Rootwork • Lightskin Keisha x Key Glock

2. You Don't Know My Name

2.

You Don't Know My Name

"Not so fast young lady, how was work?" Aunt Lisa pondered when I walked inside the house. I'd just finished my first ten hour shift at Sun Health, and I wasn't as tired as expected.

"Good actually, definitely better than expected. How was your day?"

"Good, some mail came for you, it's on the counter."

I nodded and walked into the kitchen, immediately going to the counter and sifting through to find a few envelopes. Bills, bills, and more bills. I had to get a few loans and credit cards to get through college, and life in general, and now they were catching up to me.
It was nothing but collect calls and mail, but it was a nuisance, and something I didn't wanna deal with.

My phone buzzed, indicating I had a new message.

Any plans Friday night? - Darren, 9:10 PM

None that I can think of right now, wassup? - 9:10PM

I wanna take you to that new lounge that just opened up. - Darren, 9:11 PM

I had been shutting down all of his advances since I'd given him my number over a month ago, but Darren was persistent. I had to give him that.

Did I want to go out with him? I mean, he was attractive, headstrong, and went after what he wanted. But I had things going on, that I needed to work through before I could be there for anybody else.

I needed to find an apartment, get my debts and savings account in order, and become more emotionally available before I could date anyone. My spirit wouldn't allow it.

I was emotionally unavailable because I'd never been showed real love by a man, thus bringing about a whole bunch of unavailable options my way.

How could I know I was missing something I never had or experienced? If you never had cake, how would you know what cake tasted like to know you missed it?

Sure, what time? I'm off at 6. - 9:13 PM

Maybe it would be nice to get out, I hadn't really been taking all the city had to offer since I'd move. It also felt like I hadn't talked to a man that wasn't a client in years.

Do you wanna meet up for 8? - Darren, 9:15 PM

Eight o'clock would work since I didn't work on weekends, one of the boundaries I'd instilled to keep my sanity.

That works, see you then.  - 9:15 PM

                                             •

The next day I arrived at work ten minutes early, pulling into the parking lot beside an idle car. A technician sat in the car, I'd assume waiting to clock in. I wanted to connect with my coworkers some more, I hated being the new kid.

I would make it a point to say good morning to everyone I saw. I had my group therapy topic, on stress relieving techniques we could use in real world situations.

Nothing that I said mattered if they didn't take it and apply it to the real world when they got out of here. Here at the ward we could sedate and separate all day. In the real world there were situations and triggers I couldn't even start to name.

But this was what I loved to do, and if I could impact someone's life that's all that mattered.

"Time to go." I mumbled to myself, turning off the car and hopping out. There was a flow of people walking in and out the building, due to shift change.