"My nose wide as the Red Sea (Red Sea)
Lips full, fillers don't fill me (Fill me)
Soon as my cousin killer's on trial (Woah)
Family gon' pull 'em sitting courtside
Godsend they say, we singing la-la-la
Don't want no vultures on our si-i-ide
Looking black as the messi-i-iah
I got time...
When we die, where do my people go?
To the stars where they can't steal your glow
When we die, where do my people go?
To the stars where they can't steal your glow
Superpower"
Kirby—"Superpower"
Chocolate City.
That's what they called this particular section of dorm housing on the fourth floor of the building known as New House that Erik N'Jadaka Stevens found himself standing in at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
M.I.T.
"No man, this dude is different. He's twenty, but he acts way older. Quiet. Not real friendly...I don't mean in a bad way...he's just not gregarious. Grad student, not a freshman... I didn't ask. He applied to be here and Jay said he'd be a good fit. Oakland...I don't know..."
They were feeling him out already.
The lone voice he heard was in another room talking on a phone. The person wasn't even aware that Erik had entered House One that Chocolate City shared with iHouse, another identity-based undergraduate group who used the first two floors while they used the other three top floors.
Erik had money to get his own apartment or his own house if he wanted. Working for Tony Stark as an intern and a Stark Fellow for a year prior to M.I.T earned him money to live like an adult. Hell, he gave up a luxury apartment and tasteful eclectic furniture to move cross country and hunker down among thirty-one young Black men from around the world—correction, thirty young Black men, and one young white Italian man—who came to study a wide range of STEM-related fields.
Erik stared at the Chocolate City Mission Statement on his phone:
"Chocolate City is a brotherhood of MIT students and alumni who identify with urban culture and share common backgrounds, interests, ethnicities, and/or experiences. By cultivating a tradition of social, intellectual, character, and leadership development, the Brothers of Chocolate City exemplify a high standard of excellence which is founded on continual growth. We seek to enrich the MIT and greater global communities by embodying the principles of our brotherhood."
Taking a deep breath, Erik took time to meditate on what his purpose was in being there in that commons room space at that moment. It was a promise to his Uncle Bakari, Aunt Shavonne, and his Grandpop that he would spend at least six months in the dorm to have a proper group living experience that he didn't have at the Naval Academy. One that was less rigid and military guided. And not a juvenile hall. He shook off the memories.
Six months.
He gave his word.
Erik rolled the suitcase he had with him against a wall and the movement alerted the unseen speaker to end their call. A lanky fade-wearing young man with glasses and very light skin walked in from another room.
"Hi, Erik?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, welcome! I'm Rasheed. Junior year. Engineering. One of two Co-Chairs here. You look different from the Zoom chat...hair is longer..."
They shook hands and Erik ran his fingers over the short 'fro he was cultivating. It was one of the perks of being away from The Naval Academy and Stark Industries. He could let his shit grow freely. He could wear regular clothes. He could stand down.
"Growing it out for a minute."
"Are you wearing gold slugs?"
"Yeah," Erik said becoming annoyed with comments about his appearance.
The moment he left Tony Stark's employ he had pure gold panther slugs made for his bottom teeth to match the ones his Baba used to wear.
"Is this all your stuff?"
"Nah, I have some more out in my car."
"What do you drive?"
"1970 Chevrolet Chevelle."
"What? A muscle car. What color?"
"Black."
"I'll go down and help you bring the rest of your stuff up. Everyone is still moving in and finding the campus. We're having a dorm meeting with the Chocolate City crew before the big New House meeting downstairs later tonight."
"Okay. Cool."
Exiting the elevator, they walked down the large hall on the first floor to the exit. Outside the afternoon air was crisp and Erik admired the brick of the building as they walked away from it to where he parked temporarily.
Rasheed whistled when he saw Erik's car.
"You sank some money into this bad boy."
"My grandfather had it for years. Fixed it up and passed it on to me. He still adds stuff to it if I ask him too."
"That's cool, bruh. Real cool."
Erik pulled out two more roller bags and a duffle, along with his computer bag from his trunk.
"That's it?"
"Yep," Erik said.
"You can stay parked here until tomorrow night. That's when you have to use your residency parking passes and move it to your assigned area."
"Bet."
Moving his things back up into his assigned floor, more young men had arrived in their commons and introductions were made. One husky guy with a crimson and white MIT sweatshirt sat on a couch with his laptop playing music. The music switched up and a voice Erik recognized filled the room.
ButtaFly.
A DJ that hosted a popular MIT radio show. A DJ he listened to for months while he worked for Tony Stark.
"You are listening to the Cosmic Café...up next I'm going to have some new music by Kirby, Seinabo Bey, and I'll also throw in some classic Mutabaruka dub poetry. I want to give a big welcome to the new students arriving for the start of a new school year, especially to the young men of Chocolate City. My homegirl Jennifer is the Graduate Resident Tutor there so hey girl...I hear some really brilliant new students are over there, so welcome... welcome to all the folks over at New House..."
Erik stood in front of red and white hoodie.
"Where is the campus radio station at? Do you know?"
"WMBR?" hoodie asked.
"It's in the basement of the Walker Memorial Building," Rasheed said.
"Is that far from here?"
"Not really if you don't mind walking."
Erik pulled up the campus map on his phone.
"What room do I have?" Erik asked.
He followed Rasheed down a hall to the far end. Two twin beds, two desks, a decent window...
No one else had belongings there yet.
Erik picked the side away from the window and dumped his stuff.
"Thanks for helping me," Erik said.
"No problem—"
"What time is the meeting?"
"In two hours—"
Erik left the room with Rasheed at his heels.
"The rest of the guys will be back, and your roommate—"
"Later. I gotta go peep something first. I'll be back on time."
Erik passed by more Black male undergrads entering Chocolate City.
"Hey, Erik!"
Darcy, the other Co-Chair called out to him as Erik headed toward the elevator. A bright white smile on a rich round mahogany face tried to get his attention as Erik swept past.
"I'll be back!" he called out again.
Erik checked his cell phone. ButtaFly's show lasted for another thirty minutes. He stuck in earbuds to listen to her as he walked outside once more. Zipping up the bright orange windbreaker he had on, he used his phone GPS to guide him to his muse. The voice that haunted him for so many months when he worked for Stark. The voice that soothed him when he was in bed alone. The voice that seduced him when he pleasured himself in that big queen-sized bed he used to own.
Things were different now.
He had a twin bed and a male roommate. He had to share cooking duties with young men when he once ate with billionaire playboys and a Black Princess of Monaco. Erik used to fly on a private jet with Tony Stark anywhere in the world and had access to tech that these students were just trying to learn about and would never get to see on a higher level in a lifetime.
So different.
No more smoking weed and jerking off naked to Buttafly's voice in private trying to imagine what she looked like as he came in his hand with deep guttural moans. Very shortly, he would come face to face with the woman of his dreams.
A woman who helped guide him back to his ultimate purpose in life and she didn't even know it.