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men.”
    So that’s what I did. A week after high school graduation I hightailed it out of Houston and went to New York with my best friend Norma.
    * * *
    â€œYou what?” Norma shrieked into the phone five minutes later.
    â€œLaid off. I know.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do for money? Please don’t tell me you don’t have any savings left.”
    I bit my lip and fought back tears. Suck it down, suck it down. You will not cry…
    She sighed. “I take that as a no.”
    â€œNo, no. I have a little money. But it’s not going to last forever. What am I going to do?”
    â€œI told you not to buy that dress—”
    â€œRight now is not the time to tell me that. Just be my friend, Norma.”
    â€œYou’re right. I’m sorry. Well, you still have options.”
    â€œOkay, name them.”
    â€œWell, since you got laid off you’re eligible for unemployment. Have you filed already?”
    â€œYes.” After taking a walk, and getting a cup of hot cocoa, I willed myself back to that unemployment office and did all the necessary paperwork. Thankfully, Catherine was gone.
    â€œOkay, well, that’s a start—”
    â€œThat’s the end, Norma. Unemployment doesn’t even pay half of what I used to make. I can’t live on that.”
    â€œYou could call your mother—”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œYour sister?”
    â€œNo! No family phone calls.”
    â€œAll right. Well, if it was me I would cut back on my expenses and just live on the bare necessities. No shopping, no restaurants, no hair appointments—”
    â€œGotta stop you right there. No hair appointments? I can’t do that.” I felt traumatized by just the thought of removing my weave. I picked up one of my jet-black strands and twirled it around my pinky.
    â€œLook, you don’t have a job, remember? You’re going to have to do a lot of things you don’t like.”
    â€œI’m not giving up my hair,” I said, twirling furiously.
    â€œFine,” she said. “Just start looking for another job and cut back on your expenses. You’ll be okay. You could come work for me—”
    â€œAnd do what? Stand around and hold the light for you? No thanks.”
    â€œYou’d have a job.”
    â€œI don’t want a job. I want a career!”
    â€œFine. But you know beggars can’t be choosy. Sooner or later you’re going to have to do something that pays the bills.”
    â€œYeah, maybe. But that’s a last resort. I want to find something that fulfills me—”
    â€œYou could work at the restaurant with Chris.”
    â€œNo! Don’t you get it? I don’t want to be some waitress or your assistant. Making food and taking pictures are not especially life-changing, you know.”
    â€œOh, and telling people what book to read is?”
    â€œYes! I help change the way people think and how they look at the world—”
    â€œBy reading some trashy novel?”
    â€œ Spirit doesn’t cover trashy books! We cover literary novels, and—”
    â€œIn case you haven’t noticed, no one reads literary novels but stuck-up literatis!”
    â€œThat’s not true! I read literary novels.”
    â€œExactly.”
    â€œYou know what, thanks for offering me the job, but I’m college educated—”
    â€œSo am I! We went to the same school, brainiac. Taking pictures and making food is an art . Not something that everyone can do. And Chris and I happen to own our own businesses, another thing that takes talent, hard work and discipline. Remember that before you start turning up your nose at everything. I was just trying to give you options, remember?”
    â€œI know you both work hard—”
    â€œWe do.”
    â€œSorry. I’m just frustrated, all right? Didn’t mean to offend you.”
    â€œFine.” She blew out a breath. “So I guess