AI Generated Image of a Black man wearing a light-colored shirt with a kinky afro, bearded face, and centered in front of a blurry inner-city background. Created with Canva.
Kazi enters the house and finds his two favorite girls in the kitchen. Kimya looks distraught. Kelsey is in tears.
*This. Must. Be. The. Day.* He thinks to himself.
“She knows?”
“She does.”
“Everything?!”
Kimya breathes out an exasperated breath, shifts in the chair, and sighs before responding. “Yes . . . Yes, Kazi. Everything.”
Kazi looks over in Kelsey’s direction and hangs his head solemnly. What more can he do but provide a safe space for Kelsey at this moment?
“Come here, Kels. Come here, baby girl. I got you. I always got you.”
AI Generated Image of a Black couple hugging & smiling on a green couch, wearing neutral colors, surrounded by soft lighting & candlelight. Created with Canva.
Kelsey’s parents,Kimya and Kazi, have given their lives to raising a beautiful, intelligent, God-fearing, encouraged-to-question, and free-thinking group of children. They are full of life, love, and determination. They don’t fear having hard discussions with their family, but this subject . . .wears them out.
Kimya was Kelsey’s birth mother, Leila’s best friend. Kelsey’s father, Kamal, was Kazi’s younger brother. When Leila found out she was pregnant, in true rejection form . . . Kamal broke up with her–denied the child–shunned Leila from that moment forward.
Kelsey was born. Leila asked Kimya and her boyfriend (at the time), Kazi to christen the baby as her godparents. They vowed to do whatever they could to care for Kelsey if needed.
Shortly after Kelsey was four months old, Leila took her life. Kamal, finding out the news two days later, took his. Kimya and Kazi stepped in: a best friend–a brother–godparents–parents.
Kelsey would be theirs. They would raise her as theirs. She would know true, unconditional, and undeniable love. And she has.
AI Generated Image of a Black Teenage girl with blue eyes, wearing a blue shirt, with curly, long brown hair. Created with Canva.
She bounces off the school bus, hair flying in the wind, legs shuffling up dirt behind her swirly body.
Kelsey is a 14-year-old athletic ball of energy who recently discovered she is adopted.
Her mother tried to tell her subtly for years, but Kelsey has always been enamored by fanfare and elaborate explanations. She searched for answers and found them.
As she skips down Tulane Dr., the sky smiles at her, the sun whistles, and cars honk their incessantly abusive horns.
She is heading home to nowhere, where no one is family.
Yesterday, a few of my coworkers and I went skating. We had a blast! During a nasty turn around the rink’s edge, a young one (probably no more than 12 years old) cut in front of me. I am an old-school skater, so I slowed down some, bear-hugged him, and turned so my body could hit the rink’s floor–and he could fall on me.
I spent most of the night in a lavender Epsom salt bath, and it was definitely worth it. I’ll be skating again next Sunday. I always have so much fun, but the children on the floor never cease to amaze me. They’re daredevils, weaving in and out of traffic, falling everywhere and around anyone. It’s really quite a sight!
Happy Sunday, beautiful people! Do something that brings you joy today.
A Cornered Gurl 
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