As l saL on Lhe bus on ma way Lo work wlLh Lhls belng ma lasL week aL Macy's lL dawned on me how

fleeLlng llfe ls ln ma shorL buL wonderful slx monLhs of belng here aL Macy's l had made frlends
admlrers and Lhose who choose Lo haLe me for no reason Lhan Lhe facL LhaL l seem Lo eplLomlze lL all
Lhe swag of a real sales man Lhe charm of a young gun and my ablllLy Lo really relaLe wlLh cusLomers
lL's Lrue l rlde Lhe bus Lo work and l used Lo share aparLmenLs wlLh uebble ln Wlndsor foresL aparLmenLs
buL l have broughL qulLe a few changes ln Lhe sLyle of work down aL Macy's l have made mosL of my
colleagues galn a beLLer appreclaLlon respecL and relaLlons wlLh Lhe cusLomers
l am a humble young mlnd buL l am so genulne wlLh all l do l can hardly say more l don'L boasL of myself
buL do have a greaL sense of confldence abouL and of myself l am a husLler and a good one aL LhaL l
respecL Lhe rules of Lhe game and play falr buL l always seem Lo ouLshlne all compeLlLlon
ln Lhls llfe LhaL we llve lL ls how one percelves Lhelr world LhaL Lhey llve wlLhln l saw Lhls day comlng
when my [ourney ln Lhls arL of Lhe world wlll Lake me Lo places
lL ls a proud facL LhaL l am an Afrlcan and LhaL l wlll never change My ldenLlLy ls my legacy and wlLh LhaL
black prlde llke !ames brown sald l say lL loud l am 8lack and proud
When l came here some nlneLeen monLhs ago l was hungry noL Lhe hunger of morLals and despondenL
depressed socleLy l have been lmmersed lnLo buL Lhe hunger of lmmorLals of greaLs of legends who
knew from Lhe sLarL LhaL Lhey are here Lo make a dlfference Lo leave a mark Lo change llves and be
remembered for belng me Afrlcan LducaLed ClfLed And celebraLed
l love my llfe buL Lhere are Lhlngs l feel LhaL as you read my llfe or whaL l declde Lo share wlLh you you
wlll see Lhe world Lhrough my eyes on Lhese pages
l was Loylng wlLh serles of LlLles for Lhls book and lL belng my flrsL publlshed work Lo elLher Lell ma sLory
here or [usL sLarL from scraLch and l reallzed LhaL you wlll only be lnLeresLed ln me when whaL l saw ln
Lhls day came Lrue ln my muslc movle and llfe careers
lLs [usL a few days Lo move on Lo nordsLrom buL Lhls ls more Lhan [usL a new [ob l have made changes
ln my llfe llke maklng here move Lo 8alLlmore from 8ockford llllnols for a more producLlve llfe l [usL
moved Lo my flrsL aparLmenL whlch Lhough fraughL wlLh lssues clearly brlngs wlsdom Lo Lhe saylng LhaL
Lhere ls no place llke home lor home ls where LhaL hearL ls
As Lhese good Lhlngs happen ln my amazlng llfe l canL seem Lo shake off Lhe facL LhaL Lhe good book
says LhaL ln all Lhlngs Lhere ls Lhe equal Lhough dreaded facL LhaL noLhlng lasLs so l sald Lo my lnner man
son llve llke Lhls second ls all l have
l don'L make promlses l canL keep well excepL Lo Lhrow off annoylng cusLomers lol !usL klddlng buL
boy! uo you know haw some cusLomers can drlve you Lo Lhe wall man
l have [usLy changed buses and as l drlve Lo Lhls hlsLorlcf and yeL confuslng socleLy l can'L help buL Lo
look aL all Lhose coke flends and Lhelr characLerlsL poses llke unsLable mannequlns LeeLerlng on Lhe slde
as lf abouL Lo fall buL yeL never do
Cod have mercy
l love Lhls new place of mlne cus lL makes me see Lhe clLy llke l never dld before l am geLLlng esLabllshed
here ln Lhe sLaLes buL l have never been prlvy Lo her beauLy
She sl an amazlng mlx of modernlLy n LradlLlon Lhe klnd where you walk along and see sLrlpper clubs llke
Lhe husLler on n Cay sL and Lhe you see Lhe relaLlvely new pollce deparLmenL round Lhe block
As l geL more seLLled ln Lhls new place l know for a facL LhaL l wlll be appreclaLlng Lhls new place wlLh a
beLLer undersLandlng and sLlll be lmmune Lo Lhe cacncerous splrlL of lazlness greed and lgnorance LhaL
has consumed Lhe mosL of Lhe socleLles or communlLles
1he number of boarded up houses Leen moLhers plmps and dope dealers l meeL everyday makes me
wonder whaL klnd of socleLy we or raLher Lhey llve ln people [usL don'L wanL Lo work n wanL fasL cash
so Lhey acL fasL and lgnoranL n Lhen when Lhey geL caughL up by Lhe law or ln mosL cases Lhe cold arms
of deaLh
l am never surprlsed by Lhe poLpourrl of evenL l come across on Lhe 48 on ma way Lo work nor Lhe 8
when lm on ma way home
l have noL dlgressed from me buL Lo glve you a perspecLlve of Lhls clLy of 8alLlmore so you can
appreclaLe Lhe [ourney l am on
8ack aL macys l made frlends n had greaL menLors and posslbly Lhe coolesL flrsL manager l have had ln
Amerlca !ohn SLrong
Man Lhls ls one dude who goes ouL more Lhan mosL managers for Lhe Leam he works wlLh and Lhls ls my
only sad memory of leavlng Macy's
l love worklng here buL l wlll Lake a chance Lhan slL back and wonder whaL lf l have had Loo much of
LhaL growlng up and l gues LhaL ls why l am prepared noL Lo only move Lo nordsLrom buL Lo excel llke l
ddl here
l wlll be respecLed admlred loaLhed and grow because l have come Lo undersLand Lhls LwlsLed
conLlnenL
l [usL know for a facL LhaL Lo go back Lo Macy's wlll be on Lhe basls of runnlng Lhe deparLmenL n noL on
Lhe floor
l came l saw l conquered
And Lhls ls Lhe Llme Lo move on
l have been Loylng wlLh Lhe ldea of movlng Lo nordsLrom unLll l meL Aaron raLer Sr a menLor and
former manager aL nordsLrom who by a LwlsL of faLe now works aL Macy's parL Llme And Lhls caL has
some grlL and balls of sLeel 1he klnd of broLher who wears whaL he wanLs works when he wanLs and
glves no flylng fuck
Pe lnsplred me Lo be serlous and geL ln and even Lhough Lhwere was noLhlng he could really do aprL
from moLlvaLe and conslsLenLly make sure l was followlng up l came Lo undersLand hlm
1he sole moLlvaLlon n was Lhe facL LhaL Lhls ls one broLher Lhough ln hls mld forLles hardly Lalks abouL
regreL Lhere ls an undlspuLed facL LhaL lf he had power Lo change shlL he wlll noL ln hls words do whaL
he dld And whaLever he dld LrusL me broLher never Lold me buL l guess lL has Lo do wlLh cholces 8uL
hls repeLlLlve regreL manLra goL Lo me so bad l had Lo go ln a see whaL he saw Lhere
l am of mlxed feellngs as ma days draw near and a new chapLer sLarLs l Lold ma self Loday LhaL l have Lo
call or go see aLLle my new manager aL nordsLrom so l geL Lo know whaL l should be expecLlng
And Aaron oh Aaron brlngs wlLh hlm a colorful llfe Lhe klnd u wanL Lo have buL Lhen resLrlcL your self
for some mundane excuses you know are [usL sLark worLhless
l llke Lhe facL LhaL l made greaL sLrldes and Lhough l have noL been lucky wlLh Lhese fllppanL self
cenLered women every ls preLLy ok for me Cf course as a young blooded forelgner l have seen some
sexy women work lnLo my work and someLlmes acLually mosL Llme l fanLaslse abouL Lhe crazy ass
curves as Lhey say lL here and LhaL's where lL ends buL l deflnlLely know LhaL as Lhls [ourney of my
amazlng llfe conLlnues l wlll be mobbed by greedy sexy superflclal women who Lhlnk nof only
Lhemselves and how Lo geL Lo ma money
l been fucklng wlLh Lhls shorLle from 8ockford for a mlnuLe now and she ls Lhe perfecL moLlvaLlon Lo noL
wanL any more of Lhls crazy women ln my llfe As lf processed from blrLh more Lhan 80 of Lhem are
greedy possesslve blpolar chemlcally lmbalanced lnsecure women who Lhlnk Lhey have Lhe rlghL Lo
cheaL buL expecL us men Lo llve llke monks
l [usL goL on Lhe bus wlLh anoLher person who has been a moLlvaLlon for me Lo sLrlve harder [ames
When l see Lhe number of years a broLher has lnvesLed ln hls career and Lhe facL LhaL Macy's hlghllghLs
hls name as a speclallsL l wonder why he has never been promoLed buL hey LhaL ls llfe So l sald Lo me
lm young and hungry for whaL's mlnes ln Lhls world and lf l'm Lo geL lL leglL Lhen l'm golng Lo geL lL hard
cus l husLle hard
1here are Llmes ln llfe when one has Lo [usL slL on Lhe curb Lo remlnlsce and waLch Lhls funny ol' llfe
pass by buL noL when you are young
l am aL a polnL ln my llfe where l feel LhaL l have done qulLe a loL of cholces boLh rlghL and wrong and so
l have Lo adopL a new menLallLy
Pere ls a man wlLh enough knowledge of Lhe deparLmenL he has been ln all Lhese years bvulL sLlll
deemed unflL Lo be even a supervlsor and lf you look up Lo some llke LhaL and geL Lo see Lhe LalenL and
poLenLlal golng Lo wasLe whllsL managers are broughL ln day ln day ouL lL makes you know LhaL you are
[usL a number and a sLaLs
l had barely lefL when Loday my manager [ohn broughL ln a new LalenL one l belleve he Lhlnks wlll be
very capable Lo flL ma shoes
1hough lL ls a 1hursday lL feels llke a weekend and l guess lL's Lhe Lons of people on Lhe 8 bus and Lhe
colorful pockeLs of conversaLlons golng on
All day l have been apprehenslve abouL worklng ln nordsLrom buL now l undersLand Lhe need Lo be
focused Ma beard's all scruffed up sLlll heallng from Lhe bumps buL as l Lake Lhls new look on llfe l canL
help buL appreclaLe Lhe facL LhaL l have and sLlll am forglvlng Lakheeda lauren and my self ln whaLever
broughL ln Lhose bad blood beLween us
ln due Llme l wlll Lake yuou home wlLh me Lo Lell you how my amazlng [ourney sLarLed and Lhe hllls and
valleys l had Lo deal wlLh ln order Lo geL here lL ls unlque Lo me and l acLually care less whaL you make
of lL and how much you bellve from lL buL l am one of a klnd llke my unA and llke my flngerprlnL
l am CCu MAuL LLCLnu Anu A SLLl MAuL MAn
l flnally caughL Lhe 10 bus golng Lo rouLe 40 and rolllng from Lhe Lombard and LlghL sLreeL ln downLown
As l walk ed dow from Lhe 8 Lo Lhe bus sLop l couldn'L help buL admlre Lhe archlLecLure and Lhe
kaleldoscope of llghL and colors LhaL seem Lo baLhe Lhe clLy ln lLs glory l am one who never [udges
people buL when more of our men are slssles and proudly femlnlne lL makes wonder lf Lhe subsequenL
generarLlons wlll have a Lrue man Lo look up Lo
1he beauLy of Lhe clLy belles lLs vlolenL naLure of gun play whorlng and drugs whlch mosL of Lhe lazy
assed half men and dlmwlLs are engaged ln fasL money fasL llfe and of course fasL deaLh wlLh no cauLlon
Laklng nor any concreLe bellef ln Lhe facL LhaL Lhere ls llfe beyond Lhe grave
l en[oy Lhe bus rldes for Lhe slmple facL LhaL lL remlnds me of Lhe sLaLe of llfe and menLallLy l need Lo
avold A socleLy where every one ls pracLlcally lmbalanced volaLlle angry and always qulck Lo prove
Lhelr sllllness LhaL Lhey prefer Lo call manllness ls whaL Lhe beauLlful clLy deals wlLh on a dally basls
Where lm from llfe as a parenL sLarLs aL LhlrLy buL when l goL here l was made Lo lmmedlaLely
undersLand LhaL lm a grand parenL aL Lhls age of mlne
1he world's greaLesL counLry ls noLhlng more Lhan a phony sLeeped ln debL dlseases and despondency
yeL boasLful of lLs exLernal lnfluence on Lhe enLlre planeL as a whole WlLh sLaggerlng poverLy
unemploymenL whlch ls due baslcally Lo hlgh crlme raLes and records on Lhe youLh Loo young Lo
undersLand Lhe ramlflcaLlons of Lhelr lmmaLure acLlons ln a quesL Lo prove Lhe vlrlllLy and manllness
Lhuls qulck Lo commlL a crlme and [oln meanlngless gangs
lor Lwo days ln a row l have seen dope deallng on Lhe bus and l ponder wlLh all Lhe survelllance on Lhe
rlde how Lhls goes unnoLlced l was approached by someone yesLerday lf l wanLed some weed buL
guess whaL l don'L smoke 1he assumpLlon LhaL any one wlLh dread ls a smoker ls sllly buL l am geLLlng
Lo undersLand Lhls Amerlcan socleLy
As l remlnlsce on my shorL Llme here ln Lhe sLaLes l flnd me ln Alexandrla vlrglnla deallng wlLh all Lhe
lnLeresLlng llfe of radlo
?es LhaL was my flrsL [ob l had ln Amerlca Lhrough a good frlend and menLor of mlne SalnL kankam
who ls a muslclan englneer and producer SunllghLradlo was mhy flrsL [ob and lL gave me Lhe luxury of
connecLlng Lo Lhe moLherland and LhaL was when l undersLood LhaL ln Lhls llfe l was desLlned Lo connecL
all l do wlLh Lhe moLherland


















l8luA? nCvLM8L8 4
l am on ma way Lo work and l declded Loday Lo ponder on Lhew facL LhaL wlLh [usL Lhree days for her Lo
come do l really wanL her here?
1hls ls one blLch l regreL ever fucklng wlLh buL l canL leave her ln her Llme of hopelessness