Today for the first time Mallory felt like he was a true New Yorker as the train pulled into the 50th street station he immediately woke up. Mouth feeling a little pasty in direct contrast to the smell of the vera wang Cologne he had used a little to generously this morning. He looked into the eyes of a woman that was staring at him not a malicious "ah he aint shit" stare but a I know this guy from some damn where stare. In Mallory's world those were the worst type of stares. Especially from a plus sized, ample breasted woman.
Mallory adverted his glance focusing on the "D" trains door as they opened and the subway car vomited out the crowd that was standing four deep to get out. As he headed up the stairs he couldn't help but notice how comfortable the shoes a more than generous gift from his newest "friend" . Well, he reasoned their 450.00 Guchiis and obviously not knock offs. This thought brought made a small smile of satisfaction take over his face. Life in New York was good.
Back home in Sarasota fla the only thing that said Gucci was at the local belks women section and of course the bootleg section at Big Danny's Four Mile Flea Market. How did he ever get away! Why did it take so long?
As he passed his landmark Radio City Music hall he couldn't help remembering how when he first landed the job at Du can, Wilder and Associates the only way he could find the office was it was a half a block away from Radio City. The only named that mattered in advertising and marketing was such a unpresumptous looking place you could walk right by and not even know these were the offices that held accounts with the products that could make or break any television show.
Lena Markedly the front desk secretary smiled warmly as he walked passed her desk. On more than one occasion she had made it known that if he was even the slightest bit interested she was more than interested. She sighed and picked up her ringing phone as she noticed he hadn't even noticed her.
Rounding the south corridor of the office building he opened his door only to find that as usual his intern Anbrell Mickens as already there. Also present A large steaming cup of Starbucks coffee made just the way he liked it. 3 pure cane sugars a dash of Cinnamon and a teaspoon of milk along with a freash apple pastry and of course the requisite box of magnolias red velvet cupcake sat on his desk. Anbrell tall, cafe au lait colored brother with the best line he had ever seen on a brothers head sat dressed in all black with a pair of Hugo Boss shoes casually staring at him.
"Good morning"
"Good morning Mr. Tanked"
"Mallory will do man Mallory will do." He said easily as he made a bee line to his coffee. He always felt awkward when talking to this particular intern. He had what very few black interns seemed to have. Charisma. He actually found himself listening to the ideas that this intern offered and often engaging him to come up with his own ideas and present them during the first half hour of their work day. Unheard of in advertising, unheard of on madison Ave, Unheard of period. Interns were a necessary evil. They were to be seen not heard unless you could rip off the few ideas these fresh recruits could muster.
Andrell smiled he had one of those smiles that always left one thinking, women as well as men What the heck is on this guys mind? Is he real or memorex. Plus, even though Mallory thought of himself as a straight African American male. This brother was handsome. Somehow he had a sneaking suspicion this internal battle was not lost on Andrell...Not at all.
The old boys club of African American male and female professionals was brutal. Homosexuality was a no no. Don't ask don't tell wasn't the mantra. The mantra was if your gay or lesbian get a big house with a big closet with a bigger lock and hide that embarrassing sick shit. Everyone was trying to get ahead and no one wanted to be a double jeopardy employee. Male, black and gay. often causing interns that were of that particular persuasion to seek refuge working with anything other then the lack staff. This was serious business. To be black listed in New York's advertising club meant a whole new change of profession. Where else in the world are their advertising agencies that handle major accounts except New York City? No where.......
Mallory hated that every now and again he remembered exactly who he was and even worse what he did to get where he was. Oh it wasn't a disgust it was simply that he felt it was unfair. He had graduated 34th in his class. he arrived in NYC a week later with four thousand dollars, a small suitcase, a rolf briefcase a graduation gift from his grandmother. A few weeks later he was dead broke and sleeping with a African american female publisher that could easily have been his grandmothers life long friend. Soon he was a regular on craigslist whoring out his services to ladies only and it was during a session with a swinging couple and an offer of five hundred dollars that he soon turned gay for pay. he hated this memory and he hated even more how his body would betray him all these years later when he was in the shower or looking at a man such as Andrell Mickens.....
note; this is just an exercise to get me back to writing regularly. I haven't written since my Moms past and I promised myself id complete some work i started almost three years ago. I think I have stories to tell so I am going back to putting myself on a clock until i get my flow back...Wish me luck multiply
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment