Chapter 1: Cleo
Sometimes I wonder how I ended up here. Struggling with a single African American mom, going to an all-white school while my father is nowhere to be seen. I have an older brother but I don't remember much about him. He was usually working or playing a sport. He never sat down at dinner with us or ate breakfast with me. Once he was old enough to move out, he left without leaving any contact information. He was so eager to get away from our father that he abandoned my mom and me as well. The only thing I remember is he'll be twenty-one this year and his name is Kyan, Kyan Leo Roberts.
My mom and I have been on our own for about five years now and yet we're still just managing to stay afloat. We never have money to go out to eat or buy fancy clothes. It's always the same boring stuff but that's what we're used to.
I wake up to the sound of my alarm blaring into my ear from my phone. Groaning and shutting my alarm off, I hear my door open. In steps my mom with a huge smile on her face. Quickly sitting up, I looked up at her.
"Mama? Why are you smiling so much?" I asked with my eyebrow arched.
"We can finally move into a house and get better things for ourselves," She said as the tears filled her eyes.
My mouth dropped open as I felt the tears roll down my cheeks. She began to explain how she had got a well-paying job in the city as an assistant for a famous CEO. We embraced in a long hug and laid back on my bed.
"So when do we move?" I asked, trying not to sound too excited.
"We start packing today. My plan is to try and get everything moved in by next Thursday" She said. I nodded in agreement as she got up to leave.
I can't believe it. We're finally gonna be okay. No more scraping up change to pay rent or going days without eating just to make sure we have a place to stay. Everything is finally gonna go well as we want.
A few weeks later, we have moved into our new house. My mom has started working and we've been able to afford tastier foods; we even cooked a three-course meal yesterday. I start school tomorrow. Lucky for me, I'm not too far behind since it's only the third day of school. Quite honestly I'm terrified. At my last school, I was the only African American. The teachers were white, the staff, the students, everyone. Everyday someone had something to say about how they wish they could tan like me or how they wish they had curly hair. By far the most uncomfortable I've ever endured.
Tonight for dinner, we ordered Japanese food and from everything we've tried so far, Japanese food is my absolute favorite.
"Oh my goodness, I don't think I'll ever get sick of this food" I groaned as I shove another spoonful into my mouth.
"Me either" My mom chuckled. She looked over at me with such fondness in her eyes. It was as if every problem we had ever endured evaporated into the atmosphere.
"Honey, I have to tell you something," She said. Her body tensed up a bit and she looked nervous. I swallowed the food in my mouth and turned to her.
"What's up momma?" I asked, my heart was slowly gaining speed and I could've sworn it was the loudest thing in the room.
"I've been seeing my boss" She blurted out
"Wait what?" I asked now very much confused.
"I haven't dated anyone since your father but I like this man and I would really love for you to meet him," She pleaded. Was I really ready to meet a new man? Someone who could possibly end up being my stepdad?
