🌸ڿڰۣ-P̠O̠V̠ P̠a̠t̠r̠i̠c̠e̠

"Mum...mmyyy," a soft voice sing sang in excitement as the door opened on my arrival.

I smile at the figure as I try to pull myself together. There she stood with all the familiarity of the one person time could never erase. I stare at her and the memories escalated.

Beenie Man was right wen him sing seh, Memories don't live like people do they always remember you...

I swallowed visibly as I reach for her tall lanky frame and hug her to my side. She nestled into me and the scent of her favourite coconut-scented Blue Magic hair oil assailed my nostrils.

"Yuh Aunty comb yuh hair," I said trying to pull myself together.

She reached up and patted the faux mohawk that was created with intricate zigzag cornrows and fluffy rope twists going down in the centre and decorated with gold hair accessories and beamed with delight.

The perks of having a hairdresser for an Aunty. She shook her hair sending the long silky twist bouncing and giggling. "Jae own duh jus like mine."

"Nothing new. Yuh a yuh cousin mussi a twin," I told her smiling. "Suh weh she deh how a yuh alone come bombarded mi?"

"She down a shop wid Mama," she answered as we both walk through the door. I push it up before resting my handbag and the market bag I had on the settee by the door.

"Suh why yuh up ere?" I ask knowing that she and Jae though four years apart are very much inseparable.

"Mi did hungry suh mi come up fi d rest a d banana porridge," she told me and another of those prickly sensations ran across my body and settle in the pit of my stomach.

How often has one family member or the other teased her for her undying love for bananas whether they be ripe or green? Too much to recount but nothing they say or do diffuse her love for it.

Yesterday her Granduncle had carried a bunch mixed with both ripe and green fingers and resting it by the back step he had called out saying.

"Weh monkey pickney deh? Cause a mus monkey breed yuh madda."

I had only shaken my head and smiled as I look at him through the kitchen window standing there grinning.

I am very much used to the various banter. For the eight years Odenia's love for bananas has manifested I have had my share of teasing not to let it get under my skin but today it took hold of things I wanted to forget and pulled them to the surface all because nothing could truly erase something that was very much a part of my daughter and the person who fathered her.

"Suh yuh dung a shop weh suh much sinting deh fi eat an yuh lef come up yah fi banana porridge, "I said looking at her now sitting in the matching settee nestled in the corner by the huge double window smiling at me.

I shook my head and smile back before asking her for her Aunt who she said was still by her salon. I question if many people were there but she raised her shoulder in that 'I don't know' gesture she love before reaching for the tv remote and clicking on the tv.

"Before yuh guh back down a shop pack out d things inna dah shopping bag deh fi mi please," I said to her walking to the dining room. "Mi a guh roun a Pet."

"Yes mummy," she answered and I glance to see her already getting up to do so.

My room and Odenia's were to the right of the dining area while Mama's was to the left. At the end of the passageway linking the dining room was the bathroom that Mama, Odenia, and I shared. Upstairs also had a guest room and bathroom off the living room and beside the kitchen, it was mainly used by my Uncle and aunt-in-law from Kingston whenever they visit.

Pet and her daughter occupied the downstairs apartment, which was the older structure of the house, it consisted of three rooms, a bathroom kitchen, and a washroom. One of the rooms was a spare room that was kept with all kinds of things Mama was not yet ready to depart with. The room was really for our mother but in the past twenty-five years, Pet and I know she was never coming back unlike Mama who kept on believing she will.

I hurriedly change out of my clothes and reach for a jegging and black merino as I put them on the dark eyes that I had stared into earlier peep into my room but this time they were on a fairer face less angular and too cute for her own good.

This pickney galang like seh mi nuh teach ar nothing. I thought. She neva knock yet.

"Mummy mi a guh back down a shop,"
she said coming further into the room.

I blinked at her as my senses reeled with all the familiarity they possess. All I could do was nod my head as I could not trust myself to speak.

Odenia's personality and the majority of her actions were a dead carbon copy of the ghost that I had long since thought had stopped haunting me until today that is.

"Lata."

"Later," I croaked as I took up my discarded flats, pants, and blouse.

My hands were trembling as I place my shoes under the screen and pull the curtain back in place. They shook, even more, when I walk over to the clothes basket that held clothes for washing and remove the cover to place my pants and blouse in.

I look down at my hands and tell myself what I already knew, "Yuh due fi a fill n polish," to get my mind and myself into some semblance of order.

It was a weak attempt because I could not get the reason for the cause of my now-distracted behavior out of the way.

Can you imagine a gal like me where hair, nails, clothes, and image have to be checked was now more concerned about a matter that should have been settled eight years ago?

I shook my head and sighed.

I took up the basket cover put it back onto the basket and left the room. Before I leave I gathered my phone and one of the peanut cake I had bought. As much as I was hell-bent on going to my sister I still had not forgotten my hunger or was I going to push it to the side and beside the little top-up was needed for what I was about to do.

I walk to the kitchen as I was going to use the back door as well as look for something to drink. I pause at the refrigerator and open it to see if there were any sodas and scrunched up my nose when I saw that all the chubby were finished and only swizzzle was there. I closed it and continue out of the house my slippers flip-flopping on my feet with my sudden haste.

I quickly checked to see if Odenia had closed the front door when I made it around to the front yard before I continue to the gate. I heard my phone ping indicating that I have received a message on messenger. I look at the notification and smiled but decided I would return to it later.

It would have been nice to deal with it now but pressing matters were at hand and when all this was out of the way it will make it all the easier to deal with who was pinging me.

I look at my phone again as another ping sounded and actually let out a little laugh when I see that the notification said I was poked.

People still poke people pan FB?!

Maybe I should turn back and deal with the sender of these messages and wait until when Petrice comes home but seeing I was now at the entrance of the square where her solon was housed with a variety of the community's little businesses I slip my phone into my brassiere and continued on my journey.

This could easily pick up when I return home and what I intend to do was out of the way.

It was not long before I was stepping up onto the beautifully refurbished container that was my sister's salon, professionally known as Totally Fab Hair and Beauty Salon.

When I entered through the door she was alone and I was pleased. She look up at me and smile a greeting but I only glared at her and she paused in her mixing of the braiding hair she was effortlessly prepping for some type of braiding style.

I partially tear the plastic bag from the peanut cake and bite into it and walk up to her she craned her neck to look up at me as sitting down made her shorter.

"A wah?"

"Big face gyal yuh couldn't tell mi seh OD deh yah!"

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Please👇

Nuff love 🇯🇲