been easy to just uproot her whole life and move to this new city all alone. Despite the serious nature of the decision, it hadnât taken long for her to accept the offer. Naomi had been trying to get a job for months in whatever field she could, but she wanted more than anything to work in the music business. She took an extra year to finish her bachelorâs degree in liberal artsâand a âno set goalsâ minor. When sheâd finished school and those school loans were fast approaching, she had applied to every posted paid position she could find. Initially, she had wanted a job making big bucks; sheâd thought that, with a degree, her sky was the limit. She had spent four years and thousands upon thousands of dollars on this degree, and she assumed she would have no problem getting a job upon graduating. That reality had begun to fade as the months went by and there were very few callbacks and only two interviews, neither of which had led to a job offer.
Almost seven months had passed since her last interview, and she had sent out dozens more ré-sumés, when sheâd finally gotten a call for an interview in New York. Moving to New York definitely had pros and cons, but she knew it was worth pursuing. After a long journey, she had finally ended up sitting at her very own desk at a company, and she felt like she had graduated all over again. All her friends and enemies back home were so envious she would be working at a record label in New York City. She had come too far to have to start all over againâso she was willing to try anything to show Tiffany she could handle her job, fit in at the company, and be a hit in New York.
Chapter 4
âW hy is it that you seem to think everything is always about you?â Madison asked.
âWhateverâIâm not in the mood for this right now,â Jamahl replied.
âWhen are you ever in the mood to discuss anything serious? All you want to do is soar by all our issues.â
âWhatever. Iâm watching television. Can you please go back to whatever you were doing?â
Madison began to walk away and then turned back.
âNo, you arenât just going to dismiss me like Iâm some child. Iâm talking to you, and Iâd appreciate it if you would listen.â
âAnd I would appreciate it if you didnât talk to me right now.â
Madison could feel her stomach tying in knots from the frustration. She hated when Jamahl put up this wall; because he was so damn stubborn, it was hell trying to break it down.
âSo you are just going to sit here and magnify the situation by ignoring me?â
âIâm not ignoring you, and you are the one magnifying the situation. All I said is I donât want to go to some stupid event with you, and you are turning this into me being a selfish partner and thinking everything is about me. This is you making a big deal out of nothing.â
âThere you go, saying itâs nothing. It is selfish of you because itâs a work event, and I would really like you to attend with me, and you are saying no without a reason.â
âI do have a reason: I donât want to go, and I would really like it if you stopped pressuring me about it. So I think that makes you a selfish partner because you keep bothering me about it.â
Madison couldnât take it anymore. When Jamahl got like this, there was no talking to him. He was determined to be difficult and not see things from her point of view, so she just figured she would save herself any more aggravation and go back to the bedroom where sheâd been before sheâd brought all this up again.
Jamahl didnât say anything when he saw that Madison had gotten fed up and walked out of the living room. He just readjusted himself in his seat and turned the volume up some. Madison didnât turn back this time; she continued into the bedroom.
She was cuddled up reading a book, with a recorded Tyra