Aces

Over

Everything

It’s 2007 and I’m walking into my first college Class ever, ‘Business 101’ with Professor Capella. I enter the class and just as if it was choreographed, 20 pair of eyes shoot up and look directly at me.

I am so nervous that I just sit in the first row with my back on fire from all the eyes that I believed were still on me.

I fidget with my purple members only jacket and retie the laces on my purple, pink and white high-top dunks, 3 times. When it seems to be nothing else to fix, I swivel open my purple Covered Sidekick 3 and with my 15 inch long acrylic tips I proceed to change my A.I.M status to something childish like

” Doing the college thing hit y’all later” .

Right as I go to swivel my sidekick 3 closed, the door opens and I join the choreography. All eyes shoot up and I see a girl with the same deer in headlights look in her eyes that I had. Her eyes dart down and she takes the first seat she sees, which so happened to be the seat directly next to the door and next to me.

Now the craziest thing about this was, she had on a PINK members only jacket, PINK high top dunks and had the audacity to have a PINK covered sidekick 3. Sounds familiar???? I
didn’t know whether to be impressed or annoyed. I’m from Brooklyn so I clearly went with the latter.

45 minutes into the business class I kept seeing my professor do the weirdest things. I endured the weirdness until something told me to look to my left. Ms Pinky the Copycat Wardrobe Thief’s eyes made 4 with me ( well 6 because she wore glasses that day )

and we shared the look. Yall know “the look” when you and a stranger look at each other and immediately share a joke that others may not have noticed.

That was the first day to my forever story with my AOE @AngieSweetz lol. That story came full circle yesterday on 3/19/18 when I witnessed her give life to the most precious lil bean ever.

In 11 years, I feel like we’ve gone through things that people take 20 and 30 years to go through. Under grad , thesis class, where I literally had panic attacks every Monday, Ang wilding on the Spanish teacher and storming out of class, my foolish self following her and then laughing in the cafeteria, over draft fees, sharing chicken quesadillas at Evodios, Brooklyn College dollar Rama’s, starting fives , my basement parties , making pictures go viral before viral was a thing, that one time in Miami where our morals and future goals saved our soul, heartbreaks, masters degrees , weddings, and now babies. I could literally go on and on.

As I stood next to this strong woman and watched the contraction monitor peak while she held my hand, all I could do was be grateful. Grateful that I could be with her in that room and witness such a blessing enter the world. Out of all the moments we’ve shared I will forever hold what occurred yesterday, 3/19/18 in my memory and in my heart.

Ang,

In my head you were a mom already because you were holding and protecting life inside of you but yesterday at 5:49 pm in my heart something clicked. You were so strong and focused and you did your thing. I have waited outside of labor and delivery rooms and I’ve also come the next day or two once the baby was out. This was the first time being in the room experiencing the behind the scenes. The love in the room suppressed every negative thing this world offers and only light shined today. I will be forever grateful that you allowed me to be apart of this day. I’m so happy that throughout these years we grew together ( in more ways than one) I love you.-AOE.

Aces

Over

Everything

You’ve been and amazing crowd! Get home safely,- Otivia