Bonnet Queens

Chapter 2

I'm usually not a morning person but because it's saturday and saturdays means that I'm off, I'm more than excited about waking up to the sun beaming through my studio apartment gleaming red due to my blood red satin curtains, the simpler things in life that indeed bring me happiness . I have a very big agenda ahead of me, actually my assistant has made my agenda and I just have to follow it. Which i'm not going to do, i'm going to be a tourist in my newfound city. I lived in California when I started modeling in high school. I struggled a lot being an african american female model dealing with racists people who wouldn't hire me, and also not being hired simply because i didn't fit their criteria: skinny waist, flat tummy,slim thighs, thigh gap straight hair. All the mediocre modeling crap. But when I finally got booked for a long time job in New York my biggest hater turned out to be my mom.

*

I'm packing my stuff, emptying out the room I've called mine for the past 18 years. All my posters of the boybands I've loved and pictures from prom and graduation. I'm almost done when my usually calm mother enters my room in the sassiest way i've ever seen.

"So you think you're just gonna leave me huh?" She's laughing, like an evil scientist who just conquered the world laughing.

"Yes I do mom this is the dream, this has been the dream since I started modeling."

"Yeah but without me! I made you who you are, I gave you your look, everything you are is me," she screams, stomping her feet like a child who hasnt gotten her way. My mother my usually calm mother has hit rock bottom.

"It was a deal mother a deal that didn't involve you, this is my dream and I'm gonna do whatever I have to do with or without you." " Maybe if you listened to me when i'm trying to tell you something you would understand" She will not belittle me on this one. Not today

Then she stalks across the room looking so deranged and slaps me. In the 18 years I've been alive my mother has never put one hand on me not even when I've forced her.

"You ungrateful bitch"

*

That was 6 months ago and I haven't spoken to my mom since and she hasn't reached out to me at all. I mean I'm a very popular model, I'm all over the magazines so I'm guessing she's seen my success. I just hope she's actually proud of me.

Leaving out the door and taking the elevator 16 floors down, i'm thinking about all the fun thing I could do in the city. Central park, ripley's,empire state? All the possibilities. it isn't until the 10th floor when he walks in: creepy man from the subway. My body language goes from cool and collected to strict and rigid. In the 6 months I've lived in this complex he has never been seen in this building, has not once got on this elevator. As the elevator comes down to the first floor he looks at me from behind his shaded eyes and smiles

"Very pretty girl,have I seen you before your face is so familiar" He says not even looking at me just looking at the gold elevator door that i so wished would open.

"Yeah i'm a model, a fresh face, came into the city a few months ago" Why is this elevator so slow?

"Alone? Pretty girl like you shouldn't really be alone ya know" He chuckles as if something's funny, "There's a lot of creeps in this city" i step away from him for about the fifth time since i got in the elevator.

"No i live with my boyfriend, he came out here with me." Lies

He doesn't talk after that not until we get to the lobby floor and before the doors open.

"Have a good day" still not looking at me

I'm still standing in the elevator when the doorman shakes me rather harshly