The Choppa Effect

Twenty-Four

"Happy New Year!" Alexia and Pauline scream in unison.

The whole space is filled with the loud exploding from the fireworks that paint the midnight sky.

The excitement dies down soon after so the three of us relax in our chairs and enjoy the scenery.

"Yuh deh cirle roun' 'ere often though, Jade." Pauline says to me.

I nod at her.

"How comes?" She smiles at me.

Pauline, despite the way her name sounds, is actually in my age group. She's just 19 but she has a son and she works harder than anyone else I know in my age group. It's one of those unfortunate but definite situations where she has a deadbeat baby daddy and not much of a support system overall.

She does live-in work at the beach house because she doesn't have a house and wanted somewhere to stay while she built a house for her family (herself and her son). Luckily for her my family was hiring that specific kind of help and luckily for all of us she's an excellent worker and overall person.

She's a small light-skinned girl. If you saw her you probably wouldn't believe that she had a child. She usually wears her hair in it's natural state with the exception of getting braids sometimes.

I shrug my shoulders. "No reason."

She kisses her teeth.

"No reason." She mocks my "uptown" accent. "Girl, not because mi nuh guh university mean seh mi stupid." She giggles.

"I just need space sometimes." I shrug once more.

"A man problem yuh have girl?" Her face only has genuine confusion all over it.

"Nuh really." I say.

She sighs before shaking her head. "Girl nuh mek man stress yuh. Yuh can get wah mi get if yuh do that." She laughs to herself before getting up and bringing in her chair.

I look over at Alexia with her spliff at the corner of her mouth.

"Ready to take on the New Year?" She smiles at me.

I nod.

We both go to bed after dozing off a few times while outside.

Luckily I just slept comfortably through the night and the next day both Alexia and I are ready to go on the road and do some last minute preparations for her party including doing some self care.

She brings me back home where I continue to
promote her party and then finally get the chance to cool off in my living room after what feels like a century of work.

I kak up in the couch and don't even realize I'm dozing off with Seinfeld in the background until my phone rings startling me awake.

I look over at my phone before picking it up to answer.

"Hi Alexia." I answer.

She breathes a sigh of relief at the sound of my voice. "I don't mean to be a bother but girl mi stress out."

I sit up and wipe the oncoming sleep out of my eyes. "Because of the party right?"

"Yes." She simply says.

"I know you always get stressed but your party dem always nice."

"Something always goes wrong I just always know how to mask it." She whines.

"Something always goes wrong?"

Her parties are always the hot topic when she has them and everyone that didn't get the chance to go is always upset about it.

"Yes." She groans before sighing heavily. "When it's not something like a caterer bringing the wrong thing or a promoter not doing their job then it's some artiste cancelling last minute or something happens to me personally. It's just always an issue where I need to do a lot of run around and mi jus cya bada."

I sigh before shaking my head even though Alexia can't see me.

"Girl yuh party dem always hot. Just smoke and relax. Try your best not to stress because it's literally just your mind." I encourage her.

I hear her sigh once more on the other end.

"You know what? Girl, you're right. I'm gonna just look for Chino and smoke and relax mi self."

My shoulders immediately relax at her words.

"Thanks, Jade. I don't know what I'd do without you." She chuckles lightly before continuing.

"You can't say it's because I'm high but I'm just here thinking about it and girl..." Her voice trails off then I hear her sniffle before continuing.

"I really don't know what I would do without you. I love you so much and I'm so happy that I have you in my life. You could be in anyone else's life but you're here as a major part of mine."

She sighs once more with another sniffle but her voice cracks on her first word this time.

"I appreciate everything you do especially for me, Jade. You're always there for me and I try my best to do the same for you. I may not be perfect- because God really knows, Jade; if walls could talk. I'm far from perfect but I try to be for you because you deserve it."

I nod while listening intently even though no one is there.

"Thank you hun. For everything. I love you."

"I love you too." I answer immediately.

"Bye." She simply says.

She waits a few seconds but for some reason I don't bid her bye as well and she realizes but doesn't mention it.

She just hangs up.

I fall asleep shortly after while my mind runs on every possible memory with Alexia.

I wake up from my pleasant sleep to the day of Alexia's yacht party.

After getting dressed we both agree to meet there.