Trevante
I poured myself a glass of red wine before taking a seat on my lazy boy recliner. It had been a long day. As most Mondays were. After class I had decided to run a few errands. And hadn't found myself getting home until around 9 pm.
I decided at this point a nice warm shower and glass of wine would be my next move. Those and a book before for bed. I wasn't sure if I was getting old. Or if old was getting me. Whatever the case, I had learned to appreciate the little things. Like being able to come home after along day and relax. Peace was an under valued treasure.
I opened the file in my hand and began to quickly scan over it before retiring for the night. It really could have waited till morning but for some reason or another curiosity had gotten the best of me. I'll admit when my brother first asked for my help I was willing to do whatever. And even after he told me what it was he wanted me to do I was still down to do it. But I can't lie and say I didn't have more than a few questions.
He had never asked me for a favor like this. And I didn't quite understand what was so special about this particular case that he felt the need to seek my help. I had done my fair share of mentoring but mostly young men from my old neighborhood. I had a soft spot for troubled youth. Seeing as how I myself had once been exactly where they were. I wanted to help them avoid the ultimate consequences of living so recklessly. We all know there were two to be exact.
I had never mentored a young woman and really wasn't sure if there was much I could offer her. But my brother seemed to think otherwise. He even told me she reminded him of me back in the day. And that intrigued me the most. Any woman carrying on the way I once had long ago had to be a sight to see. I was a wild young nigga. Very short tempered and impulsive. Stayed in a lot of trouble behind it. But thankfully I met someone who helped me to see things differently.
So the idea of the challenge got the better of me. That and sheer curiosity. What could have possibly happened to this girl to make her feel like she had no way out? I decided to give it a shot. I didn't have any sisters or children but I knew she was someone's sister and daughter.
My brother told me what he knew and gave me a file he had on her. I had glanced over it before our first meet up. But hadn't read too much into it. I was armed with the things my brother had told me and felt as though they'd be enough to wing it. However I hadn't expected my approach to work so well. And I most definitely hadn't expected to make the young woman cry. Seeing a woman cry. I hated that most in the world.
I had tried to convince myself that maybe she needed it. After all I hadn't said very much. At least nothing personal. Or at least to my knowledge. She was doing what most troubled young women do. Misplace their anger and misuse their bodies. In an weak attempt to mask their pain. That's the tricky thing about pain. If you don't look at it close enough sometimes it can look a lot like anger.
I managed to push her into the back of my mind for my next couple classes but the moment I left the gym to run errands Mickey was the only thing I could seem to think about. I was hoping my words had resonated with her. Given her something to think about. Made her realize how cliché this whole tough girl act was. And how anybody with enough sense could see right through it.
Praying that I hadn't only hurt her more. Triggering her to do something even more damaging.
Ding!
I picked up my phone and placed my finger over the Instagram notification I had just received. I tried to limit my social media use because the shit was a waste of time for one and potentially unhealthy for two. But being an entrepreneur I knew how a social media presence could potentially make or break my business. So I sucked it up and posted when I could. A selfie here and there. A lot of poetry because the world needed more of it. And the occasional thirst trap. Because the world couldn't get enough of it.
