Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Four

Hey y’all, I’m coming to you with the fourth and final part of “Trying to Get My Hitch On.”

Just to recap, I found out that Kelly was referring to Derek instead of Danny as the creep that was working at Sheetz that started with the letter “D.” Also, I learned that Kelly thought that Danny was sweet, and he was still alive and still in the game. Then, I learned that there was going to a store meeting at Applebee’s the next day, and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get Kelly and Danny together. I convinced Kelly to come to the store meeting, and all I needed to do was tell Danny the plan. I texted him to come to Applebee’s, sit next to her and connect, and he assured me that he was coming to the meeting. The next day, I went to Applebee’s for the store meeting. However, I saw that Kelly had an empty seat next to her, while Danny was three seats away from Kelly. I ended up sitting next to Kelly because she saved the empty seat for me, and I didn’t know what to do. I texted with Danny back and forth, until he came to the conclusion to pass a note to her. I received the note, but I didn’t know what to do with it.

Now, it’s time to dive on in to “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Four.”

Danny’s precious note was in my hands, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I look at it and think to myself that I shouldn’t pass this note to Kelly. I think about opening it, but I get a text from Danny telling me not to look at it. I texted him, “Bro, what did you say in this note?”

“Just pass it down, Isaiah,” Danny texted.

As Danny’s hitch, I needed more information and context. I can’t just give a note to Kelly without reading it’s content. I begged and pleaded for Danny to tell me what he wrote, but he responded, “Isaiah, it’s not a crazy note, just trust me man.”

Trust? Danny wanted to talk about trust, but he didn’t want to trust me enough to tell me what was written in the note. Why couldn’t just get up and tell her? Why did he have to be so weird about it? All I was trying to do was get my hitch on, but he was making it almost impossible for me in this situation. I decided to concede and give Kelly the note that Danny had written for her.

I took a deep breathe, exhaled and handed the note to Kelly. She asked me what the note was, and I told her that it was a note from someone. Kelly opened it, looked at it funny, shook her head and put it in her pocket. I asked her what it said, but she said that it wasn’t important. I was devastated. I thought that I would find out the truth, but I would not find out until later that day.

After the store meeting, I saw Danny walk up to her and talk to her about something. There was a deep sigh of relief from her, and there was even some laughter between the two of them. Then, she walked away. I was so confused and perplexed. What did the note say? Did Danny write that he liked her? Did Danny write his phone number down? Did Danny write his undying love for Kelly? I needed to know as Danny’s hitch.

A couple of hours later, I would have the answer. Danny texted me, “Hey Isaiah, my note actually worked.”

I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to be excited, but I was hesitant because I didn’t know what to expect. So, I typed, “Oh Lord, Danny what did the note say. Please tell me you didn’t say anything weird haha. Please haha.”

“Hi,” Danny texted.

I didn’t understand, so I texted, “What?”

“The note said ‘hi’ Isaiah! And she loved it!” Danny typed.

I couldn’t believe what I had seen on my phone. Danny actually wrote “hi” on a piece of paper. Why would he do such a foolish thing? I thought to myself. This made absolutely no sense to me. He could’ve just said “hi” to her at Applebee’s instead of writing it on a note. Why did he have to make it all awkward and weird? I wanted to persecute Danny for his tom foolery, but I was trying to get my hitch on and needed to be supportive. So, I texted, “Oh she loved it? That’s great man what did she say when she found out you wrote the note?”

“Well, she actually thought that the note was from Derek, and it really freaked her out. But when I told her that the note was from me, she was relieved. Isaiah, I think I’m ready to take the next level, ” Danny responded.

What next level? The friendzone. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell Danny that the note was weird and unusual. I wanted to tell him that he more than likely ruined his chances to be with her. I wanted to knock some sense to him and tell him that he shouldn’t be treating Kelly like she’s some high school girl. He needed to be open and honest with her and approach her like a human being, not like some scared cat. I was disappointed and embarrassed for Danny. I texted, “I don’t know man, I don’t think she was feeling it the way you think she was.”

Danny responded, “Isaiah, she was feeling your boy. I got this, bro. As a matter fact, I’m gonna ask her out. Your services are no longer required.”

I’m not gonna lie, I was hurt when Danny said my services were no longer required. I had grown to love my job as his hitch. It had a good benefits like dental and health care, and I did start a 401k too. However, it was a lot of work being his hitch. It was tiring, and I was kind of glad that I was relieved of my duties as his hitch. I just knew that it was gonna be a disaster for him. He was on a sinking ship, and I was his life preserver. He was drowning rapidly, but if he thought that he was gonna be okay, then that’s his prerogative.

A couple of days passed, and I was working with Kelly. Towards the end of my shift, Danny came into Sheetz, but he was avoiding eye contact with Kelly. She was also looking the other way, and it just seemed so awkward between the two of them. I wanted to ask Kelly what was going on, but I didn’t want make things weird and uncomfortable between us. I later asked Danny what happened, and he replied that there was someone else. Danny explained that he couldn’t compete with this guy, and he decided he would respect it and keep his distance from her. I asked him who the other guy was, but he didn’t want to say. I would later find out, but that’s another story. Instead, this is a story of me failing Danny when he wouldn’t help me help him. This is a story of me trying to get my hitch on.

This marks the end of “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Four.”

Thank you for following the four-part series “Trying to Get My Hitch On”

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this story.

This weekend, I will be posting poetry on Saturday and Sunday.

Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Three

Just to recap, Danny asked me to be Hitch for him. I wasn’t sure about it because I really didn’t know Danny, and I didn’t know his intentions with Kelly. Then, he proposed a deal to me. He said that every time we worked together, he was willing to give me every pretty girl that comes to the register. He was willing to make that sacrifice for his one true love. Danny continued and talked about how his feelings for Kelly were real and authentic, and he just wanted a chance to show her how much she meant him. Romantic, right? So, I decided to be Danny’s Hitch and help him get Kelly. A couple of days passed, and I was working with Kelly again. We were talking a little, and I was trying to bring Danny into the conversation somehow. All of a sudden, this weird dude came to the register and started staring at Kelly. He ended up saying that Kelly was really pretty and asked for her number. Kelly refused, but the guy was persistent. Kelly didn’t know what to do, so I said that she had a boyfriend. The guy apologized and left. Kelly thanked me for the help, and I told her it was no problem. Then, I saw this as an opportunity to shift the conversation. I said that at least there weren’t any creepy guys working at Sheetz, but Kelly replied there was an actual creep that worked at Sheetz. She forgot his name, but she believed that it started with the letter “D.”

Now, it’s time to dive on in to “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Three.”

When Kelly told me that there was a creep working at Sheetz that’s name started with the letter “D,” I immediately thought of Danny. Could he really not hide his love for Kelly? Was it really that deep and undying? Why did Danny have to be so weird and awkward with Kelly? I wasn’t even Danny’s hitch for three days, and he was already making my job tough. It just wasn’t fair to me at all because now I had to turn this around for Danny somehow, but I didn’t know how that would be possible at all. I wanted to throw in the towel, but I made a commitment to be Danny’s hitch. When you are bestowed this honor, you’ve got to be able to stand the rain and weather the storm no matter how disastrous it may seem. When you are someone’s hitch, you perform miracles greater than Jesus Christ himself. When you are someone’s hitch, you make the impossible possible. When you are someone’s hitch, you move mountains and create wonders. I knew that I couldn’t give up, and I needed to be Danny’s hitch.

Before I could say anything, Kelly tapped my shoulder and told me that he came in. I was confused because I didn’t think that Danny worked today. I turned around and quickly saw that it was someone else. It wasn’t Danny, but it was Derek! I had completely forgotten about Derek. His name started with a “D” as well. Now, I was good friends with Derek. He was a nice, cool and respectable person, but I knew that he was a little too eager when it came to girls. He would flirt way too much with girls at the register that it got to the point of making girls uncomfortable. There were time where I tried to help him out and tell him that he was coming off way too strong, but he told me that he was just a hopeless romantic. We had a whole conversation about him being a “hopeless romantic,” but that’s another story.

Anyways, it made sense to me that Kelly was referring to Derek instead of Danny. I understood how Derek could easily come off as a creep to Kelly and other girls. There was still hope for Danny after all.

Derek wasted no time in saying hi to Kelly and just complimenting her like crazy. Then, he went to the backroom. Kelly looked at me and said, “You see what I’m talking about?”

I agreed with her, and I asked her if she wanted me to talk to him or anything. She thanked me for offering, but she said that she was just going to keep her distance from Derek and hope Derek’s affection for her will die off.

I really felt bad for Kelly because what she experienced from the weird guy and Derek was harassment. It was unwanted attention that she received, and it made her uncomfortable. She was afraid of saying anything or causing a scene for something that she didn’t need to deal with at work, a place that’s supposed to be a professional environment. I wanted Kelly to say something to Derek or at least give me the opportunity to say something, but I decided to respect her wishes to do it her way. That’s all you can do sometimes.

Anyways, I decided to ask her about Danny, just to make sure that he didn’t come off as a creep to Kelly. She smiled and said, “Oh, Danny is so nice. He’s one of the sweetest people here.”

When she said that, I was thrilled. Danny was still alive and still in the game. It was a miracle. God had answered my prayers for Danny and pulled through for him. Then, it got even better. Kelly asked me if I was going to Applebee’s tomorrow for the store meeting. I didn’t know there was a store meeting, and I wasn’t sure if I could go to it. However, I saw this as a great opportunity for Danny. He could go to Applebee’s, sit next to her and connect with her. This was a good plan. So, I said, “Oh yeah, I’m definitely going to the store meeting. We get some food and get to enjoy each other’s company. Plus, I’m pretty sure Danny’s gonna be there too. You should definitely come, it’s really fun.”

She was convinced by my excitement and decided that she wanted to come to the store meeting. At the end of my shift, I texted Danny and asked him if he was planning on going to the store meeting. He told me that he wasn’t planning on it, but I told him that he needed to come to it because Kelly was gonna be there. He texted me if I was sure, and I assured him that I talked to her about it. I was hyping it up, and I convinced her to come to the store meeting. Danny understood and texted me that he was definitely going to the store meeting tomorrow. I texted him, “Ok good. All you gotta do is find a way to sit next to her and connect with her. You got this.”

Danny understood the plan and texted me that he’ll talk to me tomorrow. I was honestly proud of myself. I thought to myself that I was really doing good as a hitch, and tomorrow at Applebee’s was gonna be a success.

The next day, I was running a little late to the store meeting at Applebee’s because I had a prior engagement. When I made it to Applebee’s, I went into Applebee’s and asked the hostess where Sheetz was. She escorted to the Sheetz table, and it was a long table. I saw Kelly, but I noticed that she wasn’t seated next to Danny. In fact, the seat was empty. Then, I saw that Danny was three seats away from Kelly. How was this possible? How was Danny so close, yet so far away from Kelly? Why was the seat next to Kelly empty? It wasn’t fair at all. This was supposed to be Danny’s moment, but I had let him down.

Kelly waved for me to come over, and I reluctantly came over. She was happy to see me and explained that she saved me a seat next to her. I thanked her, and I just tried not to look in Danny’s direction. I texted him what happened, and he texted, “I don’t know, you tell me. What are we gonna do?”

I had no idea. I was confused and didn’t have an answer. Then, he texted, “Wait, I got it. I know just what to do.”

I asked what he was going to do, but he didn’t respond. I looked down towards him and saw him writing something on a piece of paper. Then, he folded it up and asked the person next to him to pass it down. Everyone was passing it down, and it ended up to me. I couldn’t believe this. What kind of high school thing was this? What did Danny write on this piece of paper? Should I take a look at it as his hitch before giving it to Kelly? Or should I crumble up his little note to Kelly and throw it away? What should I do as Danny’s hitch?

This is the end of “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Three”

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts of “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Three.”

This is a four-part story, and I will be sharing the fourth and final part of “Trying to Get My Hitch On” on Thursday.

Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Two

Just to recap, I was working a variety of shifts last summer at Sheetz. They were all just crazy, typical, stressful shifts. In July, I was working my typical 6am-2pm shift at Sheetz, and I was alone at the register. Then, something unusual happened. I was approached by this pretty girl at the register, and she asked for manager. Her name was Kelly, and I quickly learned that she was a new Sheetz employee. I was excited to meet her, and I had the opportunity to train her. It was great training and working with her, and I was thankful that I made a new friend at Sheetz. A couple of days passed, and I received a random text message from my friend and coworker Danny. He wanted to know my opinion on the new girl. I told him that I thought she was cute and adorable, and he responded that he had a crush on her. Then, he texted, “I was actually thinking that since you work with her more than me, you should you know hook your boy up. Put in a good word for me and hype me up. Basically Isaiah, I’m asking you to be Hitch for me haha.”

Now it’s time to dive on in to “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Two.”

When Danny told me that he wanted me to be Hitch for him, I was hesitant. The reason is because I really didn’t know him. I asked myself how could I set things up for Danny, when he could easily be just trying to take advantage of a sweet girl. I considered Kelly to be my friend, and I had to look out for her. I needed to know Danny’s intentions before I could officially be Hitch for him. It was a necessity for me.

I was trying to figure out a way to find out Danny’s intentions with Kelly. How could I go about it without seeming awkward and weird? I didn’t know what to say, so I texted, “I don’t know man, I like her too lol. I think she’s cute, adorable and sweet.”

I’ll be honest, I genuinely liked Kelly, but I wasn’t interested in her the way Danny was. Yeah, Kelly was cute, adorable and sweet, but that wasn’t enough for me. My mom and some of my close friends know that I’m particular in who I want to have a relationship with, and I’m not someone that will settle for just anyone. I date with a purpose, and that’s my prerogative. I’m trusting in God and patiently waiting for the right woman to chase after. She’ll be someone that’s constantly chasing after God and so much more. Also, my mom’s gotta love her. If she doesn’t, then it’s over. I don’t care, I’m gonna drop her like she’s hot because mother knows best. Just kidding, but not really, let’s just say that it would be a major plus if my mom loves the woman I plan to spend the rest of my life with.

Anyways, I just wanted to be honest with Danny about how I felt about Kelly and gage how he felt about Kelly. Then, he responded, “I’ll make a deal with you. Every time we work together you can have every pretty girl that comes to the register. I’m willing to make that sacrifice haha. Or you can tell me to leave Kelly alone, I promise you won’t hurt my feelings.”

I laughed when he talked about giving me every pretty girl that comes to the register. How considerate, you know? I couldn’t believe that he was willing to sacrifice pretty girls that he didn’t have for Kelly. It was sweet and adorable. Then, Danny explained that his feelings for Kelly were true and authentic, and he just wanted a chance to show her how much she means to him.

I’m straight up throwing up in my mouth because Danny barely knows this girl, and he’s already sounding like he’s in love with Kelly. It made absolutely no sense to me, but a part of me understood that it was a crush. I could tell that Kelly was special to him, and he needed my help. Who am I to deny the undying love that Danny had for Kelly? I had to help him out, I needed to be his Hitch. So, I texted, “Alright, how about this? I’ll take care of all the pretty girls that come to the register, and I’ll help you get Kelly. I am going to be your hitch, and this deal is non-negotiable. Do we have a deal?”

Danny texted me, “Well Isaiah, I think I’ll absolutely take you up on your offer haha. Thank you so much!”

I texted him no problem and informed him that I’ll start getting information on and to Kelly, and all he had to do was wait for further instructions. He texted me that he understood, and I was officially on a mission to get Danny and Kelly together.

A couple of days passed, and I was working with Kelly again. We were up front at the register just working and talking with each other. I was trying to figure out a way to bring Danny into the conversation, but I was having a hard time. I was trying to make sure that it wasn’t awkward, weird or out of the ordinary to bring up Danny. I wanted a natural flow of conversation. Then, I thought the opportunity presented itself. A weird guy came to the register, and he was just staring at Kelly. He was silent for a couple minutes, until he finally said that she was really pretty and wanted her number. Kelly replied that she couldn’t, but the guy was persistent. He asked why not and pleaded for her number. Kelly didn’t know what to say, so I replied, “Because she has a boyfriend man. They’ve been together for years, and she was just trying to be nice to you. Can you please go because we have a line, and you’re making her uncomfortable.”

The guy asked Kelly if it was true, and she replied that it was true. He apologized for bothering her, and he left Sheetz. I looked Kelly and asked her if she was alright. She replied that she was and thanked me for the help. I told her that it was no problem, and I thought that this was my chance to shift the conversation. I said, “Yeah, guys can be creeps for no reason. I’m just glad there are no creeps working at Sheetz.”

I laughed, but she wasn’t laughing. Instead, she looked around to make sure no one was around and whispered, “Well, there is actually someone here that’s an actual creep here. He’s always staring at me and trying to talk to me for no reason. I forget his name, but I think that it begins with the letter ‘D.'”

This is the end of “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part Two.”

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this story.

I will be posting part three of “Trying to Get My Hitch On” next week on Tuesday, and I will be posting part four of “Trying to Get My Hitch On” next week on Thursday.

In addition, I will be starting to post poetry on Saturdays and Sundays!

Trying To Get My Hitch On: Part One

As the summer is slowly approaching, I recall a time last summer where I found myself involved in yet another love story at work. However, this was not a love story like the one I witnessed at Walmart. This love story would be far different. This love story was cringe-worthy, disastrous, painful and heart-breaking like the love story at Walmart, but it was on another level. It was on a level that was hard to watch, but I had a front-row seat to it all. This love story is called “Trying to Get my Hitch On.”

Last summer, I was working a variety of shifts at Sheetz. The shifts varied from 6am-2pm, 2pm-7pm, 2pm-10pm, 10am-6pm and so many other shifts. Some of them would be back-to-back like working 2pm-10pm, then working 6am-2pm the very next day. It was exhausting and stressful, but I didn’t mind it because I was just trying to make as much money as possible. Anyways, I was used to all the shifts and the routines that came with it. There was nothing crazy or out of the ordinary with any of my shifts. Well, one day that would all change.

It was July, and I was working my typical 6am-2pm shift at Sheetz. At the start of my shift, I was mentally preparing myself for a long, boring morning because I wasn’t working with one of my favorite coworkers. We typically work together at the register and enjoy each other’s company. However, I was alone at the register that day, and I was expecting nothing out of the ordinary to happen.

Then, something unusual happened. At 8am, this pretty, adorable girl with glasses approached my register and asked if she could see a manager. I politely told her that she could, and I called for a manager. A few minute later, a manager came to the register and saw who the girl was. He smiled and said, “Kelly, you’re here. Isaiah, this is Kelly. She’s our new Sheetz employee.”

I couldn’t believe it. I was excited and couldn’t believe that Kelly was gonna be our new Sheetz employee. Of course, I was still keeping my cool and composure, but I still showed some genuine excitement about working with Kelly. I smiled at her and welcomed her to Sheetz. Kelly smiled back at me and thanked me for the warm welcome. Then, she went back to the backroom, but she made sure to glance back at me and give me another sweet smile.

A few hours passed, and I was just working at the register by myself. Then, my day would get better. My manager guided Kelly to the front and told me that I had to train her. I was excited. I had the opportunity to train and work with such a sweet person.

So, I started training her a little up front, and it was great. She was funny, sweet and smart, and we really did a lot of talking. She talked about where she went to school, her dreams, favorite movies, favorite candy, family and so much more. Kelly even talked about the love that she had for her grandpa and how he was an engineer. This made me mention my grandpa who was an engineer as well. I talked about how I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but it was not meant to be because math is horrible to me. This made her laugh, and it was nice that we could connect like that with our grandpas.

As my shift was quickly coming to a close, I found myself liking Kelly. She made my shift fun and exciting. In fact, she was starting to become my new favorite coworker. There was just something about her. She was just this sweet, down-to-earth girl that you just wanted to be close to.

Anyways, I left when it was 2:00, and I found myself genuinely happy that I had made a new friend at Sheetz.

A couple of days passed, and I got random text message from my phone. I was confused. I asked who it was, and I found out that it was my coworker and friend Danny. At first I was annoyed because I thought he was trying to switch shifts with me and ruin my weekend, but he assured me that he wasn’t. I was happy to hear this, and I asked him what he wanted. He texted, “Nothing much, just seeing how you’re doing, how work was, YOU’RE OPINION ON THE NEW GIRL. Just the normal stuff.”

I laughed out loud as I quickly caught the hint about Danny wanting to get with the new girl. Nevertheless, I acted aloof. I asked him if he was talking about Kelly. I also added that I thought she was cute, adorable and awesome. Then, I texted, “What do you think of her haha?”

Danny responded, “Well, you could say that I have an ever so slight crush on her.”

I started giggling when Danny said that he had an “ever so slight crush on her.” I loved it. Then, he continued, “I was actually thinking that since you work with her more than me, you should you know hook your boy up. Put in a good word for me and hype me up. Basically Isaiah, I’m asking you to be Hitch for me haha.”

This is the end of “Trying to Get My Hitch On: Part One.” Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this story.

Also, check out “A Love Story at Walmart: Part 1-4.” They can be found in the Table of Contents on The Warfield Zone.

I will be posting part two of “Trying to Get My Hitch On” on Thursday.

My Dark Side

As I said in the previous post titled “You Smell Like Apples,” I found myself thinking about my times in high school. Today’s story titled “My Dark Side” is about the best and worst of times that I had in high school. I found myself in a scary, dark place that I never expected to be in high school, but I’m thankful for it because it helped shape who I am today in a way. It’s a story that helped me embrace my dark side.

It was 10th grade, and I was sitting in Honors English class. I remember that I wanted to keep to myself because I wasn’t in a good mood. I was being ignored by someone that I cared about, but I didn’t understand it. I was trying to figure out if I had done something wrong to hurt this person, but it was hard to tell. The more I thought about it, the more confused I got because I had done nothing wrong. If anything, this person had constantly hurt me in unimaginable ways, but I didn’t know it. I always saw the good in this person because no one else did. They just saw the bad in this person. For me, this person was righteous and had a special place in my heart. I refused to see the worst in this person because it just wasn’t possible. I was in denial.

Anyways, in English class we were in the poetry unit. We had studied and read different poems written by famous poets. Miss Beres, my English teacher, would also have us write our own poems and voluntarily read them in class. I never read my poems in class because I was kind of insecure about my poetry. I just turned my poems in to Miss Beres and never recited them. Well, that all changed this one day. Miss Beres announced to the class that we had to write a rhyme-schemed poem, and we were all required to present it in class. In addition, we had to make it deep, emotional and personal. This scared me a lot. I wasn’t trying to recite a poem a personal poem in my class, and I needed to get out of it somehow.

After class, I confronted Miss Beres and told her that I wasn’t trying to read a poem in class. I explained that I had some insecurity about reading my poetry, but she said, “Well, Isaiah, this is an environment that’s open and welcoming. There’s no reason to be scared to read your poetry. It’s necessary and a requirement for this unit that you read poetry. I can assure you that it’s not as scary as you think, and you will be fine.”

Miss Beres words really didn’t comfort me, but I knew that I wasn’t gonna get out of reading poetry to my class. I just had to suck it up and prepare to humiliate myself.

I was sitting at home, and I had just finished my math homework. Then, I started thinking about my rhyme-scheme poem that I needed to write for English class. I didn’t know what to write about. I tried to write about something happy and joyful, but I couldn’t do it. It was impossible because my mind was on the person that was hurting me. The person that I thought was supposed to love me unconditionally was hurting me. I could only think about this person and nothing else. Then, I realized what I needed to write about. I knew that I had to write about this person.

It was easy. It was easy writing about this person. It was easy writing about all the pain, sadness, despair, hurt and darkness this person was putting me through. It was easy because it was the truth. I don’t know what it was, but I found myself being truthful in my writing. I realized this person was a disease and a cure in my life. I realized that this person was never righteous. This person was wrong, but I just really wanted this person to be right. The world can’t be right about this person, it just wasn’t fair to him or to me. Nevertheless, I ended up writing how I really felt about this person. There were no lies in this poem, only the truth.

The next day, I was in English class about to read my rhyme-schemed personal poem. I didn’t know what to expect from people in my class. I didn’t know if they were going to be laughing at me or be horrified at me. I wanted to somehow get out of reading this poem, but it was impossible. I had to read this poem to my class.

After one person was done reading her poem, I ended up going after her. I stood in front of the class, took a deep breathe and said the first lines of the poem. I read, “You were never a righteous person.”

It was a struggle to go through this poem, but I managed. I went through all the stanzas and made it to the last line. I looked at the last line of the poem and read, “But you are my dark side.”

There was a pause, and I didn’t know what to think of it. Then, I received a round of applause from my class and teacher. They liked the poem, and my teacher was proud that I had the courage to write and read this poem. Despite the praise that I received for this poem, there was still a certain level of discomfort and discontent I had with the poem.

This poem that I wrote and read aloud in class started something within me. It pushed me to write more poetry that I needed to write. I found poetry to be therapeutic and freeing for me. Poetry was a gateway for me to be honest and open with myself. I am thankful for what this poem did for me, but I still don’t appreciate what it did to me. It hurt me and put me in a dark place that I never intended to be in. I remember my teacher wanted me to publish and recite this poem in a coffeeshop, but I refused to because I didn’t want it out there. I didn’t want to look at it ever again.

I still don’t want to see it, and I don’t know if I ever will be comfortable with it. It’s a poem that I wish that I could erase from existence, but I know that who I am today wouldn’t be possible without that poem. Maybe one day I’ll share it on here, but I doubt it. I hate it, but I love what it did for me. It brought out the worst in me, but it helped me bring out the best in me. This poem wouldn’t be possible without the person that hurt me in the past. Sadly, this person continues to hurt me in unimaginable ways, but I’ve managed to have this person not be essential part in my life. In the end, this person was and will always be my dark side.

Thank you for reading “My Dark Side.” Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this short story.

Next week, I will be posting part one of a four-part story titled “Trying to Get My Hitch On” on Tuesday. Then, I will be posting part two on Thursday.

You Smell Like Apples

This week, I found myself thinking about my times in high school. It was the best of times and the worst of times, if I’m being honest. However, today’s story titled “You Smell Like Apples” is about one of the best of times that I had at high school. It’s a story about taking a risk, having fun, honoring your word, getting out of your comfort zone and being rewarded.

It was 10th grade, and I was having lunch with my friends Luke and Malik. Luke and I were in the same grade, and he was relatively new to the school. Malik was a grade below us, and he was a fun, outgoing person to be around. Anyways, we were seated at this long table with 5-7 other people next to us. They were in the same grade as Luke and I, and we would at times talk to them every now and then. Well, one of the people at the long table with my friends and I was this girl named Karen. I was good friends with Karen, and we actually had a few classes together. However, Malik had a crush on her. He would get nervous and blush a little every time she talked with us. Also, every time that she looked at him, he would just give this nervous smile and be very quiet. He just wasn’t his normal self when he was around Karen. It was the most adorable, funny thing to me and Luke, and we knew that we had to do something about it. We just needed the opportunity. Luckily, the opportunity presented itself.

Malik started talking about the Homecoming Dance and asked if Luke and I were trying to go to it. Luke was planning on it, but I wasn’t trying to go to the dance. Then, I asked Malik who he was trying to go with, and he replied that he wasn’t sure. I smiled and looked at Luke, and he had no idea why I was smiling at him. I motioned at Malik, then subtly at Karen, and he immediately got it. Luke started smiling too, then I said, “You know, Malik, you should ask Karen if she wants to go to Homecoming with you.”

Malik had this horrified look on his face, and he just didn’t know what to say. Luke added, “Yeah bro, why not? Don’t you like her?”

Malik said, “I do, but she’s gonna say no to me.”

“Now, how do you know that she’s gonna say ‘no.’ She might say ‘yes’ to you. She might be dying for you to say something to her, but you don’t know because you scared,” I stated.

We all laughed at my comment, and Malik said, “It’s not that I’m scared, but I’m just being realistic. I just know that she’s gonna say ‘no’ to me because I’m a freshman and I’m too short for her.”

“Oh my gosh, you act like she’s a foot taller than you. She’s only two or three inches taller than you, bro, it’s not that deep, ” Luke explained.

Malik just shook his head and said, “Guys, inches matter to a girl. Size does matter.”

Luke and I started shaking our heads and giggling. Then, I said, “Look, whether you’re big or small, size doesn’t matter to a girl that much. It’s not that deep for some girls, and I don’t think it’s that deep for Karen. You should just really ask her to Homecoming.”

Malik shook his head, chuckled and responded, “You know what? Why am I the only one being pressured to do something foolish? Why don’t one of you two do something equally, if not more foolish?”

Luke was about to object, but I quickly stopped him. I responded, “Ok that’s fair. I’ll do something foolish, name it.”

Malik said alright and started thinking about what he wanted me to do. Then, he looked around and saw this table full of senior girls. He smiled and said, “Alright, Isaiah. You have to go over there and ask one of those senior girls if they want to go to Homecoming with you.”

I immediately objected because I wasn’t planning on going to Homecoming, but Malik didn’t want to hear it. Malik told me again to ask one of the senior girls to Homecoming, then he would ask Karen to Homecoming, but I refused. He smiled and said, “Well, I guess I’m not about to be foolish, then if you can’t ask a senior to Homecoming.”

Malik thought he had won, but it was not over yet. Instead, I offered a new proposal. I said, “Ok wait. What if I did something else, instead?”

“What did you have in mind?” Malik asked.

“Well, how about I go up to any senior girl of your choosing and whisper a random compliment to her,” I said.

Luke found it interesting, and Malik asked me what random compliment I would say to her. It took me a minute, but then I remember that I was watching something interesting yesterday. I was watching Jimmy Neutron, and it was the episode where Jimmy created a little brother robot. In one scene, I remember the robot smelled Cindy and said that she smelled like apples. Cindy found it to be sweet, but to me it was the most random compliment I’ve ever heard because apples technically don’t have a distinct smell. I mean, they smell nice, but it’s not that sweet or anything. I felt like the robot could’ve said something a little more sweeter than apples. It was just lame to me. However, I knew what I had to say.

I looked at Malik and said, “Alright, I know what I’m going to say. I’m gonna walk up to any senior girl you choose, get close to her, sniff her, say ‘you smell like apples’ to her and walk away.”

Luke and Malik started laughing for a good minute, and Malik responded, “Alright, if you actually have the balls to say that, then I will ask Karen to Homecoming before lunch is over.”

I asked him if he promised, and he swore to me he would. We shook on it, and Malik in two minutes picked the girl he wanted me to say “you smell like apples” to. I saw her, and she was two tables across from us. She was really pretty, and I had no idea who she was. She was a complete stranger to me. Eventually, this complete stranger and I would later have a general art class together in February and talk about what I was about to do to her, but that’s another story. A funny, cool story that would result in us being good friends with one another. However, in this moment, I was about to confuse her so much in ways that she never expected.

Anyways, Malik thinks that I’m gonna take five-ten minutes contemplating if I actually want to do this. He thinks that I’m gonna chicken out. Quite the opposite. I quickly got up in seconds and slowly started making my way to the senior girl Malik had selected.

I wasn’t thinking or anything. I just knew that I had a mission to fulfill. A risky mission that would result to a high reward with Malik asking Karen to Homecoming. A few seconds later, I made it to the senior girl’s table. I had multiple eyeballs glued on me, but I didn’t care. I was focused on my target. I got behind the senior girl and bent down to her level. Then, I deeply inhaled her scent, and it was intoxicating. She smelled like roses with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. It was an interesting combination of smells that made me want to smell her some more, but I quickly remembered that I was on a mission. I resisted the beautiful, tempting scent of the senior girl, exhaled, got a little close to her, looked in her eyes and whispered, “You smell like apples.”

After I said what I need to say, I quickly escaped and heard a “what in the world” from her. Then, I heard some laughter at their table, as I made it back to my table. When I made it back, Luke and Malik had their mouths wide opened. They couldn’t believe that I actually went through with it. They were stunned. I nodded my head, looked at Malik and said, “Alright, it’s your turn now.”

There was only fifteen minutes left in lunch, but Malik was struggling. He was all scared and nervous, and he was asking if he really had to ask Karen to Homecoming. I replied, “Oh you better. You better honor your word and ask that girl to Homecoming. I didn’t make a fool of myself for nothing. You have to honor your word.”

Luke agreed with me, and we all started laughing with each other. Luke and I just kept telling him to do it, and he was really struggling to make his way to Karen.

Eventually, there was a minute left in lunch. I said, “Time’s almost up. It’s now or never.”

Malik finally yelled for Karen’s name down at the table and asked if he could talk to her. Karen came over to him, but a teacher dismissed us from lunch. Luke and I left, and Karen and Malik were alone together.

Luke and I waited for Malik to come out of the cafeteria to see what happened. He eventually came out, and we begged him to tell us what she said to him. He replied that she said ‘no’ to him, but she was very sweet about it. Luke and I started laughing, and Malik started laughing with us. “I can’t believe you guys. I told you guys that she was going to say ‘no’ to me. And you both knew it too,” Malik laughed.

“Well, you can never be sure of anything. At least now you know for sure,” I said.

We all started laughing with each other, and Malik said that he was honestly glad that he asked Karen to Homecoming. It felt good, and it was huge load off his chest.

We continued laughing, but then we went our separate ways to our classes.

It’s crazy that both Malik and I made fools of ourselves, probably me more than him. To this day, I don’t know why I did such a crazy, foolish thing in high school, but I’m glad I did it. I can look back and laugh about it, and that’s rewarding to me. I’m truly thankful for that moment that I told a senior girl “you smell like apples.”

Thank you for reading “You Smell Like Apples. Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this short story.

On Thursday, I will be posting and sharing the short story “My Dark Side.”

Purity

I’m so thankful and proud to have you in my life.

I can’t imagine who I’d be without you.

Would I be lost, but eventually found?

Would I be insecure about who I am?

Would I be considered a hypocrite, if I didn’t have you in my life?

I’m not sure, I must admit.

I must admit that I thought about losing you.

I have thought about a life without you.

A life that can be care-free, simple and easy.

I’ve had opportunities to get rid of you as temptation constantly lurks in my life.

I remember times that I’ve almost submitted to temptation, but you stopped me.

I guess that’s one of the perks of having you in my life.

You’re always looking out for me, even when I don’t want you to.

I sometimes think the worst of you.

I sometimes think you’re a curse that I’ll never be free from.

I apologize to you for thinking such thoughts.

You’re a tree blessing in my life, and I need to appreciate you more.

I can’t allow the world to depreciate your value.

I thank God for you every day.

I pray that God continues to keep you in my life till we have to say goodbye to each other.

That day will come when I meet the right girl.

She’ll respect you and never try to push you away.

She’ll encourage you to be in my life daily.

She’ll want you in my life.

She’ll see that you mean the world to me.

She’ll see that you’re the best part of my life.

If she can’t see how much you mean to me, then I can’t see how much she means to me.

If she can’t accept you, then I can’t accept her.

If she can’t see your beauty, then I can’t see her beauty.

If she can’t believe in you, then I can’t believe in her.

If she can’t love you, then I can’t love her.

Again, I’m sorry that my love for you has been conditional.

From now on, I want to give you the love that you deserve.

A love that I have for my friends.

A love that I have for my brothers and sisters.

A love that I have for my parents.

A love that I have for myself.

A love that I have for God.

A love that is unconditional.

I promise to be better to you.

I promise to hold on to you till we have to say goodbye to each other one day.

It’ll be a happy and scary day, but it must happen.

I’ll miss you, but I’ll never forget about you.

You’ve taught me the value and importance of patience.

You’ve taught me the strength and significance of faith.

You’ve taught me the true meaning of love.

You’ve taught me all these things and more.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you for the purity.

This is the end of the poem “Purity.”

Be sure to like, share or comment your thoughts on this poem.

Next week, I will be sharing two short stories. On Tuesday, I will be sharing “You Smell Like Apples.” On Thursday, I will be sharing “My Dark Side.”

Basketball Shorts

It was three years ago, and I was in my second semester of college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). It was the beginning of April, and the weather that day was absolutely perfect. It was around 70-some degrees outside, the sun was out, the sky was ocean-blue and the birds were chirping. It was a good day.

On this gorgeous day, I was hanging out with my friends Antoinette, Sam and Obi at Wallwork Hall, a residence hall. We were just chilling and talking, when Sam and Antoinette both had to leave. Sam had to work on some project, and Antoinette had to go to work till 6:00. It was around 2:00, and we all agreed to just meet back up at 6-6:30 for some dinner. Obi and I just stayed at Wallwork and continued talking with each other. We talked for about 30 minutes, when I suggested that we could go and play basketball outside at Stephenson. I explained to Obi that the weather was nice, and I thought that it would be a lot of fun. Obi responded, “I don’t think so, Zay Zay. It was packed at the basketball court, and I don’t think it’ll be open anytime soon. Plus, we’re wearing jeans, and I don’t feel like changing.”

I understood and agreed with him too, I wasn’t in the mood to just change my outfit either. I was looking nice and clean. However, I still wanted to play some basketball because I was in the mood to do something active. So, I said, “Bro, we can still play basketball in jeans. We’re just going to be shooting around, it’ll be fine. We’re not gonna get all physical and sweaty, we’re just shooting around.”

He asked me where we could go, and I responded, “Oh, we could go to the HUB and shoot around in the gym.

The HUB is a student center at IUP with a nice gymnasium.

Anyways, Obi stated, “Zay Zay, we can’t go to the HUB wearing jeans and playing basketball, we’ll look like fools.”

I said, “Obi, it’ll be fine man. It’s not that deep and again we’re just shooting around. We’re gonna be united wearing jeans at the gym.”

It took a lot of convincing on my part, but Obi ended up agreeing to go and play basketball with me. Then, Obi had to talk to a friend of his at Wallwork, so he instructed me to go to the HUB and rent out a basketball for us to use. So, I headed to the HUB and decided to wait for Obi to come. I don’t know why I decided to wait for Obi, instead of just getting a basketball and shooting around by myself. It still doesn’t make sense to me to this day. Anyways, I was waiting for Obi for ten minutes, and he texted me that he was going to be 20 more minutes. I thought to myself, “You know, I should just go back to my room and throw on some basketball shorts. I got time.”

Now, the HUB was 5-10 minutes away from Suites on Maple East, the residence hall that I lived at. I figured that I would have 10-20 minutes to get to my room and back to the HUB before Obi would make it to the HUB. By the time I reached my residence hall, Obi texted me that he was on his way to the HUB. I started freaking out and rushed to my room. I went into my drawers, found some basketball shorts and put them on. Then, I rushed out of my room and received a text from Obi about where I was at. I texted him back that I was on my way to the HUB, and that I had to pick something up from my room. I didn’t know what to expect from him when I would come to the HUB with basketball shorts on. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

Now, I made it to the HUB, and Obi immediately noticed me wearing basketball shorts. He had his mouth wide opened and couldn’t believe he saw me wearing a whole basketball uniform. Then, he said in his jeans and polo, “Zay Zay, what are you wearing? Cause I know you weren’t wearing basketball shorts when we agreed to go and play basketball.”

Oh Lord, I wasn’t expecting him to notice my basketball shorts. I took a deep breath and said, “Well, you were gone for a minute, and I just figured that I could just stop at my room and put on some basketball shorts. Also, I didn’t know how long you would be with your friend.”

I laughed but Obi wasn’t laughing. He just waited for me to stop laughing, and then he said, “Oh my gosh, you are out of pocket. You got me here looking like a fool in front of everyone at the HUB. You could’ve told me that you changed and gave me the opportunity to change.”

“True, but look man, we can’t change the past. We have to focus on the present. Did I make a mistake? Yes. Am I sorry about it. Kind of. Can we just go and shoot some hoops?” I replied.

Obi just shook his head and said, “Just shut your mouth and go rent the basketball.”

I went ahead and rented the basketball, and I mentioned, “You know, we’re gonna probably be talking and laughing about this in years.”

“Zay Zay, I’m this close to hurting you,” Obi stated.

I thought he was serious, but I could tell that he was joking around with me. I laughed, and we ended up laughing together. It was good to know that we were good.

Anyways, we found one open basketball court in the HUB and started shooting around. So far, it was cool. I had kept my promise about us just shooting around. Also, we didn’t get tired or sweaty at all. Sadly, this promise would be broken too. A guy came onto our court and asked if we could play some pick-up games with him and his friends. They were in need of two more people. I was cool with playing with them, but Obi wasn’t. He said that he didn’t have the appropriate attired, and the guy responded, “Dude, it’s cool. There’s literally a guy wearing sandals right now.”

Obi and I looked over and saw a white guy wearing sandals on the basketball court. Obi reluctantly agreed. There were two captains, and the remainder of players were picked by the captains. Obi and I ended up being on different teams. After the teams were established, we established that it would be full court, and Obi gave me a stare. I pretended that I didn’t see it. Then, we started playing some basketball.

Now, I was doing well. I was scoring, had a couple of blocks, played some good defense and had some nice assists. Overall, I was playing good. Meanwhile, Obi was struggling. He was missing his shots, and he was a defensive liability. Plus, the guy with the sandals was playing better than him. Then, tragedy struck Obi.

It was a very close on our last pick-up game of basketball. My team was up by 1, but we needed one more basket to win the game. I remember I dribbled past someone and kicked it out to this white guy that was wide open. He had been hitting his shots all day, and I was expecting him to make it. Sadly, he missed it, and Obi ended up getting the rebound. Everyone got back, but that same white guy that missed the shot was still there. He ended up calling for the ball from Obi. Without hesitation, Obi passed the ball to my teammate. My teammate dribbled past Obi and made an easy layup. My team had won thanks to Obi. His team just left the court, and Obi was shocked with his mouth wide open. It was honestly the most hilarious and saddest thing I saw on a basketball court.

It was around 6-ish, and I just kept clowning him for passing the ball to my teammate. Obi laughed and said, “I don’t know what happened. If anything, he’s out of pocket for that. He deceived me and everything.”

We met up with Antoinette and Sam, and we told them everything that happened. They laughed, and we enjoyed each other’s company.

To this day, Obi is still mad at me about the whole basketball shorts thing. He felt like I did him dirty, and I have to agree with him. I did do him dirty, but forgiveness is such a powerful thing in this world. Obi has forgiven me, but he has not forgotten. He almost always mentions it to me, but we always share a good laugh about it. We even mention it to new people that we meet, it’s like a must for us to tell the basketball shorts story. It’s a story that always puts a smile on my face. It’s a story that really solidified our friendship and helped us establish a long-lasting friendship that I am so grateful and blessed to have.

Thank you for reading “Basketball Shorts.” Be sure to like, comment and share your thoughts on this story.

Next week, I will be posting part one of a four-part story titled “The Black Pill” on the Dark Colors series. Then, I will be posting part two on Thursday.