myself a little break. I wanted to roll over in bed one more time and sneak in an extra hour of sleep. There were days when I was tired of working so hard that even if it meant waking up late, I wanted to do something for myself.
With these thoughts, I rolled over my empty bed and tossed the extra pillows aside and allowed myself the comfort of some more sleep.
***
I woke up to a call on my phone. It was from Adam, one of my best friends back from high school. I was involved with three NGOs, and one of them was run by Adam’s fiancé. I sensed that it had to be something urgent if it was a call from him so early in the morning.
As I picked up the call, I could hear the despair in his voice. I was immediately on alert, and all the laziness in my body disappeared in an instant.
“Lacie, we have some really bad news,” he said in a serious tone.
“What happened, Adam?”
“I am afraid things are going to change too much. Les was in tears the whole night. I thought of calling you earlier, but it was too hard to console her,” he said, sounding like he was trying to fight off his own tears.
“What’s wrong, Adam? Is she alright? Are you two okay?”
I was genuinely concerned for the two of them, as Les was perhaps one of the sweetest people I had ever met. They both looked perfect for each other, and the last thing I wanted to hear just as I was set to start my day was the two of them breaking up.
“We’re still together, if that’s what you were thinking. But no, something’s come up with the Golden Ray Charity. Could you meet us at Starbucks in an hour—the one across from my office?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you soon.”
I stared at the phone screen and wondered what could possibly be so upsetting that would make Les cry the whole night. There were a hundred thoughts that came to my mind, and not one of them looked pretty. I realized something had to be done, and I threw the blankets off and decided to get ready.
After showering, I quickly took out my long-sleeved red dress from my wardrobe and didn’t bother applying makeup. I had a very dark complexion, and I was one of those girls who were comfortable in her own skin. I was never a huge fan of loud makeup because I believed in the beauty of the soul.
I called Adam on the way, informing him that I was almost there, and he let me know that he was already there.
That day, the roads were busier than usual, and I was getting paranoid. I wanted to know the real reason as to why Les was so messed up. As I kept sitting in my car, waiting for the roads to clear, I couldn’t help but remember the first time I met Les.
***
Adam and I were hanging out together, eating at one of the local burger joints a couple of years ago, when he saw a girl checking him out and gossiping with her friends. Adam was black-skinned like me, but unlike me, he was never comfortable with his skin color. He had his own reasons, as he had been bullied by a lot of people all throughout school. He was so sure that the girl was mocking him for his skin color, and I saw him shrugging his shoulder and retracting in his seat. It hurt my heart to see him like this, and that day, I had asked him to go and stand up. I told him that he had to earn his own respect or else he would never be able to look the world in the eye.
“Speak, Adam. You deserve better.”
“She hates me. Look at her. She is sparkly white and mocking me in front of her friends. You know, Lacie, I’ve seen her in college too. She is in another academic building, but I often see her giggling whenever I pass by. Why can’t people grow up?” he said, frustrated.
Adam was literally on the verge of tears, and I knew that he had to do it this time. I put my foot down and told him he had to do it for me; for every black friend he had. He was ready, and before I could let the moment escape, I pushed him.
Adam went straightaway to the group and didn’t wait, pause, or anything. He just said,
With these thoughts, I rolled over my empty bed and tossed the extra pillows aside and allowed myself the comfort of some more sleep.
***
I woke up to a call on my phone. It was from Adam, one of my best friends back from high school. I was involved with three NGOs, and one of them was run by Adam’s fiancé. I sensed that it had to be something urgent if it was a call from him so early in the morning.
As I picked up the call, I could hear the despair in his voice. I was immediately on alert, and all the laziness in my body disappeared in an instant.
“Lacie, we have some really bad news,” he said in a serious tone.
“What happened, Adam?”
“I am afraid things are going to change too much. Les was in tears the whole night. I thought of calling you earlier, but it was too hard to console her,” he said, sounding like he was trying to fight off his own tears.
“What’s wrong, Adam? Is she alright? Are you two okay?”
I was genuinely concerned for the two of them, as Les was perhaps one of the sweetest people I had ever met. They both looked perfect for each other, and the last thing I wanted to hear just as I was set to start my day was the two of them breaking up.
“We’re still together, if that’s what you were thinking. But no, something’s come up with the Golden Ray Charity. Could you meet us at Starbucks in an hour—the one across from my office?”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll see you soon.”
I stared at the phone screen and wondered what could possibly be so upsetting that would make Les cry the whole night. There were a hundred thoughts that came to my mind, and not one of them looked pretty. I realized something had to be done, and I threw the blankets off and decided to get ready.
After showering, I quickly took out my long-sleeved red dress from my wardrobe and didn’t bother applying makeup. I had a very dark complexion, and I was one of those girls who were comfortable in her own skin. I was never a huge fan of loud makeup because I believed in the beauty of the soul.
I called Adam on the way, informing him that I was almost there, and he let me know that he was already there.
That day, the roads were busier than usual, and I was getting paranoid. I wanted to know the real reason as to why Les was so messed up. As I kept sitting in my car, waiting for the roads to clear, I couldn’t help but remember the first time I met Les.
***
Adam and I were hanging out together, eating at one of the local burger joints a couple of years ago, when he saw a girl checking him out and gossiping with her friends. Adam was black-skinned like me, but unlike me, he was never comfortable with his skin color. He had his own reasons, as he had been bullied by a lot of people all throughout school. He was so sure that the girl was mocking him for his skin color, and I saw him shrugging his shoulder and retracting in his seat. It hurt my heart to see him like this, and that day, I had asked him to go and stand up. I told him that he had to earn his own respect or else he would never be able to look the world in the eye.
“Speak, Adam. You deserve better.”
“She hates me. Look at her. She is sparkly white and mocking me in front of her friends. You know, Lacie, I’ve seen her in college too. She is in another academic building, but I often see her giggling whenever I pass by. Why can’t people grow up?” he said, frustrated.
Adam was literally on the verge of tears, and I knew that he had to do it this time. I put my foot down and told him he had to do it for me; for every black friend he had. He was ready, and before I could let the moment escape, I pushed him.
Adam went straightaway to the group and didn’t wait, pause, or anything. He just said,
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