Dream Catcher 💭

Chapter 1:

My name is Tiana. I am the first in my family with a college degree. I managed to graduate from Harvard University with a degree in astrophysics. Of course it was quite the journey but here I am. A black woman that graduated from Harvard AND with a degree in physics. I now work as a meteorologist for Fox 26 in Houston, Texas. Everyone tried to persuade me to do something more realistic. Said a black woman wouldn’t find a job with a physics degree. Let alone graduate from Harvard. Looks like I made it though, huh? Growing up how I did some would say I am a success story. Do you have time to sit and hear my autobioptic tale? Well here goes. July 21st, 2012 South-east Washington DC. I was at my childhood home sitting in my room. Texting my best friend telling her that I’d be leaving for Massachusetts. My flight was booked and I already rented my apartment. The only problem was that I didn’t tell my mom. Well, I had mentioned going to school for physics plenty of times. She just shot it down. You can probably imagine how afraid I was to tell her that I’d been accepted to a school. Even more terrified to tell her that I saved enough money to rent my own place. One weekend I had off of work I went to Massachusetts to check out the apartment. Me and Kim, my best friend, lied and said it was senior trip. We booked a flight and stayed for the weekend. Me and the landlord did a walk through. And I actually loved the space. So I paid first and lasts month rent right on the spot. I’d been saving almost every check for the past year. My mom got food stamps so I didn’t have to buy food. In school I was considered a nerd so clothes didn’t matter. Although I did dress arguably well.  “Kim, I’m going next week. I’m about to go tell my mom everything. Wish me luck babe. Luv you <3”

“Fingers crossed! Luv you 2! <3”

I took a deep breath before I left my room. Down the hall I heard my brother’s and sisters playing tag. I have 2 sisters and 1 brother. Nisha, she was 12 at the time. Kamari, she was 9 at the time. Lastly, Sam he’s the baby boy. He was 6 at the time. I was a fresh 18 back then. Just graduated and excited about pursuing life. When I reached the living room where my mom was that excitement was drained dry. She was sitting in her recliner chair with one hand in the front of her pants. My mother was beautiful but she wasn’t worth a thing. She had dreads longer than her legs. Light brown skin, and a smile that could stop traffic. Her hourglass shape plus her big booty was enough to make any man stare. Obviously she had to be smart to give birth to a child like me. However, she just wasn’t motivated to do anything but smoke weed.

“Mommy? I want to go to school for physics. I’ve already applied. I-- I have the grades for it. They say I got into Harvard. I won a full ride scholarship through the track team”

My mom sits back in the chair and lit a cigarette. She crossed one arm over her breast and bent the other at the elbow on the arm of the chair

 She let the cigarette burn as she looked at me.

“Ma what is th—”

“Tiana?” she chuckled. “Why you think you better then the rest of them kids down that hallway?” she pointed her cigarette towards the hallway. Then dragged on the cigarette for at least 30 seconds.

“Mommy, I don’t! I just want to change things for myself. Mommy I want to change things for all of us” I squatted at her feet and rubbed her thigh. I looked at her directly in her charcoal black and red eyes. She hit my arm away then looked off into the kitchen. I seen a tear form in her eye.

“Tiana look around baby” she said as she made a sweeping motion with her arm. “I tried making it better. Nothing ever happened for me. You can’t make it out of this here ghetto. Get a realistic job. McDonalds, Walmart even. Hell UPS is a good gig these days. Your smart but a black woman in physics?” she dragged “Un heard of. Out the ghetto too? Tuh! Almost impossible!” She grabbed my chin and shoved my face away from her. “Mommy, you know what? I’m sick of this bullshit coming from you.” Mommy gasped “Anything positive you shut down. You want me to be just like you huh? A motherfucking pot head with no hope! No dreams at all, not one.” My brothers and sisters came running down the hallway. “I am leaving this house. I saved up enough money to get my own place!” I reached in my back pocket and threw my apartment key at her face. Her cigarette dropped as well as her jaw. “TIANA RICHA—”