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African American Creative Nonfiction Romance

Carla was super positive about herself, and super confident about the way she intended to meet her future goals. She was so grateful for the breakthrough she had received from god; the computer software job that she had worked so hard for had finally accepted her as an intern, which meant working her butt off each day to pass the first probationary period, Carla muttered to her nervous self.


The business was mainly large and small offices, located on the uptown scale of the city, where the high Rollers happened to live and breathe, so what problem could I have to find myself a future husband or just a rich one! Carla giggled with a smirk.


Settling into a new job came with some nerves, but Carla was already swaying from ear to ear, feeling like she owned the darn place. She was acquainted with the cleaners and executives who had been there for years; they all warmed up to her good mannerisms and humbled demeanor.


Life was pretty simple at this point; it was orientation for approximately three weeks because the new role as machine learners, writing codes for ATMs rather than for the canteen services, was a drift. This required more training to meet those goals, so the only thing the interns could have done was show up at work each day and pretend to be smart around the workstation where they sat.  


The months went by, and the job just became tasteless. who would have thought, Carla said, chatting with a co-worker she trusted, someone who shared the same sentiment as her and who was also feeling the strain of the toxic environment that made every little thing feel like a burden, and going home to an empty apartment night after night made carla curious and thirsty, wondering what would it be like to get involved with new people after all its been a year since she was freed from a long term, 


relationship, that drove the color from her life, 


And by this time Carla had already had eyes for Someone. She dreamed of what it would be like to have an office romance, the daily suspense, the little glimpses! passing each other by ,the secret lunch dates and The after-work stay back to examine the bottled-up desires that burned throughout the day, were wet on the tip of her Lips. The tension for a man who shared a common interest and who understood, the nature of her job made her warm between the thighs.


 But if anyone should mention the honeymoon stages this job had somewhat been that,


The calm after the storm because Carla had weathered a horrible storm, having her office crush staying back after work to examine those bottled-up emotions that they both carried through the day, this lover was no other than her supervisor the eyes that had her eyes and what a good catch she somewhat thought to her self ! at least he holds some credit in the company, so she felt like she had found a prestigious man who understood her job, obliged her unapproved days off and didn't mind how little of work she carried out each day.


Carla was ecstatic, ignited, and over the moon, it was like she was so lost in emptiness for so many years of dating the lowest of men, people who she had to build up and encourage, she began to feel okay with men who were just okay but was no good for her, so much so she didn't realize there was still more sugar left in the cane. But it was all fun while it lasted because that man was nearly a walking time bomb, always overworked and always busy, and pretended not to remember his dates with her.


and at first she thought okay then until) she finally confronted his lack of interest. After all, it turns out the man was nothing but a player . And this left Carla in shambles, for so long, She finally felt the strings of her heart mending, someone to help her heal, she thought, but it took another layer off, and left her in hurt and tears for weeks. She would attend work each day and do her job and leave for her lonely apartment to lament, it took weeks indeed,

 but one day Carla woke up feeling good she didn't know why, because her job did not bring her any joy and her heart had just felt like it had been in a car accident! so she couldn't put her fingers On it, all she knew was that she felt more sophisticated, a little bougie and more feminine, it was so much of body language that others also began to notice the change


it was like a spark of fire that reignited right and Carla had felt it, and she knew that it was healing energy that was upon her, and this was the kind of healing that could only come from a heartbreak. The kind that teaches you how to love yourself so much that the universe would love you back the way that you deserved.


  A bad romance and a salty boss who treated the interns like experiments, who sadly knew they were waiting in line to be fired on the next occasion.


Carla was not bothered too much by these things, she just knew that she needed a change to make her job worthwhile and find its flavor again, luckily there was word-of-mouth that career shifts were now something the company could afford, so she got straight to her supervisor who already knew about her worries experienced with the job,so he was glad to put her name on the list of approvees that waited.                      


besides the politics, Carla knew a change was now or never, and was eager to just ignore her manager, who didn’t want to take no for an answer, who made her felt threatened when she gelled with other male coworkers, what a log she thought. 


The transition from writing codes to digital marketing was easy, and finally got approved, and again Carla was excited to venture out on newness, something she desperately needed.


So moving down to the main office was now the new thing, because the building that held the interns was now sold by its owner, while the official company was already in construction, and every month was to be finished allegedly, according to the boss, but the main issue was that, Carla already knew that being in the eyes of her boss and her manager could be venomous but what other choice did she had, was slim to non-so perseverance she knew would be the key she needed.


Digital marketing was simple but required certification, so a new teacher was required a Russian woman looks to be in her mid-forties, assumed she was family, since the bosses wife was also Russian,and since he was known to be a stingy man who made millions but was still not happy, it seemed he could probably save a buck this way, Carla giggled feeling warmth from her laughter one of the few joys she found that reminds her how happy and aligned life can be. 


 At this point it was now too evident that the absence of true love had began to daunt on her heart, that overwhelmed feeling that ached for something deep and intense slowly made Carla's head ooze It was like a stroke of lightning, is there nothing more to my life she asked! Is this all! feeling like a motherless child.


once again, and yet again, nervous about another new job, so she did as she was told with her studies, with the attentiveness that was bearly available since the Russian woman only came to the office when she felt it was convenient, another hint that she must have been family to walk in when she likes, either way, it was like been given a house to build and the owner disappears after telling you how big he wants it which only means minimum information .either ways Carla fell in line, writing contents for the companies brands, Comenting to client concerns while awaiting a Facebook account, this was a must to retrieve as a part of her exam, this took weeks and weeks to retrieve, the account was being run by a third party or just criminals but why couldn't they just create a new account, because this one had million of followers and years of promotion.starting over from scratch was not their idea which means Carla's position as a marketer was not seeming too bright.


and made her felt less motivated to do her job. But dispite the challenges she still did as much as she could knowing she was being heavily scrutinize by her boss and otheres who made it seemed like it was her fault for falling behind.


getting through the day with music was the rhythm to all her pain, it had never failed before and it wont now not even in the most toughest of days.


One morning Carla was at work, her usual early time which meant she was on cleaners time because the cleaners knew that ariving early before work was a part of their job description, and that it was inconvenient to be pushing a wet map up someone's shoe, the cleaning lady was nice, down to earth and cleared with her words, Carla loved her optimistic mind and felt the warmth and guidance from her, that she never really felt from her very own mother, for this Carla was so grateful that even one thing was going right!


Somebody's head is screwed on right in this place she sighed! She always felt so fresh and clean in the mornings, it was a plot to beat the sun's heat each day. because getting to work sweaty could result in some humid feelings, even being penetrated By the AC all day, worse! she sighed again. she did the regular loged into her work profile, had a morning coffee in the kitchen, sat at her desk to check the messages on her laptop since there was no time for that in the mornings unless there was time to spear. 


  time always seemed to be a problem! Working with a slave master


Carla stumbled upon a message Mhm!  


It was a reply from a song she had commented on, and it reads, "your message has been highlighted luckiest fan", you can contact me at this email, Carla was in shock because the message seemed to come from the singer himself, and she still could not believe her eyes but didn’t fail to proceed; with a bit of trouble, the link was a bit indirect, but with her computer skills, she was there.


Hello, she wrote I did not mean to disturb you but your replied message said I could contact you here, 


 this one message!! Little did Carla knew that her life would never be the same after this.


* Hello who are you and how did you get this email he replied, she explained to him that it was her comment he had replied to, but Carla knew she would not lower her standard for no one so she  continued with her work, not expecting a thing, this man was highly famous and wanted by many women bit of a womanizer carla thought, oh well she said why would he even consider me, am not even his type but before she knew it he was texting her back, what is your name, age and what do you do for work? The very first set of text he sent ,and Carla was in awe. If my manager catches me doing this he would be extremely upset with me, but then what made you reply to the comment in the first place, don’t know he said, and these words hit Carla like a bullet, because now she knew that something felt strange and here was that spark of fire in her gut again, like she had stumbled on a gem,


carla was excited and super curious at the same time but kept her cool, so the conversation was mainly about exchanging thoughts on how they both felt about the world. One thing Carla noticed was the chemistry between them they both agreed to disagree but it was still mutual,


it was like two friends who already knew Each other by the soul,


they just clicked, and she went straight back to work after the messages that seemed to keep coming in randomly, out of nowhere it was if really thinking and then texting, because the time between them was distance. Before the day ended Carla received another message and it read, 


* wow you are such an intelligent lovely Woman, any man would be happy to have you as a wife.


Carla wanted to say excuse me, are you talking to me but at the same time, overwhelmed by networking with so many different people. Those texts got overlooked, a mistake Carla would live to regret.


The days went by, the weeks too and no message from her secret admirer, maybe he lost interest! I knew I wasn’t his type anyway, I could have told him that,she whispered to herself, but it was not just the fact that this was a celebrity, but the things he spoke finally started to hit and Carla could not rest thinking to herself, this must be it!! being around rich people, in a rich community was now rubbing off on me, this must be the feeling that I have Been hinting on she said,


but it only got harder each day, as carla burned with wet passion and was not able to concentrate on her work anymore, she could not understand, because this was not even a man that Carla thought of as husband material, and she knew she needed nothing less. Carla could not take the suspense and decided to break the ice on her way to work one morning; hello,


 what's up? I missed you; I texted you, but you didn’t reply; he Said, I was busy, too busy for me. I see, aren't we both because you say you're always at the studio? I replied 


And his messages left her ghosted like the dust off of a skeleton each time, The Interest was there Right, Carla sensed this but she also sensed that her admirer was afraid of something, And Couldn’t help but notice his constant 2 am messages, could he be timing himself, or was this just a coincidence. if there was one thing that Carla noticed the most, was the changes that occurred in her life when this admirer and her crossed paths,


it was like a shift of emotions, and lifestyle, Carla was now seeing herself differently it was like turning the inside out she couldn’t understand, and living alone with no one to talk to about such a sensitive situation was like suicide; I just met a celebrity, and I need advice, yush, she sighed! While proceeds to continue living her sad life.


Carla became angrier each day, because no one could match the intensity she felt, only the admirer who awakened her dormant anxieties ,and this man was nowhere she could access , the cold sweats the sleepless nights, the loss of interest in life, Carla was sick with confusion because she only knew this man from the media; he had never gifted her even though he was so wealthy, but Carla still found herself in shambles, and she knew this wasn’t her. Carla had a dignity that would not allow her to reach out or to chase this man he was unworthy of her she thought,


 she knew She was a lady and felt like one and it was the only name he had called her, as he knew that was what she was, Carla had realized that this man was some sort of a runner the player type, but she wasn’t sure, still being unaware of this man’s motive so she continued to suffer in silence. One Sweet Day, he messaged her out of the blue again like a dam initiation, she thought.


 I want to speak to you I must see you now am falling deep in love with you he said, shocked at this Text while quickly trying to process the incoming video call,  


* you are my twin he said, and these last few days I manifested you because I was in so much pain. a seer told me I would soon meet a nice lady who would change my life and from all the information you gave me about yourself you are the one, the one I have needed and want,


 the fact that her admirer felt he needed to reveal his self, was like a good heart attack. This was how she felt, but as quickly as it happened it ended, she saw the face of the man of her dreams but the background noise scared him of being seen by anyone else so he hung up,


but Carla knew that was all she needed to know, she wasn’t catfished and that she wasn’t going crazy, carla knew little about the twin flame dynamic, few things she was sure about by research was that twin flame was not like soulmates, this dynamic break you to make you, it teaches you lessons, one soul in two body, brought you healing energy. there is a chaser and a runner and this was it, the moment to never feel lonely again. Even if it meant fighting for what was hers a iron fist for love.


September 13, 2024 03:54

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4 comments

15:07 Sep 20, 2024

Hi, I'm part of your critique circle. I think this was a good story overall and you captured the emotions that happen in a starting relationship fairly well. The main character seemed a bit more mature than her age though given some of her actions. I also thought some of the phrasing was awkward (the line burned with wet passion was the one that stood out that way the most). The ending paragraphs also felt a bit rushed. I hope to read more from you though in the future as you have a unique voice.

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Cami Newman
16:37 Sep 21, 2024

Thanks for the feedback

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21:49 Sep 18, 2024

The ups and downs of relationships. Love your bio. I am here due to critique circle. Was your formatting and punctuation intended to be the way it is in the story. I do sympathize. Reedsy auto formatting is difficult to manage at times. If it wasn't intentional, it was a bit distracting. Just to let you know. Welcome and all the best!

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Cami Newman
16:43 Sep 21, 2024

No some of the punctuations were not intended, cultural disruption too I might add ,but the reply is super because I needed to know am not the only one who thought it was a bit distracting

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