I would like more help

I promise promise promise  

I wish I wish I wish  

I could go on like this  

But none of it will exist  

I can say till I’m blue in the face that  

I would like more help  

More support  

A better way to achieve  

But I am and have always been  

My best support  

I am the first born of my parents’ children. I attended eight or nine middle schools. I was never held back for poor grades. I passed the first time through and was hoping for higher heights. So I hoped to join the Air Force to fly the F-16 fighter jets. But I got derailed again. I was disqualified at MEPS, where you go to take physical for the military. The next step would have been San Antonio-bound for Physical Training, but I was outed at the crucial part. Did that deter me? I think not.  

I have the drive to continue even when there is nowhere to turn. I graduated from high school and moved back to DC. I was in North Carolina, which is where I was born. I was discouraged at first because I did not have a backup plan. Flying fighter jets was my lifetime dream. To be turned down because I’m one-sided. My friends still have a name they call me. If you know me, you know the name.  

Anyway, I moved back to DC. I got to DC and put in application after application. There was a McDonald’s that took a chance on me. I didn’t have any experience but I learned quick.  So quick, in fact, that I was placed in the manager training program. I moved up and became crew trainer. It didn’t take long; I was there for three months.  

Then I got a call from the then-long distance company (MCI) Treasury services. I had a major account that I was in charge of. So I worked part-time for McDonald’s, since they originally took a chance on me, and I didn’t want to have them think I was not grateful. So I’m downtown in DC working in a suit, and then I go to Maryland to close the McDonald’s store at night. I didn’t stop there.   

I worked for both companies for two to three more years before I went back to school. I received a programmer certificate and an accounting certificate, COS certified. So I was offered another position inside the long distance company in Human Resources. I accepted. The pay was incredible. I was feeling unstoppable. For years it went on like this. I showed my resume to other companies; they were always interested in me. Things got boring I needed a challenge  

I didn’t know what that was gonna be. I just sort of meandered from company to company. After those first five years, I dabbled in a lot of different positions, ranging from the American Red Cross to GSA. I changed fields a few times, only to be made to feel like I wasn’t doing enough.  

So, to fast forward to today, I still have drive and ambition to challenge myself. 

But kidney cancer halted me this time. I was attending Columbus State community college and working as a contractor for three companies plus Greyhound as a baggage handler.  

I still have the drive, but I’m not as well as I would like to be. I’m slower now. The pain is sometimes unbearable. I am trying to attend American University in the fall and continue this story with a better conclusion. Something other than what I have now. Support those you second guess. You never know that person’s plight.   

To be continued……