Nyla Bridges has dedicated her entire life to becoming the best FBI agent the agency has seen. Working twice as hard because she's a woman... a black woman... to show that she is just as capable, if not more, than her predominantly white, male colle...
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Lil Wayne's Hustler Musik pumped through the ear buds while I jogged on the treadmill, taking short breaths and long strides. Suddenly, flashbacks of the nightmare that had awaken me from my sleep and gasping for air, attacked my mind. Upping the speed and incline for intensity, I shook my head in a bid to shake the vivid image and feeling of large hands clenching around my throat, choking the life out of me and killing me softly while the invisible face repeated mama, in the most gut wrenching sob I'd ever heard, over and over again.
Heavily breathing and drenched in sweat, I stopped the treadmill, grabbing my water bottle and towel as I stepped off. Guzzling the room temperature Aquafina, shrill rings interrupted the audio playing in my ear, my mother's contact coming into view once I'd pulled the personal device from the phone pocket of my leggings. "Good morning sunshine," I smiled, grabbing my keys from the hook on the wall, traipsing out of the gym. Chief had made it clear that I was to have no interaction with my family for the duration of the investigation, but that's impossible when you have a family that feeds off of the love of one another, as mine does.
"Good morning, sweet girl. What happened to you on Wednesday? Your father ordered takeout and crab rangoons just for you, so we could watch the new season of How to Get Away with Murder." I turned the key inside of the ignition and connected my phone to the car's Bluetooth, "crap, I totally forgot all about that. Will hearing that I went on a date Wednesday evening make up for my absence?"
A sudden breath lodged in her throat, "you went on a date, Nyla?" I couldn't help but to smile from her astonishment, already knowing her mouth was wide open, "I did and I really enjoyed myself." Her shriek stretched my smile, "well, come on, give your mother the run down. What's his name? What does he do? Where did he take you? Tell me everything." My eyes crinkled at the corners, subtle laughter exchanging, "his name is Donovan and he's actually one of my colleagues. We went to a Thai restaurant and it was so beautiful, ma. The food was great, the conversation was effortless, and I really, you know, let my hair down to embrace just being on a date."
"That's great, sweetheart. I know that there has been some encouragement from us, for you to get back out into the dating world, and I apologize if it ever become pressuring. That is a decision you had to make on your own terms, and the fact that you did makes me so happy, because I know you are open to receiving companionship from someone who isn't Jeremiah. I've always been optimistic about your future, and hey, even if this doesn't lead to something more, you have more life ahead of you to find what does." I dabbed at the moisture along my lash line, "mom, you're making me emotional. Stop it."
"That's my job as your mother. Now, onto something lighter. Did you let him touch your booty?" I slammed on the brakes at the red light, drawling, "ma." Like mother, like daughter, we were hollering with belly laughter. This is why I could never go without my mother and rest of our crew. In a world where family can hurt you like no one else can, claim to love you with a heart full of envy, I'm blessed ten times over for the ones God chose for me.
