Oliver has been in his mother’s old home for a couple of days at this point with the hope of being in his new space by Saturday night.
"I still need verification of your wages" his mother said. "I’m gonna try to get you some rental assistance"
"But ma, how would I report the other job?"
[Ummm, no thanks. I’m not falsifying a record or withholding to get help from the government. I really don’t want to fuck my chances up at a government job later on in life.]
He then excused himself from the living room to take a phone call from Aya.
OLIVER-Hello?
AYA-Oliver?
OLIVER-Yes it is
AYA-Hey this is Aya, remember me?
OLIVER-I do. Claudia introduced me to you. We conversed over cocktails.
AYA-What are you doing next Tuesday?
OLIVER-Don’t know yet. Nothing planned. Why?
AYA-there is a seminar that day that my friend is throwing. It’s a safe sex workshop POC.
OLIVER-where at?
AYA-Biscayne Bay Marriott
OLIVER-Does it cost me anything to get in?
AYA-No, the host hasn’t even sent out her invitations yet.
OLIVER-sure...send me the info. I’ll text you my email after we get off the phone.
AYA-great! I’ll shoot the info. We get a lot of good info from them. Plus you’ll like the host.
OLIVER-thanks for the invite. I’ll talk with you later?
AYA-bye bye
"Who the hell was that?" His grandmother asked.
"I have an event next Tuesday." Oliver said as he was texting Aya his email address.
"Is this one of those sex parties. There’s no telling what this lifestyle has got you doing." She responded.
["Lifestyle?" Okay, admittedly my lifestyle isn’t the best, but that aside, I’m sure my grandmother talks plenty of shit about me to her social circle. I know her. I’m sure she’s not thrilled about her "gay ass grandson". Inmy culture, any non-straight orientation is a no-no. I regret not telling my dad before he passed, but knowing my mom, I’m sure he knew. Shit! Anytime I had friends over, they were suspect. I didn’t come out until Inwas 21 to mom so a little over three years ago.]
She then started speaking in Haitian Creole suggesting that he get tested.
"Got it covered" He said, understanding what she said.
He went to his room at opened up his notebook to check his messages when he received his invitatation to the seminar. He accepted the invite, put his earbuds on and turned on Netflix. He decided to leave a crack in his door in case his mom needed to come in as she had been know to pop in unexpectedly on numerous occasions.
Damon, on the other hand, had other plans. He worked a long shift at his job and after running errands, he decided that he wanted the quiet night. He kept the TV off and poured himself a cup of Grey Goose. He had just gotten the news that a fellow soldier he served with had been found dead in the shower. The result:self inflicted gun wound. At this point, he planned to do nothing more than drink himself to sleep and get up the next morning. However, his night was spent having a series of flashbacks of the good times he had with his friend as well as the trauma of what he witnessed away. He found himself waking up in tears throughout the night to cry himself back to sleep, only to repeat the process over again.
WEDNESDAY MORNING 7:00 AM
Damon was exhausted. He barely slept any the following night and he couldn’t eat. He was rather numb, thinking about how he’d sit through the funeral. He got up a fixed a cup of orange juice and then took a shower. After taking a shower he took a sleeping pill and went back to sleep. He slept most of the day to make up for not sleeping that night.
Claudia hadn’t slept much of the nights either, having been up until 3:30 AM studying for her certification exam that would be taken the following week. She slept four hours before heading to a workshop that was being held by one of her prefoessors from college that retired two years earlier. The workshop was an all day affair, she ran slightly late arriving. The seminar let out for lunch at 11:30 am and resumed at 12:30. It was 4:00 pm before the workshop ended and she left with great test taking strategies and a bit more knowledge of what she would do to prepare. She decided that she would allow herself three more attempts and if she failed on the last attempt, she would switch fields. She minored in sociology so she's consider looking for jobs in government or continue in the non-profit area.
As she was driving off she called Oliver to see how work went.
OLIVER-It went smoothly, didn't run into any trouble today, how was the seminar?
CLAUDIA-Long. I hope I'm ready next week.
OLIVER-Have you paid for the exam yet?
CLAUDIA-Last night, I registered so I'll be taking it a couple of weeks. I've gotta go to Tallahassee.
OLIVER-Shit, good luck.
CLAUDIA-Thanks I'll need it.
OLIVER-Hey I'll be moving into my renthouse at the end of the week, I'm gonna have a little warming. You should come. Bring Aya with you. Take your mind off of things for a bit.
CLAUDIA-I could use that. Thanks.
Oliver went and checked on his house and then stopped by the store to price some items. He called Damon to request his assistance with serving drinks for his party. His mom and grandmother would handle the food aspect of the operation. Damon however wasn't available, so Oliver left a message.
He got home, his mother informed him that the move in would be delayed until Tuesday. "What happened?" he asked.
"Your aunt just had the house sprayed for pest control. It's an old house. Part of town isn't exactly nice, but we're gonna make this house a home for you."
"Okay...………, well I'll probably push my warming until a the end of next week. I'm going to go to my room, and hopefully obtain a scholarship that will help me pay for grad school"
[Good thing I hadn't sent out any official invites. I'll have to tell everyone in a mass text that I'll have it next Friday]
While looking for scholarships, Oliver had a series of flashbacks. One was an internship at the courthouse that he did one summer. He thought that this would be impressive on his resume. The boss of the department that he interned for was impressed with his work ethic and the letters of recommendation letters from his professors. However, he recalled an incident at a gas station, where he encountered a woman who also had an MSW informed him that with his degree he would need to get a Master's degree. This would later be confirmed by a professor in the Nutrition department who visited him in the campus bookstore where he worked as a student employee. He looked for work some time before applying for a 4 month job for FEMA that would eventually be extended to a total of two years. He worked for two years, and then he was laid off. Needing money for rent, he answered an add for a modeling agency, the rest is history as how he got into the sex industry. That was the beginning.
[Prayer? Pray without ceasing? Umm yeah, that's worked reeeeeeeeal well so far. Thanks a lot mom. Look at where I'm at. I've got a day job making pennies, while my night job would have me excommunicated the community if they all knew. Job fairs, were a load a bullshit, most of them had nothing of substance. Like that bullshit that I just went to, not hiring, unpaid internships. Drop your resume and hope someone calls your ass.]
Damon eventually returned his phone call.
DAMON-Hey Ollie, what's up?
OLIVER-Well for one, my move in date has been delayed due to pests. Other than that....I'm in here looking for scholarships to help for graduate school. How about you?
DAMON-Going to a funeral this Saturday. I'll be riding out to Alabama Friday evening. Funeral is Saturday morning. 9:00 am.
OLIVER-Who passed if you don't mind me asking?
DAMON-A buddy in the army, committed suicide a couple of nights ago.
OLIVER-Oh My God, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?
DAMON-No, I'm not. I really wanted him to get through his issues. He suffered with various mental disabilities before we were deployed and after our first deployment, it only got worse.
OLIVER-Sorry, my condolences, even though I've never met him.
DAMON-Thanks. Hey, yeah, I'll help you with your event next weekend.
OLIVER-Thank you, man you need to go get some shut eye.
DAMON-I've been sleeping most of the day. Hey is it okay if I invite some of our old friends?
OLIVER-You still in contact with them?
DAMON-a few of them
OLIVER-ummm sure.
DAMON-Good, well I'm gonna go. Later.
OLIVER-Later
After hanging up, Oliver recalled a time that he thought about the military. Getting to travel. See the world, however also remembered how he literally ran out of the center when he went to sign up.
While he was looking for scholarships, Aya was on a date with a man of St. Lucian ancestry. He was a lawyer working for a corporate firm. In conversation, he explains why he became a lawyer and that eventually he desired to open his own firm.
"I came up upper middle class. Both of my parents are University professors. Mom's a business professor while dad teaches finance.
AYA-I have a foundation for uplifting little black girls. Often we're overlooked when it comes to so many things, health care, domestic violence, sexual assault. I got a degree in Biology, I'd like to be a medical social worker. I'll start graduate school hopefully by the fall of 2019. I do this part time, I work at Walmart in the pharmacy"
"Pharmacy Tech?"
AYA-Right now just a clerk. Hourly wage is a joke.
"You know, I initially studied Biology, however after an experiment in a class where I blacked out, I said 'ummm this isn't for me' and I decided to major in economics and I eventually went to law school. Something about the law and the court room always fascinated me, but then when I saw that I could be an advocate for fathers, I stayed in the field. Make decent bank."
AYA-Kids?
"No, I don't have any kids. Can't afford that in Florida. Can barely afford my mortgage."
AYA-I'm trying to pay rent, which at these prices, I might as well buy a house.
"Tell me about it"
Their date lasted roughly two hours, including a meal and a conversation that continued while they consumed their entrees.
Continuing to see him after they left the restaurant, she invited him to her home where they had sex and he stayed the night. The following morning, while her client was still asleep, she called her friend Zinam.
ZINAM-Hello?
AYA-Hey girl, what's up?
ZINAM (ZIGGY)-Sleeping in. I worked a long night.
AYA-Wanna meet for brunch around 10:30?
ZINAM (ZIGGY)-How about lunch instead?
AYA-1:00?
ZINAM(ZIGGY)-That'll do.
"Who's that sweetheart?" her client asked.
"My girl, Ziggy" she responded. "Let's go back to bed".
They slept in for another hour where he took her out for coffee. After a kiss and receiving her payment up front, they parted, however not before exchanging information.
"This is my phone number, my Facebook page, and my twitter page. I'm on a Facebook sabbatical right now but you can reach me by Twitter"
With about two hours to kill before meeting Ziggy for lunch, she decided she'd kill some time in the mall.
Meanwhile, Raja was in the process of booking the room for her seminar. She had sent the invites, and got the products for her home based event. The seminar was for sex workers of color, however, in her own home, she sold sex toys at reduced rates from the passion parties she through where women got together to discuss desires and turn-ons. Once she managed to get her room booked, she headed out to work at her dad's convenient store, where she worked until 6:00 pm.
12:40, Aya arrived at to the deli. Zinam arrived five minutes afterwards. "Lunch is on me" Aya said. Noticing a glow and an expression on Aya's face, Zinam waited until they fixed their plates at the salad bar to break the ice.
ZINAM-You had sex on the first date!
AYA-Girl, I know! I know! But this guy is different.
ZINAM-What's he do?
AYA-Lawyer
ZINAM-He paid you right?
AYA-Hell yeah! I got enough to pay my rent for the next two months.
ZINAM-Do you think we are shallow only going after rich guys?
AYA-No, it's called looking out for one's best interest, plus grad school isn't gonna pay for itself.
ZINAM-Grad school? I need to graduate from rent to a mortgage.
AYA-I need some academic probation rent. These summa cum laude prices for gas are kicking my ass.
ZINAM-My last date gave me a $200 gas card, gets me free gas at Murphy Oil. At least three or four trips.
AYA-I need your date! You still going to Raja's workshop?
ZINAM-Yeah, I'll be there.
AYA-Me too. If her dad knew what she was up to...……
ZINAM-Being in an arranged marriage, it's a mystery as to how the hell she's been able to maintain that hustle.
AYA-That marriage will be for financial security only. Word is he spends a lot of time in the gay part of town.
ZINAM-He look like he'd have a load of sugar in his tank
AYA-OKAY...………
ZINAM-But where you heard that at?
AYA-I have my sources.
ZINAM-You and your grapevine. [laughing]
AYA-What can I say? I got it like that.
ZINAM-Back to your date.
AYA-Tall, dark, and handsome. His folks are from St. Lucia. He's in his mid 30s. He's a corporate lawyer. He majored in Economics and he went to law school afterwards. He's been a lawyer for about 8 years now, single, no children. Definitely the kind of guy I'd like to take home to mom.
ZINAM-Mom? How about dad?
AYA-Dad would like this one.
ZINAM-Would you date a guy younger than you?
AYA-Two years max. Even then, I want him to be taller than me.
ZINAM-Young guys can be great, but they don't have the funds for this dime.
AYA-Cheers.
After raising a toast they sipped on their lemonade, Zinam, wanting to know more about Raja's soon to be husband, asked for his name.
" 'Biju' I believe"-Aya responded.
Zinam finding a page on facebook. Looked through several pages until she saw one with a profile in MIami.
"This is him!" Zinam said. She didn't see much on his page, but the vibe that she got from his profile pics were that he was a class A narcissist. "All these shirtless pics tells me that he's in love with himself if no one else"
"Stop being nosey girl!" Aya exclaimed.
"He's got his shit on a public website, he wants people to see it" "Hold on! Go back! Is that a man thong?!"
"A pink one at that! RED FLAG!"
Aya went back to eating her salad, which she pilled a bed a lettuce with grilled chicken, oranges, cucumbers and balsamic dressing, as she had to go to work at 4:00 pm and it was already going on 2:00 pm. She wanted to get home in time to take a shower. Zinam, on the other had, worked while she ate. She loaded her salad with sunflower seeds, raisins, feta, and Italian dressing. Being an ovo-vegetarian, she didn't utilize meat. Instead, she got her protein source from eggs. She thought about asking Raja about this guy, but decided she'd do it some other time when it was just the two of them at some point.
They finished lunch at approximately 2:30. "See you later, girl" Zinam said.
"Likewise" Aya responded
Aya, managed to get home and get a shower in. She arrived to work at a quarter to four.
Zinam, having the rest of the day off, went and paid some bills.
At work, Aya found out that her coworker would be absent the following day so she'd be working the next day as well. "It'll be the two of us holding down the fort" her boss said.
"Okay" she said as she opened up her register and prepared to check out a man attempting to purchase a box of Mucinex.
"That'll be $19.50"
As her boss went to the back, Aya, saw her cousin, who was addicted to pain killers attempting to steal some Tylenol. "Tai, what's up?"
Tai being embarrassed tried to play it off. "You know you gotta pay for that, I can't get fired because of you. $4.75"
"Fine!" she said as she paid. "Now, I'll see you later" she responded as she stepped outside to put out some generic over the counter medicine on the shelf.
6:00 PM
As the evening came, Oliver decided that he'd head out for a drink. Going to the bar where Milek was employed, he planned to have dinner as his mom had no plans on cooking. Milek being surprised to see him.
"Didn't think you'd actually come." Milek said laughing.
"Man, I'm always interested in a new bar" Oliver said.
MILEK-"I'll fix you a blue Hawaii in just a bit"
OLIVER-"Now you're talking"
MILEK-If you order some food, our club is fantastic
OLIVER-I'll take that then
MILEK-chips or fries
OLIVER-chips, the jalapeno kind
MILEK-Good choice, I'll have that right out. So you're moving in next week?
OLIVER-Yep
MILEK-When's the warming?
OLIVER-that Saturday
MILEK-I've got my little girl this weekend so that works out perfectly.
OLIVER-Aww that's nice.
MILEK-Yeah man, I love her with all my soul. Here's a picture of her
OLIVER-She's beautiful, how often you get to see her?
MILEK-Not as often as I'd like
OLIVER-babymamadrama?
MILEK-more like baby mama MAMA drama. Her mother is a B.I.T.C.H. to the max. Well man, I'll talk with you later, I gotta get back to work.
"What you got boss?"
"Can I get a draft beer right now and an order of the spinach dip" "Gotcha man"
After Oliver ate his dinner, he was informed by Milek that the food was on the house. "Just sign the receipt"
Happily complying, Oliver signed and shook Milek's hand. "I'll see you next week"
While Cody sported a pair of green swimming trunks, Oliver changed into a pair of board shorts. Once the pair were in their swimming attire, they got in the elevator on the 6th floor where there was an outdoor pool and jacuzzi. They stayed slightly longer than a half hour to allow for their food to digest. After having soaked up enough water, Cody asked "would you like to head back to the hotel room?" Complying, Oliver got out of the hot tub and grabbed a towel, squeezing water out of his shorts before sitting down at a table to enjoy the view from the pool. After drying off outside, the pair returned to the 9th floor of the hotel, back to the room to shower.
Both reaching for the door Cody asked, "So...….. we're both going in?"
[motherfucker, you know you'd love nothing more]
"Eh what the hell?" Oliver responded after a moment of silence
A shower was followed by a night of passion before falling asleep in Cody's arms.
The following morning, Oliver struggled to get out of bed. This woke Cody up who asked Oliver if he was okay. "Yea, gotta piss" [I have to piss and you need mouthwash, your morning breath is fire]
"Hey, how about we hit breakfast? Or would you rather brunch?"
"You're the client, what would you like?"
[I'm only getting $1000 for the night plus a free meal]
Oliver returned to bed where he lay for the next two hours. "I'm gonna hit hotel gym"
[and I'll be watching the Breakfast Club]
CODY-"How about coffee this morning"
OLIVER-"Sweet, then maybe brunch off the clock?"
CODY-"Okay, see you in a bit"
He gave Cody some time to head out, then he took a shower and put on a pair of boxer briefs. Oliver then grabbed his tablet and put on the latest episode.
[What a life, right? I’m in a hotel room getting screwed by a stranger. It’s a business deal. I’m not proud of it. At the time, I didn’t have any other recourse. My job had just ended and I’ve got loans. I’ve manage to pay a portion off. I’m not the first male whore and won’t be the last. I pray that it’s only temporary and doesn’t last much longer. I’d love an average dating life but in Greater Miami? Shit, one can’t make a living on conventional jobs alone.]
The episode of his show ended after about 10 minutes. While he was putting on his clothes, Cody was taking a blue pill after his workout. He made his way to the hotel room shortly afterward. He knocked.
"Who is it?"
"Cody"
Oliver opened the door, wearing a pair of khaki shorts, a Sean John collared shirt and a pair of white polo shoes. Cody, was drenched in sweat appearing that he’d pass out.
"You look like you got your ass WHIPPED! You might wanna take a shower, I have some extra shower gel you can borrow."
"Thanks" Cody said while breathing heavily.
He took a shower, brushed his hair and escorted Oliver to the lobby for coffee.
"Checkout isn’t until 3PM, wanna hang for a bit after brunch?"
[I probably shouldn’t have said that.]
"Sounds good"
While having coffee, they talked about education, the state of what was going on with immigration, and the like when Cody asked Oliver about Oliver’s major.
"Thought I’d have my MSW, but lately I’ve been thinking about an MPA. I’d like to do both"
He then gave Oliver a few phone numbers and names. "I’ll also put in a word for you. I can give a good reference."
"Thanks!"
Being in the business world, Cody sees clients of a variety of education and work backgrounds, he knew of some agencies that he might be able to get Oliver on with as an employee or for a paid internship. While he was on his date, His mother, who had a key gathered the remaining of his items from his apartment with the exception of the furniture. The furniture would be put in storage until the new rent house was ready. She still had his old bed in his room at home. The move would be convenient as it was closer to where he grew up so she’d be able to visit her son easier and she was related to whom Oliver would be renting from. She also planned to apply for rental assistance without his knowledge. With that plan, she sent him a text asking him for the check stubs he’s received this far or a statement from his boss.
He wrote back that he was working and that he’d get it before the end of the day.
[I’m actually at brunch ordering a sandwich at a nearby cafe. It’s work but not the job she’s thinking.]
CODY-"Who’s that?"
OLIVER-"My mom, saying Good Morning"
CODY-"How was coming out to your mom"
OLIVER "Cringe worthy"
[And that’s putting it nicely. If you’ve ever seen "For Colored Girls", you remember the exorcist scene where Whoopi Goldberg’s character oiled Tessa Thompson’s headband tried to shake that devil out of her. Yeah.. Definitely a bad experience.]
CODY-my mom pretty much figured it out, She found those TIGER magazines on my bed with hearts drawn on the guys pages. Other clues were my fascination with guys in swimsuits as a kid.
OLIVER-[scoffs], my mom about lost it then she told her mom and that was absolute hell. Let’s just say she tried to cast it out of me.
CODY-damn, but you know the truth is. Some are never going to fully accept you even if they don’t bully you. But you should always have the love of your family
OLIVER-It is what it is.
They ate while they converses. Afterwards, Oliver had to excuse himself to make a phone call. "I’m gonna run to the men’s room."
He called Claudia, who was on a lunch date with Aya.
CLAUDIA-Hey what’s up?
OLIVER-on a date, I snagged an accountant
CLAUDIA-then what the hell are you doing on the phone with me? How is he?
OLIVER-He’s awesome. Great conversationalist. He’s attractive. Dude’s tall as shit. He’s like 6’6’ He’s a total softie. He’s a gentlemen and he kisses pretty well.
CLAUDIA-Shit, why do they all have to be gay? Does he have any friends?
OLIVER-I can see.
CLAUDIA-While I have you on the phone, I gave Aya your phone number. Is that okay.
OLIVER-Umm sure, no problem. Hey, I don’t mean to cut you off, but gotta get back to my date.
CLAUDIA-no prob, I’ll see you Monday. Tell me all about it. Be sure to get a selfie with him.
OLIVER-I’ll see what I can do.
Oliver returned to his date and paid his bill while Claudia resumed her conversation with Aya.
AYA-So he got a corporate guy.
CLAUDIA-Yes. Why can’t I snag one of them.
AYA-Trust me, it’s good for getting my hair done but girl, you don’t want that. You’d never see him.
CLAUDIA-girl what you talking? Late night. office sex is the best!
AYA-Thoia Thoing
CLAUDIA-girl you crazy! Let’s not forget your dinner date from hell. You know the one you almost lost your life on.
AYA-that crazy bitch
CLAUDIA-you were tongue kissing her husband!
AYA-they were on their last leg anyway.
Claudia shook her head and chuckled. She paused for a moment then confided that she might take off next week to study for the certification exam. "I’m taking it in a couple of weeks".
AYA-look, you gotta do what’s best for you.
Oliver and Cody eventually got out of the pool. Had sex once more and check out of the hotel. They hugged outiside and he left Oliver with his contact information. Oliver gathered his luggage and drove to his apartment to find that it was empty"
"FUUUUCCK!!!!!"
That was it, now he really had nothing to return to there. He didn’t give a damn about the penalty at this point for breaking the lease. He went to the leasing office, paid his rent and said "I’m out of here."
He drove to his mom’s home in Miami Gardens where he was greeted by his mom and grandmother.
"How you doing?"
"Tired"
"I went by your place, Damon bought me. I had spare key. I got the rest of your stuff"
FRIDAY EVENING: 4:15 PM
An hour after Oliver left work,
he briefly passed by his apartment, washed some dishes and folded some
clothes before heading out. He finished off the remainder of a bottle of
sangria in his refrigerator before following the alcohol up with a two
glasses of water. He sat on the sofa for about an hour before he headed
out the door. He printed the directions off of Google reviewing them for
about 10 minutes and drove off. He stopped at a nearby Publix and
purchased a bottle of Arbor Mist and some small plastic cups before
completing the trip. The drive was approximately 50 minutes with
traffic. Oliver’s state of being could be described as a nervous,
beginning to experience stomach cramps upon arriving to the apartment
complex. When he got to the door, he shot Evandro a text before
knocking. Evandro, who was still in his uniform was in the process of
fixing a snack when he walked to the door.
"Ollie?"
"Yep" Oliver responded nervously. Holding the bag of wine.
"Come on in".
["Ollie"?
The last person to call me that was Damon. And before him, it was my
high school sweet hart. Of course, she’s now a single mom with four kids
and not a baby daddy in site. I see you]
After a long embrace, Evandro asked him what was in the bag.
"Well sit down!" Evandro said, "Let’s have a drink"
"Sure thing, and FYI, whatever we don’t finish today, it’s yours to keep"
"Thanks man"
As Evandro put the crushed the ice up on the counter, Oliver sat at the table. "So man, nice place so far"
"Thanks,
considering the circumstances, I’d call it a blessing" After pouring
some of the blackberry Arbor Mist, Evandro began the conversation.
Finishing half a bottle of wine, they switched the conversation to general things, such as the TV system in the living room.
"We’ve nearly finished a bottle of wine" Evandro said "You might wanna hang here for a bit, let the alcohol simmer"
"Not a bad idea" Oliver responded.
They caught up with "The Resident", watching that last two episodes before Evandro walked him out.
"Get
home safe", Evandro said as he watched Oliver get in his truck and exit
the complex. Oliver had a smooth trip home, w/o encountering any
traffic jams. He stopped by Subway and picked up a sandwich, eating in
his vehicle before arriving at his apartment. He threw his empty bag in
the dumpster before unlocking his door. Noticing a very unpleasant odor
in the apartment, he looked around to see what had spoiled. He saw
nothing in his refrigerator that would have gone bad. He concluded that
it must have been his neighbor.
"Nasty fucking people" he said under his breath. He turned on the fans in addition to spraying air freshener in his home.
[So
yeah, I have a client to see tomorrow for an overnight stay. I rarely
bring client’s to my place and in the even that I do, I give them a 50%
discount as this is awful. I have an overnight hotel stay. Shit like
this is why, they don’t come. That and the fact that this is a dangerous
job. My neighbor is what we call one of those hippie types. Doesn’t
believe in using soap to shower, he has animals that he really isn’t
supposed to have, and he doesn’t clean up after them. It’s like those
folks, who bring their animals to restaurants and let them shit where
people are sitting down trying to eat, and then when people call them on it, we have a new
"discrimination" case.]
He left his home and stayed out for
another hour or so, hoping to give the fans some time to eliminate the
scent out of his apartment.
Coming back to the apartment, he
noticed the temperature in his home had gone down, however the stench
was as strong as ever, as he was walking in, a neighbor informed him
that there were rats caught in some of the vents.
"I’m getting
out of this lease, I’m packing my shit and I’m moving out!, I’ll stay
with mom for a bit until I can find another place. I can’t do it
anymore!" He ranted.
[It’s almost worth just leaving the door open, not like I got shit worth taking]
He called Damon, in the heat of the moment to see if he could crash.
The
plan was that Oliver would pack his clothes tonight as he’d be staying
at a hotel Saturday anyway. From there, he’d move in with his mother. He
packed his clothes for the night and locked the door behind him and
headed to Damon’s place. Where he slept.
The following morning,
the pair had breakfast at a local diner where Oliver disclosed more
about the plan. He would stay the night as he did at Damon’s. From
there, he’d pack his laptop. Going by his apartment he’d pack items such
as his television and his other electronics. He’d meet his mother
somewhere and have these items descreetly shifted. He would then put his
furniture in storage.
"Well damn" Damon said. Oliver wasn’t going
to be at his apartment much anyway this Saturday as he had an overnight
appointment. Conversation was interrupted by the waitress
After
Clara left to fetch their drinks, they resumed the conversation
regarding his Oliver’s situation. "I’m going to pay to penalty man"
Oliver said.
"I don’t blame you" Damon responded. "You’ve been
having problems at that apartment for years. That son of a bitch needs
to be burned down."
Oliver laughed while looking at his phone. "You crazy"
"I know"
Clara returned with their drinks. "OJ here and water here. I bought you some extra lemons for your water"
"Thanks!" Oliver exclaimed
"No problem, your food should be out in a little bit. Let me know if you need anything else"
Oliver knew the place was a dump. "My neighbor is nasty AF"
[That’s the problem with apartments. One unit has roaches, everyone one else does.]
"That’s
why I got a house. Apartments are the worst. Shit like that is why you
can’t eat everybody’s cooking and you can’t invite everybody to the
potluck." "And you can’t go to everybody else’s potluck either"
Oliver
felt trapped. He would hold back rent payments but he’d have to pay
that back. It was like a nightmare one couldn’t wake up from. The
furniture was inexpensive so he didn’t mind leaving it a while longer.
His complex was disgusting. Think "Infested!" On animal planet with the
Ottawa, Canada apartment. After breakfast, he planned to obtain the
remainder of his valuables. "Yo, you mind if I stop at the gas station on the way back to the house?"
"Not at all, got a while before checking in to my hotel anyway" "Hotel? Oh shit!"
They eventually finished breakfast. Cleaning their plates and getting the checks.
"The gentleman in the khaki shorts agreed to cover your bill." Clara said much to Oliver’s surprise.
"Well let me get my friends bill"
"Thanks……" Damon said
"No big, Mom said when someone blesses you you bless others and that’s what happened to me today" "Well,
I got the alcohol this evening. There’s this joint in Miami Beach that
has all the good shit at low prices if we’re talking alcoholic pricing.
The clerk Raja, let’s just say, I got the hookup."
"So you throwing the next party?"
At the store, he picked up a Pinot Grigio, a bottle of Blue Curaçao, and some Hypnotic. "What else you want man?"
"Ummm I guess some pineapple juice for the curaçao. Make a good blue Hawaii"
At the register Raja noticed items "Somebody is about to get wasted."
"You
already know, but I’m a smart guy, home only". They left and went
Oliver’s apartment, to check on the status. He stood there momentarily
and thought to himself He’d come back and pack up his items after
his "date" with the client.
[My client is already paying an
arm and a leg to have his way with me. At the least, I’ll put up the
hotel fees. Some may do otherwise, but it’s a one night stay and I
figure I’ll get it back.]
The pair went back home to drink, when Damon asked him if he ever tried weed?
"No way! If I were too, I wouldn’t smoke that shit in here in the states."
[Unless it’s in Colorado.]
As
the afternoon passed, Oliver left to check into his hotel and put his
things in his hotel room. He decided that he’d take a swim and then took
a short nap before getting ready. The date would include a dinner, have
a cocktail, followed by making out. After showering and douching, he
put on a pair of brown khaki pants and a cream colored polo that he
sported with a navy sports coat. He brushed his hair and then headed
down to the hotel bar where he had a beer.He got a text from his client
saying that he was on his way.
[Oh joy. Another date with a self-entitled corporate goon.]
He
responded by informing the client that he was at the hotel bar and that
he could locate him by his outfit. Cody is a man in his mid 30s, he’s
an accountant at a firm downtown. Height wise, he’s about 6′6′ with a
slender build.
[He’s probably married and I’d be willing to bet that they don’t have an open relationship. If you get my drift.]
He escorted Oliver to his car,
"Nice ride" Oliver said.
"Thanks"
They
arrived at a fine dining establishment with a dinner reservation for
7:00pm. Oliver ordered Lobster while his client ordered duck.
They
talked about the job market, ethical issues, etc while waiting on their
meals and as they ate their meals. Cody surprisingly made for good
conversation and wasn’t full of himself much to Oliver’s surprise.
[White guy, far left type of kat. Works in corporate American, but actually gives a damn. Yeah, he’s a keeper.]
Cody
grew up in a rather liberal household southeast standards. He came out
to his parents at 15, he had a long term relationship that last about
three years. After that breakup, he has been happily single but likes to
have fun. They returned to the hotel where they ended their night.
Oliver suggested that they chill in the hot tub on the 5th floor
initially. "Gotta get out of these clothes first" Cody said.
"Fair enough" Oliver said as they entered the elevator.
Upon entrance of the hotel room, he pointed Cody to the bathroom. "Alright I’ll see you in a bit".
It’s a Tuesday Morning and Oliver has already called Ms. Cara to
inform her that he’ll be in a bit late.
"I have a meeting" he said.
"The career fair?" she asked, "I heard you talking about it last week. Hope you see so good stuff.
"Thanks I’ll be in later and I’ll make up the hours over today and tomorrow"
He
was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a peach button down. He
got a tie that he YouTubed to figure out the best way to tie and was at
the fair 15 minutes before it began. The set up was nice with a map
listing each company or agency listed. He had his resumes ready and was
prepared for any potential interviews. Looking at his map he decided to
work his way slowly to the exit. His first area of stopping was with the
U.S. Dept of State. "Hello, Oliver". "Cynthia Levines" she
said before proceeding to discuss what the duties of the Dept of State
and mentioned that she was in the Atlanta Resident office.
"We offer internships to students. Most do not pay, on the other hand,
an internship here is a once in a lifetime experience. We are currently
looking for clerks and IT managers. Are you in school?" "I actually graduated 4 years ago. I worked for FEMA and did other disaster recovery projects"
Oliver
explained that while the work was rewarding it had an expiration date.
He handed her a resume and she gave him a business card and a card with
the agencies website. Working his way to the other end of the fair he
saw Primerica with a table, not interested. State Farm and Aflac were
also there. He talked with two age agencies before running into Claudia.
"You made it!" She said wearing a navy blue pants suit and blue heels. "See anything good so far?"
"Just finished talking to the US Dept of State. Passed by IEM, gonna go by the social services table".
"Non profit agency here. Saw VOA. I signed up to take the exam to get certified to teach in a couple of weeks. Would like to start teaching this fall."
"Anyone hiring thus far?"
"A lot are not"
This
wasn’t a shock. It was almost like clickbait you see on the internet
with tragic titles for views and then once being clicked on, you wish
you had skipped. "Sometimes they call them ‘customized hiring events’.
They tell you shit like you need to come dressed to impress only to find
out that you didn’t even need to get out of bed for it.” Oliver had gone
through this routine one time too many. At this rate he’d be whoring
himself until he was 50. He had a game plan He decided that he’d start
graduate school in the spring, however he wasn’t sure where. The pair
stayed at the fair for about two hours before leaving. Oliver decided to
make a quick run to Subway before heading back to the office.
"Good afternoon" Ms. Cara said as Oliver walked in. "See anyone good?"
"Saw a few interesting things. Put my resume out there. Going to check out the U.S. Dept of State"
"That’s great!"
"I’m actually starting graduate school in the spring. I’d like to see if I can compete the studies online"
He then proceeded to input records until an excel sheet.
Claudia returns from lunch and they talked abbot about the job fair. "A few disaster recovery agencies" [of course, to clean up debris]. "I applied to a few places but there were a lot that were very job specific" Oliver complained as he begin to file papers.
He
worked until closing time. Later at the gym as he was finishing a set
of squats, he walked passed a young man when the young man stopped and
turned around. "Oliver?!" pauses for a minute.
"Wudup?" "Man, remember me? Swim meets, we were always paired up against each other"
"Wait a second, Milek??"
"Yep"
"Where the hell have YOU been?"
"Long story"
He
explained that after graduating high school that he had taken some time
to travel. However he’s currently working as a server.
"I’m at this new bar that just opened downtown, you’ll have to come one day" "I’m in the non-profit field right now"
"What’s your number man? You free tonight? I got a night off."
After they exchanged contact information, Oliver returned to his workout. "I’ll catch you later?"
"Sure thing man"
Later that night the two of them met at TGI Fridays.
"I
love that chicken and shrimp pasta" Oliver said as he looked at the
menu. Milek decided to begin the conversation that they left off at in
the gym.
[like sucking off, jacking off, and risking my life]
Oliver continued the conversation after taking a sip of his lemonade
Milek chuckled for a moment before taking a sip of his beer.
They
conversed for a long period covering everything from family to school
to the news before eating. After they ate, they parted ways.
"Guess I’ll see you at the gym" Milek said as he got in his truck.
"I’m sure you will, it’s my second home".
["Pray",
that’s what I was taught growing up. "God helps those who help
themselves". "Pray without ceasing". Ummm yeah, we all see how well that
went. I’d say more, but I’d be doing endless Hail Marys if I did.]
At
home, Oliver went straight for the sofa when he received a phone call
from a number that he didn’t recognize. He ignored the phone the first
time, and said, "they’ll leave a message". He went to the kitchen to get
a cup of water and when he came back, he noticed two more phone calls
from the number. He deiced to listen to the voicemail. It was Evandro.
The voicemail was somewhat lengthy, with explaining that he had gotten
his number from his cousin and that something was put on his heart to
call Oliver.
Oliver decided to call, immediately Evandro picked up the phone
After hanging up with Evandro, he decided to shoot a Facebook message to Carlos. "Thanks".
While Damon was online looking for odd jobs
he noticed an add for dancers needed. He’s had a stripper license since
he was 19 and used this as a means for extra money when not deployed.
He sent this to Oliver in an email prior to calling him on his way to
the pharmacy.
"Morning"
"Check out the email"
As he pulled out his iPad, he saw the email
"What the fuck is this?" "Strippin….you
already do way more, plus a bachelorette party would get you a
killing. I used to dance at a few of them when I was home"
"Got anything else?" "Banquets,
I know a lot of companies. I can send you a list of catering companies
you could do work for. What you got going on right now?"
"Laying on the couch, going into the office"
[Really? That’s the best you got? What part of "I want out of this life do you not understand?]
While
he wasn’t thrilled about it, he took some time to think about it and he
realized that bachelorette parties are for the entertainment value and
he did keep his body in shape. However, didn’t want his current
situation to mirror that of "The Players Club".
Oliver got up from
the couch to fix himself an omelette while continuing to talk. "Yo, I
got you on speaker phone, doing some stuff in the kitchen"
"Man,
remember when we were young and we would see vacationers out here, we
vowed that one day it would be us taking trips with our families?"
"I do, and when I look at where I’m at, I think to myself "What the actual fuck?"
[We
were lied to. In 2008, when we were in high school, we were told to go
to college. That it was the ticket to a successful life. What they
didn’t tell us is that the economy would tank. They didn’t go over any
alternatives. They never went over the cost of living and the fact that
people here are working three jobs. I should have seen this with my own
parents. Dad worked for the state and then worked as a janitor in the
evenings. Mom still works as a financial aid officer at a state college.
The preparation sucked. What the fuck am I gonna use creative writing
for? Why was that in school?]
He cut the conversation short to
eat his breakfast and get a shower in before work. Afterwards, he
ironed a pair of pants and a golf shirt and heaved to the office where
the director informed him and Claudia:
"I have a project for
the two of you. Our event is coming up at the mall. You two are going
to be drawing outlines to these animal pieces on the construction poet
right there. We’re expecting about 200 kids"
"No problem" Oliver said looking at the green construction paper in front of him
"It’ll be a breeze" Claudia assured him as she took a pair of scissors and the elephant trunk and demonstrated.
"So it’s like build a bear type of think but with other animals but they’re decorating their bags with them. That’s cute"
"Yeah, so are you gonna go to the career fair next week"
"The one at the convention center?"
"Yea, I heard there’s going to be several companies there."
[Resume-FEMA, fucking, and non-profit]
"I plan on it. Do you know if any government agencies are gonna be there? I couldn’t find a roster anywhere"
"Not sure"
They
continued working while talking about goals and aspirations when he
noticed an alert on her phone. Knowing the conference due to getting the
same alert an hour earlier, he asked her how she knew about it?
Somewhat embarrassed, she snapped "What are you doing looking at my
phone?!"
"I merely glanced over!" he exclaimed before taking her
aside and confessing to being involved in the worlds oldest profession
"I hate it. One would think attractive people and pleasure but there’s
no real live and frankly it feels like a modern version of slavery. I
can’t get a decent date to save my life"
After a moment of
silence, she admitted that she was a phone sex operator and that she
worked in evenings. "I have a friend who also is in high class
escorting" "High class?"
"Let’s talk about it later? How about we meet for a drink after work? We need to get a bit more of this done."
Meanwhile, Damon was scouting on the web when his eye caught the attention of a webcam modeling website.
He
though about his current life and how he’d mange to file his taxes. He
normally got a 1090 at the end of the year. He also though about the
repercussions of this and the thought that the clientele could be from
his local area. He had a flashback to being deployed in Germany where he
and some buds where in a night club, partying surrounded by beautiful
women. "We are like royalty!" He thought about a conversation he had
with his peer about wanting to serve for eight years and then retire and
start college. Little did he know that half way though that time frame
that he’d suffer a back injury along w/ PTSD from witnessing the death
of a friend at the hands of a grenade.
He applied for work with
multiple agencies and thought about how he could sporadically work vs
checking in daily. With webcam modeling he could set his own schedule.
With that in mind he decided to text Oliver. "Who was that?" "My friend Damon" "So about how long have you with with this company?"
"About six months. I’m trying to start grad school"
They
chatted while filing paperwork. They talked about politics, racial
issues, economic issues, and the like. Claudia made for good company.
She graduated with two degrees. She majored in English Education and
Journalism and worked as a teacher’s aide for a period. She was tired of
the work with virtually no pay. She responded to an add. Currently she
works for a phone sex. One has seen the commercials late at night. She’s
one of them. Definitely more conventional than Oliver’s current job.
As
he was getting ready to eat lunch, she Claudia asked him if he wanted
to eat while they worked. "Sure" he said as he went to grab his lunch
out of his bag.
"We work with several schools in their special ed departments"
"What do y’all do?"
"We
will be finalizing contracts for events mainly. But we do outreach and
after school programs on social etiquette and speech practices our goal
is to help those with autism be as integrated into society as possible"
Noticing Oliver’s garden salad, she asked him "you health conscious?"
"Yep.
Grew up like that. My parent’s rarely fried anything, but they didn’t
ban them from the house. My mom was always big on vitamins and drinking
plenty of water. I practice that today, to keep things under control.
Being a diabetic, I have to watch it."
Shocked at the revelation she asked him when he was diagnosed. He was diagnosed at 6 years old.
"I’m trying to lose weight, but I find myself emotionally eating more than I should"
Trying
to avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as offensive, he
simply said that he had his days too, hence the reason he goes to the
gym six days/week, doing a combination of cardio and weights. After they
finished eating lunch, they cut more construction paper and bagged it.
They filed folders away for about an hour when Oliver signed out."See you tomorrow?"
"You’ll see me in a couple of hours."
The
sun was beaming as Oliver drove home. He rolled down his window and
plugged his phone in to have some music playing. He checked the mail and
saw the electric bill was in. "Shouldn’t be this much" he said "I’m
never home"
He checked his email as well as his escorting profile
receiving three request including one overnight stay. Booking these
trips back to back, he thought about his weekly check at $8.75/hr at 25
hrs per week along w/ the money from the three client’s that he’d earn.
He’d have enough to pay his final payment on his only student loan and
to pay his car note.
He kicked off his shoes to give his feet some air and called his mom. [I’m
being nice. This place is a shithole, in fact the only reason my unit
isn’t laden with roaches is because I frequently buy those foggers and
then I have to open the damn windows and door risking my shit being
stolen. Also, Bengal and Boric Acid along the cracks and corners have
done wonders.]
He looked up and realized that it was time to
meet Claudia. He traded in his work outfit for a pair or black cargo
shorts, a zero-nineteen tank top from K-Mart, and a pair of flip-flops
and headed out. He got in the truck, turned the air on and arrived to
the bar 20 minutes later. Locating Claudia at a table in the bar area we
walked in to meet her when the waiter took their drink order. [She’s a pharmacy tech and she still needs to be a lady of the evening by night? I’m fucked-literally and figuratively]
She
advised him to update his profile to include massages and casual dates
at a lower rate. While they were talking, A woman walks up, dark skin,
about 5′9, in her mid 20s. She spotted Claudia and walked in the sit
next to her.
"Hey chick!"
"Hey!"
"Hello, I’m Aya, how are your doing?" she said as she reached out to shake Oliver’s hand
"Oliver, I’m good. How about you?"
"So this is the guy? He’s cute"
"He’s taken" "Actually I’m very available"
After
ordering a drink, she begin to explain to Oliver how she got into her
current part time job. "I started off escorting however a client of
mine introduced me to a coworker of his that owned a matchmaking
service. I showed up to a mixer I went out on one date. I never saw the
guy again afterwards. That said, he did mention to me that he had
utilized services where one would rent a dates for events. I eventually
branched off and begin advertising on craigslist and the like."
"So do you still…….you know?"
"Sporadically, but that’ll cost extra."
Later
that night, he decided to update his profile w/ additional services
offered. He decided to try out a couple of speed dating events himself.
He might even snap a client or two. Perhaps, he’d been looking in the
wrong places, maybe it was time for more upscale social functions. His
current evening work was not a glamorous job and frankly it was quite
dangerous.
[Prostitution can be traced back as far as biblical
times. Not a new profession and it’s a profession that’s always been
available for the money. Sometimes, we use it to pay off a loan or some
sort of debt. For others, it’s the love of sex. Some just like the
temporary luxury that comes with being one’s bitch. Me? I’d like nothing
more than to settle down. I know there’s a way. It may take a while to
find it, but I refuse to have THIS be my stop.] STORY SYNOPSIS CHARACTERS
PART 4 TO FOLLOW
TUESDAY MORNING:
After
taking a shower and eating breakfast, Oliver got in his truck and
started driving to work. It was his first day on the job and he wanted
to make a good impression. He put on a sky blue Polo shirt and a paid of
black business casual pants. He arrived to the site at 8:45 pm where he
sat in the Lobby until Ms. Cara came and escorted him inside. "Good
morning"
"Good Morning" he responded.
"This will be your
work station, this is Claudia and she’ll walk you through a bit of what
you’ll be doing. Today you’re going to be helping file"
"Hello"-he
was greeted by a young woman with brown hair with blonde highlights.
Her complexion was that of a light brown, she appeared to be about 5'5
in height and approximately 130 in weight.
"Hi, Oliver"-In an attempt to make small talk she asked him how he ended up applying for the job.
"Got
a degree in Sociology and it’s been kind of tough without a masters. I
did Disaster Recovery work for a little over two years and was laid off
from the last project"
"Sociology? That was my minor. I majored in English Education. The certification exam is beating me down."
"I’m
actually trying to start graduate school in the spring of 2019. I’m
looking at Public Administration. In my interview actually, I was asked
why I was drawn to this job. I majored in Sociology w/ the intent of
going right to getting my MSW. I was going to take a year off. The storm
hit. I worked for FEMA for a year. Normally, these jobs last 4 months,
but they extended it. That ended, I was a part of a disaster recovery
project that was supposed to last three years, however I was laid off
after a year. Found another one that was going on, it was a housing
assistance project and that one was a joke. I was fired out of the blue,
no write ups, no nothing. Being at-will no explanation was required. I
do little odd jobs here and there."
"I’m working a customer service job in the evenings, actually"
[ "Customer Service"? No ma'am.]
Continuting
to file paperwork, he was told that they were getting ready for an
annual event at the mall. It would be a in a couple of weeks. "Ms. Cara
will tell you more about it in your meeting with her later on today. But
it’s an event they do every year to promote the services of the agency"
"My brother is autistic. High Functioning"
"We work with autistic children of all levels".
As
time went by he took his lunch. He took lunch for about an hour
arriving back to work just in time for his 1:00 pm meeting with the
director. They went over some of what he would be doing, the
expectations of behavior at work and the rules on lunch.
He finished out the rest of his shift getting off 3:00 pm when he decided to call his mother.
On
his way home, he decided to make a quick stop to a nearby convenicne
store and purchase a bottle of grey goose and a bag of ice to go with
the bottle of cranberry juice that he had in his refrigerator. He didn’t
have much of an appetite, so the plan was to drink himself to sleep. At
times he found himself drinking in order to keep from crying. He
arrived at his house and as he was getting ready to fix the concoction,
Damon texted him.
He
looked over at his phone and said "I’ll get back w/ him later". Little
did he know that Damon would call him shortly afterwards. He let the
phone ring three times before he picked up.
But
he didn't take a shower right away. He drank half of the bottle of
liquor before laying in the middle of the bed. Looking at the clock he
decided to make the phone call. "Negro, you two hours late. Where you been?"
"Drunk" "Damn bruh"
He paused and said "Man, I think I need to go back to work.""You don’t like working for your uncle?" "I wanna keep that, I’m talking about a day job."
"Doing what?" "Merchandising stores maybe, DRIVELINE is hiring. Plus Florida always got road work going on".
"This is Miami, jump on another drug cartel?" "Fuck that, after witnessing my older brother’s murder when he tried to leave, Never again"
"you willing to ditch the SSA?" "Yeah!" Damon said as he scoffed. "It’s
a joke. The VA is okay, but the Social Security is a joke. My SNAP is a
ripoff. I can’t even buy milk and eggs with that shit. If I was a woman
with 7 or 8 kids, that’d be a whole other story"
Oliver
had to laugh for a minute. "I’m laughing with your not at you just so
you know" He cut the conversation short by stating that he was getting
ready for the morning. "Goodnight"
Damon sat up for a bit looking for odd jobs online when he came across an ad. "Oh damn, I gotta call Oliver in the AM" He
then had a flashback to him leaving a hotel following an event. He was
wearing a pair of blue jeans and graphic t-shirt with a pair of
headphones. "$900 in one night? Not a bad way to spend time off right?" He asked his army mate.
"Right! Two weeks before we head to Germany, but this weekend we are going to get toasted"
"Man, so this is Miami? The women. There’s such variation"
"Look
my brotha, you don’t need to be making no baby, you about to be
deployed in two weeks. I saw you eyeballing that girl. You might not
ever even see her again"
He wondered where his army buddy was at. If he was even still alive. After his flashback, he decided to go to bed.
PART THREE TO FOLLOW STORY SYNOPSIS CHARACTERS
The atmosphere of the auditorium was exciting as the students were
preparing for graduation. Oliver excitedly put on his cords for
graduating Magna Cum Laude in Sociology and being in the National Honor
Society. Marching out on the floor, he saw his mom, dad, brother and
sister sitting near the floor slightly above where he’d be sitting at.
The graduation was about three hours with a large class. He listened to
sounds of horns as his parents heard his name. It was a lovely day. He
worked hard for this. He finished his undergraduate studies at the young
age of 21. Through high school AP courses and early admissions he
completed two semesters before setting foot on the college campus. As
the graduation came to an end and he through his cap in the air, he
waited for his parents to meet him on the floor before they all walked
down and headed to lunch. He had his plans laid out, he was going to
take a year off and work and then go to graduate school.
FOUR YEARS LATER
[Oliver Narrating] [I
didn’t think that this would be my path. I thought that by now I’d
have my MSW. Hard times hit. The economy kind of fucked up where I’m at
when I got to college and the bachelor’s degree is essentially the new
high school diploma. I know social work is a relatively low paying job,
but prostitution was not my aspiration. I grew up in Miami Gardens, my
parents both come from the West Indies. My mom is from Haiti and my dad
is from Trinidad. I was raised the typical black Caribbean way. Got our
asses whipped quite a bit. There was a lot of spices in our food and our
parents wanted better for us than they did for themselves. My mother?
She thinks I dance, but she doesn’t know it all]
Laying in
the bed, motionless as he watched his client get dressed to leave after a
long night, he pondered on how the he got to this place and what he
missed when he was in school. He earned $750 for the night, which was
enough to make the rent in his run down apartment.
"Thanks for a
great time", the client said as he slipped on his tank top and escorted
himself out. Oliver Still numb struggled to get up and make it to the
shower. He took a rather long shower before going to make his car
payment. While running errands, he met his childhood friend Damon for
breakfast. Damon is a disabled veteran (retired from the Army) who lives
a simple life. He lives in a small home in a low income community.
[Damon,
black father of Jamaican ancestry. Mom is of Dutch descent. White mama
black daddy.nothing new. He grew up in the same community as me. His dad
fled when he was really young. It was in the cards that he escape the
community that he grew up in] "So how you holding up?"
"I’m here" Oliver said "made a good little bit of change last night"
Damon unimpressed simply responded "good"
"Good?" "I’m just sad that you wound up like this"
"So
am I, I thought I played my cards right but so far the best job I’ve
obtained outside of work has been a temporary job, I worked for FEMA and
that job was much longer than I thought it would be. It lasted two
years."
[My job lasted for two years and I did a bit of
modeling part time. Of course "modeling" in this area is just a code
word for pornography. I wound up jacking off on two videos and then I
begin to advertise on craigslist. Shit. Did I need to go to school for
this?]
"At least you have something on your resume" "How’s your mom?"
"She’s good. My dad died in October of last year. He had cancer." "Sorry"
"It’s fine, it was aggressive. He had deteriorated to the point that he was no longer living. He was miserable"
"How about you?" "My check allows me the basics. Food stamp amount is shit. I fight wars for the country and this is the thanks that I get?"
"Basically, ‘we know you served our country and risked your life but fuck you’ right?" "Yup" as Damon scoffed.
After brunch, Oliver suggested that Damon get in the car with him while he finished his errands.
"Gotta pay some bills, it won’t take long" "Got all day"
He payed his electric, water, and phone bill. He went to the bank to make a deposit. "ballin", Damon joked
"Yeah right! It helps that I don’t have cable, I use this service called NUMEDIATV that’s only like 50 a month"
After an hour and a half, he dropped Damon back off to his car. "How long you gonna be in town?" "I got nothing but time, ain’t shit going on at the house"
"Well how about we go for drinks later?"
He was on his way home when he recieved a phone call from the non profit orginazation that he interviewed for.
[Lord knows I wanted to say "well thanks, still not enough to
retire from sucking dick", but it gives me a little relief. Client’s can be quite ungrateful. It’s difficult being bisexual, black, and still
wanting to date. Girls? It’s hard to find one who is willing to date a
guy who’s attracted to other guys. Guys? I’m either in denial about my
sexuality or they all want to fuck. Just because this is my part time
job doesn’t mean I want you grabbing my ass at the beach.] He
arrived home and decided to turn Hulu up. After watching an episode of
"The Resident", he decided to go the the gym. He stayed at the gym for
roughly two hours. He worked out hard. He takes good care of his body for
health and job security. He recalled a moment where a client tried to
rape him in his first year of the profession and barely got out alive.
That trauma actually fueled his work out and made him want to work out
even harder.
With his bag already packed for the weekend, he met
up with Damon at Publix and Damon followed him to the resort where he’d
be staying for the weekend.
The drive was about 45 minutes away
from where Oliver resided with a stunning view. The town was impressive
and give Oliver some time to think. He was glad to have a little relief
with this part time job and a night off with no clients. He arrived at
the resort where he checked in. After he checked in, he called Damon and
told him that he was on his way out and suggested that they go to the
mall to kill some time. There was a moment of silence and then Damon asked when Oliver had last seen Carlos.
"I saw him about a year ago, I talk to him on Facebook, he lives in Tallahassee now. He does the modeling thing." [We
grew up with Carlos. He lived in a neighborhood not far from ours.
Miami Springs is a majority black suburb of Miami. Damon is my ace from
pre school. We met Carlos through a mutual friend in basketball camp.
His parents were working class. He dropped out of school due to
circumstances beyond his control. He recently enrolled in high school
online and earned his high school diploma]
"When I last talked to him, he said he was going to a medical training school in the fall"
"Nice!"
They spent a bit of time in the mall before heading back to Oliver’s hotel room to shower.
"You
know the deal. Drive behind me and follow me in"The hotel room had two
bathrooms that way neither one had to wait on the other.
Upon getting out of the shower, Oliver sprayed some Axe on and sat on the couch of the living room. "Damn, you clean up sharp"
Damon
said noticing the lavender button down and pair of khaki pants Oliver
was wearing. While Oliver said "you too! I like that color" pointing to
Damon’s bright green button down which he sported with a black vest and
pair of dark blue jeans.
"Yo I found this steakhouse up the road, looks like they got a nice bar"
At the bar, the bartender noticed them well dressed and asked what kind of work they did.
"Hospitality, but we’re here for a conference"
"What will it be boss?"
"Dos Equis" "Mai Tai"
They
each ordered Sirlons medium well. Wondering how Damon was doing, how he
was managing he admitted that his uncle had a construction company.
"I
do a little work under the table. I handle the clerical duties for my
uncle’s business. Doesn’t pay a whole lot but, gets me out the house.
Gives me extra money"
"I landed a part time job with a non profit agency, start next week"
"Great! Man, I’ve never known you to settle for "ok". You’ve aspired a better life for as long as I can remember"
"Here you guys are" the bartender said as he put their plants in front of them.
"Man,
I’m about to kill this!"They ate rather silently, keeping the
conversation somewhat wholesome as they were sitting at the bar and did
not want the bartender knowing too much of their real work situation.
After paying the bill, they drove back to the hotel.
"Damon, why don’t you just crash for tonight" "Okay Thank!"
"It is so nice to come to a hotel and not have to suck dick" "Umm…..yeah, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that with me"
"Duly noted. I find I get along better with straight guys than other gay dudes for this very reason" "You hate your job don’t you?"
"Ummmm yeah!" "Well goodnight"
"’Night"
Friday Morning around 10AM, they woke up and decided to go to the pool. "Can I say thanks for the invite?"
"No problem, it must be nice to have your uncle as your boss" "It’s got it’s perks. As long as I don’t take advantage of him."
With
the sun beaming down and the pool very enticing, Oliver decided to
locate a ladder on the deep end and plunge in in order to immerse
himself.
"Bruh, you might as well do it now" "Oh shit, HOLY SHIT! THIS IS COLD"
As they swam to the shallow end towards the steps, Damon asked him if this was the nicest place that he had been.
Oliver nodded, and looked at the sky ahead of him and thought about it. It seemed so far away right now.
