Page 48 of Continuum

When our laughter died down, I found myself staring at him again. I reached over and placed my hand on his forearm. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded carefully. It was as if he was resigning himself to the fact that I wasn’t going to let it go. But from the way his lips curled upward at the corners, I knew he liked it.

“Eli is Elliot Simmons II. He’s white and the son of a growing powerhouse in the architecture community—specifically in Illinois. He has the privilege of moving in circles that promote his career in ways I do not. He’s good at what he does. But I’m better. They know I’m better. They put us together because his name and whiteness get us into places that I wouldn’t get into on my own. My skill and professionalism sell us when we get in the room. It’s me who gets us over the finish line. I’m on track to make partner next year yet I get sent out to close deals with a liability because of how fucked up this world is.”

There was no boasting or ego behind his words. I could tell that what he was saying was merely facts.

I stroked his arm. “I wish we lived in a world where our intelligence, our work ethic, and our ability to do our job was enough.”

“Tell me about it.” He maneuvered into a different lane as we headed back toward the city. Reaching for my hand, he brought it to his lips. “Unfortunately, those aren’t the cards we were dealt.”

“I know,” I sighed as our fingers intertwined.

“So, we play the game.” He gritted his teeth. “And even when we play the game by our own rules, it’s still their fucking game.”

“Which is why we have to change it…”

He glanced at me. “Change what?”

“We change the game.”

“Simmons has a monopoly on architecture in Chicago. In the next year and a half, they will have subsidies in the Midwest and all up and down the East Coast. In five years, they’re on track to be the biggest in the business.”

“And once you make partner, and you obviously will, you can startyour owncompany and start buildingyour ownmonopoly.” I brought his hand to my lips and kissed it. “Everything happens for a reason. And if you are on the cusp of reaching the status of partner, reap all of those benefits, Kwame. Reap those benefits, make those connections, and build your own with the resources they give you.”

Squeezing my hand, he quietly contemplated my words. “You really are something special, Aisha. I mean that.”

“And so are you. I saw it on day one and I see it today.”

He looked at me the way he did when we were by the lake. The type of look that made my stomach do somersaults.

When he looked back at the road, he smiled. “Are you sure you don’t have a man?”

“As I told you before, I’m sure!”

“When was your last relationship? I meant to ask you earlier, but I’m easily distracted by you.”

I grinned. “My last relationship ended a year and a half ago. We were together for four years. I’ve been single and dating since.”

“Why did it end?”

Because he wanted me to be a housewife and stay at home mom and I didn’t want any of that shit.

“Honestly,” I started slowly. “He started talking about a future together that I didn’t see or want. He started pressing me about slowing down at work, marriage… kids. That wasn’t what I saw with him. He saw more and wanted more. I didn’t. So I thought it was best for him to find the woman he could be happy with. I wanted him to be with the woman he was meant to be with—because that woman wasn’t me.”

“I can respect that.”

“Do you see marriage and kids in your future?” I wondered.

“I see myself married. But kids… I don’t know. I don’t really see that for me, but if the woman that I marry wants a child, I’d be open to changing my mind.”

I didn’t want kids.

It was one of the hardest parts of dating because the men who didn’t have kids typically wanted them. And the ones that had them typically had three or more. My preference was always a man with one or none, but it was so hard to meet men who were comfortable with my decision to not have any children. So to hear Kwame Mitchell say that he also didn’t want kids made my pulse quicken.

If I say I don’t want kids, it’ll sound like I’m just saying it,I thought.Especially after the boyfriend comment.

“You said you were single and dating. Have you been seeing anyone seriously?”

---