Love Is Overdue Read Online Free PDF

And then he reached
out and pushed a piece of hair from my face. It was just so tender.
He didn’t say a word.
    I met his eyes then. “Are
you always like this?”
    That caught him slightly
off-guard. “Like what?”
    I smiled. “I don’t know.
Calm. You’re just so laid-back...even the other day when the
water-main broke you were just so...relaxed.”
    He laughed at that. “That’s
just all the weed I smoke,” he teased me. “But I don’t know...some
things just not worth it. Others are. But if you asking me if I can
get pissed off about shit, the answer is yes.”
    I smiled. “So then you are
human.”
    He nodded. “Of course.
People can piss me off. But not things. Or circumstances not in our
control.”
    “ What about your
daughter?” I wondered.
    I thought about Lazaro, my
brother and I, as children. I pictured my mother’s second husband,
Raoul, and his pension for whipping us at every little childhood
misdeed and act of rebellion. Skinned knees, spilled milk, sibling
squabbles. My experience with paternal figures in my life was far
from patient and understanding.
    He thought about my
question. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “As soon as she start
getting comfortable enough to misbehave I have to send her home to
her mother.”
    “ Do you get along
with her?”
    “ Who?”
    “ Your baby-mama,”
I joked.
    He
smiled. “Better than I used to...but the worst part ain’t even
that. A few months ago she move her man in with her, so...maybe
it’s not rational, and as far as I know there nothing wrong with
the guy but... Fuck. ” He sucked his teeth,
in that sexy way Caribbean men were known for. “You wanna see me
get pissed off? Then just keep me on that topic...”
    I smiled. “Well, we don’t
want that. But if it’s any consolation...when I was about your
daughter’s age my mom got married again. Couldn’t fucking stand
him. And three years later she dumped his ass – happiest day of my
life.”
    He laughed. “Okay, so all is
not lost...I like that.”
    I nodded. “Me too.” I took
another sip of wine. “This is good...”
    Ben reached out and refilled
my glass for me. “So what about your dad?”
    I shook my head. “I never
knew my dad. He left before I turned two. He’s probably still
somewhere hustlin’ the streets of Sao Paulo. He was a loan shark –
or so I been told.”
    Ben raised his eyebrows.
“Damn...”
    “ Yeah, we were
lucky to get out,” I said then. “My uncle sponsored the three of us
and brought us to Canada – me, my brother, my mom – and just in
time too. Before she was diagnosed.”
    “ So where your
brother at? He live with you too?”
    I shook my head. “No. My
brother went to music school in Montreal and got married to a
French-Canadian. He’s a pianist. She’s a dancer. They have two kids
now. He’s been home to visit a few times but my brother can’t
really deal with my mom and her illness – never could.” I stopped
talking. “How did we get on this topic again? Change it,” I
ordered, jokingly.
    Ben smiled. “You’re too
interesting.”
    “ You?” I eyed
him. “Parents? Siblings? What’s your story?”
    He sucked his teeth. “Damn
girl... All right, lemme see...my mother lives in Jamaica...I come
up here when I was fifteen with my brother and sister. My dad been
here long before us – he married a Canadian and started up an
autoshop...brought all us kids here as soon as he could so we could
finish school and alla dat... He was a very hard worker and I think
he always regret leaving us behind so he did everything he could to
provide for alla us once he could... But it wasn’t easy for
us...y’know, leaving our mother…”
    “ Do you visit
her?” I wanted to know.
    He
nodded. “My mother? Of course...often as I can. And she been here
too but she won’t move. Cyan
leave da rock ...” He sighed. “So
I name my restaurant in honour of my mother’s strong-willed nature.
Stubborness. Whateva you wanna call it...”
    I smiled.