Chapter 4

Adajay's pov

At lunch time I went to the wholesales and purchased three cotton sheet sets, clothes pins, a washing brush, 3 blue soap, a pack of sud sud soap powder and a iron. I leave my purchase with the security at the guard house, buy a patty and a bottle drink from the vendor near the gate and went inside to quickly eat and get back to work.

When I reach home that evening I begin to get a set of my clothes together to wash then realise that I didn't have any basins, I drop them into a corner of the room dejectedly and feeling hungry. I will have to plan out my money, time and be organized I told myself. My phone rings and I answered the strange number.

"Hello?"

"Hello, whats up?" A man said and asked.

"Nutn. Who is this?" Ireplied and asked.

"Righteous," the man replied.

"The man wey did have mi dresser?" I asked.

"Yea, how yuh fairing?" He asked.

"Well me a give thanks enuh, thanks for checking up on me I appreciate it," I told him.

"Yea man, ahnm a wey yuh gone live wid yuh man? Caz mi nuh waan cause nuh problem," he asked saying.

"Man? No dear, I don't want any. Mi get a one room fi rent way ova di next side," I answered telling him.

"Uhnm, mi happy sey yuh get some wey fi live, but di nuh want nuh man part sound like yah guh through somn," he stated.

I was not interested in reading out my life story to him, so I told him. "Mi just a try set miself and focus ahead."

"That's a good mindset to have, I hope we can be friends," he said.

I laughed softly. "I'm from work to home, I don't really have any social life and I can see that you're a party kinda person. So, I don't know," I said.

"We still can link up have a drink as friends," he said.

"Ok," I said.

"A'right tek care," he said.

"Yea you too," I said in turn and then the call end.

For the next couple of weeks I set myself making purchases of needed things and settling into my new life, the landlady was miserable and found a problem with everything so I avoided her like plague. I had been turning down Righteous' offer of going out for a drink until I finally accepted that evening. I arranged my nice white top and blue tight ripped jeans on my neatly spread mattress and did a light make-up. It's not like a date that I have to go overboard, he just said he and his friend were quite new to the area and they were bored.

I direct him to where I was living since he seemed ok enough and I heard a vehicle horn honked outside the gate as soon as the call we were on ended.

He opened the passenger door and I went into his nice car. "Hello again," I said.

"Hi, yuh look different," he said looking at me.

I looked at him then behind me at his friend perched in the back seat with a white hoody almost covering his face. "Oh, this is my friend - well more like a brother his name is Bartley," he said.

"Hi," Bartley said with a little wave of his hand and turn away his face.

His friend was tall and for some reason I felt a familiarity but couldn't place it with his face so hidden. "Is he ok?" I asked and his head snapped back around and he looked at me.

I look at Righteous who began to chuckle as he put the car into gear and drive off.

"Suh tell me how are you liking your new life?" Righteous asks.

"I'm settling in, I guess I would have to leave home one day, though it wasn't how I had planned to," I replied telling him.

"So it goes sometimes, yuh born and grow here?" He said and asked.

"No, uhnm. I live here bout ten years now," I answered.

"What's your actual name?" I asked him.

He laughed softly and I glance over at him. "Yuh know sey mi nuh like mi right name, just call me Righteous," he stated.

"I thought you say you wanted us to be friends?" I asked him.

He was wearing a guilty smiling expression on his face and when I glance at his friend behind us, he had his hand over the lower half of his face. I could not make out if he was laughing or not, but I was held transfixed by his eyes until he looked away from me.

The rest of the drive was quiet until we arrive at the small out of the way restaurant and bar, we found seats on the terrace and Righteous went to get drinks. Bartley was like a mute sitting with his head in his hands, I began to laugh and he held up his head to look at me. Righteous came back with the drinks and sat down saying, "a waitress a guh come tek wi order."

"Wey dem have?" Bartley asked him lowly.

"Steam fish, brown stew cow foot wid broad bean and french fry chicken," Righteous replied.

"Mi e tek di steam fish," he told him.

I gaze at his tattooed fingers with rings, then my eyes went to his and I saw him quickly look away. I knew who he was and I also knew he was wanted and has been hiding, likewise Righteous whose real name is Nicholas Benson. I hissed lowly men were so secretive, why couldn't he just told me whom he really was and let me decide if I wanted to go out with a wanted criminal I questioned myself.

I sighed and looked up to see them both looking at me. "A wha happen wi boring? Righteous asked.

"Very," I said.

"So build a vibes nuh, tell mi bout yuhself," he said.

"There's nothing entertaining about me, but yuh friend here could probably entertain us," I told him.

He smirked looking at Alkaline who only looked back at him bored, I shook my head saying. "There are lots of clubs in Vernam field, Denbigh and inna May Pen where you both can go and enjoy yourselves."

"We go all a dem a'ready," Righteous said.

"Oh, a'right let me entertain you both," I said clearing my throat.

Both of them were looking at me as I started to hum. "Uhmm, uhmn uhmn uhmnnn.. uhmnonmmmnn, uhmnnnnmmm....."

Righteous began to chuckle lightly and then the waitress came and take our orders, he ordered for Alkaline who kept his head turned away and only turn back to us when the woman had left.

Alkaline's pov

All mi waan duh a eat an' guh back home, or fine a germs crotches fi jump up inna. Righteous and him likkle friend according to him come in like two mosquitoes ina mi ears dem. A did tell him she a guh fine out who we are and him neva listen, mi nuh know wey him a talk bout friend before him beg har likkle pussy and done. Or him better mek wi tek har fi wi dolly, di fuck do him I asked myself as I listened to their conversation.

"It woulda really nice if mi live somewhere wey mi nuh affi pay nuh rent, but pon top a everything mi nuh really know nuh workman," she said to him.

"If yuh want somn yuh afii push fi it, as mi sey mi know some workman, suh if yuh find land space round dey an' have money fi start mi can link dem and hear wey dem a sey and yuh try and start it," Righteous told her.

A when since him turn counsellor and adviser I wondered.

"Mi a guh look tomorrow caz mi nah go a work, the landlady a seven day adventist and a di only day she left di yard di whole day. Mi sey di woman miserable is a shame," she told him.

"Yea man yuh affi start some wey, Righteous said nodding his head.

Har breast dem woulda fit nicely ina mi two hand dem, dem look really edible. I lift my eyes to her face and saw her looking at me with a displeased expression and I screwed up my face and looked away, a who she a look pon suh. Righteous ordered another round of drinks and I only gave her angry looks for the rest of the evening.

I got up leaving them after taking my car keys from him and went away to my car to make a few phonecalls, he had spending so much time chatting to her on the phone I thought he had already established a more intimate relationship with her. Him can see woman look suh good and nuh try get if it's even a one slap outta har, like him nah focus a pet him a pet har.

They came to the car half an hour later with her holding on to his arm like sister and brother and I made a note to ask him about his precious likkle friend when we reach home.

To be continued...