HUMBLE.

I. Her Beginning

Call me Jade.

If I could have a theme song to my life at this point in time, it would have to be Far from Here by Kendrick Lamar/Schoolboy Q.

On a bus to my destiny after going to sleep hungry for about a week. Singing on corners and in the galleria food court can only get me so much. Sleeping couch to couch with some former friends until they got tired of my shit and put me out. I should've been a high school drop out. I should've been a single mother on welfare living in Third Ward.

I could've asked for help. I probably should've screamed for help. I could've been in D.C. way before now if only I would've spoken to my aunt about my situation. Call it pride. My dad could have helped, but he only knew what I told him. What I told him was that everything was fine.

For a year and a half this had been my life. The past three months, I've been living off of the free lunches they had over the summer at a shelter. Maybe I should've been a stripper. I have the body. I have the attitude. I just don't have the courage. Being courageous and conscious in the decision of actually going on stage collecting other people's rent money just for doing a dance is not me. I have to earn it. That kind of money came too easy to me.

This is why I'm grateful I stayed in school to get my diploma. Without diplomacy, I would've been like Master Splinter's daughter. Instead I'm like Jade Neshai Johnson: getting accepted into Howard University on a full ride scholarship. Room and board. Tuition. Books. And with a little help from that female named FAFSA, I can have some pocket change for food until I get a job.

Upon my arrival to the bus station, I heard my cousin, Travis or Tuck, "J-Moe, wus poppin' bro!"

I smiled small to myself as the bus driver helped me retrieve my luggage. Before I could pick it up, Tuck grabbed me into a bear hug squeezing the little soul I had left out of me. "Let me breathe?"

He put me down and grabbed my bags, "My fault. I just ain't seen you in a while. Why you wasn't at last family reunion?"

I looked at him trying to come up with a lie. Honestly, I didn't know we had a family reunion seeing as I didn't have too much of a family in Houston. "Uh, I had to finish preppin' to come up here."

"Aight," he side eyed me. "I know you lyin' and shit but Imma let it go."

I smirked, "If you really wanna know just ask ya favorite cousin, Emmy. Know she sides wit her mama."

His face changed up as he put my bag in his trunk, "Emerald still bein' controlled by that witch of a mama y'all got? What she do to you?"

I got in the passenger seat and buckled up putting my hands in my lap, "She kicked me out after D'Wayne passed and I got accepted to Howard."

"Jay that was damn near two years ago. Whea' you been at? Wit Uncle Gerald?" he gruffly grumbled.

"No," I said softly. "I been on my own. I couldn't tell daddy. I didn't tell Auntie G eitha, so please don't say anything. I don't feel like bein' yelled at."

"Who was you stayin' wit?" he nodded. "Emerald?"

"For a while I did," I sighed. "Mama found out and threatened to call the police on her though for harborin' a runaway. Then I stayed wit my friend Stacy for a while til she got some live in dick and put me out. Then ... Nowhere. Somewhere. Anywhere that had room."

"So basically you been homeless? You know you shoulda called up hea'. Me, mama and Buck woulda had you on the first thang smokin'," he scoffed shaking his head. "You like my sister and all I wanna do is help you when you need it. Now that you hea', don't fuckin' hesitate to call me if you need any thing. And I mean that shit, Jay!"