Out of decaf. Do I dare to drink the regular?

They get to work on the meal plan and grocery list. I sit and get to work.

Jazz. Pomodoro. Morning light dripping in.

I do like the one-on-one time.

I listen to her explain her experience of being too black and yet not black enough, depending upon the setting. “I was tired of having my Blackness questioned by other Black men.”

We sit on the bench and watch people as we wait. In the sun, I am warm. The one thing I miss about living in the East Bay is seeing so many brown-skinned people walking up and down the streets.

I drive through town on purpose to see what the traffic is like. Cars are moving slowly, the patios look busy.

“It’s not ‘dream eh darling.’ It’s ‘dream big darling,'“ he says while pointing to the whiteboard.

Get all the words out.

They find my Ten Things. She laughs. She shows her brother. He laughs. “You know, now I’ll have to write about you finding these.”

“Stay consistent in your approach. Everything else is just words.” - M.K.