Cougar's Gold

My job search brought me into contact with a mulatto lady. She boasted an appearance akin to that of a movie star and had a captivating smile that could melt all the ice in the North Pole. She was a mixture between a black and Caucasian race, hence the name mulatto, used a lot by the islanders up to the 1970’s than after that period. As I timidly approached her gate, I hesitated in doubt that she would not acknowledge me, as her intimidating disposition garnished by her beauty, along with the prestigious looking house she graced, were as threating to me as a chicken in a fox’s hole. I decided to skip that gate, but she had noticed me and looked curiously before calling to ask me if she could help. Of course, I didn’t seem helpless, but I knew what she meant as she apparently knew that I was not from the community and must have had good reasons to be there. So, I greeted her and gave her my resume. “Impressive!” she said, as she looked from the paper, to me and back and forth, accordingly. I felt even more uncomfortable and my five feet eight inches medium built structure felt quite small as she scrutinized me from head to toe. “So,” She continued, “You want a job to pay for your subjects?” I shook my head up and down as I was still working on finding my voice as she was making me even more uncomfortable in repeating what was already on the paper. “Well, you seem like an ambitious young man. Come inside.” As she questioned me about my background and about life in the inner-city, I felt that she had a genuine interest in soliciting the information. Gradually, my fear reduced, and I was able to relax more and felt more comfortable in sharing my life story with her. She seemed to hang on to my words and I gradually felt a sense of power instead of the shame I always feel when I talked about my origin. She commended me for achieving so much amidst many adversities and then she made me an offer that almost caused me to fall off the chair. “Marcus,” She said. “I have been thinking lately that I should get someone to live with me, just for company.” “If you agree I would ensure that all your needs are met. “ I was dumbfounded. After all, my only hope was to get a job and now I was getting an offer to leave the inner-city and to be taken care of! It sounded too good to be true and I wasn’t sure that Lexi, the name she said I should call her, was serious. She must have noticed the doubtfulness on my face and went on to assure me that she has been looking for someone for more than two years and that so far, I was the only person that impressed her. “I know it seem a bit much Marcus, take your time. I don’t want to impose on you.” “No, no, no.” I stuttered. “It’s just that I never thought that someone could be so kind. I’ll tell my parents about your offer and if they approve then I think I’ll be happy to keep your company.” I continued. She seemed satisfied and I guessed she knew that I was happier than I was willing to show. She showed me a bedroom that she said would be mine if I accepted her offer. It was elegant, and the bathroom attached to it was better than any I had imagined my dream bathroom to be. I told her that I was impressed by the beauty of her place but did so while trying to suppress my simultaneous anxiety and elation, as I was anxious about fitting into such prestigious environment and at the same time in realizing that my anticipated dream of living like her was prematurely coming true. I also knew that my family would not disapprove as they sometimes worried about my survival in the inner city. The facts were that although many or most of the people were happy for me there were also a few whose shortcomings were magnified by my success. Those were the ones my parents worried about. There were many stories told about prospective youths in inner-city communities who tried to improve their status to leave and just when they were about to realize their dreams, moved out in a body bag to the morgue. After the tour I was bursting with excitement! I couldn’t wait to get home to tell my family. I promised Lexi that I would return the following day to inform her of the decision. After I left, I almost ran to my home. Suddenly the hill did not seem as steep and rocky as it used to be. I almost skipped over it. When I got home, to my delight, everyone was there. They said they were wondering if I had gotten a job and had begun worrying over why I was taking so long. I told them it was better than that. Then I relayed my good fortune. Everyone was surprised. Mom was almost speechless. She did not say a word for about two minutes and when she spoke it was with a mixture of joy and despair. The joy she voiced was for the opportunity I was getting to leave the community. But on the other hand, she said she felt like she had failed me in not adequately providing for me to the point that I would have to accept charity from a stranger. My dad did not say much and only warned me to respect the lady and her properties and to make the best of whatever opportunities came my way. My siblings were so happy that an onlooker would have thought that they were the recipient of the good fortune I was about to inherit.