Editorial
For ESSENCE magazine, I write stories on travel, relationships, and lifestyle. You can find my stories here.
“What’s it like being a hot girl?”
Then, about two minutes later, another man who saw the “Talk to me!” sign I apparently had taped to my shirt came over.
“Wow, you’re hot,” he said.
I smiled with what I hoped was enough forced apprehension in my face that he got the hint to shoo fly and not bother me.
“What does it feel like to be a hot girl?” he continued.
“Soccer Is A Source Of Pride In Nigeria — And It's What Connects Me & My Dad”
I heard my bedroom door creak open. It was 8 a.m. on a Saturday and my dad was coming to wake me so we could go to the soccer field, but I was already up. I was six years old, and although nothing excited me more than sleeping in and watching cartoons, it was the one time every week where I didn't mind my sleep being disturbed. We’d put on our tennis shoes. He’d pack his cleats and make sure he had all of his gear in the car. I’d ask if we could get pizza after. He always said yes.
I Did One Thing Every Day That Scared Me, and Here’s How It Went
I would call myself a pretty brave person. I’ve traveled to more than a few countries alone, quit a job in NYC to be an au pair in Italy, and regularly put myself out there online. But just like everyone else, there are certain fears I have that I just can’t seem to shake.
The Struggle of Learning How to Be a Girlfriend for the First Time
“You just … left me. It’s like I’m some random person. You didn’t ask if maybe I wanted to leave too. Or get food with you. Or come over and be with you. You just left.”
I stood there with the phone in my hand, frozen as the words hit me. My boyfriend had called to let me know he was heading back to his apartment, over an hour away, and not coming to my place like we’d planned. He was too upset. And he was justified, to the point that I couldn’t even muster up a defense.