Читать книгу Crave All Lose All - Erick S. Gray - Страница 9

My alarm went off at exactly 6:10 every damn morning, indicating that it was time to get my ass up and ready for work. I didn’t know why I was getting up to go to work. I had two weeks left then I’d be permanently laid off. I received my notice in the mail a few days ago. My job sent me papers saying that they regret to inform me, but my employment status will be affected by reduction in workforce requirements in my classification—which meant I was soon to be unemployed.

I worked for American Airlines for four years. Things started going bad after 9/11 happened. I knew it would be my turn soon. I’d hope and pray that the downfall wouldn’t affect me, but it did. The economy took a nose dive and had a big domino effect. Businesses started closing down and layoffs were next. Now it was my turn and soon I’d be out of a job.

I didn’t fall asleep till two in the morning and was still groggy when I jumped in the shower. Unemployment was not an option. There weren’t any companies hiring at the moment. I applied at Jet blue Airlines, the sanitation department, MTA, even the local Pathmark and was placed on waiting lists.

I started working for American Airlines when my girlfriend was seven months pregnant. I tried juggling getting my bachelors degree and working full time to pay the bills. That wasn’t easy.

After pops died, I started helping my moms out. She was heartbroken. We fell behind on the mortgage payments and the bank foreclosed. My moms moved in with her older sister in St. Albans. It was a fucked-up situation.

Eventually I gave up my fulltime status at college to earn a steady paycheck. I was planning on going back full-time once I was back on my feet.

I met my baby moms five years ago while we were in John Jay college. Chandra and I had three classes together. We started talking at first, getting to know each other then we became friends. One thing led to another and a year later she was pregnant.

Beautiful with silky, dark skin, Chandra was charismatic with long, black hair extending past her shoulders. She was tall with a curvaceous body. Her legs were well defined, stretching up to the heavens.

Everything started changing after my son’s first birthday. Chandra stressed me too fucking much about my lack of money and school.

I was already busting my balls with overtime at the job. We lived in a basement apartment and I was tired of living underneath everyone.

My job provided medical benefits and flight privileges. She never complained when I used my benefits to vacation with her in South Beach, Miami, Barbados, Jamaica, even Hawaii. She wanted a house with lots of windows and cars. She always whined about taking the train back and forth to work. Chandra was a fashion fanatic. She loved clothes and had more clothes than Macy’s but she wanted more. Although she was a good mother to our son, we separated.

I moved in with my mother and Aunt Linda staying in the basement living an average life.