Adrienne & Her Boss

Adrienne P.O.V

In the small city of Harlem in the big city of New York I was just one in a million girls that grew up in the projects. There was nothing special about me. My mom wasn't around much. She was busy with her boyfriend and my dad passed away when I was 15. He wasn't in my life anyway. He ran the streets and did his own thing. I know I have a couple siblings out here somewhere, but I've never met them personally. My skin was light brown so I fit right in with everyone including the Spanish Harlem girls. My hair is long an curly. The ringlets kind of curly not the afro kinda curly. The color of my eyes is the only thing that makes me stand out from anyone. They are a emerald green color. My mom says I get them from my granny. Who I also have never met. Truthfully though I was a mut. My mom was white (the only white girl in all of Harlem) and from what my mom told me he was black. Jamaican and Spanish to be more exact. But that girl lies so much its hard tellin what's the truth an what's a lie with her. 

So I guess I should start by introducing you to my homegirls. Mia is my best friend ever. Her and her mama have lived in the apartment across the hall from us for as long as I can remember. She's a true Spanish Harlem girl for real. She's always down to get down. Its nothing for her to take her hoops off an pull her hair up into a messy bun. When we were little not even old enough to know anything we sliced our hands with a knife an put them together so we would be blood sisters for life. Her mama always has a different boyfriend.

Then there's Tehari. Her granny lived in our building on the 3rd floor. Even though she's older than us she still shows us hella love. Her mama left her with her granny one day an never came back for her. We all got mama issues. Tehari is super pretty. Her skin is darker than Mia & mines. Its almost the color of a Hershey bar before it melts. Her hair is curly like mine. Like you cant tell if she's black or Spanish or maybe both. Either way she's the dopest chick I know. 

It was always us 3 till the end. When my mama wasnt home I would go across the hall to Mia's house. Her mama was always gone. It was almost like she cared about whatever man she was seeing at the time more than she cared about Mia. But I never said that out loud. It aint my place. And honestly I think my homegirl feels the same way. So why add salt to the wound. You feel me? 

How it all started.....

"Hey girl, you ready to start walking?" I asked Mia as I was walking through the door and closing it behind me. We walked to school together everyday. In the city we lived in it wasnt uncommon for young pretty girls to get snatched up with a quickness any time of day never to be heard from again. Thats why we always stuck together. 

"Yes girl, I'm almost ready. My mama aint come home again last night." 

"Is that really a surprise?" I said rolling my eyes at her. 

"No." She replied with a sad look on her face. I could tell she had been crying. 

Changing the subject quickly I said, "Ok well come on I dont wanna be late. You know how I am about my attendance." 

"Ok lets go. Im ready."

After walking down 5 flights of stairs we finally made it outside the front door of our building. At 7am the city air still smelled like smoke from all the fumes from the cars that passed by. The only dead time in the city is 4am. Thats when mostly everything shuts down. The little bit of sky we could see between the skyscraper buildings was a light baby blue color. We were walking down Malcom X Blvd. when this man came walking out of The Golden Crust. I say man because he didnt look like no boy I ever seen. He had long dreads but they were clean cut. Not nappy like the niggas who got them but didnt take care of them. His skin was a dark chocolate color and his eyes were a honey brown color. Like when the sun hit them you could see the little gold specks even from far away. Mia must've caught me staring cause she nudged me so hard in my side it made me say, "ouch" loud enough for him to look over at us. "Good mornin mamas." His voice was deep an raspy.

"Good mornin." we both said like a bunch of school girls that we were. He smiled an flashed all of his pearly whites at us. I felt my panties get wet just at the sound of his voice. 

We stopped at the bodega and decided to wait on Tehari. I know it was just because Mia didnt wanna walk anymore but I agreed. I didnt want her to have to walk the whole way by herself. We were talking about the man we had just seen when she walked up to us. "Awww thank yall for waiting on me." 

"Girl you know we would never make you walk the whole way by yourself." Mia said to her as they hugged.

"Never in a million years. You know where we live" I said an did the same. 

"Thank you I had to make granny breakfast an make sure she took her morning medicine. 

"I'm already knowin." I replied.

"Hey so have you ever seen a dark chocolate man with long neat dreads and pearly white teeth?" Mia said to Tehari but she was looking straight at me when she said it.

"Girllllaaaa you just described all of Jamaica Harlem." Tehari said laughing.

We all laughed and I low key was sad but thankful she didn't know who Mia was talking about. We continued our walk to school and said our goodbyes an agreed to meet at the corner of 31st when school was out. 

I swear the whole day all I thought about was the man we seen on our way to school. I couldn't even focus on the math test I had 3rd period. I know I aced it but barely. 

The last bell rang an you would've thought I was a track star the way I ran to 31st to meet Mia & Tehari. I got there first as I knew I would. Then came Mia and we talked before Tehari came walking up. "Mia I cannot stop thinking about "Dark Chocolate man".

"I knew it. I could tell by the way you looked when I asked Tehari this morning if she knew him." Mia said smiling all cheesy.

"Girlllaaaa, because Tehari knows everyone and I dont want anyone to get the wrong idea," I said shyly.

"Girl aint nobody gonna get the wrong impression. Especially our homegirl."

"Especially our homegirl who and what?" Tehari said walking up to us. 

"Hey girl how was your day?" I said trying my best not to look suspect. 

"We were just talking about the man we seen this morning on our walk to the bodega waiting for you." Mia said with her big mouth.

"Ohhh, see I miss everything when I'm a few minutes late." Tehari said looking at me now.

"I mean he just looked a little nicer than the niggas around here do. Like he actually kept himself together." I said looking down at the piece of chewed up gum on the sidewalk.

"Ok girl, so are we about to do an investigation an find this neat well kept dude or nah?" Tehari said and we all laughed.

"Get serious. Nothing good ever happens to me. This is not a story line out of a Lady P book." I said sarcastically. 

"Ok well can we start walkin now? I wanna see if my mama home yet." Mia said with a half smile. 

"Yea lets go. I dont want my mama to start  actin crazy either. " I said. Even though my mama was white she was a fighter just like the rest. She was loud an got her point across when need be. Straight ghetto.

We talked as we walked down Malcom X Blvd. singing our new favorite song by OMI called Cheerleader.

oh I think that I found myself a cheerleader

She's always right there when I need her

Oh I think that I found myself a cheerleader

She's always right there when I need herWhen Mia stopped dead in her tracks I looked up to see why she'd stopped. "Dangggaaa Mia why'd you stop" I couldnt even finish my sentence. The dark chocolate man from this morning was sitting at a table outside of The Golden Crust. The same place we had seen him this morning. 

"Tehari girl, thats the man from this morning." Mia said in a hushed voice. 

"Ahhh, well looks like we didnt have to investigate too much." She said slyly. 

"Yall can we just keep walking please. Its not that serious." I said trying to sound convincing. 

"Unun Adrienne this is your chance! And you was right he dont look like any of the guys I ever seen around here. He clean cut and he got on some Gucci slides so you know he got money money." Tehari said nudging me in the same place Mia had earlier this morning. 

"Nah lets just keep walking and if he speaks then he speaks." I said an started walking. 

"Unun girl if its one thing my mama taught me from not being around is if you want something you have to take it. Meaning if you want a opportunity you have to make one yourself." Tehair said walking closer to the man none of us knew. 

"good afternoon sir." Tehari said to him as we were passing by.

"Good afternoon mamas." He said in that same deep raspy voice that made my panties wet earlier. He looked at all of us "Aye aint you the same Lil mamas that walked the blvd this morning?" he was now studying all of us. 

"Yea we go to the PLC up on 31st." Tehari replied to him. 

"Ah s**t yall still in school. I thought yall mighta been working the block or something." He said laughing.

"Hell nah it aint like that. Im 17, this is Mia and she's 16 and this is Adrienne shes 16 too. We aint no street walkers though." Tehari said in a matter of fact kind of way.

"Woah lil mama no disrespect or anything. Yall are tight I just aint used to the school age girls actually going to school. He looked right at me. "I'm Benz, like the car. Yall be safe out here in these streets. They aint got love for nobody." And he he walked away.

We all looked at eachother and busted out laughing. Even though he was right. We all had family member that fell victim to the streets. We made a pack right then an there that we would not be one of them.