Black and White_An Unlikely Chance_A Young Teacher's Will_Emi, not Emiko
Catalog Guide:
Black and White
“Jamaal? Jamaal Black?” the Hispanic receptionist called out, looking over her glasses at a clipboard at the sea of people waiting for court-ordered therapy sessions.A tall white man in his 40’s stood up, dressed in a white polo shirt and light brown khaki pants. His canvas deck shoes squeaked as he cautiously approached her, so as not to alarm her. “Yo miss,” he said. “I’m Jamaal.”“You making fun of me?” The receptionist looked at the white middle-aged man, straight out of central casting. He couldn’t have been any whiter. “Nah, miss. It ain’t like that.” Jamaal held up his hands in an unnec...
An Unlikely Chance
A brisk wind blew across my face with the smell of changing weather. My lungs steadily inhale the cold air while walking through the park. The leaves radiated yellow, red and orange as some subtly fell around the ground. I sat on the bench, absorbing the sun's warmth, finding a couple walking with their hands intertwined. A sigh escaped my breath as I pictured myself with an old flame in a setting such as this. I remember as if it was yesterday, the loving gazes we shared, the kisses that were sweeter than honeycomb, and the soft expressions of love spoken between us. They forbid it for a bl...
A Young Teacher's Will
It’s all because of our bi-monthly teacher’s brunch that I’m sitting in my living room on a Saturday night, preparing to make a will. We met at Laurel Johnson’s house for the first time since January, all wearing face coverings until brunch was served. We sipped mimosas and talked about our fears of returning back to school when the subject came up. Everyone except me had made their final arrangements, citing coronavirus, the birth of children, or porce as their motivations. I almost avoided being noticed until Laurel asked, “What about you, Steph?” and all the teachers’ eyes turned to me. I t...
Emi, not Emiko
Are you there, God? It’s me, Emi. Emiko. I haven’t said that name out loud in awhile when I introduce myself. I obviously can’t lie to you, though; you know everything about me, least of all my full legal fiwww.onedoor.ccrst name, Emiko. I don’t think I’m ashamed of who I am, but I’ve been having a hard time celebrating who I am lately. If that even makes sense. Whenever I meet new people, especially when it requires having my name written down, I say my name is just ‘Emi.” It’s shorter, easy to spell, and not blatantly in your face that I’m Japanese. I also like that I’m not labeled Japanese right away; i...