Caught In A Trance

Y'all know me now

Sunday at 8:27 am

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    "Hey, mookie! Gimme some sugar!" Tamera exclaimed to her daughter, pinching her cheeks and kissing her. Kori had landed early this morning at the airport and was picked up by an Uber. She had finally arrived at her new home in New York. "Ma, can you please stop calling me that name! It doesn't even make sense, my name is Korinna! Mookie has no relation to that!!" Kori says embarrassed. "Besides, I still need to grab my stuff out of the trunk."

    The driver helps Kori grab her suitcases out of the trunk. "Oookkk Kori, you think you brought your whole closet? Your room won't have space for all of that. We're in New York honey, not Texas." As Kori struggles to pull the suitcases onto the sidewalk, she reasons "well half of my clothes will go into my dorm. I'm supposed to attend that elite school right? Brooklyn Visor right?" Kori tilts her head in question.

    "Kori, it's Brooklyn Visions Academy. You need to be more excited about this. The school rarely has spots open, let alone a lottery for it! You have one more year left until you graduate. It'll go by quickly!" Kori sighed and subtly nodded. She understood that her mom just wanted the best for her. It was also an opportunity for her to leave home.

    Kori's parents, Tamera and James, divorced when she was around 7 years old. James had been unfaithful to Tamera several times. James went out of his way to cheat on Tamera with Kori's daycare sitter, his coworkers, and even the pastor's daughter at church. Tamera tried to work on her marriage with him, but ultimately left for the sake of her kids. Jay was their first born, four years older than Kori. Tamera wanted to show her children strength in leaving a compromising situation. Specifically, Tamera did not want Kori to think it was alright to be with a man who lies and cheats.

    Tamera was once a stay at home mom, who was working on her degree secretly while her man cheated. Tamera had a level head during this stressful time to ensure that her and her children would leave James. While she got her education together, James worked as a software engineer. The income he received is what he used to justify his unfaithfulness to Tamera. James claimed that his family could afford a certain lifestyle, therefore his actions are excusable.

    Tamera had become a Hospital Microbiologist. With the help of her family, Tamera was able to move out with both of her children into an apartment in Houston. Additionally, she had her divorce finalized. Over the next couple of years, Tamera struggled to be a single mother, both financially and mentally. Regardless, Tamera took on three jobs at once to allow her children to experience life such as dance classes and soccer. When Kori was 14 and Jay was 18, Tamera had the chance to become a travel Hospital Microbiologist. Kori and Jay were too afraid to leave their hometown, and bounce through different schools. Jay eventually moved out on his own, while Kori chose to live with her dad. Legally, a child is more than capable in deciding which parent to live with.

    Despite James' ill actions, Tamera never bashed his name to his kids. Kori only knew James as her father. In fact, James remarried and seemingly learned his lesson. The problem is that her step mom wants to be her mom. Kori has become uncomfortable in their household for this reason. Fortunately, Tamera decided to settle permanently in New York. Apparently, she met a woman who lost her husband during duty at the time she arrived for her term. They became close friends, and Tamera decided to stay.

     Kori and her mom start carrying the suitcases up the stairs towards the apartment. "Oh my god, why are there so many steps?" Kori continues to huff and haul the suitcases. "Mookie, I'm your mother and I'm doing better at the moment." Tamera snickers and Kori snaps her head up. "Mom! You've had plenty of time to get used to this. I already know I'm going to be sore for the next couple of weeks. Whew! I shouldn't have worn my afro, I'm already sweating." Kori stops to take a breath for a moment and notices a guy coming down the stairs fast. Before she could even get out of his way, he shoulder bumps her.