1 The Crook of The Mawning

Lexi rolled around the bed as she finally gave up on the idea of sleep. It wasn't the fact that it was a Saturday, which means that it was a cleaning day, it also wasn't the loud Kevin Downswell Close to you playing on the speaker and it was definitely not the chicken crowing outside that woke her up. It was the fact that somebody tun off her fan and draw her curtains to allow the blinding sun to enter.

"Lord Gad who tun off me fan," she yelled well knowing who did it, she kissed her teeth and tore the sheets from her body. Entering the bathroom to release her held up urine she didn't want to ruin her sleep for, she sat down on the toilet seat and started emptying her bladder feeling that small pain in her belly bottom. Lexi let out a big yarn as she scratched her head realizing that she had sleep off her bonnet again. She kissed teeth again taking her toothbrush and toothpaste with her as she went to get a cup a water.

She passed by the speaker box playing yet another gospel while her mother was singing and thanking the sky while singing the song with all her heart with a broom stick in her hands sweeping.

"Mawning mommy!" she said over the music, "You cah tun down the music, a the crook a the mawning."

Her mother turn down the music down a little so they could conversate. "Mawning to you too, why you so grumpy so early, you should be thanking god you alive."

"You tun off the fan and the place hot already," she said, starting to brush her teeth while wait for a response.

"A the only way to wake you, afta you sleep like you dead, god could a come and you would a get miss," she laughed shaking her head. "Any ways you still a go a you man yard this evening,"

"You neva have to make it sound so but yes,"

"Then no that, anyways me want you wash out two sheet for me and make some a you fancy shrimp food for you father before you go way,"  she said continuing her sweeping not waiting if Lexi said yes or no, she never have a choice anyways

"Make sure you come ya before you curfew or else you not coming in," she said. Lexi knew well she wasn't joking.

"Alrite mommy, you go want nothing on the road?" she asked her mom with the toothbrush in her mouth.

"No, OH wait yes buy one a them uhm chocolate deh man, what it name oh yes Charles chocolate the rum and raisin one" she said "Oh and come out a me kitchen with you teeth brushing and go inna the bathroom," she said and walked away.

Lexi laughed, leaving the kitchen to finish her teeth brushing, 'where does mother get them talking here' she said to herself. She wasn't gonna leave until 3'oclock so that gave her plenty of time to do her chores.

Lexi come from the bathroom faced wash and teeth brush, she then clean up her room and spread her bed, she wanted to change out of her pajama but she didn't bathe yet so she got working. Her mother gave her some milo tea and piece of bread before she went outside to wash. Her mother already set up the sheets, the bucket, bath pans, soap and rinse for her to begin already, so she quickly eat the breakfast and get to it before the sun got hotter.

She finished after twelve, so Lexi decided to hole a fresh before she started cooking. Lexi still didn't decided what she was gonna wear to her boyfriend so she put on a big blouse instead and some shorts. In the kitchen Lexi's mother wanted her to cook some shrimp al'freda but there wasn't any cheese in the fridge so she cooked curry shrimp and white rice instead, she will just go to the supermarket later anyways.

By three Lexi had her bag pack on her back because she don't like handbags and she had on some rip jeans and a white top she wore her white crookes with some white socks. Her friends were also going over to her boyfriend house so they were giving her a drive because we are all friends with his brother that how they meet actually.

She was very surprise that her mother trusted and liked her friends to let her go anywhere with them unless she was back at a specific hour she didn't mind the curfew because of a lot of Jamaican kids especially girls cannot leave their home. Lexi already told her mother goodbye while she went outside to wait for her friends. She started thinking again, her mind drift to the thought of her church going mother also allowed her to have  a boyfriend, well simple her father was responsible for this one, her mother believed that Lexi was supposed to sit in church and the pastor would put a man in her hands, but her father didn't want that he wanted her to pick who she wanted to be with. There was another shocker Jamaican fathers were super protected over their girl child, It wasn't like Lexi's father wasn't protective its just that she was his only child left alive, so he wanted to do anything to make her happy. The alive part is a story for another day because her friends had arrived and she was already in their loud car.

Her friends were playing loud music and laughing at Lexi for standing outside like a lost dog. Lexi didn't mind them as she sat in the front and tun down the music to a level 5. The car consist of her three friends two boys and one girl. By boys Lexi mean men because they were both older than her, One of the men driving, was Jason while the others were in the back. He was the only one with a car so he was our car man.

"What's going on peoples" , she said to them grabing the ping pong chocolate out of Jason's hands and started eating before he could even say a word.

"Hey! give me back me things," Jason said while reaching for it Lexi, she throw some in her hand before he could grab it back from her.

Sarah her girl best friends spoke up from the back to Jason "I did tell you she did go take it," she laughed

"Thief", he said driving the car towards our destination, we chatted the hole ride to the house about absolute crap. A did good vibes still.

They all come out of the car and Jason locked it up the car, while every body else go to knock the door. We didn't know if Mrs. Spence was home and we didn't want to be disrespectful and plus we like the old lady. But instead of Mrs. Spencer answering Big joe come to the door instead. Yes we called him Big Joe, because the boy loves with big joe bag juice.

"Big Joe!" Sarah yelled and jumped to hug him, he frown at the nick name but still hug Sarah.

"Yow unuh not going stop call me so," He said his creole was kinda weird because he wasn't born here but he was still half Jamaican.

"Never" all of us said at the same time and then we bust out laughing.

"Ya go let we in Bredda," my other guy friend Sammy said, his real name is Sammuel but he claim that a old man name so we called him Sammy. Big Joe real name is actually Kevin. Sammy push Kevin out of the door way to make space for us to come in.

"You ago push me down Bredda," he said holding his shoulder and opening the door wider for everybody to fit. He then close the door behind him and we all pile up in the kitchen.

"Where ? m---," Lexi didn't get to finish.

"You man? upstairs inna him room," Kevin interrupted

"A Mrs. spencer me a ask for bredda you too jumpy," Lexi rolled her eyes both grateful and ungrateful for his interruption. Sammy laughed but a quick glare in him direction and him stop

"Oh sorry, me think you did go ask bout you man, but mommy gone a Mr. Chin," him say. "Unuh want soda?" he asked, everybody said yes so we each got one. Lexi's boyfriend then come down the stair and grace us with his presence while Lexi was searching for her favorite soda pepsi in the fridge because she didn't want the one she got.

"Lexi no come?" he asked looking around.

"See me here, a so me short?" Lexi said standing up and facing him. He smiled at me while Jason replied "No you not dat short you just did bend over him probably never see you," gaining everybody's attention. Lexi opened her soda while everybody went up stairs in Kevin's room to play some game while Lexi's boyfriend and Lexi were left in the kitchen.