Page 35 of On Everything 2
"It doesn't matter what will last on my end, Kairo and I will never be together. I'm sure he drugged me the other day. He can truly kiss my ass."
"If he drugged you, then why didn't you call the police?"
"Mama Kairo is not in prison as we speak because he ratted. So, they wouldn't have arrested his ass because he's working for them."
"Mmm, I didn't see that coming."
"Yeah, well, I did. You never can trust someone like Kairo. But can I call you back when I get off? I was just about to walk into work."
"Yes, that's fine. But before you go, can I ask you something?"
"Yes, Mama?"
"Do you have $25 I can borrow until I get my check on the 15th?"
"No, I don't have any money, Mama. I'm trying to survive, too."
"Mm, well, I suggest if you are sleeping with these men, then you start at least getting paid for it. Hoeing and being broke is ridiculous."
"Bye, mama."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone with an attitude like she always does when she doesn't get what she wants.
I see now that Kairo is already on a smear campaign for me, and I can't say I expected anything different. He will however have to talk shit about me to someone other than my mama or his family to get to me because none of their opinions matter. All of their lives are also toxic and fucked up, so they can't judge me.
I pulled open the door to the assistance center and was instantly hit with the cold ass air before Rebecca greeted me.
"Hi, Ciara."
"Hey, girl. How is it going?"
"It's going okay. Happy you can make it in today."
"Yes, me too. I hated to get sick right after my birthday."
"That's okay, it happens to the best of us."
I walked down the back hallway as the lights overhead buzzed like they were as tired and sluggish as I was. The time clock was on the wall near the big double doors that I walked through every shift. I entered my badge number and thenpushed the doors open, stepping out of the cool AC and into the devil's basement, as we called it. That back room's heat always made me wish for winter to hurry up and bring me and Mindy some relief. Some days I wish I could work in a swimsuit instead of this T-shirt and cotton pants.
First, I dropped my bag off in one of the dented lockers that sat back by the bathrooms. After that, I took the clipboard off the wall and skimmed through the duty sheet, which highlighted all the tasks we had to complete today. There was no stock truck coming in, so that was a good thing. That meant no heavy lifting, and all we had to do today is straighten up, making sure the place was organized.
The back room isn't like a typical warehouse with large pallets and high shelves but more set up like a department store. The boxes of food that we received were stacked up neatly, and the clothes we put on racks gave it a Goodwill store feel. What we did here wasn't just about giving things away, but about helping people feel human when they needed help. Make it as if they were shopping and not begging.
I strolled down the aisles, fixing and rearranging everything that was out of place from the previous day. It wasn't much, but a few cans were leaning, clothes were slipping off hangers, and boxes of food were turned sideways. After that was done, I made my way toward the back door to get started with our day.
"Hey!"
Mindy passed by, already hard at work.
"Good morning, Mindy. It's almost that time. You good with me opening the door?"
"Yes, ma'am. We can start getting these people fed and clothed."
Mindy radiated joy and happiness when it came to helping people. She was so passionate about it that I can see her opening up her own nonprofit organization one day just like where we worked at.
Once everything was in place, I walked to the door where we let everyone into the warehouse. The front entrance was reserved for administrative and clerical purposes, so the door in the back was the primary entry point for those in need.
