Page 21 of Tender Offer
After primary school, I was off to a boarding school in Connecticut, two and a half hours from New York. My father agreed to let me stay in the States through secondary school under the condition that I attend an Ivy League university and dedicate six years to learning the business in France.
Maia Campbell.
Tatyana Ali.
Lisa Bonet.
I soaked up every Black American ’90s sitcom and fell in love. It’s one of the reasons Justice caught my eye at the singles’ retreat. You can’t tell me she isn’t related to Tia and Tamera.
Does Madison favor Vanessa Williams from back in the day? Yeah, I’ll give William that. But she’s more than a replica; she’s one of a kind.
“We met fifteen years ago, in Paris,” I say to William, who plops himself into a chair in front of my desk.
His brows do their best to fight gravity. “And you saw her on holiday? Did you two keep in touch? I’m not following.”
I tell Stephanie to hold my calls and fill him in. He was still in uni when I was in France. I kept my relationship with Madison away from outside influence. Everything was perfect until secrets we couldn’t overcome surfaced.
“That’s heavy, Pres. What’s the move?”
I scrub a hand over the goatee I’ve let grow. “Get her back.”
William cackles. “What are you waiting for?”
“I lost her once, and I’m not rushing anything. You’ll see once I return.”
I fly to Malaysia in two days. Then to Indonesia before a small stint in California to check on a project there. There’s no time to go to New York. So, I’ll do the next best thing, even if it might get me slapped.
Chapter 11
Madison
“Promise me no glitter. I mean it.” I roll my eyes at the laughter from the other end of the phone.
“Auntie, I’m a whole adult now.”
“And you’re not too grown for me to go across that butt,” I say, acting every bit like my mama. “Promise me you’ll behave while I’m gone.”
“I always do,” Jewel promises. The lie of the century.
College kids being hungover, sleeping in late, and dealing with the aftermath of their questionable behavior aren’t new. Jewel isn’t my child, but she keeps my nerves in a cyclone with her activities. They don’t involve a keg or partying, but they’ll still land her in jail and me six feet under if my sister finds out.
“Where are you going?” I hold my breath and pray it’s the library.
“There’s an action near your place tomorrow,” she says. “I’ll water your plants and get the mail. If we’re not arrested, some of us are going to Albany to demand leadership prioritize investments in climate protections in the executive budget.”
“Jewel Avery!” I whisper-shout from my window seat. “Don’t make me revoke your access to my apartment. I thought this was a sign-making get-together. No arrests!”
Is she trying to get her mother to hop on a plane and knock me out? I wouldn’t hear the end of it, how I corrupted her daughter and led her down a path of anarchy and criminal conviction. Instead of a life full of “secular living and Jack Daniels,” as she calls it, my oldest niece chose civil disobedience in the name of climate justice.
Jewel is no longer the chubby baby whose socks would cut off her circulation. She’s a woman coming into her own. Her third year at Brooklyn University has been full of rallies and calls to action. The economics degree she’s pursuing comes with a concentration in environmental justice. Jewel studies the socioeconomic disparities caused by the climate crisis and the need for a just transition framework.
She’s a powerhouse at twenty, joining other climate activists across the five boroughs to fight for critical funding for the communities hit hardest by climate-related threats. She rallies here in the city and goes to the state capitol in Albany to advocate for divestment from the fossil fuel industry and support for a green economy.
It’s not uncommon for Jewel to protest in front of polluters’ buildings. Her targets are billionaires and financial institutions with track records of harmful investments that contribute to pollution, widespread floods, and wildfires.
She better stay on the public sidewalk and not end up in handcuffs.
“No arrests, I promise.” Jewel’s smirk is loud and clear.
