Chapter 37

              Cushane's pov

  My heart felt broken and I prayed it did not work with the man Lamais was on vacation date with, I cried out of hurt frustration two nights straight. I love her, I am going to die if she marries someone other than me. I could hardly keep focus at work and I not looking forward to another court hearing. I am glad the lawyer she recommended was good at her job, though it was costing me a fortune.

   I went on TikTok and my heart lurched as a video of Lamais and a man waltzing to Sam Smith's Fire on fire, I was so angry I fling my phone away. I went to lie down with a splitting headache cursing how unfair life is, I toss and turned tormented for the whole night. I wanted so badly to slap the man's hands from off of my woman, that I had to get up and do a thorough workout then shower and get ready for work.

  A video posted on the church's page went viral  and by the end of the week people were asking to duet it, I put on a brave face and duet the video and to my surprise by the Monday I went to work the video had gone viral. As everyone look at me when I walk back to my office after lunch I begin to dance to the song used on the videos.

  I went to court the next day with a serious expression plastered on my face, they lawyer eyed me secretly like a few other women. Who wouldn't want my glorious physique after the way I had flaunted it? I send a text to Lamais before walking into the courtroom with a determination I never had before.

              Cushane's pov

  I left the phone up to Shanty to deal with, I had thought my shenanigans would be looked down upon instead the video has gone viral. Now Cushane's duet have me wetting my panties, people must think we are both horny and love girating and - I shake my head trying to dispel my thoughts. The interjected quotes I put in my videos was.

Me practicing for when I get married

No I ain't a boring Christian woman

However Cushane made a bold statement with his.

Me practicing for our wedding night and after

All this is hers

Lamais my wife to be

  A picture of my engagement ring and then my hand wearing it, followed by photos of him proposing to me among others. I was not showing my face in public for now, him wining up his self was so embarrassing. Everyone was having a field day with it, I could not stand Shanty and Christopher who kept chuckling whenever they were in my presence.

  I ask Tishawna to direct the choir practice that evening because I was terrible afraid to face everyone, Christopher went to make sure the church was locked up properly afterwards and I was thankful. He ask about the land beside my home that night and I tell him if he was interested he should clear it and fence it around, we reasoned about his fishing trade and I tell him he can drive the van and that I think it best that he sells in this district and close by as not to draw attention to him. I also offered to ask around for him, our church family and people who came to visit me.

Before going to bed I checked my phone and was surprise to see a text message from Cushane, Shanty respectfully hadn't open it.

  We're getting married, we love each other and I see no reason why we shouldn't. We have both suffered enough already, I'm not allowing us to anymore.

  Without responding I put my phone on the nightstand and close my eyes, I say my prayer and repeat psalms until I fall asleep.

  "Morning Karly," I say seeing her packing ice in their large igloo.

"Good morning Lammy," she said cheerfully and pointed to the back.

  I peek through the window and saw Christopher scaling fish and singing, I smile, someone had a good catch I say in my head and turn to the stove to make tea. Karly went out with the igloo and came back in with a large dish of  different kinds of fishes, she place them on the counter and say.

  "This a our own and me aguh guh wid Chris guh see if we can get some sell."

  I smile at her and tell her. "Ok, I hope they sell off and you'll meet loyal customers."

  "A dat we a hope," she says as the children walk into the kitchen all ready for school.

   Christlla and Kareem wish me a loud "good morning" I grin happily at their happy faces. "You guys look like stars," I tell them both.

"I have made friends a'ready," Christilla tell me shyly.

  "That's great, now remember what I told you about friends?" I said then ask.

  She nodded and say. "Yes aunty."

  "Me nuh like the lunch," Kareem complains in a low voice.

"Buy bun and cheese," Karly tells him.

"We'll see how the first week goes and then we can decide what's best for you guys this weekend," I tell them all.

  The van horn of our new church member blew at the gate and they hurried to go, officer Clarkston who recently move to this community has children attending both of their schools. Starting next week they'll ready and walk down to his gate, so he'll give them a drive to school. Karly tells me a hasty later as she went out behind Christopher.

   I packed the fishes into the deep freeze after drinking my tea, Shanty came and begin setting up the things for our day. I miss Kemar in the mornings already but he have to reach school early now, Christopher took care of the yard so I had no worries. Me and Shanty discuss the upcoming convention abroad, I was carrying my own choir and I feel good about that. We talked about the plans for her wedding and and I was that she and Msrah has agreed on a date.

"Yes that date is fine and you can shop around to see if you see a nicer wedding dress," I tell her.

That afternoon a woman came seeking to tie the man she was sleeping with, after telling her several times that I did not do such works I tell her to come back in three days time and I would see what I can do. Shanty cleaned her throat meaningfully in the back area of the reading room and I tell the woman that she would be given a bath when she came. I charge her a hundred grand for good measure and was glad when she finally leave.

  I walk over to the outside kitchen and the moment I look at Christopher standing about beside his fishing nets, he burst into an horrendous squeal of laughter. He fell unto the ground and was laughing so hard that I begin to laugh even though I had no idea why he was laughing. Was he getting off? I wondered and looked towards the back door as Karly came into view.

  She was laughing hard with her hand over her mouth and I heard Shanty practically dying from laughter close by.  "No sah! Fada God a tie Karly tie mi tuh ino," he exclaims sitting up in the dirt.

"Christopher, you will not eavesdrop on my clients when they come here," I try to tell him seriously but couldn't keep out the laughter from my voice.

"I'm very serious," I added.

"Afta mi neva a eavesdrop ma'am, a pass mi a pass and di way how she a talk loud if mi did a walk past di fence out dey suh mi would a hear mi want tie him, mi affi tie him."

  I lean against the side of the outside kitchen as I went weak with laughter, my eyes watered as we all laughed. My cheeks and my belly hurt as Karly doubled over dropping flat on her butt, it took a while for us to get ourselves under control and when we did Christopher's remarks was.

"Mi a mek sure sey mi walk way round dey suh when a reading day caz mi nuh know how you and Shanty do it."

"Overtime wi get use to it and yuh nuh hear nutn yet," Shanty tells him.

"Mi sey a di second time mi end up a pass by when yuh a deal wid yuh ting and mi a mek certain di third time nuh ketch mi, a way up inna di back yard mi run guh laugh ino," he says through a wide grin.

"Mada 'oman mi want yuh tie him," Shanty mimicks.

Christopher lie flat on his back as he begins to laugh again. "Kemar isn't here so guess who is going to go for the bushes to make the 𝑻𝑰𝑬 𝑯𝑰𝑴 𝑶𝑰𝑳 & 𝑻𝑰𝑬 𝑯𝑰𝑴 𝑹𝑶𝑶𝑻𝑺 𝑫𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑲?" I questioned then tell him the name of the bushes I'd be needing.

  I lock them out of the outside kitchen when they all tried to peek at what I was doing, he and Karly had went to sell fish when the woman came on Friday morning so they both didn't get to see what happen. When Shanty tried to find out how much I had gotten from the woman as payment, I gave her five grand and hid the rest. The woman had left filled with belief, I sighed then chuckled. The man already love her and he wasn't going anywhere, but she was already planning on coming back for more of the oil and roots drink. These people were not easy at all, after giving Shanty the grocery list along with money to purchase the things written on it, I went up to my room and stash my money in my safe.

To be continued...