I Have a Friend . . . ( The Peppermint Story )

Her name is Stacey. Stacey grew up eating only fruits and vegetables. She always heard about candy and how sweet and tasty it was. So she went to her mother and asked her about it. Stacey's mother told her while it may look and taste good, candy will just rot your teeth. So Stacey, partially afraid of her teeth rotting, put candy in the back of her mind. As time went on, she heard more and more about candy, it was everywhere, in the stores, on the television. After hearing more, she thought about it more, the different kinds, colors, and flavors. Stacey decided she would try a piece of candy but she wanted her first bite to be special; she had to pick the right piece of candy. There were chocolate bars, twizzlers, and even nerds trying to catch Stacey's attention. Not all of the candies stood out to Stacey; some she stared at in awe but the others would be lucky if they could get even a glance from her. One day Stacey stumbled upon a peppermint when she realized she was waiting so long for the perfect candy. What if she never found the perfect candy? What if it didn't exist? Stacey would've spent her whole life searching for nothing. So, in an act of impulse, she popped the peppermint in her mouth. She was glad with her decision to make this her first candy. She had been familiar with peppermints, they were always around and one of the first candies Stacey had ever known of. They were comforting. Even though the candy tasted good, it wasn't everything Stacey had expected. Stacey expected to be blown away with her first bite of a piece of candy. She expected it to be life changing, to emerge as a new person, however she felt the same. She wondered why she waited so long for a piece of candy. It was because she wasn't ready to deal with what might have been the outcome. What if her teeth did rot? Or if her piece of candy was well past its expiration date? Stacey soon realized that it wasn't about the piece of candy, whether it was a peppermint, a milk dud, or a skittle; it was about her. Stacey waited until she was ready to eat the candy. She waited until she was comfortable to make such a decision; one she thought would be so life changing. And she made sure the decision was all up to her.

Stacey was every girl waiting for the perfect guy. Stacey was every girl afraid of society labeling her sexuality. Stacey was every girl who allowed the opinions of other to shape how she felt about herself.

 Stacey lost her virginity last summer.

 Not as a result of coercion or as an act of defiance but because she wanted to. Because Stacey is a person who can make decisions for herself.

City Antics

With the "excitement of Poughkeepsie" (an oxymoron in itself) beginning to dwindle, I packed my bags, hopped on the Metro North, and headed to the Big Apple for the weekend. Most of Thursday and Friday was spent relaxing, bonding with Magnus (my uncle's new dog), and watching the latest season of OITNB.

Early Saturday was when the weekend really started to heat up, or late Friday evening, however Saturday was the kickoff to the Puerto Rican Weekend. Somewhere between late morning and early afternoon on Saturday I found myself, with daquiri in hand, in the middle of a million people at the Puerto Rican Festival. Shortly after finishing my drink and being bombarded with a whole bunch of "right of passage" Puerto Rican songs, I fled the scene and headed out to the Bronx Zoo. This being my first zoo experience (that I'll ever be able to remember), I was somewhat excited to see what was in store. After traveling through Africa, Asia, and the slums of the Bronx, I ended up back in Harlem and ultimately with another, much stronger, drink in hand. Feeling charged, lit, and ready to go, I went to a party in the Bronx where I met up with my cousin and some friends. This is also where I've met quite possibly the one of the worst people I've encountered so far in life, Malcolm. (Even worse than the lady on the train ride down who opened conversation with me by stating, "I'm sorry I smell like human feces," then proceeded to talk my ears off for the remaining 40 minutes she was on the train. She was nice, just a little annoying and pretty funky.) There were so many things wrong with him but we'll get to that in later posts. The party was fun, and I met some great, funny people. I checked out at around 3:30 A.M., drunk, sore, and ready to go to bed, I climbed in my uber and climbed right back out when I reached my destination forgetting (lets say) to pay him.

Renell's favorite spot in the city

The next day was Sunday. I had plans to attend church at 11 A.M. I didn't arrive until 12:52 P.M., attending only about seven percent of the two hour service. After church, I was back to ordering drinks, enjoying Sunday Funday to the fullest. Before meeting up with my friend Renell, I had two stops to make, the liquor store and la bodega. I managed to whip up a concoction before hopping on the train. Once off the train we went to Shake Shack for the first time. The food was good, but of course there was nowhere to sit. After Shake Shack, we walked around the city and headed back home before sundown. The rest of my Sunday was spent playing with Magnus and watching the Finals.


Monday didn't offer much excitement. My weekend had ended just as how it had started; I spent the day relaxing, bonding with Magnus, and watching OITNB until I got back on the Metro North and headed home.

New friends in New York

Magnus Carter

Gorilla Family at Bronx Zoo

What's a lit night without a bathroom mirror selfie 

I don't remember this being taken

In Puerto Rico

In "Africa"

Giraffe