Fine Ch. 02

The morning sky was sunny and nearly cloudless. The rain from the night before still hung on the leaves of trees and flowers leading up to Kori's small apartment building. Despite the wetness that still slicked the sidewalks and collected in puddles filling every dent in the side walks, Kori was sure today would be a good day.

She started off her morning routine like usual; thirty minutes of yoga followed by a long shower. Then a breakfast that consisted of fried bacon, fried eggs, and toast. After she had finished her food she cleaned her dishes and went to try and tame her short curly hair. She had took out her weave and had been left with her unruly mob of hair. With a shrug she applied some curly mousse and went to change into her clothes for the day. One hour and seven outfits later she had finally decided what to wear. She pulled on her pretty bright floral dress and then pulled her fishnet stockings underneath. When she had been with Steven he had made it near possible to wear anything that showed her thighs. God forbid someone noticed how fat she was. He always said that her flaunting her size reflected badly on him. Which was funny seeing as the same clothes she used to 'flaunt' her weight had been what had attracted him to her.

But Steven was a load of contradictions. He was as dark skinned with strong features, so strong in fact, that some people had questioned if his parents had migrated from Nigeria or some such place. But Steven always made sure people knew that his parents had adopted him from Puerto Rico and that he was in no way black. This had turned Kori off immediately but she had tried her best to look past that and accept the man that Steven was. She had done a good job of it too, having accepted his marriage proposal despite his self-hate. Her only stipulation was that he not project any of his negativity to any future kids they may have had together. Looking back on it now, Kori was happy that they hadn't gotten that far. Lord knew she wouldn't have wanted to become bitter like her own mother or had to explain to her children why their father hated their dark skin so much.

"The strength of internalized racism," Kori muttered under her breath as she tied the black laces of her Doc Martins. She looked in the full-length mirror hung on her closet door and smiled at what she saw. Fuck Steven and fuck Andrea. She was just fine before Steven and she would be after.

"I know you're home! Let me in, my ass is freezing!" a voice called from behind her door. Kori quickly made her way to the front door and rolled her eyes when she saw who was on the other side. Yoni De'Luca was one of her close friends from work. Kori opened the door and gasped when she watched Yoni walk in with only a purple sheet wrapped around her otherwise naked body.

"Seriously?" Kori asked as she closed the door. The tiny Dominican woman just strutted past her and into the guest room where she kept some of her clothes in case of emergencies. Kori just shook her head and went to her bathroom to fix up her make up. Yoni appeared behind her wearing a black shirt with 'Wu-Tang Ain't Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit' printed in red across the front of it and a pair of clean blue skinny jeans, her previously bare feet were covered in a pair of beat up black converse chucks.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" Kori asked as she side eyed her friend. Yoni just shook her head and sat on the lid of her toilet seat. They sat there in silence until Kori had finished making her face up.

"Can we take the train to work today?" Yoni asked as she yawned and stretched. Kori nodded and grabbed her messenger bag with her laptop from off the kitchen table. Checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she left out behind Yoni who just strutted down the hall empty handed save for an apple she had taken from the fridge.

"Yo Kori, I'm getting divorced," the Latina said when they had finally reached the Newkirk Plaza train station. Kori's look of disbelief must have been obvious because Yoni huffed loudly as they made their way down the steps to wait for the B train. "I'm serious. Fuck Antonio. He kicked me out this morning, Kori. At five in the morning, when it was still dark outside. He kicked me the fuck out. Do you know how fucking dangerous that is? Anything could have happened while I walked to your house. He put my fucking life in danger," Yoni raged. Her statement took Kori aback. In all the time she had known Yoni and Antonio their relationship had been more than just a little unstable but they usually made up and were back to good in weeks. This seemed serious, though. Antonio had never done something so... cruel. Not even when he had found out Yoni had cheated on him, though that was probably because he had been cheating on her too. But still, he had never gone this far.

"What happened?" Kori asked with genuine concern. No matter how many times she had had to listen to Yoni vent about her relationships she never stopped caring. Yoni was her friend and she only wanted the best for her. Which everyone knew wasn't Antonio.

"We're laying in bed, right, and some woman calls his phone. I only know it was a woman because I caught a flash of her picture before he could get it off the nightstand. Some pretty blond woman with freckles and shit, right. So I ask him who she is and he ignores me. He just gets up and goes into the next room to talk to her. He comes back with this look on his face, just like the look he used get to when he first started cheating on me. I know that fucking look, Kori. So I start throwing shit at him and screaming and crying," Yoni explained as the train pulled up. She stopped as they made their way to the double seats at the end of the train car, far from any listening ears. "He just stands there while I'm going crazy. When I'm done he say 'she just a friend and it was only one time'. He tells me he just told her he didn't want her no more. But I know he was lying. Yoniette Aleza Vasquez ain't no fucking idiot. I know he making plans with her. So I call him out, right, and he got the nerve to bring up Jackson and me. Not even the same shit. Jackson and me was a one-time thing and we've avoided each other since. I was sorry for that, I swear. But Antonio ain't fucking sorry for shit. He just tells me if I keep getting so emotional I could get out. So I tell him to make me, and then next thing I know I'm walking barefoot to your house. I swear I'm leaving him. I'm done, I can't do this shit," Yoni said as angry tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes. Kori gathered her hurt friend in her arms and held her just like Gar had done days before. She let her friend cry on her shoulder until she had gotten all her pent up emotions out.

"Maybe you guys need to talk. I mean, I think that shit was dead wrong but you should talk to him before you do anything like get divorce papers written up. The last time you were so sure you were leaving him you avoided him for two months and when you saw him you fell right back into his arms," Kori said and then winced when she noticed the hurt look in her friend's eyes. She didn't mean to sound so cold but the facts were the facts. No matter how done Yoni always said she was she always ended up running back to Antonio's trifling ass.

"I know, but I'm seriously done this time. I hate him so much, more every time I see him. I don't understand how someone I swore to love forever could make such a fool of me," Yoni said just as the train stopped at the Grand St. station. Both women swiftly left the train and made their ways to the steps.

"I know how you feel," Kori muttered absently as she thought for a brief moment about her own failed relationship. Yoni patted her back and pulled out two dollars from her back pocket.

"Dumplings on me?" she offered. Kori looked at her phone at the time to decide if it was too early for dumplings. It was going on ten o'clock that was close enough to lunch to make Kori nod her head enthusiastically. She loved the fried dumplings around her job almost as much as she loved her job.

Both women went on laughing and joking as they made their way to their favorite dumpling spot. They decided to kill time by eating there instead of on the way to their job. In that time they talked more about Yoni's relationship problems and then onto Kori's experience at her cousin's wedding. Yoni laughed loudly when Kori repeated, word for word, Garment's speech about how much bullshit the whole thing had been. She then solemnly explained the fiasco with the guys in the car and went into detail about the cute guy sitting in the back.

"Ohhh, so you back to liking them fine yellow boys?" Yoni teased as they made their way to their job. Kori rolled her eyes and sighed, she probably should never have mentioned the guy in the car.

"Yellow boys? That's offensive," Kori bit out. Yoni shrugged unapologetically. There was no way she was going to be side tracked from this conversation into one about how culturally sensitive she needed to be.

"Yeah I know, sorry. My bad. Anyway, forget that shit. Are you back to your Asian boy obsession?" "I never had any obsession. I like Asian guys just like I like any other race of guys," Kori corrected her.

"Nah, nah. I remember you used to just squeal whenever you saw a cute Asian guy. You'd talk about how certain you were that your future husband would either be that Rain guy who played in Ninja Assassin or that fine ass David Henney. You'd spend weeks fiending for some K-drama show. If that wasn't obsessed than one of us doesn't know the meaning of the word. And I'm guessing that someone is you," Yoni said, opening the door to the building their office was situated in. They both waved kindly to the old doorman Mr. Cho. He was a sweet man who spoke English with a heavy accent, which sometimes made it hard to understand him but he always offered them plenty of treats. He had been apart of the building's staff longer than either of them had.

"Yo Mr. Cho. How are Mrs. Cho and Margaret? Is she going to be coming after school anymore?" Yoni asked. Mr. Cho smiled and thought over his words for a moment.

"Fine. We are good. Margaret said she has a... study group this week. Be back next week," he said with a firm nod as he offered both of them a handful of guava candy. Yoni and Kori both took their offered handful and then a bit extra that Mr. Cho slipped them before thanking him and walking to the elevator.

"I love Mr. Cho. Why couldn't I have married a man like him? Have you ever seen the way he dotes on Mrs. Cho when she comes in? The love, it makes me so envious!" Yoni said with a pout. Kori nodded and grinned. She wished she had been engaged to a man like Mr. Cho. He was level headed even when rowdy teens came in or they had a party that brought tons of people into the small lobby area. He never lost his cool and he always offered people something to eat while they waited for the elevator. On Kori's first day he had even gone up with her and spoken to her to help her get over her nerves. He defended the women of the building when outsiders were harassing them and he even stopped a few fights. He even made sure to place a rainbow flag at his desk to make sure everyone knew that he wouldn't tolerate any homophobic language or actions. Mr. Cho was golden.

Yoni and Kori continued to talk over Mr. Cho as they made their way into the elevator and rode it up to their office. The building belonged to their mother organization, so on each floor were different programs their mother organization funded. The one on the second floor was a shelter for runaway and homeless youth. The one above was a school where they taught English to non-English speaking adults and offered assistance to illegal residents of the neighborhood. The fourth floor was theirs, Project Justice. It was a youth organization dedicated to social justice. They went into schools and talked about discrimination as well as participating in marches and supporting local activists. On the fifth floor, there was an art studio that was free for any local artist to use if they found themselves needing the space. It sometimes also doubled as a dance studio for other local talent.

"Mmm! I told you ya'll had nothing on this southern belle! I grew up playing gin rummy. Ain't nobody better than Ms. Gar!" Garment shouted as she stood up and threw down her hand of cards. She laughed and collected her winnings before she spotted Yoni and Kori coming from the elevator. She quickly shoved her winnings into her pockets and smiled innocently as Kori came up to her.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to gamble with the youth?" Kori chastised Gar who just smiled sheepishly and motioned for the teens she had been playing with to scatter. Yoni laughed and made her way to the kitchen area to look see who else was in this early.

"I couldn't help myself. They were begging, literally, for me to play with them. You know I can't say no to the youth. They're our future," Gar joked as she followed Kori to the office. Kori greeted everyone as she settled into her desk. She noticed her boss in the corner talking to some tall man who had his back turned. Kori and Gar both took the time to admire his firm looking behind.

"Anyway, I called in sick today," Gar said after a long moment of silence. Kori raised a brow in confusion as she set up her laptop on her otherwise empty desk. "I'm thinking about quitting," Gar said, filling in the blanks.

"Really? I thought you really liked it," Kori said just as Jackson slid up to them in his roller chair.

"Morning ladies," he said politely. Kori smiled brightly at him in greeting before turning her attention back to Gar who gave him a wink before continuing.

"I do. But I've been offered something somewhere else that sounds like it will be better. They're willing to pay me more and I know the owner personally so I know it will be safe for me to work there," Garment went on. Kori and Jackson both gave each other doubtful looks. It sounded way too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere. " The only thing is that I'd have to relocate for it."

"Relocate where? "Jackson asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

"California." Gar said quickly. Her statement threw both Kori and Jackson back. California was a long way to relocate for a simple drag performance job. There had to be more to it.

"Trevor's getting out and he wants to give us a chance," Garment said loudly, catching the attention of everyone in the room. Jackson's face lit up bright red under his deeply tanned skin when he heard the name leave her lips. Everyone hated Gar's ex but none more than Jackson did. He blamed himself for introducing them in the first place.

"No, no, no. I don't care what you say you can't go anywhere with him. He's the same guy who beat the shit out of you when he found out you were transgendered. Or did you forget that one of the reasons he's in jail is because he assaulted you? No, Gar. You are worth so much more than that," Kori raved as her usually bubbly cousin's eyes started to shine with unshed tears. They both remembered the day Trevor had attacked her in a rage. The state he left Gar in had been horrifying. For her to even entertain the idea of going so far away with him was ridiculous.

"I shoulda told him from the beginning instead of leading him on like that. But Trevor's over that and so am I. Trevor says that he doesn't think our relationship would work if we were still living here in the city. When I got the offer a week ago it just seemed like things were falling into place perfectly," Gar admitted. Jackson sighed and shook his head. He knew that look and the sound of her argument. It was the same one his own mother had said millions of times during his childhood to concerned family members. She always took the blame for his father's anger. It was always somehow her fault or he had somehow slipped and punched her in the face.

"Listen to yourself, Gar. You know exactly how you sound," Jackson whispered when he noticed that everyone in the office had gone silent to listen to their conversation.

"I love Trevor. We dated for half a year before that whole mess. We got close and I know what Trevor did was just an accident. Now that he's getting out I think we have a real chance to work things out. Tell me; even if you don't agree with me, that y'all gone support me. If things don't work out I want a place to come back to," Gar said as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Kori sighed and nodded her head in defeat. She'd support anything Gar wanted to do; she always did the same for her. Like Steven, Gar hated Steven with a passion but she had supported Kori every step of the way.

"If this is what you want then yeah. I'll support you too. But I want to make it clear that I really, really don't like this and I think it's a horrible idea and I want you to have my number on speed dial because I'll fly over in a minute to whip Trevor's ass," Jackson said as he moved back to his desk. Gar smiled through her tears and nodded her head.

"Hey girls. I'd like you to meet Seung-won Park," Victor, the director of their organization said as he stood before them with a very tall gentleman standing next to him. Kori recognized him immediately as the man who she had told Yoni about. He looked better up close with his well sculpted facial hair and thick rimmed nerd glasses placed just perfectly on the bridge of his nose. Kori licked her lips before offering him her hand.

"I'm Kori Ann Tyler, Nice to meet you Mr. Park," she said smoothly.