Legally Bonded

Chapter 1 - memories

8 years ago

"Just tek di sumn from mi nuh Alex and stop move like yuh nuh av nuh sense." He says pushing the envelope in my hand.

I looked down at it knowing I couldn't possibly do that. Taking it would come with so many questions behind it.

"You know I can't take it. Stop trying to force me to." I responded. Pulling my hand away from the envelope.

"Mi affi force yuh! You always a come wid dem fuckery yah when man a look out fi yuh. Wapm to yuh B?" He yelled. He never yells at me. This is a clear sign that I've pushed him to his limit.

"Why are you yelling?" I asked and my voice quivered. He sighed and pulled me to him, gripping me in a comforting hug.

"Yuh a work against the plan Alex. Member we set out certain goals fi yuh enuh. How we ago achieve them if you keep blocking me from paying for shit? Yuh mother cya afford the lifestyle weh mi want fi yuh as mi woman and yuh know that." He rants

"Tek di money and go pay fi yuh subjects dem and stop stress mi out Alex. Mi father already a do enough a that. Member seh yuh suppose to a be mi peace enuh. When mi get fi see yuh, mi nuh suppose to a feel suh stressed." He says kissing the side of my head.

"I know. Mi just a think bout how mi ago explain how the subject dem pay fah. You know she still nuh buy the story bout the laptop all now babe." I say with a sigh.

He bought me a MacBook last year when I started to do SBAs. I told him to get me something cheaper when he told me of his plans, that way I could probably convince my mom that I used my lunch money to buy it. He only kissed his teeth at that and turned up with the latest model of the device for me.

Every time my mom sees me using the laptop she questions me about how I came about getting it. My lie remained consistent, "I won it in an essay competition at my school." but she was not convinced and I knew it.

On top of that I started extra lessons this year for the two extra subjects my overly invested boyfriend thinks I need. I sighed thinking about his elaborate plan to get me into Norman Manley Law School.

First, past all ten CSEC subjects that we had carefully picked in grade 10. Then, get into a CAPE program, he wants me to go to Pre-UWI, I think he is insane. Has he seen the tuition?

Next step is to go to Trinidad where I will be studying law and business management for the three years and then come back to Jamaica for my two years of law school.

I liked the idea of being a Lawyer and I know I have the intellect to do it. Before meeting him I never thought too much into my future though because when you grow up in the inner cities of Kingston, if yuh nuh breed out a school early, yuh end up a work a dead end job because lack of education and opportunities.

Meeting him changed my life and my way of thinking. However, I can't get too carried away because if we get too comfortable my mom might find out and I don't think things will work out well in our favour.

She is a inner city girl through and through. A five a we she have and I'm the youngest.

She got pregnant at 17 with my older sister Rachelle, who followed in her footsteps by getting pregnant in high school. She lives around the road from us with her baby father who beats her day in and day out.

My brother, Marco is a gun man. Not the successful type either. He is a foot soldier for the Don in our area and spends the better parts of his days carrying out his commands. I'm looking forward to drinking goat head soup and eating fish and bread at his nine night soon, cause police soon kill him.

Next are the twins, Tristan and Trey who are both 18 years old. Them is just a little better seeing that them nuh turn to crime but Trey has a 2 year old daughter called Trey-Anna so he had to go look work instead of finishing school. Him work a one a the call centers in New Kingston and is making a little money as an Agent. He was the first to pack up and leave the area when Marco tried to recruit him into the gang. Him live a Duhaney Park with him baby mother's family.

I don't get to see him a lot because mommy upset seh him gone live with Sasha instead of helping her out with food and bills. Tristan ended up finishing high school with five subjects last year. She is the next one who mommy hate like poison because as the CSEC results post she packed her bags and left like a thief in the night.

She nuh gone far still, because she comes to look for me at school sometimes and give me lunch money. She confided in me that the Don did a put argument to her and she know that if mommy did know, she would a try force her fi deh wid him.

I've been keeping her secret for the past year and every time mommy bring her up, I find something else to do and make myself scarce.

Now there is me. As you can guess,  the sins of my siblings have been tumbling down on me because mommy has been watching me like a hawk this past year. I've been trying to explain this to him all year long but he refuses to ease up off the gifts and money he's been spending on me.

I know no matter how much I fight, he's going to pay for these subjects and I will just have to work with it. He's so damn stubborn, but I love him. He loves me too, this is just his way of showing me.