He tilted his head. “Ma, really? All I did was ask a question.”
“Don’t do my boy like that,” Hades reprimanded her. “She got a point though, Son. She’s not ya girl anymore, so you don’t have a right to ask or know.”
Dorian shook his head with a chuckle. “Just because we’re not together, I can’t care about her anymore? We were together for years.”
I was tired with the subject. “Is everything ready forDrag The Streets? This is our biggest one and the first one that is co-sponsored.”
Zeus smiled. “Right! Who would have ever thought that we would co-sponsor an event with theKing of Kings Riders. Look at my baby bringing people together.”
In fact, she had. Aaron’s relationship with Dindi had grown and deepened by bounds and leaps. That was clear by Zoren’s middle name. Aaron was also connected to theMount Olympus Ridersby his wife Gracie. Everyone thought that she would leave us when they married, but she didn’t. She was still aMt. O Riderand the wife of aKing of Kings Rider. Aaron Jr. was now the president of the club with Jason as his vice president.
Dindi blushed. “Everything is ready. Are you ready to debut your new baby?”
“You damn right I am. My bad bitch is ready to go.” I was excited to show off my new motorcycle. My new Ducati Panigale V8 was beautiful.
Poseidon laughed. “Is that when we’ll get to see her? You’re holding this one tight to your chest.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am! Y’all will see her when I come through with the girls. Hera, is everything ready for tomorrow?”
She nodded. “You know it is. I’m so excited about this new cohort of girls. I know you are. We rarely get one that specifically wants to be a surgeon. We get the doctors, but not surgeons.”
She was right. Tomorrow would be a great day. A new group of young girls to impart our wisdom onto.
The Next Day
Black Girls’ Table . . .
Today, my sister and I welcomed a new cohort of teenage, high school girls into our mentoring programBlack Girls’ Table.Years ago, Hera and I wanted to find a way to mentor young Black women into the medical field. Yes, we had two ethnicities in us, but when it came down to it, that drop of melanin made us Black women to the world.
In 2020, we startedBlack Girls’ Tablebecause we got tired of people telling us in order to get a seat at the table, we had to do certain things. We decided that we wanted to teach Black girls how to build their own tables.Fuck waiting for a seat! Build your own damn table.
We never imagined how successful our non-profit would become. Soon, other women of color wanted to be involved from our career field as well as others, so we expanded the program. Today, we had over two hundred women of color mentors that covered twenty career fields in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. We had corporate sponsors, government grants, and the support of the high school.
When the program started there was no noise because we weren’t big. Once we got recognition, then the mela-less folks had something to say about discrimination. They were quickly told to suck a dick in the most professional way. People of color always had to sit at their table and were often given the scraps that they provided . . . Well, no more. We were no longer in the business to accept scraps from those who often didn’t even deserve the meal.
“Hestia, thank you so much for letting me be a mentor in your program. I know that it’s usually women who are already in their career field.” Jade stood in front of her with her catering company’s logo shirt on.Emerald’s Catering Services.
I smiled at her. “I thank you for the idea to have junior and senior college students in the program as mentors. Sometimes, as professionals, we forget the process that got us here. You guys can highlight the process while you’re still in it.” I stepped into her personal space. “Plus, this will help you stay busy to keep your mind off of my bullheaded nephew.”
She smiled with a head tilt. “Yeah, I heard he’s seeing this girl that’s in a sorority on our campus. I wish he would have just like, not dated anyone at school. I think they were messing with each other before we broke up. At least, that’s what she said.”
I saw the tears. I also saw her refusal to let them fall. These were the growing pains of the youth, unfortunately. I prayed that Dorian didn’t cheat on Jade. “Well, boys can be stupid, and hos can be more stupid. Don’t let that bitch get to you.”
“Don’t let what bitch get to you?” Hera asked when she walked into my office.Lawd, she doesn’t need to know.
I loved my baby sister, but she was on ten all the time, with little thought. I was on ten as well, but I gave it a little more thought before I reacted. My eyes closed when Jade repeated her story to Hera. I didn’t need to see my sister’s face to know the tightness that it had.
“So, my summation of that story is that this bitch needs her ass beat. Have you told Dorian that she’s fucking with you?” Hera asked her. Anger laced her tone. More than Jin’jer, Hera did not play about Jade.
Jade lifted her hands. “No, I won’t say that’s she’s fucking with me. It’s like if I happen to come somewhere that she’s at, she’ll loudly talk about him or his sex. It’s stuff like that. She taunts me. No, I haven’t told Dorian. I don’t see what that would do.”
“It would make his ass check her ass. Don’t even worry about it,” Hera said. “Hestia, the girls are arriving. All the mentors’ tables are set up. Jade, your table is amazing, girl!”
Jade showed her award-winning smile. “Thank you. I thought the good bites might have been too much, but my advisor at school didn’t think so.”
I stood from my desk to smooth out my dress. My eyes scanned the walls of my office. Our program had come a long way. Hestia and I did have a head start since we had money. We were able to build a center for our non-profit. We were blessed to have a sponsor, theMount Olympus Riders.
Our program also required the girls to take classes around financial literacy, networking, résumé writing, and a few others. For our plans, Hera and I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone else’s lease or requirements. Again, it was about building our own tables and space. “Let’s go meet the girls.”
