Page 90 of Certified to Handle You 3

The first couple days, I stayed close to the villa ‘cause I ain’t feel like bein’ around too many people. I ordered food, smoked damn near all day and slept whenever I got tired. By the third day, I got tired of lookin’ at the same walls and started movin’ around the island.

Amiri was beautiful as fuck, and the longer I stayed, the more I understood why somebody would come here when they ain’t wanna be bothered. It had enough shit goin’ on that I wasn’t stuck sittin’ around, but it never felt crowded everywhere I went.

I had rented a truck when I landed, and some days I drove without knowin’ where the fuck I was headed. I would stop when I saw somewhere I wanted to eat or pull over when I found a beach that wasn’t packed with people.

One mornin’, I ended up at a small spot called Salt House close to the water and had fried snapper with eggs, fried plantains and some potatoes they cooked with peppers and onions. I ain’t know what made me order fish that damn early, but the shit was good enough that I went back two days later.

Another night, I found a restaurant where they grilled lobster outside and served it with rice, vegetables and some spicy ass sauce that had me sweatin’ while I ate it. I had been eatin’ a lot of seafood since I got here, but I found a place that made jerk lamb too, and that shit had been the best thing I ate on the island so far.

I went out on a boat one afternoon after somebody at the villa told me where I could rent one with a captain. I spent a few hours on the water, smoked and ain’t do much talkin’.

Another day, I rented a jet ski and stayed out until my arms got tired. I had even found a gym after a few days ‘cause sittin’ around smokin’ and eatin’ all damn day started makin’ me feel lazy.

Most evenin’s, though, I ended up back on the beach. I would walk until I got tired of walkin’, then find somewhere to sit and watch the water until it got dark.

I bought enough weed that I ain’t have to worry about runnin’ out no time soon. I wasn’t walkin’ around high out my fuckin’ mind all day, but I stayed with somethin’ rolled. It slowed my thoughts down enough for me to enjoy where I was without spendin’ every quiet minute inside my own head.

My family had been checkin’ on me since I left. Pressure called a couple times and texted whenever I went too long without answerin’ him. Pluto had been hittin’ me up too, mostly makin’ sure I was straight. I appreciated all of ‘em without needin’ to have some long conversation every time they checked on me.

Kay’Lo was different, though.

That nigga called me every day. Sometimes we talked for twenty minutes, and sometimes it wasn’t even five. He never made it feel like he was checkin’ up on me ‘cause he thought I couldn’t handle myself either. He would call, talk his shit, tell me what was goin’ on back home and let me decide how much I felt like sayin’.

It was the evenin’, and I was outside on the patio with my feet kicked up when ‘Lo’s FaceTime came through. I had already smoked half my blunt, and the box with the ring was sittin’ on the table next to my drink.

Kay’Lo’s face popped up on the screen, and My’Love was sittin’ in his lap with one of her hands wrapped around his chain.

“Wus’ good?” He asked.

“Shit, chillin’,” I told him as I leaned back in the chair. “What y’all doin’?”

“Nothin’. Toni in the house doin’ some shit, and this lil’ girl been on my ass since I got home,” Kay’Lo said before lookin’ down at My’Love.

My’Love looked at the phone when she saw my face and I smiled when she reached for it.

“There go my ‘Lo’Lo,” I said. “Wussup girl?”

Kay’Lo turned the phone toward her a lil’ more, and she started babblin’ at me like she had somethin’ important to say. I listened until she finished, then nodded like I understood every word.

“Yeah, I feel you,” I told her. “Yo’ daddy be on that bullshit.”

Kay’Lo looked at the screen. “Nigga shut up.”

I laughed and took another pull from my blunt. “She said you gettin’ on her nerves.”

“She been terrorizin’ me since I walked through the door, but somehow I’m the problem.”

“That’s yo’ baby.”

I laughed again while Kay’Lo adjusted My’Love against his chest. She settled back against him and started playin’ with his chain again while he looked at me through the screen.

“You straight, though?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

“You actually good, or you just tellin’ me that shit so I don’t ask again?”

“I’m actually good,” I said. “Better than I was when I first got here.”