you go do enuh."

"Pinky's face winced to one side with one eye closed. She turned her face away from Finaral so he wouldn't see and said,

"A never fi Queenie hair mi seh mi ago do. A Latesha mi seh."

Finaral opened his eyes, and said, "Then how you tell . . ."

He stopped himself. His eyebrows went up as he put two and two together to find out that everything did not add up. He wasn't slow.

"Who fah hair you seh you go do _Latesha_ or fi _Queenie_?"

"Lord God, your head big and tough _eeh_ Man, Latesha mi seh, Latesha wid the slippers breast. Weh you get Queenie from?"

Finaral took a long inhale. He put the information inside his steaming brain to stew. He nodded his head with his shoulders slightly bobbing forward. Evaluating who could be the liad? Munchy or Pinky? Better yet, why would Pinky lie about doing Queenie hair? What was there to hide?

"How you so quiet round deh Finaral?"

"Nothing Man." Finaral said, then in a firm no-nonsense tone asked, "Weh you really a come from Pinky?"

"Weh you mean? You nuh hear mi seh mi a come from 'round a Latesha." Pinky said it as if she was annoyed with the same nagging question. "Weh you a ask mi so much time fa? A wha?" Pinky did not even spin around to look at him. Now Finaral was confused who to believe. Pinky seemed unconcerned as if she was telling the truth, but Munchy was telling the truth too. So . . .

He tested the waters.

"You naaw come from over nuh Latesha yard Pinky." He carefully watched her reaction, see how heated she would get, how defensive, any delay, any stuttering. He needed to know who was lying and why.

"Wha?! Weh mi a come from then?"

"A that mi a ask you."

"So mi nuh tell you already. Over Latesha yard!"

Finaral threw a bluff at her and said,

"Pinky, mi just a come from up a Latesha yard. You never deh deh."

Pinky spun around. Her mouth opened as wide as the living room's wall.

"Wha?!"

"Mi seh you never deh deh."

"So watch yah! You a walk a watch mi pussy now?"

Finaral had an edge on her now. She had just admitted she wasn't over by Latesha by asking if he was a pussy-watchman. Now she had to spill the truth about where she was. Or so he thought.

"Same like how mi nuh fi fast inna your phone, a the same way you nuh fi a fass inna mi social life. _Hsst_."

Her comment hit the wrong nerve in Finaral because she was right.

He couldn't let her see in his phone. Especially not right now. He felt cornered because he couldn't justify her not going in his phone. It lit a flint of temper inside him, his reaction blaring, he opened up his voice loud and coarse and militant at her, " _Oooieee_! Look pon mi face if you see like mi a tek this thing fi joke. No come bloodclawt ramp wid mi, 'bout phone and bullshit. Weh you did deh?!"

"Mi nuh go nuh weh Finaral. Lord Jesus Man, Weh you a gwaan so fa?"

"How you mean you nuh go nuh weh?! Mi a idiot?"

Pinky ignored him. She was under too much pain to even be bothered with any confrontation. Finaral's voice got aggressively adamant, "Weh you a come from?!"

He was very certain that the only reason she would be lying about where she was because she was gone to give away his pussy. That was the one and only logical reason. She needed to be stomped. Cheating was wrong. Pinky didn't answer.

"Hey gal, a you mi a talk to enuh. Weh you a bloodclawt come from?!"

"Nuh weh, nuh weh, mi did go walk and mi stop a the supermarket. That's all."

"So weh you buy?" Finaral's off the whim intelligence asked, then he quickly double-scanned the living room, before he made an ass of himself in case she had actually brought in a grocery bag and he hadn't seen it. There was none. He grew confident and asked sterner and louder, "Weh you buy?!"

Pinky's face blanked out, " _Ehm_?"

"Weh you bloodclawt buy?? You deaf since when?!"

"Nothing. Nothing. You see mi walk in with nuh bag? Dem never have nothing weh mi did want."

Finaral didn't buy the story book one bit. It wasn't holding together nor made any sense. Who was Pinky fucking on him with? Was it someone in the community? Was it Vybz? Now he didn't put anything pass Vybz again. Portia had told him Pinky and Vybz were in something. If Portia hadn't shown him the tape with her and Vybz in the warehouse then he wouldn't have believed. He doubted everything about Vybz now, his loyalty, his words, his past. He betrayed him, he's a traitor and now could be his number one enemy. If Pinky fucking any man 'bout the place is Vybz, Finaral summed up. That is something he couldn't live with, and Vybz wouldn't live either. He would guarantee that.

He wanted to tear off Vybz' head with his bare hands. But instead of reacting violently without any proof, on just mere suspicions, he gave out a small grunt, did a big exhale and muzzled the raging fire on his chest.

" _Hmph_. Wha inna dark must come inna light Man. Long run short ketch," Finaral said in a promising tone opening the fridge door. "'Member a mi a the streets, you hear."

Pinky smelled the open fridge. A strong scent of thyme escaped. It smelled slightly minty and herbal. She shifted over from the corner of the settee to the middle where the center table was directly in front of it with the remotes and the boys' room key. She reached for the remote off the glass center table and clicked the 'on' button. The TV noise came on too loudly and she hurriedly hit the volume button, turning it down, wincing her face from the unpleasant stab of sound that blasted from the surround sound speakers.

"Jesus Man, how the TV so loud, you did a turn inna yah inna Carib Theater?"

"Mi nuh turn on the TV from you gone enuh, so a must you, a so you listen TV loud all the time like you deaf." Finaral's voice had toned down but he was beginning to sweat. He kept looking towards his bedroom. Looking towards his bedroom. He didn't like that the person hiding would not remain hidden one place. He couldn't make any signal to the person. He just watched their nervous movement shifting from one hiding place to in the closet, to wherever.

#  CHAPTER 5

##  ANSWER THE QUESTION

"Weh you a do inna kitchen though, Finaral?" The agitation in Pinky's voice had now died down too. Both were speaking to each other again as if they weren't just eating off each other's neck.

"A some callaloo mi a chop up."

A sudden pain struck in Pinky's abdomen. Her broad face flinched, knotted in pain. Oh fuck Man, Jesus, mi belly bottom a kill mi, she said internally. She unbuttoned her purple jeans pants and drew it off. She reclined her back on the cushiony back support of the settee then began channel-surfing, clicking through the boring channels. She shifted to lying horizontally in the sofa for some ease, for some comfort from the pain. She rested the length of her body in the settee, laying in only her black panty and purple blouse. Another pain hit hard. Belly. The pain sharpened in her belly.

Lying down wasn't doing her a favor. She sat back up and looked over to Finaral. The house was dark but she could still barely make out his hand working the knife up and down, mincing through the green callaloo stems and leaves. Her mind flashed on Cat-Man and his knife for some reason. Then she thought Finaral looked weird inna the kitchen eeh Man. Mi belly a hurt mi bad. Cho. Mi can't bother fi tek up mi pants. Mek it stay right dehso pon the floor little bit till mi a go inna mi room. Mi just want breeze off little first, she thought to herself.

She stretched for the fan at the side, pulled it closer to her, then turned it on. How Finaral a cut callaloo inna the dark though, a suh him one lazy that him couldn't just turn on the kitchen light? She asked herself.

"Chop up callaloo inna dark Finaral? Wha mek you nuh just turn on the light?" As she said that, a thought came to her. Some hot mint tea could help her out right now.

"Mi can see weh mi a do Man; no worry yourself." He said without looking up.

"You can hot some water fi mi please Babes?"

"Is tea you want dem time yah inna the evening?"

He didn't turn on the light. His hands were still pumping up and down, chopping away. Even though the TV was on, she still could clearly hear the fast _chop, chop, chop, chop_ sound the knife made as it knocked the cutting board. She thought he sounded like a professional chef in the kitchen but he was far from that. Finaral almost never cooked, ever. She reasoned to herself saying, the most him woulda do is make some weird, bad tasting herbal tea weh him love and claim seh it good fi you. Mi nuh remember weh it name, some Japan name and it expensive. Otherwise from that, not even fi hot up a pack a Ramen noodle or one a the cup soup dem from China Finaral woulda do.

'Chop, chop, chop, chop.'

Jesus mi belly a fucking kill mi. She couldn't help it. She wrapped her hand around her belly, pressed her hand into her belly hard, tight, crunched over her body. She tried to bear the pain, she didn't want Finaral seeing her, unfolded her body. The green leafy scent of the chopped callaloo came into the living room. She thought twice before she answered.

"Yes. Tea ... A mi . . . A . . . A mi head . . . Mi head a sheg mi up and mi eye them feel like them out fi drop right out."

"Migraine?"

"It look so." Pinky answered then asked, "No ginger or mint nuh deh here?"

"Gosh! Mi belly." She murmured low, then mentally said, Wonder if mi shoulda just warm a towel and rest it pon mi belly. Mi never know a suh dem thing yah hot. Mi did hear seh it hot but . . . Jesus Man. She doubled over in the settee grabbing on to her belly-bottom again. She couldn't help it. But as much pain as was cutting out her belly, her brain was thinking – something's not right. Mi can just feel it. Finaral looked so weird inna the kitchen. Finaral a cut up callaloo? And him not even woulda mix little Kool-Aid fi himself. No Man, something wrong. It nuh add up.

She tried to hide the excruciating pain she felt. Her body curled over, her lips came together in a small tight "O" as she sucked in some air through her clenched teeth to kind of ease off the pain. It sounded like she was sipping soup from a spoon. Unfortunately, it wasn't soup – it was hot pain. She bit her lips, sip-sucked some air again, a long hissy suction ... ' _Ssssss!_ 'Jesus Christ Man, no Man, Do God, mek the pain ease down little, please. She forced the muscles in her face to relax or try to relax at least, then looked up to make sure Finaral wasn't watching her flinching. All of the lights still off in the kitchen. Something nuh right.

A big loud dutty, "Bomboclawttttt!" Finaral gave out.

He grabbed his finger, flashed his hand fast, flagging it by his ears, as if he was dancing the Hot-Wuck dance. He grabbed his finger again, squeezed on it, face writhing in agony.

Look like him nearly slice off him finger clean from the way the blood was spewing, Pinky thought. Fucker him. Mi nuh feel sorry fi him. A good. Look how long mi a tell him fi turn on the flipping light.

"Oh gosh Finaral Man, mi tell you if turn on the light long-time enuh. Hard ears must feel. How you fi a cut up callaloo inna dark? You a idiot?"

"You chat too much!"

Pinky smiled, " _Eh-hmph_. Yes. But that still naaw go tek di chop off a your finger. Don't?"

He didn't reply, he turned on the sink's faucet and stuck his blood-dripping finger under the running water. "Big bad man like you a gwaan suh over a likkle knife slice pon your finger. See how life funny?" Finaral ripped off several joints of paper towel and as if he was begging for pity of some sort from Pinky. He said,

"It cut deep enuh."

"Weh the pickney dem deh?" Pinky asked.

There was a pause as Pinky awaited the answer from Finaral. He pretended not to hear the question and continued pressing the paper towel against his bleeding finger to try and stop the heavy bleeding.

"Weh dem pickney Finaral?"

" _Mhmm_?" He paused with the paper towel wrapped around his finger.

"Weh Perry and Dushawn?"

"Oh . . . Mi . . . Mi did carry dem go over your mother fi gwaan stay likkle."

"Fi wha? Mi nuh tell you seh mi nuh too tek tea wid deh wicked woman deh already? Weh you a carry mi pickney dem go over deh fa? You haunted? Next thing she try sell dem fi . . ."

Pinky curtailed her reckless tirade. Went quiet. Slipped into thoughts about this morning.

Finaral dodged the question about why he had taken the kids over to Aubrea and tried to deliberately take the argument on to a different course.

"Aubrea nuh wicked enuh. She is a good woman. The things weh she do and sacrifice fi uno a nuff mother wouldn't dweet."

"A weh you and Aubrea inna Finaral?"

"Mi?!"

"No. Me. _Hsst_." Pinky said sarcastically. "Weh you and har inna, mi see the message inna your phone, 'bout meet up. You a fuck har? Mi know enuh."

"Mi!!!" Finaral's small eyes hung open. "No Pinky, weh you really a deal wid? Nuh do mi that. Mi woulda never do that, you mad. Mi rate your mother too much. A real woman. Mi wish Vybz did loyal suh." His expression suddenly flipped over into anger. "A weh the fuck you a do inna mi phone?! Mi nuh tell you nuh touch mi bomboclawt things? A weh the fuck do you Man? You ever see mi a fucking search-up, search-up your phone yet?!"

"Curse all you want mi done see in deh already. You see how mi a deal with you calm and you a behave like you guilty?"

Finaral breathed slower and tried to relax or at least be rational. He was surprised how Pinky was controlling her temper. Kind of proud of her but too angry to congratulate the bastard.

"Tell mi weh you and har fi meet up 'bout? You a fuck mi mother?" Anger stirred in Pinky. She got vulgar "'Cause she nuh . . ." Pinky held tight to the reins of her anger and pulled it back. She reflected on how much she wanted to control her reactions about what her mother had said this morning. A lot of what Pinky had thought about Aubrea in the past was true. Everything was true. But that was only half of the story. She calmed down. She quietly asked,

"So a wha type a secrecy you and har coulda have suh?"

#  CHAPTER 6

##  THE STORY OF THE LEXINGS

"Why would I tell you where?" Vance said. Qwan question could not be real he thought.

"So you're really gonna just put your family through all of this drama for money?"

"Suh nuh that life 'bout? You even have a clue what it is like fi live poor. Mi a do whatever fi my own."

"Jesus Christ Man, you don't feel something inside when you rip your own family apart? Have you no heart? No morals?"

"Are you going to let me fuck you or what?" Vance said, cutting to the chase down to meat of the matter. "Or you just gonna give me the money right now?"

"Hell no! I'm not gay! What Money!! Are you stupid fucker!"

"Leelia said that you said. . ."

"Yes you dumb fuck! Yes I told her that. But if I were gay, I would have given in to your many attempts at me long time ago wouldn't I?" Vance had wondered why all of a sudden Qwan was surrendering to his long request which Qwan had declined time after time. Qwan had told him no so many times that it germinated into a hate towards Qwan. "I told her to tell you that because I knew you couldn't resist. You had to come. I wanted to confront you face to face to let you know that I know exactly what you've been doing all along. Blackmailing your own sisters, your mother, your father and your whole family for your own selfishness. You've destroyed my marriage! You know that? Don't you?"

Vance's eyes clenched into a squint, "So you think you know shit, eeh? You think you a this white knight on a white horse fi save the world? You stupid as fuck. You nuh see it too late? You think Leelia even love you? Stupid nuh fuck."

"Stupid? _Hmph_. Far from that, you soon find out. You can fool your family because they're totally blinded by their love for you but you can't fool me. The moment you first asked me what car I drove and started asking me for money and offering yourself, I knew you had nothing about you, no morals, you stood for nothing and will fall for everything. I knew all the rumors about you and the hospital weren't real."

#  CHAPTER 7

##  YOUR MAN AND YOUR MOTHER BUSINESS

"Mi can't tell you. She mek mi promise seh mi wouldn't tell you." Finaral said.

" _Ohh_! So you a put Aubrea over mi now?! You and har a fuck!! Somebody tell mi suh. Dem tell mi seh dem see you." Pinky hadn't heard shit. She was only trying to use her brain on her man.

"Who tell you that?! Vybz?"

"So a true then?" She snapped like a trap. Maybe she had caught him.

Finaral went quiet and his eyes zigzagged as he looked at Pinky.

"A true then?"

"Pinky." He paused. Started again, "Pinky. Just go easy nuh, if mi and har did a do things you think mi woulda save har number as Aubrea inna mi phone? Or even . . ." He looked to his bedroom. His eyes fell out his head. There were heels by the bed. A yellow one. It wasn't Pinky's. God rest his soul. _Home sweet home_. He quickly flashed his eyes from the heels. His heart rate quickened at his neck.

"A lie you a tell enuh Finaral, you see how all of a sudden you look nervous, a bay lie you a tell. If you and har did a do things wha? Ehh? Wha?"

"Nothing." He blinked heavier than usual twice, as he tried to shift his attention from the heels and seemingly refocused on her. He was a bit out of it, not even his response was on point when he said, "You wouldn't understand still."

By the grace of God Pinky's motherly concerns arose. And she asked almost a bit surprised, or if the thought had just hit her and immediately jumped out her mouth.

"Weh you gi dem pickney fi eat before you send dem gone?"

Finaral rocked back into the present. "Nothing. After mi a nuh dem puppa."

Pinky's anger flushed through her veins immediately. And an internal control strained to hold on to her temper tight and not let it loose. She breathed out hard and it felt like her asthma was setting in to attack her despite how hard she had tried to restrict her anger. Her chest tight. She breathed, breathed, breathed, almost like counting. Finally she was able to sigh. She shook my head. Poor kids. Wonder if mi should go fi them now for some of the callaloo. Perry like nuff salt-fish inna fi him. Or mi fi just mek them stay a Aubrea . . . Mom, no Aubrea . . . Mom? . . . No sah, Aubrea. Aubrea. _Hsst_ . . . she internally debated the same thought again with herself. Wonder if mi fi just mek dem stay over har fi the night and done?

"Make sure nuff salt-fish inna the callaloo."

"No saltfish nuh deh here. Come go 'round a Mr. Passa shop and buy half pound."

"Mi can't go shop now, mi head a hurt mi."

Pinky could swear she just heard a distant shuffle somewhere in the house. She gritted her teeth and held on to her belly as the pain walked mercilessly through her belly-bottom. She cried out to Finaral.

"Babesss .... You ago make the water boil out? Hurry up with the tea nuh please."

"Git up and come go a shop no Man! A that you fi do."

"Mi seh mi belly a hurt mi! You deaf?"

"Belly or head?" He asked just as confused as he was about the Latesha thing.

Pinky paused before she lied. She didn't want him to know it truly was just her belly. "Two a them. Everywhere. The whole a mi pain up."

Then a sudden cold sensation hit her vagina. Her vagina was remembering the shiny metal gadget the doctor had inserted in her and the internal cold sensation it produced, the suction feel of the tube at her uterus. It wasn't painful but she winced in the settee at the stretchy feel of her cervix as the doctor's anaesthetics wore off. It was an uncomfortable memory. She hid her face from Finaral.

Finaral went silent. Glanced at the yellow heels. He reached for a pot, fumbled it, it clattered against the granite countertop. Pinky looked over at him. He swallowed his spit and tried not to show any angst. The expression on his face spoke to her, she knew that look. She powered off their fifty-four inches flat-screen. She read behind the lines of his expression that he must have sensed something was wrong. She got out the settee, picked up her purple jeans and got a message.

'Beep, Beep!'

It was her phone. A text. Wonder a who this now, she thought. Then her heart began racing as Khaleel manifested on her mind with a great amount of certainty. She prayed to God this stalking motherfucker didn't choose the wrong time to text again. She walked off to the bedroom, trying not to back-glance at Finaral. But couldn't fight the urge, she flicked him a back-glance once. Finaral's eyes popped out the socket. Not at the suspicious way she left the room glancing back but at the yellow heels on the floor where Pinky was heading straight toward.

#  CHAPTER 8

##  TROUBLE NUH SET LIKE RAIN

Finaral panicked. He accidentally hit a pot off the counter as he hurried to wave at her. The pot fell with a very disturbing and drama-filled jangling against the clean tiles, it was echoing through and through the house as if it wouldn't end. Finaral yelled out,

"Well you naaw get the tea if you nuh go nuh shop 'cause no sugar nuh deh here."

Unless Finaral siddung and eat off the ten pound a sugar, the sugar deh there, Pinky thought.

"Draw on a shorts and come go up a shop nuh!" He insisted. It crossed Pinky's mind that she should pull on a shorts for real. Not because he said so, but because her front was extra fat in just her panty and he may take notice. She had on two pads for the heavy bleeding. A sudden depressed and angry state of mind took her over. The depressed feeling was the stronger of them both.

"Sugar deh here. Why the hell you well want mi go shop so? A wha? _Ehh_?"

"Mi seh no sugar nuh deh here P. Weh you want mi do? You want mi sweeten the tea wid salt gi you?"

"No, sweeten it with two slice a bread then. _Hsst_." Pinky said sarcastically, "Sugar deh here. Look inna the sugar pan right in front you."

"Gwaan go buy the salt-fish then."

Pinky was through talking to the clown because he was a big waste of her time on top of her belly ache. She read the text, exited it and glanced over her shoulder to see if Finaral was still watching her. His eyes were pinned to her. He lifted both his eyebrows.

"Who that a text you?" He picked up the blooded napkin he had held around his sliced finger off the counter, threw it in the bin and walked towards her, side-eyeing the yellow heels.

She couldn't let him dare see this text, things may go violent fast.

"Watch yah! You too fast; mi never know a fi mi and fi you phone now."

"Hey Red-gal nuh try dat enuh. A diss you a try diss man? Is like you nuh memba weh mi gi you a the dance? You forget?"

"A nuh nobody. A just Lee."

"Make mi see it!" He walked over to her briskly. Corner-glancing the yellow heels in his peripheral vision.

"Coo yah! Fi wha?!" She stopped walking and pulled her phone towards her above her breast and watched in awe to see if all of a sudden, at the wrong time, Finaral was interested to see in her phone. She thought about how she was never getting texts to be hidden from Finaral all the years of her relationship and he had never asked to see her texts all along those times. And now, in this instance that she had something to hide, of all times, Finaral seemed determined to look in her phone. The devil is a liar. I rebuke you Satan. Get thee behind me.

He marched toward her. His feet were drumming faster and louder into the floor as he came closer. Her right hand grabbed tighter into her jeans as she hurriedly walked with wide wild steps, her right hand with the jeans flagging back and forth to escape out the living room into the bedroom. She tried to delete the text out the phone with the other hand. Her left, she was right-handed. It was imprecise and awkward to use her left. She went into reply instead of delete.

"Hey gal a bun you a gi Badman?! A mussi kill you want mi bloodclawt kill somebody inna this." He forgot the heels, more urgent matters were at hand. Pinky was giving away his pussy. He was on her like a lion in attack. She exited the reply in a flash, lighteningly scrolled down to the delete option. She flew pass the delete option. Walking and using the phone with her left hand was more difficult than she had imagined. The simple task to hit the delete button now required concentration. She concentrated on steadying the nerves in her shaking thumb as she hurried away, she scrolled back up quickly and stopped on the precise option, delete. That's when he grabbed the phone out her hand before she did. Pinky shouted,

"Gwaan go lock off the stove and lowe mi phone nuh idiot Finaral! Lowe mi! Lowe mi!"

And her obvious rage and determination to hide something from him made him all the more determined to see what was this about and from whom? Who was getting his pussy?

He held the phone a little distance from his nose as he checked into her messages. "Gimmi back mi phone nuh!" For some strange reason she felt like crying, "You ever see mi a search up your—"

"A man you a kip wid mi? _Ehh_? A gi weh you gi weh man pussy gal? A fool you want the man dem inna the place a tek mi fa?"

Immediately Finaral's thought were, he didn't want the rest of the gang to know that his right hand man was fucking his woman, right under his nose. Maybe in his bed. He should have listened to Portia from the get go. He should have killed Vybz from the get go. He pointed to her forehead,

"Mi ago kill bomboclawt Vybz if you and him really a fuck enuh."

"Mi and Vybz?! Oh God no, Vybz beg mi and mi tell him no. Mi coulda . . ."

It was not until she had already let the cat out of the bag and saw the intense fire in Finaral's eyes that she realized she shouldn't have even mentioned that.

""Weh you seh the likkle pussy-hole traitor boy do?"

"Nothing!"

She snatched at her phone through the air. The leg of the purple jeans flipped over on her wrist and flared in her other hand as she tussled with him as if she was fighting to save her life. She needed to get back her phone. But at the backseat of her mind, it wasn't about her phone. The physical attack for her phone was only a guise to distract him from the information she had just burst loose about Vybz asking her for her front. She loved Vybz. She didn't want him to die. But she didn't want Finaral to see this message either. No way.

"Stop search up mi phone nuh Finaral and gi mi back mi things." He brought back his attention to the phone. He kept it out of her reach shoving her away with his long, strong arm, turned his back to her, still searching.

"Finaral, mi naaw warn you again enuh, mi seh fi gi mi back mi rass phone before mi and you have it out in yah today! You deaf?!"

Reading the 'Thank you' message she got from Nathan's girlfriend, he said.

"Hey gal, how you talk 'bout a supermarket you go?"

He turned around to face Pinky, dropping his hand with the phone by his side. "You tek mi fi one bloodclawt idiot eeh? You feel like you can run rings 'round Man?"

She remained silent for one second, two seconds, three. Hissed her teeth. Snatched her phone out his hand.

"A hospital you go and a talk 'bout a supermarket? Weh you get the eighty thousand from fi pay fi the gal hospital bill? Mi never tell you fi nuh touch mi fucking money?"

"Watch yah! Hercules mi never know seh a you alone have eighty thousand dollar inna the world? You a rail up like eighty thousand dollar a money. A money that?"

"A one thing mi ask you enuh."

Pinky's heart hammered into her ribs. She didn't want him to ask her about Vybz. She thought she had muddled his thoughts murky enough so he wouldn't find back that conversation. She was hoping his money would derail his thoughts. As if not knowing what he was asking about she asked,

"Wha?"

He didn't skip a beat. Immediately he asked, "Weh you get the money?"

"A Gloe girlfriend lend mi. Dani! A wha?" He doubled his fist and released it immediately, as if a sting of pain ran through him from squeezing on his sliced finger.

"Mek sure a nuh my money you—"

"After mi nuh need your dutty stinking money Finaral."

Pinky walked off towards the bedroom. Finaral opened his eyes wide at the heels and immediately tailed behind her. Grabbed her by her hand and stopped her in mid-stride. Spun her thick body around.

"You naaw come go a shop?" Pinky stared at him with stiff eyeballs. She was surprised he wasn't getting violent over the money. As if something had changed his temper inside his head. He had warned her so aggressively so many times. What could have ever come over him?

It was a relief. She was getting heated under the neck the more pressure she came under. She liked that the heat seemed to be turning down and wanted to keep it that way, so in return, she didn't react aggressively either. She wanted anything about Vybz and the hospital or the stolen money to be washed away and forgotten. She calmly replied,

"Mi head Finaral. Mi head a hurt mi Man, God know."

She walked off with her hand on her forehead and fell herself onto her belly into the bed, face landing on the pillow. "Mi belly, Jesus Man."

Finaral kicked the heel. He kicked it lightly trying not to kick it too loudly so her ears would notice. He kicked it and it didn't make any noticeable sound to Pinky's ears. But it didn't go straight under the bed. It stopped just at the skirting of the sheet.

He hurriedly walked over to edge of the bed. Pinky turned over on her back, sliding her feet off the bed right above the heels as she threw her purple jeans over the gray computer chair. She was sliding her feet to the floor, right on top of the heels.

Finaral stepped faster. His toes with one target, one aim, kicking the heels under the bed. Pinky slid down faster as more of her weight left off the bed and into her thick legs. He pushed his foot. His toes were under her fast descending tattooed foot. He managed to toe it. Pinky's foot landed on top of his foot as his toes made contact with the heels.

She did not only land on top of his foot. Her feet also stepped on top of the yellow heels. She looked down on what that she could have stepped on.

#  CHAPTER 9

##  AS EASY AS ALKA SELTZER

Vance wanted to throw a speeding fist in Qwan's eye socket but Qwan's physique was one to floor him in a blink. It made no sense going fist to fist with Qwan. He needed a gun to even his odds. Qwan continued to speak,

"I was almost convinced like the others but when I went to the hospital and had some of the froth you made when you dropped on the floor caught my hand and woke up to the hardened substance on my hand, I asked the doctor what it was, he said Alka Seltzer. It took me some time to connect the dots, that you used Alka Seltzer to make the froth at your mouth." He paused, waiting on Vance to inject some defence, say Qwan's allegations were wrong. But Vance admitted he wasn't wrong when he said nothing. His silence was more than enough to let him know what he had detectively solved were the ugly facts to Vance's heartless plans. Strange how he should think of Vance's plan about his heart as being a ' _heartless_ ' one, but it was true, how could he have had a heart?

"What I didn't know was that money was the root of all your evils. When you couldn't get what you wanted from me, you decided to create a situation with Dr. Reid to use your own sister to get the money out of me and my family. Didn't you? Didn't you?!"

Vance didn't answer at his barks.

"I can't believe Dr. Reid would ever stoop to a ploy so low for money. Like how long now have your heart problem not been so serious that you can make a mockery of it? I'm guessing about from the first incidence with Leelia, about four years ago. Right? Right?"

Vance didn't answer and Qwan knew what he was accusing him of was true.

"Fuck Man, I knew Dr. Reid loved money but this was an all time low, fucking disgusting. But you were the one who surprised me overall. They are your own flesh and blood!!! How could—"

"Yeah. So? So fucking what! You done rich already so you naaw go understand nothing. Mi naaw dead poor! As disgusting as mi plans be mi have millions now. Weh Mom have? Weh Dad have? Weh Pinky have? Weh even Leelia have? Not dry shit. Mi done mek up mi mind. Mi can live wid being rich, living good, having a fucked-up past and wid people seh mi wicked. Mi can live wid that. But mi can't sleep wid living poor, living bad and having a clean past. Fuck that shit! Mi prefer rich."

"And you do your sister and you fam—"

"Mi never tek the money from mi sister! She never have none." Qwan eyes opened in disbelief. Anger was heightening in Vance's face, his eyes stiffened as if he didn't want to be accused of hurting his family. "Mi tek the money from you! Not mi sister."

"I can't believe your moronic rations. Are you for real??" Vance eyes weren't stiff anymore, they grew relaxed and so too did his face. His anger quelled, now he seemed as if he didn't care. It was whatever it was. "You for real?! How can your mind be so twisted?"

Vance shrugged as if single-handedly destroying his whole family wasn't jackshit to him. As far as he thought, all he did was intelligently device a situation where his sister would ask her man for money for him. He didn't hold anyone at gunpoint. He wasn't a murderer like Finaral.

Moreover, it wasn't like his sister's man couldn't afford it. Her man had more than enough money.

It didn't take much for Vance to continue pretending to be sick even after his cardiomyophia was under control. He simply teamed with their family doctor, Dr. Reid, to fabricate the falsehood and split the cash between them. Just like he was doing when Finaral had seen him with someone in the car park. That someone he went into the car with was Dr. Reid.

It was an oh so easy and simple craft to pull off and made him loads of money. It was not that big of a deal with very little effort from his part. No one was getting physical hurt. So why not?

Vance was always ambitious as a child. He always wanted to be rich. He knew he had to be rich. He had to be rich somehow and the one thing God cursed him with in life he ingeniously managed to turn it around into a positive and made himself rich out of it.

The beauty of his ploy was that he didn't have to be doing it every day, all he needed to do was travel with Alka Seltzer and froth his mouth with it whenever an appropriate intense situation arose that people would believe is plausible enough to provoke his heart condition. He chose only the best times too so everyone believed. He had them eating out of him hand. Thank God for Alka Seltzer.

How Vance viewed it was that what he was doing was wrong, yes it was wrong, yes, -BUT- not that wrong. You could equate it to Robinhood, taking from the 'The Rich' _Qwan_ , and giving to 'The Poor', _himself_. What's wrong with that? The rich take from the poor all the time. It's the same poor people who have made the Douglas' rich. Vance didn't see the sense in this confrontation Qwan was making.

"Now you know seh mi bank account fat, that you did call mi here fa? Fi pat yourself on the shoulder and seh you smart. Want a doggy biscuit fi figure it out?" The evil in Vance primed. He looked at Qwan from beneath his gaze.

"There's no proof you fucking dunce. Your words versus mine. Who you think mi family ago believe? You or dem sickly brother?" He shook his head at Qwan's pathetic-ness. Qwan had a heart for people, he cared, and that made him weak. It was the sole reason he had so much of Qwan's money in his own bank account. Because Qwan had a heart. A good heart — but that was a bad choice.

"You of course. Why'd they believe me over you? They'll believe whatever you say." Vance had a victorious smile dangling on his lips. "Which is why you will be the one to tell them." Vance's eyes opened ridiculously wild. His heart quickened, stomping in his chest. "Didn't Leelia tell you?"

"Tell mi wha?"

#  CHAPTER 10

##  SOMEBODY INNA MI BEDROOM?

Finaral quickly tried to force the heels from under Pinky's foot even after she already saw it. It was obvious, but he was a drowning man grabbing at straws. It was too late. Pinky's eyebrows met at the center and crunched downward in oblivious surprise. She stared at the heels.

"Jesus! Wait deh! Wait deh! Kiss mi pretty pussyclawt now! A wha dis?!"

Finaral wasn't the best actor when it came to telling lies, but he tried. He pretended that his heart wasn't hammering and blood wasn't flushing through his face about the ineffable mischief in his love life. He calmly asked,

"A wha?"

"A wha!? A wha? You blind?! A who fa slippers that you a try hide?"

Finaral's response was, "Mi never a try hide it."

"Who fa slippers demmmmm?! Dat mi a ask!"

Finaral stuck. Brain froze. Pinky didn't wait a beat, she asked,

"A your heels that Finaral?!"

Finaral's tongue didn't have the skills of Munchy. It always wound down that when it came to lying he was lame. All he could come up with was,

"A your slippers dem Pinky."

"Finaral! Finaral! How dem slippers yah reach inna mi bedroom Finaral? How?"

Before Pinky took up the slippers to stab him with the heel, she really wanted to hear the explanation first.

"Den nuh your slippers dem, weh you mean, weh dem a do in yah?"

"Shut your bloodclawt, 'bout my slippers, you tek mi fi fucking idiot? That look like it can fit mi?"

Finaral barely cocked his head to the side and said, "Mi nuh know a who fa slippers then enuh. 'Cause—"

"Mi know dem slippers deh enuh!" Pinky's eyes swelled open and Finaral's eyes went wide. "Mi know dem slippers deh to rass! A wha this now father?!"

"A nuh . . . A nuh—" Finaral stuttered to explain.

Pinky cut him off and said, "A fi mawga dry-up Aubrea slippers dem yah. Aubrea slippers this. How you say you naaw fuck Aubrea? Weh she a do yah? Your cocky so big she affi run lef' har slippers?" Finaral's face changed. His expression didn't worsen, instead it wasn't as tight anymore. He threw both hands up in the air.

"Alright, alright. You ketch mi."

Pinky thumped him with a box across his face. His face twisted all the way back. He grabbed his jaw. She bent to pick up the heels. He grabbed her up. She pulled back for another slap. He grabbed her hand. She swung the other hand. He grabbed it in mid air. Squeezed it with his power. She twisted. Twisted. Twisted. Rammed a powerful knee hard under his gut. He took it without folding over. Head-butted her. Center forehead. Smashing her skull back. Let go of her hand. She instantly let go of the heels out her hand. She fell heavily on the bed. Gripping her pain-drenched face tight. She couldn't open her eyes. She was seeing red behind her close eyes. The heels of her palms plastered against her forehead.

"Bill nuh, and just hear weh mi a seh. You nuh want hear out it go before you run gone a assume things. You need fi know the story before you judge."

Her face was in unearthly pain. The pain expanding, stretching across her forehead. She held her head down. She had no choice but to listen. She was temporarily blind. The heel of her palms squeezed harder against her forehead, trying to not let the pain go viral in her head. She squirmed through the double pain of her belly and head,

"A wha else it coulda be then? _Ehh_?! Wha else?" Her face red, eyes watered but she wasn't crying.

"That you shoulda ask long time Man, before you run gone fire on lick pon man, like mi a your pickney. Mi tell you fi stop do that enuh." There was almost no motion from Pinky now.

Finaral's phone went off. A text. He quitted the talking. Pinky released her forehead to study if he really was about to go on his phone amidst the heated argument they were having.

She didn't like the way Finaral's face changed the minute he caught sight of who the text was from. Finaral almost zoned out Pinky entirely. He went straight ahead and read the text as if it was urgent. Still not even flicking a glance up at Pinky who he had just bucked back into Africa. His attention fully devoted to the message on his phone. The text was from the clean shaved legs Munchy.

She cooked up a lie for him to feed to Pinky like the Good Samaritan and friend she was.

He read through carefully for the second time to comprehend, because a few typos were in it from the haste she typed it in. It read,

'Tel R U did fell lazy So U ask Aubria fi come fi d pickney dem an shi get a call and leaf inna haste.' He read it a third time quickly just to make sure he understood the lie.

Then he looked up from his phone to Pinky and said, "'Member when mi tell you seh mi bring the pickney dem go up a Aubrea?"

Pinky only screwed and removed one hand off her forehead. She didn't answer. He continued. "Well a lie mi did a tell."

Pinky removed the next hand from her forehead, pressingly clamping her eye lids shut for more than a second then opening her eyes. She looked at him in disbelief. Finaral continued to recite the lie he was given by the pro.

"Mi did feel lazy, so mi ask har fi come fi dem instead and she get a call and run out with the pickney dem inna haste." He read that Pinky was trying to evaluate the story. Instinctively he played on her conscience, made himself the victim so she would feel guilty. He knew all in all Pinky cared about people's feelings, especially his. She only acted rough, but she really was a caring girl. Finaral had already heard that she was the one who took Portia to the hospital as much as she was the one who cursed her out the most. Finaral put on an innocent face and asked,

"So a that you a try kill mi fa? Through mi lazy and mi ask Aubrea fi pick up Perry and Dushawn. You nuh see seh you a over-react?"

Before Pinky could answer she heard a weird sound. A shuffling.

It was coming from inside the closet. Her closet, she reacted.

#  CHAPTER 11

##  SOMEBODY A HIDE IN YAH?

"A weh deh sound deh?" Pinky said and darted a laser-like attention to the closet.

"Which sound?" Finaral's innocent expression dulled into one which expressed he was clueless. "Mi nuh hear nothing." Then his expression suddenly grew stern again, even sterner than before.

"You know wha? Come out a the house and come go a shop! A that you fi do."

Pinky sat upright in the bed and her eyes studied the closet door. She was so focused it was as if she didn't hear Finaral's shout. Instead she replied,

"The noise a come from over dehso. Outta the closet." She budged forward to check it out and Finaral grabbed onto her hand rather tightly.

"P!"

"Wha?"

"You naaw come go a shop fi the saltfish?" His voice lost its aggression now, "Come inna the living room mek mi mek some tea fi you head."

How Finaral a move so boomie and suspicious? Pinky reasoned to herself. You know seh him never deh inna nuh kitchen before mi come. A lie him a tell. Him mussi here mi from mi a come in and a did a try pull off a sham. A that's why no light never turn on in deh. No Man, him too pressing fi mi go shop. Something nuh right. Something wrong yahso. Something weh mi nuh fi know 'bout.

Mi affi find out a wha or who inna the closet tonight. If is a killer in deh, him affi go chop off mi neck clean tonight. She boxed his hand off her, and as she stood straight she asked,

"A wha wrong wid you? Stop hold-on pon mi Man. Wha inna deh rass closet deh weh you a hide?"

"Hey gal, settle yourself nuh! Come go a shop." He grabbed a firm hold on her hand. His finger-heads digging into the inside of her elbow. She heavy-handedly chucked him so hard you wouldn't have any idea her belly bottom was still cramping. He fell on the bed. She hurdled off to the closet.

If is a gal in deh – she just dead! Wha if a Munchy in deh? Like how she love call-call up Finaral name? No to bloodclawt. A can't she. A must him one time uptown gal Tammi, maybe dem still a talk. Watch how mi ago mash-up har bloodclawt now. If a Portia, same fucking thing. You know how long mi want hold she. But Aubrea? Wha if a Aubrea? A must she enuh. She couldn't manage him and run go hide lef har slippers ... She too bright . . . Come a mi yard and a fuck pon mi bed? Mi pretty comforter she want cum-cum-up pon and stain it up like Leelia wedding dress? Not a sankey nuh sing suh. How under har manage fi Finaral big hood wid har mawga self? She grabbed on to the wooden knob handle of the closet.

She grabbed the next knob, her heart was ready for whatever, whoever. But her heart was drumming in her chest. She flew both of them open. The double door opened wide in one go.

Clothes. Clothes, clothes and nothing but blackness inside. Nobody was hiding. Pinky felt like a shame dog. She spun around to Finaral, she slightly smelt something strange. She ignored the scent and asked,

"A weh you really up to? A that mi a try figure out?"

"Up to? Mi nuh up to nothing. A you a act like you a par wid Cokehead Wasp and all a hear things. You too jealous Man. Come here."

"Nuh try come friend mi up enuh." She raised her eyes to look up at his height without lifting her head up. "Mi nuh jealous over you Finaral and you know that. But a did want buck nuh gal in yah tonight and you woulda see a which God she a serve. A woulda massaclaw har likkle—"

She cut her sentence short. Deep down she felt a bit silly. Silly for acting out of proportion about something she thought she had heard, but it was whatever. _'Hssst.'_

She grabbed her stretch jeans off the chair and flung it in Finaral's bare chest. He grabbed hold of the jeans and threw it on the bed.

"You see your face, 'bout jealous, mi nuh jealous! _Hsst_." She hadn't realized she had just said that before.

She walked out the room to go and straighten out the boys' room, because she knew Finaral hadn't touched it with a long stick all day. She was at their door trying to open it and couldn't. The door was locked. Locked with the key. The scent was clearer in the house now to her nose. It smelt like smoke maybe from over one of the neighbors. Her suspicion shot to the roof. She didn't want to sound jealous or paranoid but she just couldn't help it. She knew there was something going on that she should not know about. She asked,

"Finaral why you lock up the pickney dem room door?"

"Mi never realize seh it lock. A mussi one a dem lock it before dem go weh."

Pinky started shaking the lock. Pulling and pushing the lock. Banging on the door with her shoulders. Slamming her shoulder into the door. She was growing irritable. The scent got stronger in her nose, burning, it was too much now to ignore.

"A wha smell suh?" She said aloud but heard no reply from Finaral.

Finaral didn't answer because he was sneaking for his gun. It was by the bedside table in the top drawer as usual.

Pinky needed to see why the room door was locked. The curiosity she felt silly about was back at her and she didn't care. Mek mi look like a fool, she thought to herself, but mi want see back a deh door deh tonight. She wanted to see what's hiding behind the door right now. She still had a sixth sense about something just not right. Something's wrong. She was so anxious to open the door she hadn't even realized that she didn't need to try and bust her way through the door. The room keys were lying on the center table.

She briskly padded off to fetch the boys' room-key from in the living room. The closer she got the stronger the scent rose in her nose.

"A wha smell suh Man?" Finaral was already by the bedside with his gun in hand.

As she entered the living room she saw thin billows of gray smoke. She smelt a heat. It was coming from in the kitchen. The pot was burning.

"Shiiit!" She shouted out and stormed around to the stove.

"A wha?" Finaral shouted immensely concerned about her shock. He hurriedly unloaded the bullets out of the magazine just in case things got too heated tonight. He threw the bullets and gun into the drawer and hurriedly slammed it close. He ran out the bedroom to the edge of the living room and looked.

"A weh so much smoke come from?" Finaral asked.

Pinky turned off the stove. The water Finaral had left on the stove had boiled dry. Two more minutes and the entire house would have caught on fire. Inside the once silver steel pot was now black and brown. Pinky was in utter astonishment at the tragedy that could have just happened. She said,

"Listen Man. Don't set a foot back inna deh kitchen yah and come talk 'bout you even a hot as much as water, you hear mi? If you want hot likkle water ask Perry or Dushawn fi dweet fi you, 'cause see the one time you come inna the kitchen you nearly bun down the whole a the rass house, just fi hot likkle water. _Hsst!_ " She walked by the counter, her eyes caught something and she turned back around,

"And watch weh you lef' the callaloo. _Hsst._ "

She put the callaloo in the fridge that Finaral had left outside on the counter.

She still wanted the tea but she couldn't bother to hot any more water. She was just going to bear the pain and go straight to bed after she tried the door and have a restful, peaceful night afterwards. God's willing.

She fitted the key in the lock and hoped she didn't find anyone. She was feeling exhausted now. She slowly opened the door. The coast was clear in the room. She saw no one. She entered into the room, looked behind the door, the two sides. No one was there. She bent, lifted up the sheet, her heart quickened a bit. She wanted to look but she didn't want to look. She slowly began hoist up the sheet. Then ' _Boom!'_ Made one swift lift straight up.

She saw no one. She put the sheet down, lifted it again and looked under the bed just one more time. No one. She began to feel paranoid and silly. She wasn't even gonna check inside the closet. She walked back to the door. But something nudged at her curiosity. She spun around. Stopped. Her eyes analyzed the settings of the closet. Weighing her mind. Paranoid or not, she didn't feel complete unless she looked in that closet. She just had to make sure. She already looked silly, made no sense stopping.

She slowly walked over to the closet. Her feet barely lifting off the carpet as if she didn't want to crush the furs. She held on to the door. Took a deep breath and made one swift surprising pull, _'Bam!'_

Inside the closet was empty. She took a huge relieving sigh. She began to head out and something still was nudging at her. She wanted a thorough search. Why in the hell would the door be locked? She walked briskly this time to the drawer, determined she would find whatsoever was tugging at her sixth sense.

She looked behind the drawer, inside the draws, under the lamp shade. She found no one. Good. She went to the bathroom, took off her purple blouse, then to her bedroom, climbed into to the bed and went under the covers. She thought to herself that she didn't even have the strength to brush her teeth tonight, God Know.

Finaral unbuttoned his trousers, peeled them off his legs, mounted the king size bed, did his regular and automatic routine of taking out his gun out the bedside table's drawer, rested it on top and then cuddled beside Pinky peacefully, harmoniously, and lovingly. Hand on her belly, rubbing it and smiling. There was no smile on Pinky's face. She shoved his hand off her belly,

"Weh you a touch mi fa? You think seh it funny you nearly bun down the house?" Pinky couldn't quite pinpoint why she was mad. So much stress and anguish had happened all in one evening that she was unclear what was making her irritable. What she was sure about, was that it wasn't the fact that Finaral almost caught the kitchen on fire and burnt down the house. It was something more emotionally ripping.

He put his hand back on top of her belly. "Stop gwaan suh Man. Mi rate you enuh, God know."

She winced tightly trying to usher her pain, saying to herself, Oh Jesus a piece a rawtid pain just a walk under mi belly you see Man.

She came to a conclusion. The mental strain was too heavy. It was better she got this secret out to Finaral. Instead of letting it fester up and eventually becoming a big problem. Her mouth closed and eyes looked in the ceiling. She swallowed. It was time she just became straight with him and told him the truth about her pain, her belly.

#  CHAPTER 12

##  SHOULD SHE TELL HIM THE TRUTH NOW?

Still looking up in the ceiling and without blinking she said,

"You know this a the first time mi a think and a pree like how mi a pree now though?"

It always amazed her how the gangster, Finaral, transformed into being so caring when he thought of getting his first born. She thought that if anything could make him put down badness it would be for his child. He looked to her and questioned,

"A pree how?" He rubbed her tummy again. She bit her lip. She was changing her mind. This may be a bad time to say it. Maybe another time. He asked again,

"How Babes?" The smile left his face and a straight curious face took over. The life left his hand. He held it motionless just under her navel.

"Nothing. Nuh bother."

"A wha happen to you Pinky, mi nuh like when people bring up things then talk 'bout nuh bother enuh. It just get mi mad inna mi head."

"Nuh worry, a nuh nothing Man. Next time." His hand flinched on her belly. The pain hurled wickedly at the bottom of her belly just as she thought it was beginning to give her an ease up.

"Talk now."

" _Hsst_. Mi nuh want say nothing and you get vex or start act like an idiot enuh. Mi tired."

"Pinky just chat nuh." He flashed his hand off her belly.

She wandered her gaze away from him to the closet in the darkness of the bedroom. Folded her arms on top of her busty bosom. Paused a while. Took a deep breath, courageously subsided her doubts and fear then a text beeped in on Finaral's phone once more.

He looked at Pinky then looked at the phone. He tried to act as if getting a text was nothing. He was a terrible actor. He tried to lay unperturbed but Pinky could see some trepidation in his face. The fact that he didn't answer the text raised her curiosity up even higher up the ladder rather than quench it.

Pinky had a well thought out plan. She laid still. Finaral laid still too. Her body relaxed and calmed. Finaral ran his fingers through his hair and she rolled over his body and snatched the phone. Finaral's larger hand grabbed around her hand and the phone at the same time. She tried to tug it away. He was stronger than her. She said,

"Just mek mi see deh text yah nuh. Please."

"Fi wha?" Finaral held on to the phone properly.

"Nothing. Mi just want see it. If mi see it mi will feel better."

"Mek mi see inna your phone."

"After mi nuh have nothing in deh fi hide."

She reached for her phone she had laid by her pillow still holding on to Finaral's phone and he still holding on to her grip around it.

As she touched her phone she remembered the text she had gotten from Khaleel. A smile materialized across her lips. Then as fast as it came on her lips it went. No way on God's green earth she could let Finaral see such a text. She reluctantly relinquished her grip from around Finaral's cell. Finaral hadn't realized she had loosened her grip because he had gripped around her hand so tightly. She let her cell phone stay where it was in the bed, shrugged and said,

"You know wha? Forget it Finaral. Let go mi hand, see mi let go your phone deh." Finaral was slow, careful and watching her hand as he loosened her grip making sure she wasn't just trying to pull a quick one on him.

Now for the first time ever though, he was really and truly curious about what's in her phone. Now definitely was the best time to bring that issue up.

"You a act like mi jealous or mi paranoid or sup'n. A true you a talk. Your phone a your business. _Hsst._ "

Finaral didn't turn his back away from her to check his message to seem overly protective and private. As he laid flat on his back his cell up in the air and inches away from in front his face. The light from the phone screen lit up the bed as he pretended to be calm and checked. It was from Munchy again. A hole formed in his stomach. Before he opened the message he slightly slanted the screen away from Pinky trying for the slant not to be noticeable. Pinky noticed.

"A who a text you so mek you affi a hide fi read it?"

"You see mi a hide? _Hsst_. Jus bill Man. Tired fi tell you, you too jealous."

A towel of guilt wrapped Pinky's face. Maybe she was too paranoid after all, she thought. She calmly reclined back in bed and allowed Finaral to read his message in peace, side-glancing his expression for any suspicious gesture. Then stopped side-glancing. She even slightly turned her head the other side. Finaral didn't look at her but caught that she had slanted her head away a little from the side mirror of his eyes. The hole was getting smaller in his belly when he realized that Pinky had stopped acting the fool. Finaral read Munchy's text. He tried to stop his mouth from falling off his face. Everything in his body quickened so hard that his whole body made a tiny jerk, flinched. Pinky felt the jerk but it wasn't noticeable, it could have been just him shifting under the covers. The text read,

' _BBC!! D dildo deh pon the other side a the bed pon the floor. Nuh mek she see it_.'

Pinky was slanting her face more and more towards the side where the big black long dildo was.

#  CHAPTER 13

##  SET UP

"Leelia didn't tell you that Dad put video cameras everywhere in this house? When I play this tape for them everything that you've said they'll for sure believe you."

One thousand volt of shock electrocuted Vance's face. He began looking up and around for the cameras. He saw none.

"Lie! You're lying! You're fucking lying! Where's the camera?"

"They're hidden. One's behind you in that clock. One's in front you, one's to the side."

Vance ducked and tucked his head into his t-shirt's neck, foolishly blocking his face. He spun around and cantered into the door, fighting to get the heavy slab of a door open. Slipping and falling, getting up, slipping, falling to his ass, getting up, shouting.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

Qwan drove a hard right-hand fist crashing center into his face. A hard nose-punch. And yelled,

"You know how much heart pain you give your family? How much stress? Tears? And all of what you put Leelia through? Me through? Everybody through?"

Vance's nose was broken, leaking warm blood profusely. It was burning with a fiery pain, the blood feeling as if it was going to drown him as he suffocated to inhale and the heavy blood going up into his nasal cavity. He didn't know how to breathe. He caught breath through his mouth. Lengths of blood roped from his nose unto Qwan's expensive tile. Qwan didn't want the blood in his house. He opened the door,

"You greedy piece of low life shit!"

He wanted to kill Vance, but he thought it wasn't up to him. It was up to Vance's family. Vance skedaddled away. Scampering down the driveway.

Shouting, "Fucker you mek your father dead! A you next!"

Qwan wasn't sure what to make of his shout. Did he just say Dad was dead? He wasn't sure he heard right. Of course his father wasn't dead. He talked with him two days ago. But . . . He thought about it. He hadn't heard from his father since then. Now he was filled with trepidation. His heart didn't beat. It fluttered, fluttered hard, fast. He tried not to panic. Maybe he heard wrong. He had to have heard wrong, his father was healthy, fit. He was alive. He comforted himself. He's alive, stop worrying about your father being dead before you call down death on your father. He tried to not worry but it was a mountain of a task to not worry.

He looked at Vance's hand gestures hasting Mr. Willie to open the gate. Qwan had all he needed to prove to Leelia what had been happening. He picked up his phone and dialed his Dad's number. No answer. No ring. His phone was off. Maybe the battery died, not him. His father was alive. He dialed again. The phone was still off. His thumbs fumbled over the dial pad to dial his LIME number. All of a sudden he had to concentrate to remember all of the LIME number, a number he normally knew in his deepest of sleep. Finally he got it correct. Sent off the call

End of Episode 1.

#  BAD GAL PINKY

### A Scandalous Jamaican Soap Opera

### Episode 2

Richie Drenz

.

Kindle Edition

Copyright 2014 Richie Drenz

Published by the Drenz Publishing Co. (Ja.)

www.RichieDrenz.com

License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Illustration by Ricardo Ink

Editor, Roxanne Wright

First Drenz Publishing Printing October 2014

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Interior design and typesetting by Richie Drenz

~

What is Love? Love is the absence of Judgement

Dalai Lama

~

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure inventions of fiction.

### Table of Content

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

OFF TO PINKY'S HOME

CHAPTER 2

GONE WHERE?

CHAPTER 3

HERE COMES THE HOTSTEPPER

CHAPTER 4

PINKY REACH HOME NOW

CHAPTER 5

ANSWER THE QUESTION

CHAPTER 6

THE STORY OF THE LEXINGS

CHAPTER 7

YOUR MAN AND YOUR MOTHER BUSINESS

CHAPTER 8

TROUBLE NUH SET LIKE RAIN

CHAPTER 9

AS EASY AS ALKA SELTZER

CHAPTER 10

SOMEBODY INNA MI BEDROOM?

CHAPTER 11

SOMEBODY A HIDE IN YAH?

CHAPTER 12

SHOULD SHE TELL HIM THE TRUTH NOW?

CHAPTER 13

SET UP

BAD GAL PINKY

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

NO WAY HE CAN MAKE HER SEE IT?

CHAPTER 2

HOW MUCH IS PINKY WORTH?

CHAPTER 3

FEARS OF BEING A SINGLE MOTHER AGAIN

CHAPTER 4

SPIN AROUND

CHAPTER 5

BUSTED BY LOUD MOUTH PINKY

CHAPTER 6

WHO THIS NOW?

CHAPTER 7

TRY PREPARING FOR THE WORST

CHAPTER 8

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

CHAPTER 9

EXPLAIN THE UNEXPLAINABLE

CHAPTER 10

BEAUTIFULLY FRAMED BY A BESTFRIEND

CHAPTER 11

LEELIA FACES THE FIRE

CHAPTER 12

SHOT FIRED. BODY DOWN AND BLEEDING

CHAPTER 13

KILLED BY DAUGHTER

CHAPTER 14

WHY MI RATE AUBREA

CHAPTER 15

HEART TO HEART

BONUS

 "THE JAMAICAN NINJA BERT EXCERPT"

ABOUT AUTHOR

OTHER BOOKS BY RICHIE DRENZ

#  Acknowledgements

Since yet and still, I still don't have a son, I do have a Dad, Micol Campbell, with quite a humor. I think I took the funny genes from him. I remember in 1993 when I exploded his car and he made fun of the tyres. Everybody needs a Dad like that who no matter what, loves explosions.

As usual special thanks to my editor, Roxanne Wright and her superpowers. Thank you for understanding that this book is what inside of my head looks like. I thank you tremendously Roxie!

My Mom, Bevolyn Smith this one is for you too. Finally I wrote a book you can read. Yes Mom, it's not only sex in my head. Love you endlessly. Omeil Hutchinson, Lisa-Kay Campbell, Tashari DaSilva, Esther Rowe, Meme Williams, Jason Williams and Patrick 'Pajujah' Anderson have all been my spine and support in major ways with this project. I know I annoy you guys too, so get ready for book three. I promise I will be no less annoying. Thank you so much.

Kerstie Carver & Jodian Drenz Goffe, you know without a doubt, you are two of my biggest fans; your tattoos of me says it all Big ups straight! I hope I will continue to inspire you in all that I do. Beverley 'Kaye' Cole, Bonne Vie, Keisha Banton, Sheree Warner, Karma Moonfire, Melissa Drenz Meliboo Williams, Melissa Teddybear Drenz Manning, Candy Mac, Tanya Seymour, Tania Baker, Chivelle Drenz Hines, Sasha Drenz, Shay Drenzii Diamond, Candice Banton, Samantha Bryant, Nicola Shorter, Alethia Gooden, Sash Drenz Dawkins, Sasha Morgan, Jai Drenz Keiko, Fonce Drenz, Shanice Steve, Ashoikie Saunders, Terry Jackson, Danique Brown, Stacyann Taylor, Carla McLaughlin, Mellie Drenz, Rosa Wood, Brigette Hudson, Alisa 'Prim' Sato, Bri-Bri- Anderson, Jacqueline Jackson, Truestar Barriffe, Kaymoy Drenz Johnson, Yenshae Morgan, Donna Worlashape James, Biggy Drewsland, Ty Allwood, Pia 'Shorty' Drenz, Jamie-Lee Richards, Shanae Brooks, Debbie Goodas, Sophisticat 'Dancehallbiz.co.uk, Franz 'I am a Jamaican.com' Hoilett, Dre1alliance.com, Shev Morgan, Candice Williams, Kareen Johnson-Shirley, Ishanna Nunez, Tarcian Smith, Tru Sheba, Mesha Dale, Jheneal Black, Amoy Miller, Ronae White, Drenz Dee, Brenda Lee Moulton you all have a special place in my heart, all have been supportive in some way in whatever I do and for that I want to thank you highly.

Shout out to some of the top Drenzers. Some of these names are funny because it's their Facebook names, but oh well ... in no specific order:

Shaniece Wenoy Conie, Ras Tania Drenz, Venisha Williams, Aline Ko, Lia Dimepiece, Shannon Reid, Sammi Skittlezz Henry, Melissa Roye, Jamaican Bakergurl Flamez, Diana Newgirl Divine, Slim Baker, Carlton Whyte, Junior Collins, Mishyboo Mhm Lee, Kenesha Sexc Gadiare, NeishaFabulous Young, Monumental Drenz Barbie, Tracey Drenz Beckford, Marsha Dennis-Jack, Yecart Ramaj Snilloc, Oneil Pink, Breezy Thompson, Dionetta Johnson, La'Than Coleman, Gemini Neil, Divabbz Gordon Drenz, LadyWaxx Rookwood, Nicky Dias, Mandy Le Flock, Ali Boo, Annmarie Brown, Kadian Facey, Kranberi Williams, Dejah Beckles, Dianne Andlovingit, Shanice Chronic Sasha, Bonita Sonrisa, Renzii Hibbert, Antoinette Rochester, Christine Columbus, Karamel Johnson, Shanny Shan Pitter, Yaneka Artwell, Christal Smith, Felicity Fortis, Renee Harrison, Chiney Kaye, Kristen Powell, Cleopatra Isaac, Chrishelle Rose-Green, Kenese Richards, Q-Taz Guthrie, Nesha Slim, Cavvy-Ch Drenz, Trudyboo DrenzRock, Tanisha K. Wright, Gemini Martina Parris, Susie Stewart-Branch, Queenie Hunt, Sachail Drenz Toookute, Tashaa Rodrigues, Shana Lee Cummings, Kemo Harley, Susie Stewart-Branch, Vicky Senior, Karen Kelly, Karen Risner, Samantha Stuart, Kelly Hanson, Tashema Forth, Lesi Cole, Lisa Phillips, Erica Malcolm, Kadian Samuels, Janine Foster, Baby Shash Whyte, Shauna-Lee Gouldbourne, Sancii Cuteface, Sherry Berry Henry, Angie Drenz Jen, Nandee-Ranae Backford, Marsha Lewis, Izzie reid, Andrea Mitchell, Neishy Nesh, Paula Love, Rashida Ramsee, Sarneik Barnes, Kaydeen McKenzie, Lorraine Drenz Campbell, Shauna Thomas, Kay-Kay Versatile, Tinesha Bowyer, Danalee Dunn, Pinky Bristish, Marsha Nelly, Marsha Nelson, Latoya Prettystyle, Melisa Darby, Lovely Jillian, Shanice Ramsay, Miz Empress Murphy, Chanty Summer, Valene Sewell, Angel Sosiq Drenz, Kaii-Kaii Dowie, Annmarie Dacres, Laurie Sanford, Grace Drenz-Zoel, Nesha Faboulous Young, Lattie Toya –Toyz, Channette Dell-Anderson, SaiChi Drenz Kafka, Heather Esson, Nicarla Baby-Drenz Baxter, Netts Diamond Ekralc, Tokayan Graham, Ro Ma, Excellent Tameka, Shannel Johnson, Zonya Simpson-Drenz, Zanika Davis, Alexis Vis, Latoya Lyn, Jaqueline Johnson, Kemii Allen, Kadian Smith, Jamie-Lee Taylor, Jasmin Tomlinson, LisaDiva Phillips, Kayd Forbes, Nicky Dias, Janet Gilzean, Flav Rasstar Ramsey, Cody Gallimore, Paula Hudson Stewart, Jenel Daisy, Shawna Gayle, Kadian Samuels, Kaykay Versatile, Shaneka Warren, Sugar Bear, Shaniel Anderson, Judy Jillian Bartley, Nadia Macombè, Shaktianna Drenz Chica, Brithaney Logan, Dadrian Drenz Lyons, Karen Bucknor, Jade Drenz Dean, Andrea Morris, Callmia Yaadie, Shanikia Bartley, Dia Jhovanna, Kemone Stoner, Shawna-Lee Smith, Kadian Cohen, Sherece Drenz Reid, Venice Dacres, Eunice Mandison, Mango Pilot, Shakira McLean,CallMia Yaadie, Sammy Wright, Davina Ebanks-Russell, Judine Goodasfidem, Kadene Gibson, Kooli Badu and Shelly-Simone TooImpulsive, HottSpice Jones, Monique Blessed Thomas, Petrona Ferrigon, Mandy Drenz, Kadian Cohen, Brezzybaby Drenz Campbell, Kirsten Anderson, Toni-Ann Shaneika Sanderson, Jean Gilzean, Drenie Wellable AndHappy, Debra Henningham, Ateika DrenzBlessings Wade, Vanessa Levy, Jodian-EvaKlean-Drenz Noteman, Apple Keisha McCreath, Sherri-Gay Douglas Grandison, Biggy Drewsland, Shauna Gayle, Kimone Williams, Santana Irresistible Campbell, Stacy Grant, Victoria Francis, Melessa Jones, NadineDionne Drenz Reid, Jessica James, Shanty HQ, Tiffany Dinham, Janine Supercute Foster, Sonia RastaQueen Bryan, Samantha Clarke, Fayane Brown, Samii Sam-Sam Iyana, Studyufrendem Holness, Star Candy, Kim Thompson, Lorraine Bubblious-Drenz Campbell, Stacy Ann Miller, Goodbody 'iLoveher' Lee, Hasiena Smith, Cornelia Alexander, Chantell Bailey, Gord'n D'Roy Drenz Nacquia, Samantha Wright, Amoi McPherson, Kimone Grant, Marjorie Denton, Joanne Francis, Kundai QueenNzinga Kasese, Petagaye Young, Tracy-Ann Morris, Kelly-Jo Mcleggan, Tracyann Everbless Bennett, Charnacaye Chambers, KamPar Drenz Whithak, Samantha B. Richards, Jody-Ann Lewis, Cameka Hairblessings, Tari Aaron, Tanya C. Mullings, Nadia Dannison, Natasha Hamilton.

### Dedicated to

### Biggy Drewsland

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#  CHAPTER 1

##  NO WAY HE CAN MAKE HER SEE IT?

How the fuck mi get up off a the bed and hide dat deh black dildo now? How the fuck mi hide dat without Pinky notice? Weh the fuck this pon mi tonight star? Finaral looked to the ceiling and asked the devil.

Pinky catching Munchy under the bed was on his backburner now. On the front was the scandal and shame of him having a big black thick dildo in his bedroom. The gay rumors that would surface because of this. His Donship mocked. His ego squished. His respect gone. Finaral fucking with a dildo or taking a dildo up in his ass. It wasn't a good looking photograph.

Pinky kept turning away and the only thing Finaral could think about doing was grabbing her. And that he did too hard. He yanked her around to him and said,

"Weh you did a seh you want seh to mi?" He spoke a bit too speedily, as if racing to say what he had to say.

Pinky didn't like the look of dementia in his eyes. She shrugged, averted her gaze and said "You know wha Finaral, maybe now really a nuh the right time fi mi seh dem sup'n yah."

" _Hsst_. Babes just talk nuh Man."

He wasn't truly impatient he just wanted to initiate anything that would deter her attention opposite the horse-size dildo.

"You sure you naaw go act a fool when mi tell you?"

"Mi nuh know enuh. Depends."

He was sure no matter what she said it wouldn't faze him. He was too mentally entrapped with thoughts of the buggering dildo, sodomization, the rumors, he just didn't want no way in hell to get caught with it in the room. What would be his explanation to the pink-skin hothead for that rubber cock?

"See! Mi naaw tell you then. Mek it stay!"

She snapped her body away and turned onto her side to the other direction. His heart thudded spectacularly hard. He quickly yanked her shoulder again and said,

"Alright, alright. Everything good. Talk."

She bowed her head toward his chest, "Answer mi first. You sure you naaw go vex?"

"Mi nuh just answer you. Yes. Just talk."

Pinky inhaled half of the air in the room in one breath. Exhaled. Then raised her brows to look up at him with her head still bowed.

"Well, since the other day mi a wonder if a the best thing this."

"If 'this' wha?" He sharply propped himself up, she shifted her head out his range of movement. He perched back on his bended elbows. At the same time sneakingly looking to see how far the dildo was. Oh my God! It was in plain sight. His heart floored. His pulse thudded dully and forcefully at his ears temples. Pinky began to turn away from him again. He felt his blood surging to his head, a vessel about to burst. The rumors. The batty rumors. The big black dildo. Oh fuck no. If Pinky saw the dildo and started talking shit he swore to the devil he would put her name on a bullet, and tonight's date.

He snatched her back around. How many times can he keep snatching her around tonight before she saw the black false cock that Munchy had brought and used?

His words came out disoriented.

"If, if . . . If wha a the best thing?"

Pinky heard the fluctuations in his voice and thought that what she was telling him was stirring his anger. She decided to be strategic in the way she divulged her damnable medical secret.

She didn't want to just shove her secret under the cold shower in the bathroom. She wanted to test the waters first, so she gaged by using the 'if' scenario. From there she would decide how much of her shielded medicals she would tell him. The only person who knew about her pregnancy was Munchy. And Munchy wouldn't say a word to him.

Her voice was peaceful, calm, a lover to lover voice in the bedroom.

"What if I was pregnant for you and mi abort it? What would—"

Finaral didn't even give her a chance to finish her 'what-if', the split of a second she mentioned the word 'abort' he hot-bloodedly said,

"Joke you a joke, right?" He ran his hand backward through his Indian hair.

"No. Mi serious. Mi want reason wid you 'bout this thing peacefully. Please, just mek we talk it through."

"Pinky, God know, mi can't talk 'bout abortion fi mi youth. At my age mi more than ready fi mi youth. Mi woulda never mek you do abortion."

"But what if —"

He raised his voice, "But what if wha!? Wha really wrong wid you? You know how mi really want a youth and you a ask man dem fuckery yah? You a pussyclawt idiot? Any day name day you go do abortion wid fi mi pickney, kill mi youth, just kill your fucking self too 'cause mi a go kill you bloodclawt. Mi promise you that. Worse like how—"

"Stop get so uncivilized nuh Finaral. You sound like a 'butoo'. Just mek we talk like two big people."

"So nuh talk mi a talk?"

"No, a curse you a curse."

" _Hsst_. Weh all a deh argument yah fa? You a breed?"

Everything stopped. Warm blood flooded her ear drums. She missed several beats before answering. He looked at her directly in her eyes then looked down on her brown belly. She answered the best answer she thought there was to give in this moment in time.

#  CHAPTER 2

##  HOW MUCH IS PINKY WORTH?

"No mi naaw breed Finaral. But look . . ." She swallowed before she continued. "Mi don't get no time to better myself enuh. Is like mi always a breed. If mi fi pregnant right now you nuh think seh mi shoulda take some control a wha a happen inna mi life? Mi can't just leave everything to God suh, mi affi do something fi help miself. Mi affi mek a decision and just stand by it. God help those who help themselves. Mi want a change Man, God know and mi affi try help miself too—"

"Pinky you a breed?" It jolted out of his mouth with an aggressive grit.

She turned and looked to him, her voice shamefully lowered. "No Finaral. Mi naaw breed."

"You sure?" He asked firmly.

"Of course mi sure." She efforted to strengthen the confidence in her voice. She went on to dig deeper, trying to skew his views on the abortion issue and the timing in her life to get pregnant. "'Member seh, mi get two sons already enuh. Two a dem a fi two different baby- father and mi just a twenty-four. You really feel seh mi fi have a next baby-father already? Anytime mi a get a next baby a must after mi married that. Mi think the third one can wait little, mi have time. Mi need fi just tek some control over mi life."

"You know you a straight disrespect mi though?" His voice was forceful and higher than hers, and now the dildo was off his mind.

She wanted more than ever for him to at least look at the situation objectively if not from her side. She was venting her soul to him and he was just being so one tracked. So hard. Her spirits rose. She raised her voice a notch.

"Diss you how? Mi want better miself and try the education thing before mi breed again and sup'n wrong wid that? What type a man you be just a think 'bout yourself? Wha 'bout weh mi want outta life? Mi jus a twenty-four!! Two pickney nuh mean seh mi life done. At least mi want gi miself a chance, do some subjects, it nuh too late. Then apply fi Mass Communication or sup'n up a U.W.I. like Leelia."

The stiffness in Finaral's body relaxed and his eyes dulled, a soft gloomy dullness. He spoke softly,

"How you know seh mi nuh plan fi married you?" Pinky's breath was held involuntarily when she heard that.

It wasn't just what he said. It was how he said it. The emotion, the feeling he said those words with. It moved her. Tugged her. Her heart shook in a good way. A loving way. A cuddly feeling type of way. He continued in the same tone. "And you nuh coulda do all a that after mi youth born?"

"That a when? When mi a thirty?"

"Then say if you two months pregnant right now Pinky, think 'bout it, nuh only seven more months woulda lef' fi mi youth born? You nuh coulda just bill till dem time deh. Then you go school after. Weh di haste fa?"

"Mi want own mi own things and work mi own money. Legally."

"Work fi wha when mi a tek care a you?"

"Tek care a me? Tek care a Tammi. Wha 'bout Perry? Mi want independent. Mi want mi youth dem fi comfortable, mi want dem fi eat nuff saltfish. Mi nuh want affi a depend pon you or nuh man and affi a sell weed. Mi want a good life fi mi kids dem. Mi want dem know seh dem mother try be sup'n inna life suh dem must try too. Mi want be a example fi dem waan elevate demself."

Finaral couldn't figure out where all of this was coming from. He only stared at her absorbing her outburst. It seemed to have been a perennial feeling, something she had buried in her heart for a very long time now. He knew there was some sense to what she was saying, _but it was nonsense_. If she was pregnant she had to carry his child. Argument done.

"If mi nuh hustle mi nuh have nothing fi miself enuh. You never a pree that? Everything in yahso a fi you. As bad as Shawn be, you think if a mi and him did live him woulda treat mi suh and a all put outside woman above mi?"

"Which outside woman you a talk 'bout? How you suh jealous?"

"Tammi!! Tammi mi a talk."

His face knotted, "Weh Tammi get over you Babe?"

"Nuh she you gi your white Honda and mi affi a tek taxi same way?"

"Yow. You cold enuh my girl." Finaral wrung his head to the right hard and elevated his face to look over on her directly. "Look from when mi ask you fi look 'bout your license so mi can buy you a van? How much time mi ask you now and all now you nuh dweet." He paused a breath, she didn't respond. He readjusted his elbows he was using to prop up himself and twisted his torso more toward her. "You think mi woulda tek up deh old car deh gi you? Come on Man. You know mi better than that. Is a new ride mi di a pree why everyday mi a tell you seh fi learn how fi drive. Learn how fi drive. Learn how fi drive. And from mi pay fi the driving class dem fi you, how much different time . . . you go even one?"

Pinky was silent. Then blurted out,

"A only four time you pay! Stop gwaan like —"

"Four _different_ time. Which one you go?"

Pinky did not want to admit that she hadn't gone to any. She instead blurted out again,

"Stop tell lie. You never did a go buy mi nuh pretty van. Wha mek you never tell mi long time mek mi go sort out mi license?"

"Mi naaw fi tell you that, mi tell you fi look 'bout your license. Wha else that coulda mean? You think a cow mi did gone gi you fi you siddung inna dem back and ride it go down a town inna traffic?" He chuckled at his humor, even in the dark you could see that he had perfect teeth. White and straight.

A small, closed lip laugh came from Pinky under her breath, then she said, "But Finaral. If you did tell mi long time seh you ago buy one crissas fi mi, mi woulda go look 'bout it already enuh." There were some fireworks in her eyes too.

"Well you know now."

His smile was convincing, but something else didn't add up when Pinky ruminated about it. So she popped the question.

"Finaral, you tek mi fi Big Bird enuh. Wha 'bout the money weh you gi har a month time?"

He flipped onto his back. Breathed out staring at the ceiling fan. Then after a few seconds folded his body up in a sitting position and said, "Hold on deh mek mi show you sup'n."

He was trying to kill two birds with one brick now. He wanted to kick away the dildo under the bed like he tried with the heels and at the same time get the paper out his drawer to show Pinky.

He rolled over Pinky, mindful not to rest the bulk of his weight on her. He got off the bed, casually stepped by the dildo on his way to the drawer and retrieved the paper out the drawer.

Walking by the plastic cock, he realized from the angle it was at and the fact that Pinky's face was now turned to him that if he kicked it hard enough, it would be too noticeable and the plastic it was constructed with would give out a dull hoofing sound, so he used his foot and brushed it up closer. At the same time trying not to look awkward or bringing her attention to his stride. The small brushing kick he swept it with barely did anything and he had already walked by. The soft silicone wasn't just a coating, the dildo wasn't hollow, it wasn't light. It was heavy. Far heavier than he expected. The dildo almost stayed in place and he wanted to die.

One golden opportunity and it was blown.

He couldn't show the anguish in his face but he couldn't pretend smile either, his feelings were too dark. His face was blank as he climbed back in bed and unfolded the bank statement.

The set of important information Pinky read that affected her brain were, Account holder, ' _Tameek Lexings_ , a/c# _95505-3039_ Balance as at 30 June - _$89,362,191.82'_

Pinky's heart swooned from her elation. She was absolutely bowled over. She was wide eyed with more fireworks than 11:59pm on December 31.

This got to be a fucking dream. She was beyond happy but she wanted to faint. She couldn't have been a millionaire all along and had no idea. Finaral wouldn't have. Would he? Pinky still couldn't speak. It was eighty-nine fucking million dollars. The lotto was in her bank account. Finaral did a mischievous chuckle when he saw that the cat had cut out her tongue and tonsil. She was dumb.

"Tammi was just fi do business P. How mi fi put dem gal deh over you? A true mi need har inna di link fi seh di money legal, mi just link wid har and gi har a change every now and again. Mi have a next account with your name alone pon it too."

"So how you never tell mi! You a idiot?!" She said it a bit attacking and fierce. Finaral didn't know what to make of her attitude. Was she really just too happy or was she really just too angry? "A mad you want mad mi?"

"Mi never need fi tell you P. After you nuh short a nothing. You naaw fi spend a dollar coin out a your thing. Everything weh mi have, nuh fi mi and fi you Man. And you done know that already too, so mi nuh know weh you a kill out yourself 'bout school fa?"

"But you coulda just tell mi long time." Pinky eyes were flaming. She drove a hard punch in his chest. "You is a bloodclawt wicked!"

His eyes flashed to large then shock then anger then violence. She doubled her fist tighter. Fisted at his coolie face. He dodged it. Her fist plunged into the pillow. He held her hand. She raised the left. He grabbed it at her wrist hard. Shook her. Shook her. Shook her.

"A wha do you gal?" He shouted. His jaws hard and the stringy lines of muscles twitching along his jaw. Tears came to her eyes. Poured. Poured. Poured.

"A wha Pinky? A wha happen to you?!"

#  CHAPTER 3

##  FEARS OF BEING A SINGLE MOTHER AGAIN

Concern and care took Finaral's face. Pinky's face got ugly quick. The tears kept pouring down harder. It was like a sudden hard shower of rain. The tears had come suddenly from out of nowhere.

"Pinky? Pinky? Wha wrong Babes?"

She heaved and her back kept slightly bumping up and down as she cried.

"Talk to mi nuh Babes. Talk to mi." She tried to free her hand. He willing let her go. She covered her eyes. He took her into his bosom. Hugged her into his chest.

"I'm sorry Babes. I'm sorry. I thought, I thought I was doing you a good thing. I didn't know—"

"Why you never tell me?! Why?! Why?! Why?!"

Finaral didn't have a clue what she was regretting. Why the sudden burst of tears? The sudden burst of anger and violence? But he knew whatever it was, it was hurting way deep. Way, way deep. He had never witnessed her fallen into tears just like that ever before. He wished he could stop her soul from pouring out.

"Mi sorry Babes. But mi tell you long time seh your thing good, you naaw fi a worry 'bout nothing."

"You know mi coulda help Vance and you never—"

"Vance? That deh battybo—" He snipped his words. The big black dildo on the floor. The thought of gay sex and attacking it right now was the wrong time.

"Babes, Babes. A that you a worry 'bout Vance alright enuh. Tammi seh him have an account there too. She seh it loaded."

Her mind was still drifting in aloof. She couldn't believe the figure she saw, eighty-nine million and change. The more she thought about the figure the more she wondered if this was reality. Wondered if he was just playing her. Like Mr. Douglas played Leelia. She soured her face. He tried to look into her eyes through her murky tears. Their eyes meet, Pinky asked,

"Finaral, you love mi?" She blinked trying to clear the cloudiness the tears caused in her vision. "Like really, really love mi?"

"Babes, no matter wha mi come home to you every single night, nuh must rate mi rate you P. A just tough love sometimes, you see it. Notice seh mi never just get up and put mi hand pon you, a always you first. A you a mi everything. But . . . but . . . Sometimes." He tore his gaze away from hers, shaking his head side to side. "Sometimes mi nuh know how fi show love. God know. God know. Mi grow rough, mi nuh grow wid nuh mother, mi nuh grow 'round nuh love. Gorilla life is all mi know. And mi know seh sometimes you want deh romantic part deh, and mi a try. God know. All one time mi did a pree fi suck—" He shook his head harder, made a huge bloated sigh. "Sometimes mi get aggressive and God know a you always draw mi out, 'cause the amount a thing you get weh wid nuh other gal couldn't try that and still a breathe air today. But mi rate you straight. From the first day mi meet you mi rate you and mi never stop rate you."

"You love mi and you nuh love Perry?"

"Mi stand up to my responsibility enuh. You can't seh you nuh live good. But mi naaw tek on nuh other man responsibility, you hear dat? A just suh the thing set."

Somehow, instead of blowing a fuse, Pinky softened a bit. She went into her head thinking, really and truly none of my sons are his compulsory duty or responsibility. But him must can use him discretion. And weh him a save up di money and a hide it from me fa? Mi living now. A now mi want dem money deh fi use. But even wid all that money, mi still want do something fi miself. Fi mek mi feel proud a miself. Mek my son dem proud a me.

"Think 'bout it though Finaral, you don't want have a intelligent girl inna your corner? A girl wid education as your woman?"

Finaral knew if he said yes, he would be saying yes to her not getting pregnant until she finished school. The question rubbed him the wrong way. "A mi rassclawt youth dem mi want inna my corner, a just that you fi try understand, you a chat bay fuckery inna people ears."

His rage rubbed Pinky the wrong way too. She wanted for him to realize that she wanted to be a better her. He wasn't even trying to compromise. Actually, he was ambitiously asking for more than one instead. Like when rat have rodents in groups and bundles.

"Youth dem? Dem? _Hmmph_ , good luck wid that Sir. Mi doubt mi even a give you one."

"Then suppose mi get you pregnant?"

"Mi seh! Mi doubt mi even a gi you one. You nuh understand dat?"

" _Hmph_. Aww sah . . ." He shook his head with a faint smile on his face. "Aww sah. Mi affi laugh. Any how you have no abortion, mi shoot you straight through your nose bridge. Think mi a mek you come disrespect Man. Nuh bother through you see mi a laugh, you better tek mi serious."

"How ' _disrespect you'_ drop in? How mi fi tek our relationship serious when you can't accept Perry?"

Finaral turned onto his side facing her, supported under a single elbow.

"How mi fi take up other man youth and mind them? After mi a nuh foster home. A dem fi mind dem youth." He flashed the sheet off his leg and sat at the edge of the bed. She heard a low rattle. It sounded as if it came from the closet. Rats. She sat up straight in the bed. She was certain somebody or something was in the closet that Finaral didn't want her to find out about. One dead giveaway was that she found it so strange that Finaral wasn't hearing the rattles because even if a pin dropped in his deepest of sleep he grabbed his gun. He slept with his gun out on the bedside table, he was that paranoid. Paranoid that one of his victim's family or people may seek revenge. He slept light and alert all the time.

She wondered, So how comes him naaw hear dem noise yah and him wide awake? Mek mi hold on little, 'cause him think mi a idiot. Watch weh a go gwaan. Mi ago play the fool like mi nuh hear and mi nuh wise and mi ago answer him question.

"Well none a dem naaw support dem, and Perry daddy not even in Jamaica. That's why mi need something fi miself. Something solid. Since dem nuh have no father. Mi affi support them somehow, don't? And when you get up and gone leave mi with a third one, weh mi do? Suffer with three?"

Her fears of being impregnated and left alone for the third time in her life were real fears. They haunted her. She didn't regret her children, she loved them, but she regretted the situation she created them in and how they would have to grow fatherless.

She could never bear the guilt of the same with a third child. It would kill her. It was one of the things in life that she dreaded the most. She had sworn before that she would never ever be with another man just to avoid ever getting into that situation where the child was fatherless. She would never make that mistake again. But life had a sleight-of-hands. And Finaral had gotten her pregnant.

Only if Finaral could assure her that he would be there for his child always, if she could get a ring on it. If he would just marry her, really make her his queen, then maybe she would still think that's not enough.

Nothing could really assure her that he would always be a part of his child's life. It was just a ring and a ceremony. People get divorced every day. She did not want a fatherless child. And as the thought consumed her mind she got even more adamant and certain that nothing could make her have a third child. No condition was a guarantee. The fear of fatherless children sometimes petrified her. Now was one of the times.

"Don't try come style man wid dem boy deh weh you did deh wid enuh. You think mi and them a the same thing? Mi naaw run weh lef' mi youth, 'member that."

"That deh argument nuh new to mi enuh Finaral. And it nuh frighten mi neither. The two a them did seh the same thing weh you a seh yah now. A weh dem deh now?"

"Mi naaw run lef' mi youth!"

There was a stagnant pause between them. She could feel the weight of the silence in the room pressing in her ear drum. She wasn't getting through to him and to be truthful, even though she knew he would maybe never leave his baby, she really didn't think so, _but she did_. She trusted no father.

She went to the back door of her mind and reasoned with herself. As far as mi see it, him woulda prefer take him baby wid him even if we split. But still, she was worried about something much bigger and much more likely to happen. She thought about it hard before saying it, trying not to make him any angrier because she's not having his baby now, or ever.

"Fin, mi rate you enuh, mi naaw lie, but . . ." Her wiggle in the bed unconcealed her discomfort, "Let's be real. Every night when you go mash works, you know weh deh pon mi mind? You know why mi can't sleep?" Finaral didn't answer and his posture wasn't as stiff anymore. "Mi a fret Finaral, mi a fret. Mi a fret seh nothing nuh happen to you. Fret seh you nuh get chop; fret seh you nuh get shot. Mi a fret if you ago come back alive or not. Fret seh you nuh dead. Even when you just go pon the road fi hang out mi a fret. You think so much fretting good fi live wid? You know how that feel?"

Finaral's heart quailed at her loving concern but as far as he was concerned Pinky was talking shit.

"You a idiot? Who can kill mi? Not even Dog Teet coulda kill mi."

"Cartoon Superman, mi know this hard fi you believe but you can _dead_ **.** You never know? Just like anybody else. Anybody can kill you. Stop chat like you nuh sensible. If Vybz tek up a gun right now and rest it a your head and pull the trigger, you naaw dead?"

It was one of the most horrible example Pinky could have used. The thought of Vybz ultimately being the traitor for his downfall, his death grew more solid. Plus, Finaral could never stand when Pinky talked to him in this manner, you could see from the sour on his face.

"Vybz can't bloodclawt do mi nothing! Nobody can't try nothing pon Man just suh. You mad!"

"Police can kill you, your enemy dem, your friend dem, anybody. Mi sure know seh if mi pump a shot inna you right now, through your heart wid deh gun deh pon the table, guess wha ago happen to you Superman? Just guess. You think ago fly? Or dead?"

It hit a bone in Finaral. Not everything. Not about being the immortal Superman, which indeed he was. Not the police, or the enemy killing him like she mentioned, but the friend. As soon as she mentioned the friend it struck a bone in him. For the first time in years, Finaral felt vulnerable. If the traitor Vybz could fuck Portia then—

"You see how life funny?" Finaral swiftly asked, "You same one did a curse out Portia and call her cemetery belly because you hear 'bout her four abortion dem. Now hear weh you really a pree fi do."

There was a silence big enough in the room to swallow the whole scheme. The thoughts on both minds were heavy and deep. Something disturbed Pinky's thoughts.

It was something she heard. A noise. A peculiar rattle.

It came from somewhere in the room. She briskly brought her gaze in worry down the hall, through the living room and to the door. Pinky wasn't a coward, but as far as she knew it could be anyone of Finaral's enemies. Her mind quickly flitted on her sons, Perry, Dushawn, my sons. Her heart caved in a hole, anticipating who will enter. She was certain she heard something. She wasn't paranoid but it wasn't the closet. Finaral didn't move an inch. She looked to his gun on the bedside table.

"A wha dat?"

"Wha? Mi nuh hear nothing." He was as cool as drinking ice water with your icy mint. She turned her head back to the door and kept a steady gaze. She took deep calm, breaths, wandering off in thoughts. She opened her mouth, spilling her thoughts.

"Even if mi shoulda carry the baby how mi woulda even tell Leelia mi a breed again?"

"You 'fraid fi tell Ms. Stooshy? She can beat you?"

"Beat? Go easy Man. Just nuh want she feel bad 'bout mi as her big sister, you see it?"

"Feel bad how? . . . Because she live wid a uptown man, or did live wid a uptown man and you live with a thug? Stop think and pree other people and weh dem ago seh. Live _your_ life. And live _your_ life fi _you_. Nobody else. Nuh live your life fi nuh family or nuh friend."

Pinky was quiet and soaking in all. What he had said maybe was true. It seemed to hold some truth to it. Should she care how Leelia felt about her? Was she accountable to Leelia or anyone for her lifestyle? While they continued to live their life however they wanted.

Finaral continued, "Mi a good man, and you know no matter wha you affi carry mi youth, so mi nuh know weh dem argument yah fa."

"Well Finaral you ever a style mi youth and a talk 'bout how Perry a nuh yours and dis and dat, horse dead and cow fat. And see deh now. See how now you a beg mi fi carry yours, well is my time now, mi can tek this as mi payback. Mi a put miself above your needs and weh you want, mi naaw carry your pickney, mi a go back a school and sort out mi life like weh Leelia seh."

Fire flamed through Finaral's eyes. "Yow! If you breed you affi carry my pickney enuh! A nuh ask mi a ask you dat. A _tell_ mi a _tell_ you dat!"

"How you a go make mi carry it? Shoot mi, kill mi? So you ago mek mi carry it? You think you gun can solve everything don't?"

She felt Finaral's five fingers, they were around her throat, they felt as if they were squeezing through her wind pipe; squeezing the life out her throat, digging in deep. She whammed a tough knee in his gut. Her eyes ran water involuntarily. She flashed her head looking to the floor. Her eyes met the big black long dildo.

#  CHAPTER 4

##  SPIN AROUND

His father's LIME number was off too. Now a real concern tidal-waved in him. He tried to comfort himself. He was sure his father didn't die. He dialed another number. The person answered, he spoke,

"Wanna show you something. How far you reach?"

"Don't speak to me Qwan! You are disgusting! So fucking disgusting. I will never ever in this life time forgive you . . ."

"Wait, wait, wait, before you go any further Lee, Just give me a chance."

"Never! I can't think of anyone who I hate more than you right now. If you know what's—"

"Lee! Just listen, Please. I did this for you and your family."

"How can you have the nerve to say you did this for me and my—"

"Just stop and listen please Lee. Listen. I had to do what I had to do to prove something to you. It's not like you think. I'm not gay. And I couldn't tell you what's up without proof, you wouldn't believe me. Your whole family was in too deep to believe me if I ever had just said it. I had to have proof. I'm not gay."

"If what you're going to do to my brother isn't ga—" Leelia broke her sentence and looked across at the cab driver. She didn't felt comfortable mentioning her brother and gay in the same sentence around people. She didn't want to send off the wrong signal.

"If I had told you what I really think was happening you wouldn't believe me. I had to get solid proof or let you hear and see it for yourself." Qwan repeated himself.

"See what? What's that?"

"Just come, I don't wanna say. Just come and you'll see. It's for your whole family to see. Don't know how y'all will react but I think you all need to see this."

"What you talking about? So where is Vance? You and him . . ." Leelia looked across at the driver again, then she switched her words to ones more disguised, "I mean . . . Is he ok?"

"He's gone."

"Gone? He didn't bother?" He got the money? What happened?"

Leelia's thoughts flittered all over the place. She fanned her hand up and down at the windscreen as if stopping a taxi and told the cab driver, "Slow down little."

She said it trapped in a different world. Stuck inside her head and emotions. She tried to prepare her heart for what could be ahead. It was as if she could feel the bad vibe. She had no idea what was happening around her anymore, totally stuck in thoughts, her heart sank. A huge black worry swallowed her heart. She could feel it, sense it, she knew it was really big.

But she had no idea if was life altering.

"You want a stop?" The cab driver asked. She didn't hear him, still trapped inside her head.

Qwan spoke in the phone.

"You don't have to stay here a minute Lee. What you'll pick up is the answer to all your questions and more. Just come and pick this up, that's all. I promise." Qwan's voice was a blur to her too.

"Is a stop you want my girl?" The driver tried to barge through her statued stolidity.

"Ahh . . . Yes . . . Well . . . No." Her hand held her handbag and she used the hand to draw a circle in the air and said, "Spin it around, turn around."

"Mek up your mind. Weh mi fi do?"

"Turn around, turn around. Just turn around. I left something. Bring me back to the same house."

Leelia spoke in the phone. "Alright, just give me ten minutes."

"Good." Qwan said, "When last you heard from Dad?"

Leelia went absolutely dumb for five everlasting seconds. And out of nowhere her heart felt swollen with emotions. With guilt. With remorse. A tear cracked her eyes. She tried not to make the sound of her sob be heard in the phone. From sex with her father-in-law, to finding out the man she had married to was her brother, to finding out her father-in-law she had sex with was her real father, to being on her way now to finding out something big, to being trapped in a case of murder. Her entire summer was dark beyond moonless midnights.

Qwan was her brother. Her belly hurled. Oh Jesus, should she even let him know? Did he know? What if he did? He couldn't have known, could he?

"Leelia? Lee?"

She sniffled a bit too loudly. She hoped he hadn't realized she was crying. "Huh?" She answered.

"I was asking when last you heard or seen Dad?"

" _Ahhm_ , I don't, I don't. I don't know."

"Are you listening to yourself right now? You don't know when last you've seen Dad . . . I'm kinda worried here, can't you tell?"

"Well, yeah. I don't know. I'm just all flustered right now. Maybe like some days ago."

"Listen. Talk to me. Like how many days ago?"

Now Leelia was having a change of heart. She didn't want to go to his house to be grilled with questions about his father. She felt responsible for his death. He was murdered at her house. Her in-law did it. She could be an accessory to and corroboration of murder. This was fucking big. She was in college. She was seeing the jail bars big in front her future instead of lecturers. Qwan was her brother.

The driver looked over at her rolling tears.

"You alright Slims?"

She nodded yes thrice trying to suck in her tears and toughen up.

"Qwan we need to talk."

She didn't wait for his response, she hung up. Tried to gather herself for a confrontation that may be worse than yesterday's .

"You sure you alright Slims?"

#  CHAPTER 5

##  BUSTED BY LOUD MOUTH PINKY

As she saw the dildo she didn't even think straight. All she knew was that some fucking happened in her room. Probably on her bed. Her good-good pretty comforter. The one she had just went under and wrapped herself in. Some gal naked pussy was rubbing and fucking up in. Pinky was almost naked, she didn't have on any blouse and her legs were naked and the comforter was all over her. Pinky got a rage of power out of nowhere. She caught him under his chin with a hard fist and swiftly followed up with one deafening his throat.

He let go of her throat and held on to his.

"With all the wind left in her lungs she shouted out,

"Weh you a do wid dildo inna mi room Finaral?!."

She was loud. Loud enough for night walkers by to hear. Loud enough for her closest neighbor to hear. Loud enough for her furthest neighbor on the block to hear. Finaral looked to the dildo. His heart hammered in his stomach. Who heard the shout? His name and dildo in the same sentence. What were they thinking? How does he explain?

For the first time in Finaral's life, he felt fear slither down his spine. He wasn't even this afraid of death. But the horrors of talks going around that he's using a dildo in his bedroom immobilized his heart's beating and his nose ventilated.

" _Ssshh_! Stop you loud talking nuh gal!"

"Stop the loud talking mi bloodclawt!"

"Hey gal a wha do you?"

"A wha do _youuuu_?! 'Bout a wha do me . . . Weh that come from?"

"Hold on nuh, hold on nuh."

"Hold on pon wha!?" Pinky was loud, "Weh dat come from?! Mi nuh own nuh big black ugly dildo enuh, 'cause mi nuh want dem freaky sup'n deh inna mi hole, so tell mi weh dat come from?"

"Hey gal tek time talk enuh and mind you mek people deh one side a hear and a think seh—"

"And a think seh wha? And a think seh wha?"

Finaral was silent. He looked up at her under his eyes not fully looking at her.

"And people seh you a battyman? Seh you a gay? Seh you deh yah a fuck yourself wid a big black bloodclawt dildo a day time when mi nuh deh yah?"

Finaral snapped. The idea of people saying he was gay was a reality. A life-altering reality. A wretched feeling embalmed his whole body. He felt sissy-ed, emasculated, de-thugged. He swung hard at her torso. She stepped back from the range of his swinging fist. It barely breezed by her aching belly. She didn't strike back.

"Oh so the truth hurts Finaral? The truth hot you bloodclawt?"

Pinky was still being loud. Finaral wanted her to quiet down so they could talk. But Pinky would not stop being loud with everything she said. He thought about how he could silence her. Only one way he knew how – the gorilla way. He looked over to the bedside table, at his gun. Was gun really the solution to all his problems? Was Vybz right when he cursed that he couldn't resort to his gun for everything? Was Pinky right?

But he wasn't thinking about shooting her to kill her. Just to shoot her so she could be quiet. Just a nice bullet in her shoulder, her leg or hand. He whizzed off to the bedside table.

Heart and mind in the wrong place. Just a shot in her shoulder. A single shot like he did Portia, like he did Vybz. That would quiet her. Or make her louder. It was a risk he was willing to take. His little trick usually worked. One shot. Pinky bent to the floor to pick up the sixteen inch dildo. She saw two eyes through the darkness under her bed.

"A weh the bloodclawt this now!" She was frightened but loud and brave and bad. "Hey gal you dead!"

Finaral spun around instantly.

Pinky charged to whoever was under the bed. She was about to give them far more than a flower pot in the face. Finaral defended whosoever was under their bed. Chucked his body across the mattress. Pinky was determined to kill whoever was under the bed. She dove under the bed just to get a hand on her or him or it or God.

The person crawled swiftly, scurrying away to the other side. Pinky caught an ankle. Held it. The person kicked with the other foot. Pinky collected the hard kick in her mouth. It busted her bottom lip. That power in the kick must be the power of a man or a horse or God. The barefoot felt like a cricket bat swung powerfully into her mouth. No way was it a woman, Pinky thought. A split second after the brutal face twisting foot in her face, the pain in her lips doubled, then re-doubled. As if the pain got time to grew. The thought that someone was being fucked by Finaral or Finaral taking it from them, in her bed then had the nerve to kick her in her mouth was transforming Pinky into a wild beast. She became a fucking wrecking machine out of control. Death was necessary.

#  CHAPTER 6

##  WHO THIS NOW?

Pinky hauled the foot hard. Pulling the body of him or her out like dragging a dead animal out the road. Finaral skated off the bed. Got to the floor. Hugged around Pinky from her side, hugging around both her arms, restricting her limbs and physical brute.

He or she whom Pinky held on to under the bed, fired off a next brutal kick in Pinky's face. He or she caught Pinky just under her eye. The force of the kick snapped her head far backward. Pinky lost her hold on his or her ankle. Finaral squeezed around her tight as if his life depended on it. Pinky wasn't taking any prisoners. She bit into his forehead hard. Right across from the busted eye she had given him two days ago.

When the hard enamel ends of her teeth knocked into his bony cranium it sent a sensitive vibration through her mouth from how hard she stabbed her teeth into the bone of his forehead. Finaral literally heard the bite. It sounded like a gunshot inside his head. Not a hollow sound. A solid one. A solid ' _KUNG_!' sound as the teeth axed into his forehead's frontal bone. It echoed with the pain across the platform of his forehead. Her sharp teeth and muscle power could be used to bite a large chunk out of a train wheel if she wanted to, it slashed down into his skin. As she pulled her teeth out his face it left five opening wounds. The wounds were uneven. Three teeth mark wounds at the top, and only two at the bottom.

She yanked her head back and went to biting out his forehead again, mouth hinged open the widest she could bring it, all her front teeth exposed and with all her might and force came down on the face of Finaral. ' _KUNG!_ ' Right betwixt the set of five wounds already in his face. His pain multiplied a billion.

She yanked back her head again. He shifted his head downward trying to dodge the bite or save his face, his pretty-boy face. Her teeth clanged into the top of his skull. She felt her teeth clatter.

Pinky was relentless, she wouldn't stop. Her own teeth were paining her from how hard she axed her teeth away at his skull. Her gum felt tender as if the hard hit of her teeth in his forehead and skull had shifted the growth of her teeth out of place. She yanked her head back once more to plough into his face and rip out a chunk of the bone. He lifted his head, blooding leaking from four of the wounds.

"Pinky just—"

And before he could finish that line her teeth violently ' _Rahhh!_ ' axed in the center of his battered forehead. Blood came hard. And if you have ever bitten your tongue or the inside of your cheek and tasted raw blood, then that was what Pinky was tasting in her mouth. Blood. Raw blood.

The person under the bed was cowardly soldier-crawling away on belly to the other side of the bed and away from the wrecking-machine, Pinky.

Pinky yanked her head back and violently yawned her mouth open as wide as she could to apply more bites into Finaral's tender forehead. He would not, could not, take a single more bite. His face was being destroyed. He unhugged her. Pushed her away. Pinky was up off the floor and charging over to her soldier-crawling matey.

The person pushed their head up at the other side of the bed. Pinky couldn't believe her eyes. Instead of attacking, Pinky stood like a mountain, not moving, frozen. The person had on no blouse and no bra, just naked breast and nipples.

#  CHAPTER 7

##  TRY PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Leelia closed the taxi door.

"Mi must wait pon you Slims?" The taxi driver asked with his head stuck through his window and looking at her ass as she walked away.

Leelia looked back at the driver as she contemplated about it. He swiftly pulled his gaze up from below her waist to her face. He did it too quickly and she had instantly picked up he was checking out her ass as most men do when a woman's not looking. She answered,

"No. I don't know how long this gonna take."

She didn't even know what to prepare for. He drove off eyeing her small waist and pouted ass. He thought she had a really neat shape. But, by the way she talked and dressed, he knew she was out of his league. Therefore, he took as much look at her ass as he could catch as the vehicle went down the hill and made the bend around the corner, the tail of the taxi disappearing out of sight.

She walked up to Mr. Willie's slim guardhouse, taking deep breaths to slow down the beats of her racing heart. She was trying to prepare for the worst thing that could happen to her right now. She knew she just didn't have much luck. Maybe 'crossis' was following her.

"Good evening Mr. Willie, can you let me in please."

"No."

"No? Mr. Willie? Why?"

"Every time you come yah, mi end up inna crossis."

"This won't even take a minute Mr. Willie. I promise."

"You coulda bawl blood out deh, mi naaw let you in. Your brother just come yah a bad mi up fi let him out quick-quick. Mi nuh know weh him and Qwan just have. Is like crossis a follow you. Nuh you did come let him off up yah?"

"Yeah but this won't even take two minutes."

"Mi seh no! Every time mi let in somebody in yah, is either mi get fire or gun a point inna mi head-back."

"What you mean by gun pointing at your head-back?"

"Gun, gun, you know gun?"

"Why?"

"Becauseeee . . . A part a mi job." He explained, "More time mi in yah mi armed and dangerous."

"Mr. Willie you know you not taking on any dangerous job so please to behave yourself."

"Watch yah!" He opened up a stare bigly at her and his mouth left hanging open. " _Oiie_ , mi soon start sell drugs now." He said it unapologetically and proud, "Mi a shotta."

Leelia giggled. She tried to stop it at that but she couldn't help laughing. She looked at his fine hands. They were no fatter than a fishing line. Mr. Willie caught her staring at his amazingly fine-boned hands.

He was sure to let her know, "Nuh watch how mi hand dem slim enuh."

Leelia quickly took her gaze off his hands as if she weren't just inspecting them and tried not to smile. "Dem soon put on weight in deh, you nuh see seh mi have big elbow. Big elbow run inna mi family."

A big laugh sprayed out Leelia's mouth. " _Pftt_ ... Hahaahaha. Big elbows!" She repeated, her eyes squinting as she laughed.

Mr. Willie didn't like that one bit. She wasn't taking him seriously. He decided he would try to intimidate her now. Make her piss up herself.

"A suh mi ago hold mi gun, look." And he pointed his gun finger at her head and swelled up his jaws until they were shine and bloated and about to burst then said, "Pow! Pow!" As loud as he could. Then he looked down to her feet to see if she had pissed up herself. Her legs were dry. He was getting miserable now. He wanted to scare her so she would piss up herself. He changed the sound of his gun and now even his eyes swelled as he bust his gun loudly,

" _Pie_! _Pie_! _Pie_! _Pishoon_!"

He checked for Leelia's piss at her shoes. Leelia was laughing like crazy by now, until she had to hitch the laugh in betwixt taking huge breaths. Mr. Willie furled the lines across his forehead and said sternly,

"Pure shot mi a fire! You hear how di last one sound?"

Leelia didn't want him to feel any worse. She stopped laughing and asked him,

"How?"

"You nuh hear how it sound sweet. _Pishoon_!" He did a long fish mouth as he said the ending of the gunshot sound, " _Pishooooon_."

"Yeah."

"You know wha that mean likkle girl?"

"Listen. Mr. Willie mi nuh have the time, okay. No offense or nothing but mi have to go inside now."

" _Oiie_! _Oiie_! Wait. You naaw go in deh."

"Like really? Why not?"

#  CHAPTER 8

##  THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

"Munchy!" Pinky opened her windows wide open and couldn't blink.

"Stinking Munchy! You really a fuck mi man? Him hood shoulda rotten off and drop off inna you nasty bloodclawt!"

Munchy was terrific at lies. None came.

"Mi naaw fuck him!" Was all she could say.

"You know seh mi see when you a text him. Mi know seh something inna something from you nuh stop ask 'bout him enuh. A gone kill you likkle short bloodclawt in yah tonight! 'Bout you a freaky fuck wid mi man and all a use dildo."

Pinky launched off onto the bed, Finaral grabbed her leg.

"Pinky mi nuh fuck har! God know."

Whether Finaral only used the dildo to fuck Munchy, Pinky did not care. Munchy was a traitor and she had to get it bad tonight. Now she felt the emotions Finaral felt when he was betrayed by a close friend, betrayed by Vybz. She was going to wring off Munchy's neck completely from her body with her bare hands. Her eyes caught the gun on the bedside table. Munchy was closer to it than she was. Pinky thought fast.

She kicked Finaral between his eyes. He let go of her foot. Slapped his hand onto his eyes. His face writhed in pain making him as ugly as Gully-Bop crying.

" _Aaawh_!" The pain in his forehead from the severe biting renewed on touch. He lightened the pressure he applied. Pinky snatched up a pillow and flung it at Munchy's face. Immediately diving to get hold of the gun. The same gun that killed Mr. Douglas, the same gun that shot Portia, the same gun that shot Vybz. That gun was tormented trouble.

Before the sailing pillow reached Munchy's face, she shielded her face from the hit. Too late. Pinky had already had the gun in her hand, finger on the trigger.

She almost fainted. Hit in the face by a brick of shock, a shock to see what she saw, her mouth hung wide open and couldn't close. Not Munchy's mouth. Not Munchy in shock. Pinky's mouth, Pinky in shock.

Pinky stared not wanting to believe.

The sight of what she was ogling out her eyes at was enough motivation for her to kill her best friend ten times over and spit on her grave. How could she? How could she? Pinky's knees lessened stability. Finaral scurried across the bed praying not to hear the sound of a bullet. The sound of his haunted gun.

#  CHAPTER 9

##  EXPLAIN THE UNEXPLAINABLE

The sudden movement of Finaral chucking off towards Pinky made her swing her aim over to him. His eyes stared down the mouth of the gun. A tunnel of never-ending blackness. He remembered he had unloaded the magazine before. The beat of his heart was even out now.

"Pinky put down the gun!"

"Mean seh all along a this happen Finaral? All along! Inna mi bed?!"

"It's not—" Finaral's effort to explain was futile.

"All along you a battyman?! All along?"

Munchy was so mortified by the gun and the bullet and her blood running in Pinky's bedroom that she felt delirious. About to faint. Pinky rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "God mi never expect this. Mi never expect this at all." She turned to Finaral, one of her hand pointing to the black leather strap-on dildo that Munchy was wearing. The straps were black but the dick was pink. A white man's cock.

"Mi naaw fuck har Pinky." Finaral insisted.

"Fucking right you naaw fuck har. She a fuck **YOU!** " She looked down on Munchy's pink strap-on. "Look who wearing the penis. Mi can't believe this, mi can't believe this."

Pinky was too disoriented to react violently, to even just react any at all. The violence in her had not stirred as yet. She was still trying to soak in the reality of what she came to discover. Her thug, her gangster, her lover, the man she was to get pregnant for, the man she would give her hand in marriage to, was a big time undercover faggot. She wanted to put the mouth of the gun on her tongue and pull the trigger.

A thousands processes was taking place in her mind. How long was he gay? Was it that she wasn't satisfying him in bed? Was it her? Was it just him? Did he fuck with men too? Was he and Vybz friends or undercover lovers? Did he really ever wanted a child or was it just a front?

He couldn't be gay, there were no signs. No clue. He detested them. He lashed out against them. But so too was her behavior against lesbians even though she was once involved. She too once was gay or at least experimented. Was he experimenting? Why Munchy? Why her best friend out of everyone in the world? What reason can she find for her not to believe her eyes that he is gay. She couldn't find any .

If Munchy was wearing the dildo, she had to be the one doing the fucking? Right? But since it wasn't with a man, it was with a woman, was he really gay? Was he? Or just kinky? What if he desired that from me but wasn't comfortable confessing it to me? Would I even be able to entertain that idea of me giving it to him?

It was a nasty, disgusting thought that made her want to puke. She couldn't stomach her reality. The reality soaked in. Finaral was judging everyone's sex life and under the quiet he had one of the dirtiest himself.

Pinky double-looked at the dildo then pointed to it with the gun.

"Wha this you a tek Finaral?"

The greatest liar on earth, Munchy's, voice was quivering, "No Pinky, a nuh suh it go."

Pinky raised the gun to her head. "Hey gal, mi did ask you likkle liad rass nothing? _Eeh_?" She continued to address her gangster man. "A that's why you did a run dem joke deh 'bout how you breed and want do abortion? You have a right fi a seh you did a breed." Pinky said.

She brought back her attention to her real-friend, reached for her phone off the bedside table and said, "You see how you love video and tek picture a people when trouble tek dem? Well, trouble tek you now." Pinky selected the camera on her phone,

"Now you bloodclawt record this." She threw the phone to Munchy. Munchy caught it clumsily.

"Weh mi fi record?"

Finaral used the heel of his palms to wipe the blood that was running down in his eyes. He wanted to get the blood out to see so he could attack Pinky and disarm her of the empty gun. He knew it was empty, he emptied the magazine himself. So he knew Munchy wasn't really in a life or death situation as she thought.

"Record yourself wid the dildo. Mek mi post it pon facebook and twitter fi you bloodclawt." Pinky ordered coarsely, "Nuh dat you love do people?"

"Mi? No."

"Nuh that you did do mi brother when him did drop down inna the church? Nuh dat you did do Portia and Vybz when dem get shot?"

"Yeah, but—"

Embarrassment on top of embarrassment on top of shame washed over Munchy. Tears came to her eyes. She raised her hand slowly and unwillingly to record herself. She was good at capturing videos. She held the camera away from her and angled it that it only showed from her neck down.

"Record your face too, you think mi a idiot!"

She glanced up at Pinky without moving the camera. Pinky ordered,

"Record!" And nudged the gun to her forehead.

The tears slid down Munchy's fat cheeks. She recorded her crying face, her plump breasts and her pink strap-on dildo.

"Now record deh shot yah weh you ago get."

Quick thinking, fast-liad, Munchy bawled out,

"Finaral she dash weh your pickney today! Abortion she go have."

Finaral's face exploded. Wrath. Confusion. Wrath.

"Wha!? Weh you a talk 'bout Munchy?"

Pinky looked over to Finaral. An inner guilt heavy in her chest. The aim of the gun lowered four inches down. Finaral watched her face.

"A that she go hospital go do today. Go dash weh you pickney!"

"But she never . . ." Finaral fumbled his tongue as he tried to put the Rubik's cube together, "But . . . But, she never a breed."

"Yes she did a breed. She hide it from you. Mi can prove seh she go hospital go dash weh the pickney because mi and the doctor a friend."

Finaral didn't wish to hear anything more from Munchy. He grilled a death stare into Pinky's eyes and asked slowly and deathly,

"Pinky you dash weh mi pickney? Yes or No?"

#  CHAPTER 10

##  BEAUTIFULLY FRAMED BY A BESTFRIEND

"No, no, no, no" Pinky answered. "A never that happen." Then she stopped speaking abruptly without explaining what happened, she could try to sort the right angle to spill what had really happened or to lie.

"A dash, she dash weh the pickney you a hear mi Finaral." Munchy said, trying to gas up Finaral.

"Hey gal, mek mi talk to mi woman and shut the fuck up nuh!" Finaral pressed a tentative gaze at Pinky's face and asked patiently and sternly, "How it go then?"

"Mi lose the baby Finaral."

His face erupted, "Hey gal, so you did a breed fi true?"

"Yes. But –"

"You really did a breed and you nuh seh nothing at all to man and you know how mi well want—"

"Honestly Finaral, mi never know weh fi do. Mi did a weigh out mi life and mi next move. But to be honest—"

Munchy jumped in, "You see weh mi tell, You see! She murder the belly, the gal—"

Just the ironclad stare that Finaral spun around and gave was enough to silence Munchy in the middle of her track.

"But to be honest mi did decide seh mi did gone keep it. But mi lose it."

"You tek man fi idiot 'bout you lose! Lose wha?! A dash weh you dash weh man . . ."

Finaral didn't wait for anymore explanation. The thought of what she did, didn't just mobilize his anger, it was ripping him apart in so many ways inside. His anger uncontrollable by now. He raised his hand to fist her face, forgoing any thought of how he will hurt her, how he loved her, how her having his baby right now would affect her. Her entire life. All he had on his mind, all the fire on his head was caused by one thought. Losing his child. His pride. His proof of manhood. The chance for a mid-age Don to finally have a youth and be seen as the man, in the full circle of being a man. Pinky swung the aim of the gun to his face. He dropped his fist in mid strike.

"Pinky you know you is a dead gal though. You know that, don't?"

"Finaral a you kill you pickney! YOU!"

A drumming silence walloped in Finaral's hot-head. He tried to figure out what she was talking about. He tried to act confident of not being guilty, even though he wasn't sure what he had done or not done. He would never knowingly cause the death of his own unborn. But had he known? Pinky read the quizzical look on his face and saved him the energy of asking and said,

"Deh same hand deh."

"Wha?" He asked.

"A deh same hand deh, deh same fist deh mek mi lose your baby. You think it easy weh mi go through?"

He tried to remember when he had ever hit her in such a way that would cause her to lose her child, that is, if she was ever carrying any. He had never done that before. Had he? He dragged his mind, flipping desperately through all their many physical altercations. His mind was bringing up pictures and memories of the blows he received from her more than the blows he had given her. Somehow those stuck more strongly in his head. He thought harder, concentrating, trying to bring up all the blows he had ever given her.

So many memories he had, so many exchanges of blows even in just recent times. They had a sick rough love relationship where violence on each other was equivalent to bashing vocal arguments. Pinky's violence quick to rise, Finaral struggled to restrain. Now violence occurred so often that it was almost a norm, and both naturally violent and hot-tempered partners wanted to totally eradicate this from their love-life. Truth be told, they were really trying. Both didn't want a future of rapid exchange of smacks and fists, but both sucked at controlling their temper. Both were rough. Both were tough. Both were in love. Both wanted better. Needed change.

"When?" He asked, as if asking for a reminder when his memory failed.

"When? You nuh 'member?"

"No."

"You must nuh remember to how you did drunk."

"A the dance? . . . Mi did just chuck you."

"No Finaral. Mi and you fight. Like real fight."

It dimly came to him. He did have some altercations with her that night. But he died his temper all the time. Resisted the fire she fueled for him to thump her over. She hit him with a Heineken bottle in his chest. And he took it. He couldn't even give his own liquor to Mystic, his friend.

"Hey deh night deh mi nuh lick you enuh and you did a provoke mi like wow! All a fire on lick pon man outta street when mi warn you how much time fi stop provoke mi and stop fly lick pon people like—"

"Nuh you fist mi inna mi belly Finaral? You nuh 'member how mi did a vomit out mi tripe deh the night?"

It vaguely came to his memory and as it came slowly dissolved into vividness. Yes she was vomiting, yes she stomped Munchy's phone to several pieces. Yes he had reacted with a fist to her stomach. But Good God, he hadn't known she was pregnant. If he had known he would never dare to have done that to his baby-mother, even in his drunkest of stages. He was guilty as charged and he felt it. He felt more than disappointed in himself, more than guilty, he felt like shit.

"But, but, mi did drunk deh night deh and—"

"Drunk or nuh drunk that still can't change it Finaral. A YOU mek mi lose your baby. Mi did gone carry it."

"So if you box mi inna mi face weh mi shoulda do?!"

"Box mi back then. You never did affi thump out the pickney."

"You a act like mi did know Pinky. Mi never know!"

Finaral's eyes were getting violent from the accusation. The persecution.

"A dutty gal Finaral! She a dutty—"

' _Bow!'_

One big box Munchy collected on her jaw. Her face twisted around, her chin striking into her left shoulder from the power box Finaral shot her. Her eyes instantly watered.

"Hey gal, don't try come diss Man woman enuh, a weh you a do? Diss mi woman all in front a Man? Mi is a mad bloodclawt Man right now enuh. Suh know weh you a do and know weh you a bloodclawt seh to mi woman."

The hit Finaral gave Munchy made Pinky feel the strike she got again, as if it had just happened. She could almost feel the hit in her belly. She felt saddened by the kind of relationship she was in. Munchy curled herself into a ball. Pinky confessed to Finaral,

"From you thump mi, mi nuh stop bleed." She was getting teary-eyed. It was turning out to be one hell of an emotional night. "When mi go a the doctor him tell mi seh mi lose the baby." She lowered the gun and wiped her tear. "Just as mi a get use to the baby and a start accept seh mi a ago carry it."

"A lie she a tell Finaral! Nuh mek she fool you wid her crocodile tears. A dash she dash weh the good-good belly!"

Finaral towered his fist above her and Pinky aimed the gun point blank center at Munchy's forehead. Finaral lowered his hand. Pinky looked down at the ever-stiff and ready pink dildo Munchy had strapped on around her hips. The thoughts of what she had done with Finaral was disgusting but more powerfully angering. This fucking traitor gal. Fucked my man and now, trying to turn him against me. Pinky pressed her eyes together, her forefinger trembling around the trigger. She wanted to pull it really bad. Munchy deserved the bullet.

Munchy's eyes drawn wide apart as if opening her eyes that wide could save her life. The thought of how Munchy was trying to turn Finaral against her shoved the knife far and deep into Pinky's heart. The thought of Munchy and her man and the dildo twisted the knife in her heart. Munchy with her man in her bed, wrung it cruelly. Munchy bending Finaral over and nailing him from behind with the dildo killed Pinky. Destroyed her relationship.

It destroyed the stability she was seeking with one man to exemplify to her sons she wasn't a run around kind of woman even though she had two baby-fathers. It destroyed years of what she had with Finaral, years of her life gone down the drain. This wasn't a place she could call home anymore. It wasn't a bedroom she could call her sanctuary anymore, it wasn't a bed that meant the near matrimonial joining of her and Finaral anymore. Munchy deserved to die. Tonight. Bullet.

Finaral remembered that he had selected a bullet in the chamber after killing Mr. Douglas, which meant that even though he had emptied the magazine, a bullet was still left up in the head of the gun. His eyes popped out of his head. He dove toward Pinky's hand screaming.

"Nooooooo!"

Pinky pulled her hand back and chucked the gun forward towards Munchy's forehead as she squeezed the trigger. The bullet blasted out the muzzle of his black nine millimeter Beretta. The sound was loud enough to frighten dinosaurs. The fire spat from the gun lit up the bedroom for less than a second then flashed back into darkness. It affected everyone's vision, everyone's heart, just that one bullet.

#  CHAPTER 11

##  LEELIA FACES THE FIRE

"Why not Mr. Willie?"

"Mi seh every time mi mek somebody set foot through deh gate yah a problem or gun inna mi head-back, mek mi piss up mi self and mi piss nuff."

"It's important!"

" _Hmph_. Your important can stay." He looked away from her, plaited his fingers together and stretched his arms out and away from his body as if he was warming up to do some exercise. Then said, "You naaw answer mi 'bout why mi gunshot dem sound so sweet?"

Leelia was no longer entertaining his pointless wrangle. When her silence came up and stood there not moving and her face naked of smiles, his demeanour calmed down. He said,

"A did sweet mi a sweet you up so you nuh feel too bad when mi tell you seh mi naaw let you in yah. Hey the last time you get mi fire enuh and mi nuh start sell the drugs yet."

"What kind of drugs you talking 'bout, just let me in."

"All type a drugs. You name it, I'll be selling it." He proudly explained. "The man a beg mi fi come join forces wid him because mi hand dem look marks. Mi shoulda join Marksman Security."

Leelia realized that behind this all, there was no joke. He meant what he was saying about someone with a gun. "Which ' _man dem'_? She asked.

"The Don fi weh you sister live."

"Finaral?"

"Yeah him same one. Him seh mi fit fi the business. Mi family ago proud a mi."

"He was the one that pointed the gun behind your head?"

"Yeah. But mi never 'fraid, mi not even did shake. You shoulda see mi. Mi did brave like the people dem weh go stand up in front a speeding train fi tek dem life. A same way mi brave."

"Finaral sent me here."

Mr. Willie felt warm piss running through his veins instead of blood and it washed his heart.

Mr. Willie's nose holes widened, inside was dark as he asked, "A mi him send you too?"

"No." She replied, "Qwan."

"Weh you a wait out dehso fa? Come in nuh Leelia Man, you a gwaan like you a stranger yah."

Leelia smiled and stepped through the gate.

"You nuh 'fraid you ketch cold? You want mi jacket fi put on or mi socks?" He was stripping off his big military boot with a high top, untying his laces that were laced tightly onto the mid section of his fine shin-bone.

"No, no Mr. Willie. Keep the jacket." A cheesy foot smell hit Leelia hard.

"Wha 'bout the socks dem?"

"Next time Willie."

Mr. Willie called out to her, "Leelia, Leelia look here."

Apparently he wanted her full attention. Leelia spun around wondering what else it could be this time. He spoke in a prying kind of whisper,

"So tell mi sup'n, you and Qwan deh back now?"

*****

Leelia squeezed the bell. Qwan came down in his robe and nothing else.

She tried to imagine what it could be that he wanted to tell her and how would she even tell him these two things that she had to tell him. She tried her best to prepare for the worst.

#  CHAPTER 12

##  SHOT FIRED. BODY DOWN AND BLEEDING

The amateurish forward chuck of the gun that Pinky made before she squeezed that trigger threw her off target. She should have held the gun steady. The force of the gunshot lifted her hand in the air slightly off Munchy's forehead. Also the pinch of a second that Pinky pulled her hand back and the chuck she made, allowed coward Munchy to duck instead of standing still for the gunshot to properly bore through her head. Munchy was safe. But someone else got the shot.

It wasn't Finaral. And it obviously wasn't Pinky.

The bullet had gone over Munchy's head and went straight into the closet. Right into the person that was hiding in the closet.

The person wasn't hiding in the closet from the get-go. No. It was under the bed that the person was when Pinky had first rifled through the closet. But after Pinky had searched inside there the person migrated from under the bed with their belongings to inside the closet. It was not until Pinky had went to put out the pot on fire that the person crawled from under the bed and snuck into the closet thinking there was a safer zone. The logics behind the person's thinking was that since Pinky had searched the closet already so then there would be the safe house because Pinky wouldn't search there again. The person was right. Pinky didn't search there again. The person was wrong. There wasn't the safer zone. The person got a gunshot.

The body inside the closet fell to the closet door. The hard tumbling and hoofing sound was un-ignorable. Everyone's eyes shot to the noisy closet. The dead weight of the person crashing into the double door flew it open and the person rolled to the floor. Munchy screamed her face off when she saw the river of blood.

" _Ahhh! Ahhh! Aahhhh_!"

"Jesus Christ Pinky cried out when she saw. Surprised the body was naked. Surprised at whose naked body was on the ground bleeding but even more surprised at what she had done.

Pinky wasn't a killer. And she never wanted to be a Finaral either. Why didn't she just control her temper? This was no doubt the biggest problem her temper had ever gotten her in. Why did she get so angry? It's Finaral's ass, he can do whatever he pleases with it. Dildo or no dildo was his decision. All she had to do was leave the relationship. Why she had to take it up in her own hands like that? Pinky prayed to God, bargaining that if he saved Aubrea, she would be a better person from today onward.

"Nooo! Nooo! Nooo!" Aubrea eyes were already closed. "Aubrea Nooo! No. Nuh dead, pleaseeeee, don't dead."

Tears came to Munchy's eyes. Through the dark in the room, the blood that drained from Aubrea looked like the color purple instead of red. Pinky felt her heart as heavy as a ship and it was sinking in a flood of guilt. She hasted off to Aubrea. Finaral sprang off the bed to kneel beside Aubrea.

Munchy went like lightning out of the house in no dress, only wearing the stiff pink dildo. Finaral or Pinky did not turn around to pay the escapee any attention. They were focused on Aubrea dying, right there in their bedroom while Munchy concentrated on increasing her speed. Murder. Family murder.

"Aubrea! Aubrea! You a hear mi? You a hear mi?" Aubrea was irresponsive. Eyes not opening. Eyes not blinking, chest bleeding. Pinky could not believe that tears were at Finaral's eyes. He did not wipe the tears. He yelled,

"Seh sup'n if you can hear mi Aubrea, seh sup'n."

Aubrea's eyes did not blink. She did not cough for air. Her fingers did not move. The only thing that moved on her was her blood. Her blood kept leaking on the floor.

"Noo Aubrea! Nooo! Nuh do this to mi! You can't dead Mommy, You can't dead!" Pinky said through a sudden burst of cow bawling. She wasn't worried about going to prison. She didn't want to lose her mother and her mother seemed to be gone to heaven for selling Leelia to save Vance.

"Check if she a breathe Finaral!"

Finaral lowered his left ear to her nose. He waited there for too long to feel a breath. Pinky felt her world closing her in smaller and smaller. She had shot her Mom over a pink dildo. What was her Mom doing there? Were they having a threesome? None of this mattered now. All that mattered was that Finaral still did not raise his head from Aubrea's nose, he heard no breathing. Oh God no.

Finally unplugged his head off her nose and told Pinky the verdict.

"She naaw breathe."

"You sure? Check again."

"She naaw breathe." Was all Finaral could repeat.

He brushed his hand to the side shooing away Pinky with one hand from kneeling over Aubrea's chest.

"Watch it deh, gi mi some space."

Pinky didn't move. She couldn't process the command. So many things she had wanted to tell her Mom but played tough and didn't. Now she was dead and she'll never be able to say it again. Her mother will never get to know what she really felt especially since the last set of revelations at the kitchen. Pinky cow bawling wailed ugly in the spacious bedroom.

"Move nuh Pinky, Move!" He shoved her away with force. His command finally registered. She helped to take herself out the way.

Finaral used his thumb and his index to squeeze in the corners of Aubrea's mouth, puckering her mouth until it was open. He stuck his forefinger in her mouth and cleared her tongue out the way for a clear air passage into her lungs. He locked his mouth over hers, blew hard from his lungs. Pinky had never imagined she would ever be so happy to see Finaral's mouth on her mother like that.

"Blow Finaral! Blow! Save her. Please!" Tears slid down her face with no holding back.

Finaral wasn't following her instructions. He stopped blowing. Put the right heel of his hand to the centering sternum of Aubrea's chest. Placed his other heel on the back of his hand. He counted in what he thought was his mind but his voice came out low.

"One, two three." He gave out a breathy _"Huh!"_ as he made a swift hard shove on her lungs. He repeated,

"One, two, three. _Huh!_ "

Now he was saying it aloud and watching Aubrea's face for a response. No eye movement, no mouth movement, no chest movement, no fingers twiddled. No response. No cough, no blink, no nothing.

"ONE, TWO, THREE. _HUH!"_

Nothing. Pinky's face flushed redder than lipstick. Her whole face cascaded with tears. Her face a mess, she bawled out,

"She dead! She dead! She dead! Jesus Christ she dead! Mi kill mi mother!"

The tears came hard. Pinky could not bear to look at her dead mother. She threw the gun out her hand and stood,

"Mi kill her! Mi kill her! Mi kill her! Jesus Christ Mi kill her." She had no control over her bawling. It sounded horrible, it was broad and load and unapologetic to whosoever wanted to hear how ugly her crying was.

" _Woooiie, woooiee woooie_ , mi mother dead! Mi mother dead! _Woooiieee_!"

She put her hand on her head. " _Woooiiieee_! Mi mother dead. Mi mother dead!" Her bawling sounded as if she had just lost a loved one. As if she had lost her mother. And that she did. She never imagined losing Aubrea would be this painful. But losing Aubrea to a gunshot she fired was more pain than anyone could imagine. She turned her back wailing her remorse,

"Nooo, nooo noo, Jesus noo. . .. _Waaiiieee_!!! _Waiiiiieee_!!!" She held under her belly.

She tried to think through her disoriented mind about what to do in an emergency. Pinky looked over to Finaral and asked,

"Call 119?"

Finaral was zoned out from Pinky. He had already mentally blocked out the terror-filled bawling of her so he could concentrate on trying to save Aubrea's life. So far, no good.

So too was Pinky's question zoned out. She figured what she would say to the police. Informed on herself that she had killed her mother. She concluded that she herself needed more than prison for this callous act. Mistake or not she deserved the worse condemnation for killing her own mother.

Finaral's heart was thudding louder in his ears than Pinky's voice. Mouth to mouth he blew his step-mother's lungs. He blew hard and forceful enough that his jaws strained with tension and expanded to a round shine like balloons overblown. His hands at the center of her chest.

"One, two three." Pumped. _"Huh!"_ Looked at her face. Her eyes still closed. He sucked in a long length of air. Firmed both his shoulders to pump the heel of his palm on her chest again. His desperation doubled. He counted down faster,

"Three, two, one!" Pumped hard, _"Huh!"_

Aubrea's body moved. Her leg jerked up. He had pumped into her chest with too much force. Too much desperation. He hadn't realized that tears were in his eyes until now that they were causing him not to see well. He wiped his eyes. His heart had given up now. He knew the reality. He was just going through the motions. Pinky's broad wailing hysteria in the background did nothing to help stop his tears. The gangster cried sincerely.

He shoved his finger in her throat, clearing her throat canal again. Blew hard. Nothing.

"One. Two, three." Pumped. _"Huh!"_

Aubrea coughed. Aubrea spat up blood.

Not even a fraction of a second went by and Finaral shouted,

"Pinky gwaan go start up the car quick!"

Pinky blasted at him,

"Mi mother a dead and you a run joke! You know mi can't drive!"

"Shit! Shit! Shit, mi never 'member. Alright. Tek up the key and gwaan go open the car, mi a come."

Pinky grabbed her blouse and purple jeans off the back of the computer chair. Hurriedly shoved her foot into Aubrea's yellow slippers and scurried off for the car keys. Finaral rushed to the closet to haul some clothes or cloth or anything he could catch to cover Aubrea's nudity before he lifted her to his car. He wrapped her in Pinky's long pink dress and figured Pinky could drag the dress on in the car.

Tallying, within this week, Finaral had killed one, shot two, (his best friend and his ex-girlfriend), saved maybe two, his ex- girl friend and now if Aubrea should survive the ride to the hospital he would save his step-mother's life.

Before Finaral had reached the door, he realized most of the dress he wrapped her in was soaked with her blood, most of the upper part of the dress was a wet burgundy. He figured from the buckets of blood being lost that the bullet must have flew through an important vein. Maybe one leading to her heart. The chances were too slim.

#  CHAPTER 13

##  KILLED BY DAUGHTER

Aubrea was coughing a lot. It was as if her throat was dry and dusty. With her head laid in Pinky's lap. Finaral sped off. Another emergency drive to the hospital, another Mad-Max driving to reach the hospital. Wind whipping into the car. All that could be seen was the color of the cars he rocketed by and blurred lines.

Finaral overly concerned, glanced from around the driver's steering at the deluge of blood Aubrea was spewing. Pinky realized it was dripping over the scar on her arm she gotten yesterday morning. The scar from the blender. The scar that Leelia gave her. Her mother's blood leaked from the bullet-hole Pinky inflicted to the wound Leelia inflicted, both only a day after each other. The blood leaked down her arm and dripped on the automotive carpet on the floor around the back.

"Tek off your blouse!" Finaral shouted.

"Wha?"

"Yeah Man. Just dweet nuh fast." He glanced back on the road. Pinky took her hand from the side of Aubrea's face and was dragging the purple blouse over her head. "Just apply pressure pon the wound wid the blouse now. Fold it up inna a ball and press it down."

"Weh you mean?"

"Just put your hand over it and squeeze it down wid some pressure, it ago slow down the bleeding. She a lose too much blood."

Aubrea's eyes were half shut she could barely open her mouth when she coughed. She barely opened her mouth again, this time not to cough but to try and say something to Pinky.

"Don't talk Aub . . . Mommy. Don't talk." Pinky applied the pressure to the wound. Hoping she wasn't pressing too hard, hoping she wasn't hurting her. Thinking if she pressed too hard she might shove down the bullet in her farther, doing more damage than good.

Dry coughs, " _Huh, uh, huh_. No. Pink— _Wooooh uh-huh-huh_. Listen." Her tongue out pass her lips as her whole body jerked and coughed. Her right hand reaching for Pinky's hand that was holding the pressure to her chest. Her fingers light, weak, shaking, cold.

Hollow dry coughs as if she was someone internally drowning on her own blood. " _Woooh-Huh! Huh!_ Listen. I want you to know the, _huh-huh_ , truth, _huh-huh_ , before I die."

"Noo Mommy, don't say that."

"Before I die I want you to know—"

"No. Stop talk like that Aubrea. You naaw go dead. Don't call down dead pon yourself please." For the first time in over ten years Pinky was truly looking into her mother's eyes. Deep down, far down. She knew her mother loved them all. She was just being too hard-headed. Looking at things only from her angle all the time. Had never been courteous enough to Aubrea's situation to genuinely see it from Aubrea's side.

" _Uh-huh._ Please, don't be angry at Finaral. He was innocent. _Huh-huh_ , I paid Munchy—" A deeper cough strained her lungs and swelled her neck to get it out, fluid came up in her mouth. Red. She spat. Some seeped onto her lips, some dribbled from the corners of her mouth. Some leaked down her nose. It was a sad sight. A dying face. Pinky wiped her mouth. She remembered wiping Vance's mouth in the church.

"Stop talk Aubrea. Save your energy."

"No I got to say this before I go, please, _huh-huh_ , please listen. I know, _huh-huh,_ what I'm feeling . . . I won't make it." She fought to swallow excess fluid in her mouth and it caused her to cough heavily, " _Uhhh-huh-huh! Huh! Hu!_ . . . I don't have much time. Just listen. Your Dad, he's impotent. We haven't had sex in years. I don't really cheat on him. I pay Munchy for her services. _Huh! Huh!"_

Pinky was angry. She was happy. She was sad. She was angry her best friend was prostituting herself to her Mom. Her best friend fucking her mother for God knows how long and God knows how often. She was happy Finaral was innocent. Happy her man wasn't taking the big black dildo or the pink. She was sad that her Mom was dying in her lap.

Finaral honked his horn hard.

"Uno move outta di bomboclawt way nuh, uno nuh see the hazard. Emergency!"

Aubrea struggled to blink. The blink was slow and painful to watch. Pinky didn't like when she blinked. It filled her with horror. Praying that her eyes would re-open. Prayed that it wouldn't be the final time she would see her mother's eyes open. She could see her mother's throat laboring to swallow, hear the wet squishiness working in her throat as she tried to breathe at the same time. Each simple act taking too long, taking too much strength and too labored to believe she will live.

For the first time in years, Pinky looked into her mom's eyes with nothing but care and love. The purest form. Her mother wanted to cough in her fist but was too weak to lift her hand.

" _Huh, huh_ . . ." And as she struggled to lift her hand, it fell dead by her side. Hit on the floor. Her eyes shut.

Finaral was honking his horn all the way, a sure deafening honk, but it was like Pinky wasn't hearing a sound. She was trapped in a sound proof ball of emotion.

"Aubrea! Aubrea! Nooo! Nuh dead Aubrea, nuh dead!"

Finaral shot his head around to the backseat looking at Aubrea's body in Pinky's lap, and asked,

"She dead?!"

#  CHAPTER 14

##  WHY MI RATE AUBREA

Finaral was outside the hospital blowing out his thirteenth cigarette of the fourteen that was left in the pack he had. As much as Pinky hated hospital, hated the scent, the needle, everything, she was still sitting in a chair beside her mother's bed and not moving. Her fingers intertwined between those of Aubrea's. An I.V. drip was connected to Aubrea's wrist with a needle injected into her vein.

Finaral stepped into the room and the room felt crowdy.

"How things?" he asked.

"Her vitals them still steady, but she still unconscious too, mi a wait pon har fi wake."

" _Hmm._ " Finaral pulled Craven 'A' box out his top pocket. Pinky said,

"Look here now Finaral, weh you and mi mother really have?"

Finaral's face instantly wrung into extreme annoyance. She read it and lifted her face to stop his frown,

"No, no . . . not like that mi mean. Mi mean seh like weh uno really have. Is not a jealous thing or nothing, but you rate my mother more than just seh she a mi mother, and mi can see that, but why you rate har suh? A that mi ask. Simple."

The frown lessened in Finaral's face. He ran his fingers though his hair and shrugged his head slanting to the left.

"Mi just rate your mother. Your mother hortical and mi never grow wid no mother and trust mi your mother is a real mother."

Finaral's comment sounded too passionate and what he said wasn't very specific. Pinky wanted to know specifically what was it why he rated her this much.

"Real mother how?"

"Just real Man. She a mi in-law. You nuh know how mi tek the family thing serious already."

"Don't play mi fi nuh fool Finaral. Mi know you naaw tell mi sup'n, how you nuh so forgiving with Vance, how you nuh rate mi father suh? Why she?"

"Yow your mother just different yow, you see mi. And mi just rate har fi that."

"But different how? That mi a try ask you."

"Yow, yow ... _hsst_ . . . mi can't tell you, but just know seh she different."

"Can't tell mi wha?" Pinky's voice had more grit in it now.

"Just go easy nuh P. Weh you think you get your gangster from? You think a your father? A your mother. Nuh tek har simple as you see har and she rate uno nuh fuck. If mi did have a mother weh woulda stand by mi suh, mi woulda glad."

"Stand up fi wi how? Weh you know 'bout my mother and har long-time past so you can a talk suh?"

"Who seh a long-time? A wha day mi a talk bout. When wi did ago just deh."

" _Hmmm_. Tell mi now, weh she do?"

" _Hsst._ Mi can't tell you that Man P. She seh a just between the two a wi."

"Finaral, weh mi ago do if you tell mi?"

Finaral pulled the final cigarette out the box and left it empty. He knocked the butt on the side of the box as he contemplated. He looked to unconscious Aubrea, on the bed. Breathed out and said,

"You remember the thing weh did happen wid you and Dog Teet? You mother did hear 'bout it and link mi."

"A lie!? She know? How she never seh—"

Finaral raised a hand stopping Pinky's outburst.

"Yeah Man she know." He said nodding as if that wasn't what she needed to know, "But just listen to the point. "You ask mi something right?"

"Yeah."

Well mi ago tell you. Just listen." He dipped for his lighter and continued,

"You see when you mother find out, you know weh she do? She come to mi 'bout it and seh she will do anything fi mek Dog Teet pay fi weh him do to you. And you know seh mi did a work out a plan long time how mi ago kill the fucker."

"Don't tell mi seh a Aubrea kill Dog Teet!" Pinky burst out as she figured it out before Finaral could actually finish saying it to her. "A she kill him?"

He held up the hand with the final of the cigarettes betwixt his fingers.

"Wait nuh, wait nuh," and his head nodding up and down as if he wanted her to be quiet. "Mek mi tell you weh your mother do."

Pink pressed her lips together and swallowed. Her expression was hasting him to talk and get to the point.

Finaral looked over to Aubrea and said,

"You see how she mawga and stay and look simple? Deh woman deh a nuh coward when it come to her pickney them, she love uno."

"Talk weh she do nuh Finaral. Jesus Christ Man."

" _Hmm_. Alright." Finaral picked up pace in his talk, "You see because Dog Teet always have the man dem 'round him, mi did need somebody fi distract him, or get him alone. You think mi paranoid yet? That deh man deh not even sleep without bodyguard. Him always have protection. The only time him ever alone a when him inna the room a have sex, and even that a sometime, not all the time."

"So weh mi mother do Finaral?"

"Hold on nuh, mi a gi you the full story. Nuh that you want?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then just listen. So mi level wid har and tell har seh, mi have a plan but mi just need the distraction or get him alone. And she seh she can dweet. Mi ask har weh she mean and she seh she can get him alone. She will go to bed wid him, mi ask har if she serious, she say yeah. Mi ask her if she know a who we a talk 'bout and the risk she a run. She seh yeah she nuh 'fraid and she need him fi pay fi weh him do to you."

"A lie!"

"Serious thing Man. Dog Teet not even like dark skin woman, worse mawga, so mi nuh know what type a trick or weh she tell him seh but she get him inna the bed and the rest a history, woman cut Sampson hair. Aubrea set up Dog Teet fi mi bust him—"

"A serious sup'n you a talk Finaral? Aubrea really risk har life and do that fi—"

"Yeah Man." He tapped the butt of the cig in his palm as if he was wrapping up the conversation.

"From that mi just have a different level a respect fi your mother, trust mi. That's why anything she seh she want, or if mi have nothing confidential fi talk 'bout apart from you, she a the only one mi talk to. Nuff things mi talk to har' bout weh mi not even mention to Vybz and mi never hear it back yet. You know your mother already still, she nuh chat up to people, you see mi. More time she want use the house fi do har thing mi just bust har, you see mi."

"Do har thing wha? Like do wha?"

"Yow, that a nuh my business enuh, when she wake up she will tell that."

Finaral spun the butt of the cigarette between his thumb and index and left the room to catch his final smoke.

#  CHAPTER 15

##  HEART TO HEART

Twenty minutes later, Pinky still did not move from her mother's side even though she badly wanted to pee. Finaral went out to blow out the final cigarette he had. It was vague in Pinky's head but what she was sitting there reminiscing on was how often her mother use to hide and cry in the house.

She remembered that Aubrea usually cried every day. But whenever she caught Aubrea crying and having break downs during cooking or washing or cleaning or just in her sleep, she would always ask Aubrea what's wrong and Aubrea would just tell her that it's because she missed Leelia.

Pinky even remembered her emotions. How she felt when she heard those words. The feeling of getting jealous of how often Aubrea used to cry over Leelia. Why didn't she cry over me, she used to think. And in truth, as a child, it made Pinky a little jealous of the love and tears for Leelia and a little bitter against Aubrea, for what had seemed a bias for her younger sister.

Aubrea coughed. Pinky had never been happier to hear the sound of a cough in her life.

As life and senses crept back into Aubrea, she realized Pinky's fingers were locked between hers.

She made a weak smile, lifted the hand which had Pinky's finger latched betwixt and squeezed on Pinky's hand. Pinky was happy but her smile was fake.

Aubrea read between the lines of her expression.

"Stop worrying. I'm a tough chicken. _Huh-huh_. I'll be alright." She smiled confidently. Even on her dying bed she was trying to comfort Pinky. Her voice was much stronger but wasn't totally normal. Pinky still couldn't let a real smile shine on her face.

"What you worrying over?"

"Why you use to cry over Leelia when wi did small?"

Aubrea hoisted her neck off the clinically plain white pillow, weakly propped up herself on both elbows and looked at Pinky saying nothing. She dropped her head back down. Nibbled her lips and then turned to the other side.

"Why Aub—"

"Long story that Pinky." The positive reassurance and comfort in Aubrea had now slanted over into a slight annoyance.

"Mi use to love you enuh. Mi never use to love see you cry. But when you send weh Leelia—"

"Pinky mi know you tear up about what happened to Leelia as a child and what I had to do—"

"Of course mi tear up, anybody woulda tear up over it. You is a dutty mother and mi naaw hide and talk."

Aubrea shook her head, wallowing in shame. She took a swollen pause to gather some courage.

"This gonna be a bit hard for you to swallow but," She turned her head to Pinky, blinked up and studied Pinky's expression before she continued with her voice lowered. Her voice didn't come out her gate properly. It was shaky, "Mr. Douglas was firstly interested in you. I wanted you to go because I knew you could handle yourself much better than Leelia could in that situation. You are strong. Far stronger than Leelia was in many ways." She looked away from Pinky and Pinky's eyes remained affixed on Aubrea's eyes. She saw thick shame in Aubrea's eyes.

"I tried forcing myself on Mr. Douglas over and over even after I sent away Leelia, but the truth was, he was only interested in my daughters for real money. _Huh-huh,_ and to save Vance we needed real money. If I could ever have taken Leelia's place I would've done it in the blink of an eye." Aubrea's eyes got watery.

Pinky felt it for her. She blinked and her stare softened as she looked at her mom. She was getting emotional. She could see that Aubrea wasn't lying. She meant every word that she had said. She was speaking from the bottom of her heart.

"You know what hurt the most and every day?" Aubrea asked.

Pinky was so touched that she had forgotten how to open her mouth, she tried but she didn't have the power. So instead she nodded no.

"It was that Mr. Douglas hadn't wanted me. He wanted my daughter. I cried almost every night and morning for over years. It still haunts me today. Do you know how that feels, what it is like to live with a decision like that? That I had to make or lose my son?" She sniffled. "I threw myself at Mr. Douglas so many times to get the money. I tried blackmailing him, everything in my powers I tried, just to set my daughter free from the situation I had put her in for her brother's life. But nothing would change his mind, so I coaxed Leelia to be with Qwan instead which I thought would be better for her life. It was the only way I saw I could somehow make some right out of two wrongs life had given me to choose from. Some would have chosen to let their son die. I couldn't choose that." Pinky felt a tug on her heart string. She tried not to make her tears come.

"So that's why you did have relationship with Mr. Douglas? Cheat pon Daddy?"

"No. No-no-no. Sex with Mr. Douglas was never ever a relationship. It was always about trying to make it for you guys. It has always been about you guys. Especially you Pinky."

"Me? You hate me the most out of all a wi."

"That's a lie. Remember when I got pregnant with you. I had it all. My life was wonderful. My parents were rich. My whole family line was rich. My parents cursed me telling me to abort you. And to leave your Dad or never associate myself with the family ever again because they will not have someone like your Dad in the family."

"Really?" This wasn't a 'really' depicting she hadn't known. Pinky had known of this. But for the first time her perspective changed as she became courteous enough to actually look at things from Aubrea's side. She wasn't one tracked and hard-headed about it anymore. It was a 'really' being said out of genuine compassion.

"Yes. What you think I did? I gave up everything, just to keep you. I could have aborted you." Since Pinky's abortion her mind always shifted when she heard the word, and now it shifted deep to know the abortion that was being talked about was her.

"I had the option, but I sacrificed a life of luxury and struggled with you. I lost my family, my bread and everything to be with your father and carry you into this world. It was so hard, some days we had nothing to eat. Some days I wanted to just give up. I was so hurt sometimes that I wondered if I did the right thing and sometimes took out my anger on you and you would go to your Dad. I was so young, too young to even have a child at that time. I didn't know anything about being a Mom. I made mistakes. I was emotional. I was a spoilt-brat. I was raised that way. People take time to change. It takes experiences to change them. It doesn't happen overnight. And I have changed. But at the end of the day I was always there for you. Always."

Pinky's thoughts were silent and deep. Her Mom's confession and her pure honesty were touching her. Pinky made mistakes too. She reflected on what she did with Dani, she considered it a mistake. Something she did out of curiosity when she was seventeen. She had buried herself so deep in denial that she had actually started to believe that it didn't exist in her past. Buried herself so deep that she would lash out against it and stay far away from it as she could to hide away from her past, the memories. Put up a wall and a front so no one would even suspect her. In her mind she had convinced herself with the lie that she had not been with Dani. She too had made mistakes she wish she hadn't. It hurt that she had to live with that regret. She imagined how much more painful it must be for her mother to live with her choices. Aubrea must be walking around with a heavy hell in her heart every day. Aubrea continued to speak,

"But situations got worse when Vance came. I was up between a rock and a hard place."

Pinky could hear the pain in her mother's voice. Feel the hardship, her struggles, her pain, her sufferings. It soaked into Pinky's emotion. She could not look at her Mom anymore and still hold back her tears.

She looked away and tried not to cry. It was too much for her to absorb. Abortion, life, sacrifice. How she have mistreated Aubrea for so many years. How she had handled her mother like a dog sometimes when her mother had given it all for her. It wasn't for Leelia or Vance. It was for her. Her mother had given up her life of luxury to suffer with her. And to even think about that even after Pinky was treating her like dirt, her mother still had gone and sacrificed her body to Dog Teet just for her. Pinky was an adult with two children and she was still giving it all for her. Who else in the world would do that for her? Her mother had gone through all of this for her and had never once mentioned it, had never used it to her advantage against her to quiet her when she attacked her mother, or told her how much she was doing for her, sacrificing for her. All along she kept her heart-touching deeds a secret. She only wanted the best for her and would go the extra mile for any of them. And she did. She went an extra thousand miles for all her kids.

Tears came to Pinky's eyes. She was unwilling to let them fall.

"Sorry." Pinky said too softly for Aubrea to hear, then broke down. She tried to say sorry again but she couldn't gather herself. "Sor. . ." She gasped heaving for a lungful of breath. "Sorr . . ." gasped, "Sor . . ." She couldn't. She was a wreck.

The tears flooded through. Crying with deep inner regret. Wishing that she wasn't so cold to her Mom. Wishing she had given her Mom a chance and tried to understand her Mom. All that hurt she must have caused her Mom. Her mother had loved her so much and all she did was showed her mother hate in return. Cold harsh hate and blame. And still her mother kept loving her with a pure clean and true heart. Loved her wholeheartedly, unconditionally. "Sorr . . ." gasped.

Tears came at Aubrea's eyes to see Pinky's whole face patchy with red and cheeks flushed in tears. Aubrea had never seen Pinky with so much emotion, so emotional, and it was towards her. Aubrea could clearly see the heartbrokenness in Pinky's face. The sight made her feel sorry for Pinky. To see Pinky crying her heart out she wanted to stop her from crying. Shield her from the pain. Even if she's crying for her, she didn't like to see any of her children hurting.

She leaned in towards Pinky. Pinky leaned on her for support. Cried with deep breaths punctuating her cries. Her back heaving, bumping up and down.

"It's Ok Pinky. It's Ok." Aubrea cried silently. The tears were pouring down her cheeks in two narrow streams. "It's Ok baby, I will always love you."

Aubrea's children were always her world to her. She would do whatsoever it took for any one of them. And she did all that she thought it took for every one of them. Even when they themselves hadn't realized it.

Pinky took a huge breath and tried to speak. Aubrea felt Pinky's back trembling as she gasped and said, "Sorry Mom."

"It's Ok Pinky. I love you."

Pinky paused, went silent.

Then replied,

"I love you too."

"Lawd Jesus, what the hospital bill come up to now?" Aubrea said almost as if she was hit in the face with financial concerns once more.

"Don't worry about that Man." Pinky smiled at her, "I'm a millionaire!"

#  BONUS

##  "THE JAMAICAN NINJA BERT EXCERPT"

WHY BERT A SEARCH UP MARJ DRAWER?

"So what if the blouse couldn't fit properly, Bert thought. No matter what he was going to force in that blouse because God said so."

Marj's husband's situation always was on heavy rotation inside her head. It's not something she could ease her mind of not thinking about. They've been together for thirteen years, married for eight months. As a matter of fact, last night she tried the hardest to not think about it and had the worst nightmare since her series of nightmares about Bert's blooming insanity. This time she dreamt that he was so mad that he was wearing woman's clothing in public. She lunged out her nightmare for breath, sweating, gasping, suctioning for air, thanking God it was only a dream, nothing more. She wouldn't be able to stand such embarrassment if this should ever happen. What would people say of her? She was in denial that Bert was going off even though she saw some clear signs. Anyone asked her she would not admit the facts. She would say her husband is quite fine. But was he?

The next day Dr. Kemp, or Bert as his wife called him got up early and made breakfast for his wife as he usually did but he didn't go to any work. Instead, as soon as his wife stepped foot out the house for work, he ran off to her drawer. He was about to ransack it but a clever instinct told him to wait a couple of minutes, or else his wife would catch him red-handed. He knew since lately his wife would always return to pee, even if she had just pee before leaving. So said, so done. He sat on the bed in front the drawer whistling the song that they use to start NYPD Blues and acting like he was innocent, he had nothing up his sleeves. As soon as she drove off to work, he ransacked her drawers looking for the perfect leggings or tights. Portia had to die. No joke about that.

Tax on patty was taking it too far and needed to be warred over. And everyone knows the first part of becoming a deadly ninja to take off the head-crown off the Right Honourable, was to get a proper tights. If it was even a cotton leggings with just say about thirty percent spandex in the material that would be good. It didn't have to be straight spandex, as long as it was stretchy.

He sat on the short edge of the bed and dug and dug into the drawers; mostly blouse and shorts and underwear were flying up. He chucked them towards one side on the bed.

Bert wouldn't give up, he had already made up his mind that he would not take off Portia's head-crown in no jeans, it had to be in tights. Pretty and smooth tights, soft and stretchy.

Being professional and very ardent on how he presented himself as a dangerous fat ninja, he had to get the looks of a ninja down pat, or else when he invaded the Parliamentary House to put on the rush on Portia and the rest of the battalion, they wouldn't take their deaths coming to them seriously. He couldn't have that.

Maybe they would even laugh at him. He definitely couldn't have that. The tights were surely a must to make the ninja look professional and murderous. Big time.

Plus when Bert researched history, he had never seen a ninja killing the government in jeans before; never, nowhere in history, and that must be because all ninjas always wore their proper tights. He wasn't going to break the tradition; he was already bending the rules with being a little overweight. His belly had put him on the plump side. He may very well be the first fat ninja with skinny foot, so it was of dire importance he got even a leggings before he could go to the Parliamentary House and take off Portia's crown.

Hopefully she wouldn't put up a resistance.

He dug and dug through the drawer, still no tights. What kind of obeah is this? He sees his wife wearing tights every morning when she's exercising before work. How comes now he can't find one single tights. Satan must be working against him.

He stopped throwing the clothes on the bed. He dashed them away on the floor, all the way over to one corner of the house. Where are the damn tights?!! Then finally --- BAM!

He hit the jackpot. A super-soft, smooth, spandexy tights. Bert had no doubt it would hug nicely around his contours, his thin hips and small, short bottom. Nothing else in the world sweet Bert so much. He found his tights!

The tights were a Labourite green. It looked a little smaller than he liked. He had to squeeze to go in it and he'd stretch it out badly, especially the waistband, but the stretch out never mattered to Bert. It was a spandex tights it could manage the stretch out. It will be under a little pressure yes indeed, but nothing too severe. But a suh it go, Bert though. He held up the green tights in the air, some of the sunlight coming through the four squares of glass window passed through the tights. He spun his treasure around smiling gleefully, as he checked the seams of the crotch if it was tightly knitted together. He checked it because he may need to bust a lot of splits in it. He was on a deadly mission. The crotch was secured and good enough to split in it. He smiled to himself and said,

"Perfect colour this! Perfect, perfect . . . It pretty eeeh Man . . .A now mi ago get fi hold Portia neck, it nuh matter how much scarf she wear, mi want har neck."

All that consumed Bert now was to get some pretty decent ninja training.

He began heaping up back the clothes he threw one side, and WALLAH!

Like a gift from Lord Jesus our Saviour himself, Bert caught sight of Marj's long sleeve green blouse and it couldn't fit him. Bert had too much gut. That didn't matter to Bert that it couldn't fit, it had stretch in the material and the green matched the tights. The same Labourite green like the tights. This must be an holy act of Jesus giving him a sign.

'So what if the blouse couldn't fit properly', Bert thought. No matter what he was going to force into that blouse because God said so.

Obviously, it was like a destiny for Bert to be a ninja all these years of his life and he didn't know. Look how easily he got his suit from one draw.

It was training time now.

And it has to be extreme. It has to.

Bert snatched up a bottle of Marj's Nair hair removal cream, used it, then got dressed in full green and jogged out his house. 'All patty taxes must go', he thought.

### CHAPTER

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

"Bert why you getting so black? You ptomaine poison?"

One o'clock in Jamaica's Summer sun is no joke thing. As Bert would say, 'Dem time deh, the sun a bawl out and a bake people forehead until till it soft.' But Bert was being squeezed until he was almost slim by his full suit of green from head to toe.

He's convinced he's a damn ninja. He needs to behave.

His green shirt, tight like a blouse. Well it was actually a blouse, but it fit him so tightly it could not do its duly duty of covering his navel. Matter of fact, it didn't even go so far down his mid section to even cover half of his belly. His belly was too big and wagga wagga and Bert's navel shaped badly. It ill-shaped until it leant downward. Plus it big and shine and looked like pure air in it, and the tight blouse just won't cover the ugly navel. Anyway, Bert loved his suit like wow.

He was standing in the hot sand, no shoes, barefoot on Hellshire Beach, staring in the white one o'clock sun. His hands steadily clasped under his chin, he wasn't blinking. Bert knew he had to look good in his suit so he Naired-off and shaved some of the hair off his belly to make it shine. Only where the blouse exposed was shaved smooth and shine. The rest of his belly was still hairy-hairy.

Bert released the clasp from under his chin and began training, calling out the moves as he peeled them off on a rapid.

"Kick move! UH! Thump move! UH! Double Spin Kick! WAP! WAP!"

He put his hand to protect and hide his face and hollered out "Block move! HHUH!" He said the 'Hhhuh; from the centre of his gut.

His cell phone rang, he took out his Nokia 3310. It was his favourite cousin, Trudy.

"Hey Trudy, you good?"

"Yeah mi good. Don't say I'm always calling you to ask you for something enuh, but this time very, very important. I want to go to this party and Roger won't give me any money to do my hair, can you please ..."

"I get it, I get it. I understand cous, gonna transfer it for you when mi leave the beach. Mi deh yah a do some serious training."

"Tehehe . . . you sound so weird speaking patois Bert. Okay later, mi will call and remind you to transfer it, eight thousand ok?"

"Eight thousand fi do hair?"

"Yeah, that cheap, a because mi buy two pack a hair already."

"A because you a mi favourite cousin mek mi a do it enuh."

"Love you too Bert."

Both of Bert's parents were dead, natural causes, exactly a year apart from each other. Bert thought about the fact that he didn't have a relationship with most of his family except Trudy, because Trudy was just genuine. No matter what, he knew she would always have his back. Despite the age difference between him and Trudy, Trudy being seventeen years his junior, they had a pretty good relationship.

No time to skylark. Bert got back into his deadliest move, "Tomma Hawk! UH! Knee! UH! Bruck Back! UH! Lizard Grip! HHHUH!" He did it twice, "Lizard Grip! UH! HHHUH!"

Bert was tired. He couldn't bother with no more after those eight moves, it mashed him up. Training was through.

Bert was having a serious conversation with someone. It sounded urgent and may have to do with his extraction of Portia's crown, who knows? He made a very angry face at the person, but only he could see the person he was talking to.

Of course no one else could see the person. He's a freaking ninja, what do you expect? Only he could see him. Or maybe - he was mad.

Bert found out that he had super powers. No, he wasn't a certified nut case. He may have truly had some special powers bestowed upon him from the heavens. The thing was, how could he come up with a plan to convince Marj that he was a ninja. But not just any ordinary ninja, one with extreme super powers, such as being able to make his eyeballs bulge and flex. His prime power over all.

Plus he could disappear. Literally. No joke. Just Voops! And him gone. Vanish just like that.

He wanted to prove it to Marjorie by disappearing off the face of the earth right in front her very eyes. Seeing is believing, so he'll 'Voop!' into a puff of smoke, disappear and show her his extraordinary talent.

Over the last couple of days, Marj realised that Bert wasn't too sensible on a higher level now. She spoke to her family about it and they all told her she should institutionalize him. She agreed with them. But deep down in her heart she couldn't. She decided she was gonna keep Bert home until he recovered and got back to his regular senses.

In the meanwhile, day and night Bert was trying his very best to disappear for Marj but it just never could work when she's around. Bert would disappear often, but what he observed was that it would only happen when he sat on the toilet seat. So the mastermind came up with a brilliant plan.

The plan was simple but brilliant. All he did was held her hand and asked her,

"Please follow me to the bathroom to doo-doo?"

He knew very well that whenever he started he would disappear – 'Voops!' into a puff of smoke, proving to his wife once and for all, who he truly was, and get on to the bigger things at hand, lifting off Portia's crown.

But she refused. And in Bert's eyes, it was for the oddest reason that she was refusing. She would always annoyingly say, "I don't want to go into the bathroom with you Bert, because whatsoever you doing in the bathroom - it smell too awful."

Therefore, the ninja had to devise a new master plan to demonstrate his powers and evaporate. He wanted to make her into a believer. In the meantime he continued to train hard at Hellshire Beach every boiling sun for his deadly mission and he had adamantly made up his mind.

Marj noticed that every night when she came in Bert was getting a degree blacker heading towards ackee-seed black. She knew it couldn't be bleaching cream, no rubbings was in the house, so she asked him straightforward,

"Bert why are you getting so black? You ptomaine poison?" Bert looked at her mouth, her top lip was a slightly darker complexion from the rest of her face and her bottom lip was cherry. He cut his eye at her. She caringly asked,

"Want me to make you some bizzy tea?"

"Marj you wouldn't understand, but I was chosen to go on a secret mission."

"Who chose you Bert?"

"Who else? Jesus himself."

"Who?"

"Jesus." Bert answered, "Mi naaw tell nuh lie, Jesus come down from heaven and pick me special. Just like how him did pick Moses."

"Bert I'm carrying you to the psychiatrist! Jesus didn't choose you to do anything."

" how'd you know if I'm the chosen one?"

"Chosen one to do what?"

Bert brought a finger to his plummy pouting lips and said, "Shh . . . tek time talk. I can't tell you. It's a secret mission. Let's just say someone will be de-throned." He winked slyly with a slanted smile. "And know that Jesus showed mi the path to your tights. And even a matching blouse as a modern day miracle."

"What's this secret mission now Bert?"

Bert broke out in a frenzy fanning the words away from her mouth, trying to put a lid on it. "Ssshh . . .SShhh...Classified information Marj. I can't tell you some of the murderous details but I can tell you that every patty crumbs must be eaten without _fretration_ about tax on it. Not even a patty bag must be taxed. And I'm the Saviour for all patties and all patty bags."

"What you talking about Bert? I'm so lost right now."

Bert made a deep sigh. "Uuuh!! Lord God Man." He threw both hands up in the air. Marj's head was thickly dunce and he couldn't get through to her. "Ok. Let mi get to the meat of the matter." He tried to explain it in an easier form, "Remember the very wise and powerful words of the great Martin Luther King enuh Marj, as he once said, 'Tax-free patty for all and every mankind.'"

"Martin Luther King didn't say that!"

Why was Marj running him down? He knew what he was talking. Well maybe it wasn't Martin Luther king who said that. He paused as he thought about it sensibly for a while. Marj was right it wasn't Martin Luther King that had said that, so he corrected himself arrogantly.

"Well Bob Marley did."He stuck his chest and chin up as he replied and then widened out his eyes, showing a dangerous amount of eyeballs and shoved his face up into Marj's face waiting to see if she would dare oppose his knowledge.

Marj was a bit terrified. She had never seen him behave so out of whack; so frivolous and theatrical with his madness. It was getting way out of hand. Maybe she should really take him in to the professionals like everyone else was advising her. But as she stared back in his dangerous eyes, she was seeing that it was Dr. Kemp, her Dr. Kemp. The same loving and caring man she had married eight months ago. The man she loved. She'll not give up hope on him and turn him in into any mental institution. She knew she could nurse him better than any institution would. She knew she just had to stick it out just for a short while, her Dr. Kemp will soon return. He'll soon be better.

"Bert used his middle finger and pushed Marj in her forehead and said, "A you mi a talk to enuh, you a gwaan like you naaw hear mi, Mi seh as Bob Marley said, If anybody put tax on patty, tek dem neck." He grabbed both sides of his tights and hiked it up higher before he continued, "And we need more knowledge like this being passed on to the younger generation. As a matter of fact, these are the uplifting words we need the church to preach to the kids."

It was clear, her husband was getting worse. He was having severe delusions and misconceptions very regular now and very grandeur. Tears crept up to her eyes. It pained her heart more than Bert could ever know. She fought not to let the tears fall from her eyes. She felt a deep inner hurt for her husband's mental condition. He didn't deserve this. He has no real idea of what he's saying or what he's doing. He's emotionally detached from all his feelings. She's not sure he's able to love; to love her. The tears slid from her eyes and she didn't wipe them away. She just let them flow freely down her face. Hugged him sniffing and through her crying voiced crackled,

"For better or worse. For better or worse."

She squeezed him tight to her chest.

With both hands at his side, Bert didn't squeeze back. He was blank.

### CHAPTER

BERT IS A PSYCHIATRIST TOO, SO WHAT IF HIM MAD?

"Mi can fry a egg wid mi yeye! Just look pon it like so," He demonstrated ...

"Bert." Marjorie looked exhausted.

Bert wasn't replying, he only had his hand sticking out, waiting and expecting to get the plate towel to wipe his bottom. Marjorie called again, "Bert."

"Yes wife."

"Just go doo-doo please. Just gwaan."

"No. Mi want di plate rag, don't mek mi fight you fi it."

Marjorie was strong but he was testing her faith now.

"You know you can't fight a ninja. Just gimmi di plate rag."

Marjorie put one hand to the roof and said,

"Lord help me, do." She sighed, and for the first time since Bert started acting this strange she had to kiss her ring twice in such a short span of time, she repeated her Mantra in her heart, 'For better or for worse, Lord, for better or for worse.'

She handed Bert the towel and instructed him. "Bert, don't flush the towel, you hear."

Bert looked at her as if she was stupid.

"Bert just please. Don't argue. Don't flush the towel, it will bung the toilet."

Bert's voice was low and soft, "Baby what's wrong, why you crying?"

"You Bert; You. I don't understand what's happening in your head anymore."

"Truth is, you'll never understand Marj, no one will. No doctor, nobody. I'm beyond humans. I'm a ninja."

"You need to see a damn psychiatrist. Can't you at least get a bigger shirt put on? You don't see that the whole of your belly skin is exposing?"

He looked down on the shaved section of his belly, he seemed a bit embarrassed.

"But mi can get slim if mi want."

He sucked in his gut, held his breath. And his face bloated up.

"Let go your breath Bert." He released immediately and his belly banged down big as it was. "That doesn't make you slim. We're going to the psychiatrist tomorrow, ok baby?"

"Marj?"

Marj didn't answer. She only sighed. He called again.

"Marjjjj! Mi know you hear mi enuh."

"Yes Bert."

She hoped he'd at least say something sensible to her. Some sign that he was coming around and that she was holding on to something that was not totally gone. A hope that Bert was not now totally off his rockers at a point of no return. Bert calmly asked her,

"Answer this one question Marj. Look here. Look at me and don't lie." Marjorie's vision was blurry with tears. Her chin crimpled, he sounded sane. That's just what she was looking for, just that small sign of sensibility. Bert had romantic eyes, and Marj could feel the chemistry. The feeling they had together when they were teenagers, before they moved into this house together. She felt a chill of love. Bert's voice was soft,

"Have you ever been a ninja, Dear?"

Poor Marjorie. She couldn't take it, she let go of her tears again. They came in abundance, her body was shaking. Bert continued,

"You think being a ninja a simple sup'n? No. It's not an easy road. Is it Buju did a sing 'bout. This is classified information and I shouldn't be telling you, because if they ever find out they'll cut my neck. Clean, clean. You hear mi? But Buju is a secret ninja too. Why you think the CIA dem lock him up?"

"STOP! STOP! BERT STOP! Just Stop!" She was shaking her head looking down, one hand holding her forehead and the other leaning on the counter, balancing her. She felt weak and she didn't even feel the pain in her ankle anymore. "You're no ninja! Buju is no ninja! And you definitely not a ninja. Stop!"

Bert was taken aback by her raised voice, but more stupefied by her preposterous claims, saying he was not a ninja. She was in denial and he knew what he had to do. He had to doo-doo on the carpet right in front of her so she could see when he disappears.

He thought for a while, maybe he had to test it first. What if the toilet seat had something to do with it. Tonight he would sneak out the bed, get a screw driver and screw off the toilet seat, put it in the middle of the living room carpet and test out if he doo-doo there, if he would disappear.

Bert's psychiatric instinct crept in, he knew the frustration and anger from Marjorie was about more than she was saying. She had a greater feeling, maybe jealousy, maybe disbelief.

Something was annoying her badly. Annoying her so much that she was crying. He grew sensitive, he picked up on what was really happening, picked up on her feeling, and knew exactly what it was,

"A badmind you badmind mi fi super powers? You is a ungrateful little witch!"

"What super powers Bert? Is mad you mad?"

"What super powers, eehh? What super powers?" he repeated her question in disbelief that she didn't know about his super powers. But he was silent after. It seemed he, himself, wasn't sure either. He thought for a split second, his pupil swung side to side as he thought ingeniously about it. Then darting a steady daring stare in her eyes he burst out boldly, "Mi can fry a egg wid mi yeye! Just look pon it like so." He demonstrated, force-squinting his fat bulby eyes very hard, trying to flex his eyeballs and a long vein got visible in the centre of his forehead like he was about to explode. He was trying to convince Marj that this was true and going hard at making up a frying egg face. Just to make sure she understood how he was bad on frying eggs with his eyes, then confidently added,

"And mi yeye dem fry di egg dem well crisp too, crisper than fire. And it add salt." He gouged out his eyes way beyond normal opening and the large round white of his eyes were protruding. He pointed at his two eyeballs with both index fingers and steadied them in front them and said,

"You see dem big yeye yah? You see dem yah? Dem no normal. A mi gift dem." He stopped talking to make sure what he was claiming submarined down into her head properly; giving her some time to sponge-up the fact that her husband had super power eyeballs, then said, "Dem yah special. SPECIAL."

He swiftly shot off his pointing fingers closer to his eyeballs and didn't even blink as he added. "Specialllll!"

Marj slapped her own forehead, frustrated. Bert was on the path of proving the special talent of his eyes. There was no eggs in sight to demonstrate his unbelievable talent. So instead he asked of her,

"Mi ago sight your finger dem wid just mi eyeball dem alone a move, so try your best to jook out mi yeye dem now. Concentrate." He gouged out his eyes even wider, daring her to try her best shot. He wheeled his wrist around doing the come here motion to her to get her closer.

"Come. Dweet. Try jook dem out." Marj didn't budge. Just stared. He sweetened the offer and said,

"Come nuh. Quick. Mi a gi you three try."

"Really Bert? . . .Really? . . .I'm not having this conversation with you. Why you'd have mi around the stove in the mornings if you could fry the eggs with your eyes? Why you didn't fry the eggs and sausages this morning with your eyes then? Why Bert? Why?"

Bert craned his neck forward and closer to her face.

"You hear mi seh mi can fry sausage wid mi yeye?"

"But you just said that a while ago Bert." Marj felt the urge to pee, but she held it.

"Egg mi seh. EGG! Bay Egg!" He was right. He didn't mention anything about sausages or frankfurters. He went almost into a fit frustrated at her liar ways,

"Deaf ears gi liad trouble."

"Why didn't you fry the eggs with your eyes then?"

"Marj, get some sleep. You sound like a mad woman. How on God's green earth mi fi fry egg wid mi yeye, eeh? You a mad likkle girl?"

Marjorie slammed both hands on the glistening countertop.

"It's you who are getting mad, you Bert, You! You the one claiming you can fry eggs with your eyes, not me."

"No Marj." He was calmly shaking his head disagreeing politely like any British would to casually refuse a cup of tea offered to him. "Mi never seh dat. Mi never seh a thing. Mi not even did mention the word egg to you. God kill mi right yahso if mi a tell a lie. A hungry you hungry?"

She could not out-wit Bert. He was too intelligent and too lie. Barefaced-lie, so she would never win. More tears were forming in her eyes. She kissed her ring and repeated her mantra for faith and strength. ' _For better or worse. God don't make him kill me.'_

She looked in his eyes and all she was seeing was the man she fell in love with, Bert Kemp, the doctor she married, Dr. Kemp, her husband. Her marriage meant the world to her. Her vows were her bond. Through thick and thin, for better or for worse, Til death do us part.

He looked like a sensible man in his eyes, she knew, or just could feel that he wasn't a total goner, his sanity was close. She just had to stick in there and be with him, by his side. Fight the fight. She needed him there. But he was acting ludicrous.

She disregarded what her sister and her mom said. He's no goner; the sensible side is still alive inside him. She clung on to thin hopes of him returning to being Dr. Bert Kemp, back to normal; wearing his shirt and tie and getting out of her green blouse and tights, that he wore every day now, that he now called his ninja suit. He would wash it every now and again and sit in the sofa naked waiting on the suit to dry on the line. He refused to wear nothing else but his ninja suit.

She snatched the plate towel out his hand and almost screamed at him,

"I'm leaving you if you don't go to see the psychiatrist tomorrow."

"But watch yah! Babes . . . Mi a psychiatrist too. After none a dem boy deh, can't psychiatrist good like mi."

Marjorie took out her pearl earrings out her ears, rested them on the counter beside his neatly folded brief, and put both hands on her head. She wanted to shower, she remembered her sprain foot was wrapped in bandage; maybe she would just wipe up, tidy off herself since she was hot. She should be worrying about Bert disappearing and never return to the year 2012 but somehow she wasn't worried. In a surrendering voice, she begged him,

"Just one time Bert, please. Just allow the doctor to at least look into your eyes. That's all."

Bert was swift to snap back at her and her pitiful begging.

"Save your money!"

"What?"

"You deaf? Save . . . You . . . Likkle . . . Money."

"What you mean? You going to see Dr. Arnold?"

"Marj why a fi him name you bring up? You and Dr. Arnold always going to the gym together, Nancy seh uno always close a the gym. You a gi mi bun wid him through him chest thicker than mine and him have abs?"

"No Bert! Stop talking foolishness. You going to see him tomorrow?"

"A gone murder him one day, You want bet mi?"

"Stop talking foolishness Bert. You seeing him no longer than tomorrow, tomorrow, right?"

"Save your money."

"So I'm asking, you going to see Dr. Arnold tomorrow?"

"No. But mi a go to see a psychiatrist tomorrow."

This was Marjorie's first break through. The very first time she was getting him to agree to seeing a psychiatrist. God knows she tried persuading him countless times but he always refused adamantly, admitting that he didn't require the services of a psychiatrist. Today was the first step, a day for her to remember.

"Thank you. Thank you Bert." She finally smiled her first smile.

"No problem Marj. Mi ago psychiatrist mi own self."

Marjorie's heart flattened a thousand times.

"But . . . But Bert ---"

He sailed a stop hand signal in the air, right up to her face and his nakedness swung and slapped on both of his thighs.

"Shut up babes." She shut up and was now listening to the honour roll, university graduate, Dr. Kemp. He continued to command,

"Pass the mirror mek mi look inna mi eyes and tell you wha a gwaan inna mi head."

Marjorie stood still, her 'good good husband gone good good mad'. It was slow but it was coming to her reality. She stared at him. Bert walked off to the bathroom, butt naked, his little _bat-bat_ shaping like a little triangle, squeezing smaller as it came down toward his thigh. He was walking swift and boastfully.

He stood in front the face basin, staring in the mirror and he saw that he had a problem. He shouted,

"Marjorie! Marj! Mi see a wha a the problem baby!"

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