every trinket and keepsake, but that didn't change the fact that his family had moved from their home a long time ago.
His brother Jerome lived in the Bronx with his wife and three kids. His sister Malena lived in Alphabet City with her man. Mama was dead, and Papa was in an assisted living residence he'd personally chosen. After months of arguments and debates, he'd finally convinced Derrick that a newly-blind man would be better off surrounded by nurses than alone in their apartment. He had refused Derrick's idea of hiring a private nurse, and insisted he wanted to spend his days with other senior citizens. Derrick hated the idea of not seeing his dad every day, but he couldn't be a selfish prick. After Papa's move, Derrick had been left alone with his memories in a hundred year-old apartment that, for a number of reasons, he was incapable of letting go of.
Derrick kissed Lumière's head and focused on the familiar noises made by neighbors he'd known his entire life. Unlike him, neither Norman nor Sonia had the opportunity to get a higher education. They didn't have any fancy degrees. Norman was a security guard, and Sonia worked at a local Dominican family restaurant, and they both struggled to support their respective families and make ends meet. But they were each lucky to have something Derrick had wished for his entire life: a loving spouse and a family of their own.
Growing up poor in a high-crime, low-income area was a huge incentive to do better for himself. He was ten when he told his mom that someday he'd have enough money to buy her medicine and rent a bigger place for all of them. Mama had passed away before Derrick could make good on his promise, but he decided Papa and his siblings deserved the same.
He'd gone to college with his siblings' blessing and financial help, and graduated with honors. He'd landed a great job, helped pay for Malena's wedding, and co-signed the small business loan that had launched Jerome and Malena's hair salon. He worked his ass off to ensure he would always be able to pay for Papa's room in the assisted living facility, and to have food on his own table and a roof over his head.
Derrick had done well for himself. Being part of Acosta, Bradford, and Chadwick meant the world to him but having a promising career and a healthy bank account wasn't enough. He wanted the trifecta. Now that he'd taken care of his family and achieved his professional dream, he could relax and fulfill the rest of his dream. The time had come to get himself a husband and a couple of kids.
And he needed to get Roman on the same page.
Derrick opened his eyes and focused on the images playing on his flat screen TV.
Maid in Manhattan was a love story about a high-profile politician and a maid. Some cynics said marriages between people of different classes didn't happen in real life, hence the reason that particular film was categorized as a fairy tale. Money marries money, they often said, and someone with a humble upbringing should never waste time wishing they were the exception to the rule. Derrick happened to disagree with that assessment.
For as long as he could remember, he had dreamt of meeting his very own Prince Charming and being swept off his feet and carried off to a love nest. His first Disney movie was Cinderella , but the majority of films he'd watched thereafter had the same types and formula. It wasn't long before Derrick started thinking that all sigh-inducing, swoon-worthy, husband-material males were tall, handsome, and filthy rich. In his innocent mind, that was the norm. Back when he was a kid, there had been times when food was scarce in their house, but not once did it occur to Derrick that this detail would stop Prince Charming from falling for him. It never crossed his mind that he could be rejected because he didn't have the right pedigree.
His mom had chosen love over class divide. She'd walked away from her family when her parents forced her to pick between Papa and a
His brother Jerome lived in the Bronx with his wife and three kids. His sister Malena lived in Alphabet City with her man. Mama was dead, and Papa was in an assisted living residence he'd personally chosen. After months of arguments and debates, he'd finally convinced Derrick that a newly-blind man would be better off surrounded by nurses than alone in their apartment. He had refused Derrick's idea of hiring a private nurse, and insisted he wanted to spend his days with other senior citizens. Derrick hated the idea of not seeing his dad every day, but he couldn't be a selfish prick. After Papa's move, Derrick had been left alone with his memories in a hundred year-old apartment that, for a number of reasons, he was incapable of letting go of.
Derrick kissed Lumière's head and focused on the familiar noises made by neighbors he'd known his entire life. Unlike him, neither Norman nor Sonia had the opportunity to get a higher education. They didn't have any fancy degrees. Norman was a security guard, and Sonia worked at a local Dominican family restaurant, and they both struggled to support their respective families and make ends meet. But they were each lucky to have something Derrick had wished for his entire life: a loving spouse and a family of their own.
Growing up poor in a high-crime, low-income area was a huge incentive to do better for himself. He was ten when he told his mom that someday he'd have enough money to buy her medicine and rent a bigger place for all of them. Mama had passed away before Derrick could make good on his promise, but he decided Papa and his siblings deserved the same.
He'd gone to college with his siblings' blessing and financial help, and graduated with honors. He'd landed a great job, helped pay for Malena's wedding, and co-signed the small business loan that had launched Jerome and Malena's hair salon. He worked his ass off to ensure he would always be able to pay for Papa's room in the assisted living facility, and to have food on his own table and a roof over his head.
Derrick had done well for himself. Being part of Acosta, Bradford, and Chadwick meant the world to him but having a promising career and a healthy bank account wasn't enough. He wanted the trifecta. Now that he'd taken care of his family and achieved his professional dream, he could relax and fulfill the rest of his dream. The time had come to get himself a husband and a couple of kids.
And he needed to get Roman on the same page.
Derrick opened his eyes and focused on the images playing on his flat screen TV.
Maid in Manhattan was a love story about a high-profile politician and a maid. Some cynics said marriages between people of different classes didn't happen in real life, hence the reason that particular film was categorized as a fairy tale. Money marries money, they often said, and someone with a humble upbringing should never waste time wishing they were the exception to the rule. Derrick happened to disagree with that assessment.
For as long as he could remember, he had dreamt of meeting his very own Prince Charming and being swept off his feet and carried off to a love nest. His first Disney movie was Cinderella , but the majority of films he'd watched thereafter had the same types and formula. It wasn't long before Derrick started thinking that all sigh-inducing, swoon-worthy, husband-material males were tall, handsome, and filthy rich. In his innocent mind, that was the norm. Back when he was a kid, there had been times when food was scarce in their house, but not once did it occur to Derrick that this detail would stop Prince Charming from falling for him. It never crossed his mind that he could be rejected because he didn't have the right pedigree.
His mom had chosen love over class divide. She'd walked away from her family when her parents forced her to pick between Papa and a
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