Chapter 1 Hestia Sanders Basil #2
“Hestia, thank you so much for letting me be a mentor in your program. I know that it’s usually women who are already in their career field.” Jade stood in front of her with her catering company’s logo shirt on. Emerald’s Catering Services.
I smiled at her. “I thank you for the idea to have junior and senior college students in the program as mentors. Sometimes, as professionals, we forget the process that got us here. You guys can highlight the process while you’re still in it.
” I stepped into her personal space. “Plus, this will help you stay busy to keep your mind off of my bullheaded nephew.”
She smiled with a head tilt. “Yeah, I heard he’s seeing this girl that’s in a sorority on our campus. I wish he would have just like, not dated anyone at school. I think they were messing with each other before we broke up. At least, that’s what she said.”
I saw the tears. I also saw her refusal to let them fall. These were the growing pains of the youth, unfortunately. I prayed that Dorian didn’t cheat on Jade. “Well, boys can be stupid, and hos can be more stupid. Don’t let that bitch get to you.”
“Don’t let what bitch get to you?” Hera asked when she walked into my office. Lawd, she doesn’t need to know.
I loved my baby sister, but she was on ten all the time, with little thought. I was on ten as well, but I gave it a little more thought before I reacted. My eyes closed when Jade repeated her story to Hera. I didn’t need to see my sister’s face to know the tightness that it had.
“So, my summation of that story is that this bitch needs her ass beat. Have you told Dorian that she’s fucking with you?” Hera asked her. Anger laced her tone. More than Jin’jer, Hera did not play about Jade.
Jade lifted her hands. “No, I won’t say that’s she’s fucking with me. It’s like if I happen to come somewhere that she’s at, she’ll loudly talk about him or his sex. It’s stuff like that. She taunts me. No, I haven’t told Dorian. I don’t see what that would do.”
“It would make his ass check her ass. Don’t even worry about it,” Hera said. “Hestia, the girls are arriving. All the mentors’ tables are set up. Jade, your table is amazing, girl!”
Jade showed her award-winning smile. “Thank you. I thought the good bites might have been too much, but my advisor at school didn’t think so.”
I stood from my desk to smooth out my dress. My eyes scanned the walls of my office. Our program had come a long way. Hestia and I did have a head start since we had money. We were able to build a center for our non-profit. We were blessed to have a sponsor, the Mount Olympus Riders.
Our program also required the girls to take classes around financial literacy, networking, résumé writing, and a few others. For our plans, Hera and I didn’t want to be beholden to anyone else’s lease or requirements. Again, it was about building our own tables and space. “Let’s go meet the girls.”
Meet The Future of Excellence . . .
“Ladies, you have asked amazing questions. Like my sister, Hera, said this morning that it was intentional when we created this program that each cohort begins in your junior year and finishes when you graduate high school. We want to see you to the finish line. We want to be there for the college applications, the college acceptance, and let’s be realistic, because it will happen at times, the college rejections.
I am here to tell you that rejections hurt, but they are necessary for pivots.
” I glanced around the room, then at Hera.
She stepped forward. “Okay, ladies, as you can see, we have mentors around the room set up. I know a lot of you came here with an idea of what you want to do. Some of you have no idea. That was me!” She tittered.
“I went from wanting to be a hairstylist to a realtor to a trucker—yes, a trucker—until I landed on a registered nurse.
We want you to walk around and talk to our mentors and check out what they do.
“If you’re still not sure, that’s alright. We do rotations so that you can learn more about your interest. You can sign up for three career areas of interest. Now go! Fly, my future Black women of excellence!”
The girls laughed when she flapped her wings like a bird. I started my way toward my table. On my way there, I had a question for my sister. “Why are you so silly?”
There were girls already at my table when I got there. My heart was so full to see them. We had amazing conversations. Halfway through, I had six girls sign up. That was amazing.
Our cohort only consisted of twenty girls at a time. That was a manageable headcount for us at one time. All our girls also received five-thousand-dollar scholarships at the end of the program. Our program did have criteria like any program, as well as an application and essay process.
The group of girls eventually left my table. A girl that I’d seen eyeing my table most of the afternoon finally approached it. I noted that she went up to other tables, but she didn’t seem interested. She was a pretty, chocolate girl. “Hi, how are you today?” I asked her.
“I’m fine. My name is Eloise Conners. I would like to be a surgeon eventually, Dr. Basil. I’m not sure what kind, but I do know that I want to be a surgeon.” Her confidence was bold.
I nodded. “Okay, it sounds like you know exactly what you want to do. That’s a good thing. What inspired you to want to become not just a doctor, but a surgeon?”
“When I was twelve, my grandfather got sick and needed an emergency coronary artery bypass grafting. I was scared, and I had no idea what that was. I did a lot of research and went down a rabbit hole. The surgery saved my granddad’s life.
I knew then that I wanted to do the same,” she finished with a warm smile.
I returned her smile. “Our stories on how we became inspired are similar. It was one of my classmates who got very sick.”
“Wow. I read your bio. Is it true that you’re Greek too?” After I confirmed that I was, she asked her next question. “Can you speak Greek?”
“Nai, miláo áptaista elliniká chári ston pappoú mou kai ton patéra mou. (Yes, I speak fluent Greek thanks to my grandfather and father),” I said in my native Greek language.
Her eyes bucked, and I laughed. I made sure to translate so she wouldn’t be left in the dark. “That is so cool. Silly me, all I took was Spanish.”
I giggled. “Trust me, you’ll use Spanish more than Greek,” I assured her. “Let’s get you signed up so we can get you started with the rotation.”
“Oh, I didn’t sign up for anything else. I know what I want to do.” She picked up the clipboard to write her information down. “Hopefully, I can work as hard as you and become one of the youngest surgeons in my discipline too.”
Pride swarmed in my chest. That was a great accomplishment that a lot of my colleagues said that I wouldn’t be able to do. “Eloise, I’m going to be here to make sure you do.” I leaned in toward her. In a whisper, I said, “We’re gonna give these white people hell.”