I am Dante

Dante

The game reads my options out loud: "Worship the gatekeeper or fight the gatekeeper."

I choose to fight the gatekeeper after already seeing what happened with the first option, which ended in game over. I write down the details of the new option's outcome in my 'NES CYOA' notepad. I always enjoy playing the NES choose your own adventure games and their 8-bit style because it takes me back to the old days. I enjoy them so much that I take notes on the style and choices to future incorporate them in my own games.

I save the game and battle with some of my notes, I then place them in my main folder that contains more notes from other games and some drawings. I step out of my office and hurry to my tiny kitchen. My feet touch the cold hardwood floor and I jump. I ignore my chills; it's best to keep the temperature low all year round to save on money. I grab my Tupperware that sits next to my useless stove. I reach for my jacket hanging up by the door, then I slap on my Yeezys. I leave through the door but retreat back for my overdue light bill that sat on my countertop. Finally, I lock the door and proceed to my car.

Upon entering the warmth of the medium size house, I hear and see children screaming for Uncle Dante.

"Hey sweet babies," I say, giving my nieces and nephews hugs and kisses. It takes me a minute to embrace them all; the Bible says be fruitful and multiply and my siblings did just that. I follow the smell of my favorite dish, sweet potatoes, to the kitchen and place my to-go containers right next to the stove for easy access.

"Hey ma, dad, Debra, Deshawn, Daniel," I say, giving everyone the proper greeting.

"Finally, dude, almost thought you weren't going to show up," I hear Daniel say.

"My bad y'all. I was working on my project," I say, finding a seat next to my sister.

"You mean playing video games," my oldest brother Deshawn states.

My siblings and I are two years apart, Deshawn is second in line, Debra's first, Daniel's third, and lastly, me. They are all married with successful college degree jobs and living their successful lives with their successful families. Then there's me, newly 25 with my non-college degree job as a sales associate at a Microsoft store and living single.

"I'm not just playing video games, Deshawn. I am critiquing them for my own games," I defend myself.

"What does that mean?!" Deshawn asks.

"You always mentioning some project but where is it? I'll believe it when I see it," Debra says.

"I'll like to see it Danti," Daniel states.

My mom told me when I was born, Daniel was just 20 months and couldn't pronounce Dante, so he would say Dan-ti instead. He was never really corrected and he called me that while growing up and never put it to rest.

"It's just... not done yet. It's still in the works," I say.

"Can you really get somewhere with videogames now-a-days?" My dad asks.

"Yea, especially these days. Almost everyone is playing videogames with all this new tech. Danti can make some good bread," Daniel says.

"But it's not certain if you'll even reach that type of popularity," Deshawn begins. I mentally roll my eyes knowing where this is heading. "A professor is a more solid, succeeding career choice and commitment."

"I'll never be a boring English professor."

"Look, all I'm saying is, who knows how long it'll be before you're uninterested in this gaming mess."

I let out a loud sigh through my nose.

"Alright now, cut all that out. I'm not trying to hear all this bickering," my mom says.

"Whatever, I'm about to go outside and play some ball. Y'all coming?" Deshawn asks Daniel and my dad. Daniel asks if I want to join.

"I'll be out later, imma eat and have a chitchat with ma real quick," I answer.

"What you want to chitchat about now?" My mom asks with eyebrows raised, almost as if she knew about this bill in my pocket.

"Just life," I say while fixing my plate.

My sister laughs, spooking the new baby girl, Aubrey, who is laying on her chest, "What about just life this time, Dante?"

"I just need a lil loan for my light bill."

"I thought you got paid last week?" My mom asks me.

"I know, I know, but I had to pay off my credit card bill," I say, then dug into my plate.

My sister looks down at my bright yellow shoes, "Are those new?"

"Yea," I say posing my feet. "I bought them off of Mercari."

"You bought some new shoes when your light bill was due?"

"I bought these before I noticed the notice."

"Well, take them back," my mom says.

"I can't, it's a selling site, no refunds."

"You have to be more mindful of your finances Dante. You're too old to be spending money so foolishly," Debra tells me.

That hit my heart in a different spot. Too old, I repeated in my head. I am too old to be spending money on all these luxury items. My light bill doesn't wear Yeezys, so why am I? And playing video games all day doesn't make it any better. No, I don't just play video games, soon I'll make my own video games and I'll have a successful job just like them; I'll be married with kids just like them, and my brother won't think I'm so childish then. But I'm not like them—at my age, they were dating to marry and interning to be a lawyer, a doctor, and a business owner. I got a degree in English with no job to show for it, just my creativity. I write, I draw, and I combine those with something I love doing, which is playing video games. I work daily on my projects, perfecting them so when I'm ready to present they will be of high quality and are ready to set in motion. We may have the same first letter in our names, but we are not the same; I am Dante, the game designer. If I want to show them I can be successful as well, then I have to act like it.