“Oh, really?” Mia asked with a playful smirk as she swayed inside. “What did we do?” she joked.
Antoni laughed along with her. “We were just about to announce the new city-wide property manager position.”
I instantly held my breath as I sat in a plush chair meant for waiting clients. Vying for the property management position for months, I had been pouring my heart and soul into every task and project in hopes of proving myself worthy.
As Alfred cleared his throat, my pulse quickened. I glanced at Mia, and she gave me an encouraging nod.
“After much consideration,” Alfred began, “we have come to a decision.”
My heart skipped a beat as Alfred’s gaze swept over the assembled staff, finally coming to rest on Mia. “Mia… congratulations. You’ve got the job.”
Confused, my eyes darted toward Mia, meeting her baffled expression. Her eyes blinked owlishly as the twins inched toward her with proud expressions while the staff began to clap. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to do the same.
“Though we had many qualified candidates, after careful consideration, Antoni and I felt that Mia’s exceptional performance as the Hyde Park office manager more than qualified her for the dual role.”
As Alfred and Antoni gave Mia congratulatory hugs, I noticed the sympathetic and sorrowful glances she cast my way. Despite my own disappointment, I managed to give her a small smile of encouragement, silently urging her to embrace her victory.
The rest of the staff joined in the celebration, offering their congratulations before the twins finished their morning briefing.
When the briefing was over, Alfred and Antoni bid their farewells and made their exit as everyone else dispersed to their cubicles and offices.
Mia hurried toward me. Her eyes were so apologetic. “Aviana, I didn’t apply for the position. I swear. I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head, offering her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. You deserve this opportunity, even if you weren’t expecting it.”
Mia’s shoulders sagged with relief as she wrapped me in a tight hug. “Thank you. I’m sorry again.”
I continued to reassure her that everything was okay, but happiness for her blended with a bit of envy. I loved my best friend. Yet, while I was genuinely thrilled for her success, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being pigeonholed by my own circumstances. Stuck in a marriage where there was no passion and a career where there was obviously no growth, I yearned for the courage to seize control of my own destiny, just as Mia had done.
DAMAR SCOTT
A few blocks away in Hyde Park, my son, Jeremy, and I were hitting the basketball court, something we’d done since he was little. The sun, finally coming out, beat down on us as we played one-on-one.
“Ah ight, ah ight, ah ight,”I chanted as I caught the ball. “I need a break. Let’s take five.”
“Dang. You can’t keep up, old man?” Jeremy taunted with a grin plastered on a face identical to my own when I was sixteen.
“You better pray you make it to my age.”
As we took a breather, I wiped the sweat from my face, catching Jeremy’s eye. “Listen, I gotta talk to you about something.”
Jeremy’s smile faded, replaced by a look of curiosity. “What’s up?” he asked, leaning against the chain-link fence.
I took a deep breath. “I been hearing about who you’ve been hanging with. Them streets ain’t no joke, and I don’t want you gettin’ caught up in all that mess.”
Though I wasn’t a hustler, being a popular promoter, I was tight with many of the dope boys in the city. They knew me well, so they were also familiar with my son. I had heard that he was in the streets, cliquing up with the 111 Boyz, a notoriously well-known street gang with territory in The Hundreds.
Jeremy’s expression darkened as his gaze dropped to the ground. “I’m not doing anything wrong, Pops.”
I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I know you’re not, son. But I’ve seen how easy it is to get caught up in that life, even when you’re not looking for trouble. But it can seem like you’re looking for trouble when you’re hanging with the wrong crowd. And I know you’ve been hanging with the 111 Boyz.”
“They’re my friends,” he protested. “I go to school with them.”
This was my reluctance with Jeremy getting older. No matter how much I helped his mother financially, she was insistent on not straying too far away from the neighborhood that she was raised inbecause she wanted to be close to her mother. Though she and Jeremy lived on a nice block outside of Roseland, I knew that it would be easy for Jeremy to venture into dangerous territories with his friends.
“That doesn’t matter. You know how many innocent kids are killed because of their association with the wrong crowd. You’ve seen it. I love you, and I ain’t gonna let you go down that road—not if I can help it.”
“So, what you tryin’ to say? I’m not supposed to have friends?”
