“Because there was no one around to press me and I nearly wasted my life. You were the only thing I ever did right.” Regina came from around her desk to stand in front of Billy. She placed her hands on her daughter’s cheeks and looked into her eyes, eyes that were much like her own at that age. So young and full of life. A lone tear rolled down her cheek, but she kept the rest at bay. “Willamina, all I want is for you to do the right thing while you still can. Don’t wake up one day and find yourself a welfare mother, wondering how it happened.”

“I won’t, Mommy,” Billy said, pulling away. Making hurried steps, she left the apartment.

“I hope so,” Regina said to the space where her child had been standing only seconds prior. “I hope so.”

Billy moved through the clean lobby of her building, gasping for air. It felt like the walls were closing in on her and she needed to be away from the source of her deprivation. Exiting the building, she took a deep breath and appreciated the muggy New York air.

Regina always knew how to strike a nerve in her only child. Billy knew that her mother meant well, but she also didn’t understand the ways of the new world. She thought that if you had a college degree then you automatically were given a good job and stability. This was hardly the case. Billy knew plenty of people who had graduated from college and still found themselves stuck in dead-end jobs or miserable lives. Even if she had gone back to school and played college ball, there was no guarantee that the WNBA would come calling. No, she had to do whatever it was that made her happy, and she just hadn’t found anything as of yet.

Her cell phone vibrated in he pocket, startling her. She pulled the small phone out and glanced at the caller ID. Not recognizing the number, she contemplated whether she should answer it or not. She started to return it to her pocket, but decided against it. For all she knew it could’ve been important, so she picked it up.

“Hi, Billy. It’s Marcus,” the caller said.

“Marcus? What the hell?” she said, pretending to be annoyed. She was actually glad he called. She had been thinking about him since she met him and wondered what he was really all about.

“Wait, wait. Please, don’t hang up. Just give me five minutes of your time and I’ll leave you alone.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” She glanced at the call timer.

Marcus took a deep breath, “First, I want to apologize for what I said to you in the club. I had no idea what you’ve been through, and I felt like a dickhead for coming at you like that.”

“You’ll get no complaints from me,” she cut in.