Chapter Nine.
"If you know you not supposed to be somewhere, why come?" —Reese Wilson
LSU Campus Library
"So where'd you get a name like Citrus from?"
"My father," Citrus flipped through the textbook that laid before her, "He said he liked how it rolled off of his tongue. I think he might've been high," She laughed, "How about you?" She looked up from the book, deciding to close it next sitting it to the side.
Her eyes were growing lazy from reading, so she decided to take a break. Which came as a surprise because Citrus never took breaks when she was in the middle of studying. Not for anything or anyone. Not even her own husband.
"It's hebrew for enlighten," Yair scratched his nose.
"Are you Jewish?"
"No," Yair laughed, "My mother just wanted something different I guess."
"Where's your accent?" Citrus cocked her head to the side.
She was never this talkative or intrusive, but Yair somehow, someway was bringing it out of her.
"I moved to Jersey when I was eleven, but I would come back down here every other Summer since then. So you could say that I lost it. Depending on how long I'm down here for, it ends up finding it's way back. Maybe it will come back and stay, now that I'm back permanently," Yair looked down at his phone. His eyebrows furrowing at his messages.
"Is everything okay? You've been making faces at your phone since we sat down."
"Uh," Yair sat the phone down, "I apologize, my friends girlfriend is just looking over my daughter so I've just been checking in."
"Aw," Citrus smiled, "How old is she?"
"Six months," He smiled, grabbing his phone once again and pulling up a picture of her.
"She's beautiful," Citrus coo'ed. "Her skin color is so pretty and soft. She's the cutest," She handed the phone back over to him.
"Thank you," He tucked his phone away. "Now back to this Project."
"You're right," Citrus nodded, pulling out her notebook, "Gentrification in Baton Rouge."
After some careful consideration and a little bit more convincing from Yair, Citrus finally decided on working with him for their final project. He assured her that his work ethic was very reliable, and that throughout the course of the next four months he would not let her down. In the end, their project would be one of the best prompting the both of them to pass that class with flying colors, and walk the stage on time at the end of May.
The goal of the assignment was to focus on a real-world problem that effects or involves two sets of people, very different from each other, and come up with a well planned out, and solid solution that would end up benefiting both groups of people in the end.
The two choose the topic of Gentrification in Urban Communities, their own home being the biggest source of research and leverage. It seemed like every other day something monumental to the hood was being knocked down, rebranded, and rebuilt for the benefit of all of the tourist, along with Louisiana's completely white ran government.
"So the two sides we're focused on would be our people, of course," Citrus tapped the wooden table, "And the tourist?"
"I was thinking more so the government? I would say white people in general but that would stir up some shit," He joked.
