Bad II the Bone by Anton Marks Page A

before their eyes.
    "Yuh know I still can't shake deh feeling that this place was meant for us."
    "I'm glad at least one of us is still holding on to the possibility because where I'm sitting from our situation looks hopeless." Y ran her fingers through her short cropped hair.
    "No shit!” Patra added for emphasis. “We were supposed to give the landlady a deposit."
    "And the lease agreement was to be signed next week."
    "Suh there yuh go then sis. We still have two weeks to manifest something feh redeem us, after we explain tings to Mrs Benjamin, she will understand."
    “That is so cute,” Y smiled falsely.
    “Mrs Benjamin, a hardnosed Jewish business woman, won’t have the need or time to sit down and commiserate with us on our financial loss. There is no four month extension Sue and even if there were, where would we get thirty thousand pounds from?”
    Suzy glided off her stool and made two steps towards Y shaking her head.
    “Yuh just can’t see it, can yuh? Do you really believe that Mrs Benjamin or even Tyrone can stand in the way of what will be? I can’t explain it and I know your nature is asking for proof. Even after everyting you’ve seen and experienced yuh still unsure.” Suzy considered a thought for a moment. “If we sit dung and gain clarity together, are my feelings ever wrong?”
    “No.” said Y.
Suzy sat down with an air of justification.
    “Okay, so what do we do now then?” Y asked.
    “We guh about our business, of course. Still making plans but not worrying about Destiny Street. Who knows, something bigger and better could be waiting in the wings for us.”
    Y let the sarcasm slide from her tone recalling the many mysteries that surrounded them together and as individuals. Ordinary was not a word you used to describe them.  
    “I’m just feeling like the control of my l ife is being wrestled from me.”
    With an unusual burst of the profound Patra said:
    “We not losing control baby, we just going with the flow.” She took a puff of her slim-line cigar and blew rings into the vents. “We ain’t fighting the surf just letting it take us out to sea.”
    “Amen.” Suzy said changing the subject. “I was reasoning wid Mas P when I arrived earlier today,” Suzy said her manicured fingers touching her chin.
    “How’s he doing?” Patra asked.
    “Him safe,” Suzy said.” We got to talking an’ one ting led to another and he decided to help cheer us up.”
    “You told him then?” Y asked with a snarl.
    “Of course mi tell him,” Suzy matched her pitch, her eyes narrowing. “Deh man is almost like family. I know wi save him life but him guh above an’ beyond feh wi many times in the past, just to say how much him appreciate what we did. Don’t forget dat.”
    Y folded her arms and nodded with a contrite purse of her lips.
    “Anyway, Mas P gracefully hook we up with three VIP tickets to the MOBO’s this coming Friday night with limousine to and from deh location.”
    Y’s eyes bulged.
    Patra whistled.
    “Damn! For an Indian playa he’s got game, man.”
    “An’ he’s looking after his girls dem from him heart. Yuh have to love him feh dat?” Suzy was looking over to Y, whose facial muscles twitched, struggling to translate the messages indicating excitement and joy to her face.
    “Sue, I’m sorry,” Y said finally, “I’m just not handling this well. I can’t get that calculating, spiteful shit out of my mind.”
    Y breathed out sharply.
    Patra rolled the cigarillo in her mouth and licked at the tip lovingly. Y and Suzy smiled at each other as Patra went through her ritual. For someone who was about to break the no smoking in an enclosed building laws she looked suspiciously as if she was performing oral sex.
    She lit up and blew smoke circles, again.