It's summertime in '97 and Imani Nicoles is a young adult learning the ins and outs of life all on her own in this great big world. She's living it how she gets it but aspires to become a professional dancer. What she didn't expect was the opportun...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It was almost time to head out for the callbacks with the kids, but something was pulling me back. I felt a deep sadness that just took over me to the point I could hardly function. I got dressed and began fixing my hair in the mirror. As I stared into this mirror, I couldn't help but notice how depressed I looked. What could it be? I literally couldn't figure it out. Today was my birthday, and it's being overshadowed by these gloomy feelings.
I wanted to hide this entire day because the attention from my birthday was just going to overwhelm me even more. I cried myself to sleep last night because my mind was clouded with so many negative thoughts.
"You'll never be good enough"
" Are you even good at anything"
" You don't deserve what you have"
" You're not beautiful"
I tried to reflect on the origin of these thoughts but I couldn't find any reasonable answers at the time.
The phone rang.
" Hello", I picked up the phone curious of who could possibly be on the other end of the call.
" HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOTYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WE LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH JAN!!!!!!!!!" All the kids where on the other line screaming so loud through the speakers. Full of love and excitement.
" Thank youuu." I responded making my voice sound as little depressed as possible so no one would notice the morning I was having.
" I hope you ready to shake a lil something tonight girl!" Jalesa smacked her lips, playfully. She had been dancing with me since the Janet tour so she's fairly new still. She's a little bundle of joy. I love her.
" All that behind, I'd be surprised if she could stand up and shake it at the same time!" Tina jokingly said. Tina always joked with me that way. We had that type of relationship and we'd known each other long enough to have it. She's my 'day one' I would say.
" OOuuuu you got a lot of nerve don't you." I laughed.
" Noooo but really J we just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday before we head to the dance studio for these callbacks. I love you!" Tina reminded her
" Alright see yall later. HOLLA!" I giggled
" HOLLA!!!"
That small interaction gave me enough strength to carry on and get in the mood for what today had to offer.
As I prepared to head out, I noticed the sun was shining and it was still a nice breeze floating through the air. I locked up and went to the garage. In this garage I had 5 cars that I would chose from, but lately I've been choosing my 1997 Audi A8. That's my new baby.
