I didn’t hear from Steve for another three days.
I’m sitting in front of my laptop and laughing at the comments on Mediatakeout when I hear the chime of an incoming email message.
I click on the link from a sender with the initials SH. The subject heading reads: You are amazing
I figure it’s one of my blog readers and I’m surprised when I read:
Hey Ms. Tee,
All I have to say is Wow. I googled you and spent the last 3 days reading all of your writing. I’ve read EVERYTHING and you really, really do need a book deal or a column or something. I don’t see how you put your heart into your writing like that. You’re def inspirational. You reveal the parts of you that most people would never admit to. I know I wouldn’t. But maybe it’s because I care too much about what other people think.
I found your blog too. It wasn’t a direct link but I did some digging and all I can say is…Wow. You’ve led an adventurous life. There’s something about you, Tee. You have the stuff that success stories are made of. I hope that you aren’t allowing this lull to get you down.
I’d like to talk to you sometime. Let me know when you have a minute. I’m usually up late, working on some projects.
Take care,
Steve
I read his email again and shake my head. He wrote some very kind words and I really appreciate them. Maybe we’ll be internet friends.
I clicked reply and wrote:
Hi Steve,
I’m usually up late too. Thanks for your kind words. I do believe writing is my gift. Inspiration is the basis of all of my writing. Do you have messenger? I have yahoo. We can chat.
Tee
Five minutes later, my email alert chimes again.
Hey Ms. Tee,
Naw…I don’t do messenger. Hell, I’m a man. I don’t even have a myspace page. But if you’re still a little nervous about giving me your number, I understand. We can email until you feel more comfortable. Have you heard back from the job interview yet?
S
No, I haven’t heard back from them yet. It’s okay. Everything that happens is divine. Umm…since you’ve read all of my writing, you know a lot about me and I know nothing about you. Care to fill me in? What part of Miami are you in?
I’m not in Miami. I was down there for a week, visiting my brother and his wife and meeting with a few people about a big project I’m working on. I live in New York. I have a brownstone in Brooklyn that I share with my friend Rick, but he’s moving soon so I’ll have the place to myself again.
I travel a lot for my work. You can say that I’m an investor. My passion is graphic design, but I only do it for fun, that’s not where the money is and I’m all about making LOOT. Are you from Miami?
Yes, I’m from Miami. Born and raised in the county of Dade. ~smile~ I’m from the inner city. A place called Liberty City. My whole family is from here too. Are you from New York? You don’t have that New York accent. Do you have a creative portfolio that I can look at?
A creative portfolio? Umm….You hiring or something? I’ll shot you a few jpegs of my work.
Well, yes and no about being from New York. I was born here but my father and I moved to Southern California when I was about 3 and he and my Mom divorced. So I was raised there. I have one brother, the one in Miami. I came back to NY after I finished school in Atlanta. I got a business degree from Clark, then came here to go to Syracuse and I got my MBA. I started law school, but I dropped out because my design business started taking off. That was about 5 years ago and I don’t regret it. I moved back to Brooklyn and although I don’t do design myself, I oversee a staff of designers, more like consultants and we do business all over the country. When I was in Miami I was interviewing a potential consultant.
So you’re saying you own a graphic design consulting firm? Wow.
Yes, I do. But it’s not my main deal. It’s a virtual business and I have people to run it for me. I just make sure the money’s coming in and I pursue other interests, like real estate. That’s where the money is.
Where’s your Mom?
She’s here. She lives in Carnegie Hill. I talk to her everyday. She got married a long time ago, but is now divorced. She’s retired. She used to be an interior designer but now she just hangs out with her friends. She travels a lot too. That’s where I get my traveling bug from.
What are you doing right now?
Umm..Emailing with you. I’m trying to find something good to watch on TV but I don’t know. Do you like that new Snoop Dogg reality show?
Yeah. I love Snoop. At first it seemed a bit scripted but I decided to give it another try. What I didn’t like was him pressuring his wife about expanding her business over their romantic dinner. But she handled herself well. I don’t like when others try to push people to be something they are not. Even though I’m a life coach, I don’t push. I learned not to do that, I allow people to tell me their dreams, I give them steps to move toward it and when they don’t do them, I can tell they are just dreaming for the sake of dreaming. Then I delve into why they are disatisfied with their lives and it’s rarely that they are not where they want to be. It’s mostly because they are not where other people feel they should be. I try to get them to understand that and then redefine themselves on their own terms.
You’re like a therapist. I can see it all in your writing. I hope I’m not being too forward when I ask, What’s going on with you and these men? Why don’t you have a boyfriend?
I don’t know. I think I sabotage most of my relationships out of fear. I’m working on that. But ultimately, what it comes down to is, I haven’t met anyone in real life that I really liked and they liked me back.
What do you mean “real life”?
Well. LOL! I have an active imagination. I tend to idealize the men I meet and fall in love with them based on qualities I imagine them to have, but they may not even have them because I don’t get to know them well before I fall in love.
Wow. You’re honest. So you’re saying you’ve never met anyone at all, that you liked in real life? How can that be? I saw so many men looking at you the day we met.
Yeah, they look. I see them looking but I’m so scared to talk to them that I usually just run away. I did meet a man last year who I thought was so great but I never got to know him and then I found out he has a girlfriend anyway. Oh well. Do you have a longtime girlfriend, wife or baby mama I need to know about?
ha haha…no. No serious girl, although I do date around sometimes. Nothing serious though. My Mom is pressuring me to settle down. She wants me to get married but I always tell her that I’m only 33 and I have time. I believe that.
Yeah. I do too. You have plenty of time. Well. it’s been nice chatting with you. I’ll check up on you again sometime soon. Will you be in Miami anytime in the near future?
I can be in Miami tomorrow if you want me to be! I think we should hang out. I think it’ll be fun. You can show me around Miami. Besides, I want my Boondocks DVD back. I hope you didn’t scratch it.
LOL! I didn’t. I watched a few episodes the other night. You will get it back in good condition. Don’t worry. Nice meeting you.
Likewise.