"Your skin like dawn

Mine like musk

One paints the beginning

of a certain end.

The other, the end of a

sure beginning." -Maya Angelou

A tired, restless and overworked woman walked down the street after exiting her car, heading towards the direction of a school that just spent upwards of 7 hours teaching her son and daughter the basic foundations of knowledge, all the while holding a cellphone to her left cheek as she spoke to someone on the other line.

She sounded exuberant, reserved and even a tinge cheerful.

"That's great," she said, "Honestly I really needed to hear some good news today. I'll tell Zekito and Flora as soon as I pick them up."

"Speak of the devil," she thought as she disconnected the call, watching her two children walking in tandem, holding hands, smiling gleefully as they saw their mother.

"Mami," said the boy, "Flora got asked out by a boy today!"

"God, shut up Zeke." Flora said as she stared daggers into his eyes.

Their mother smiled as she gestured them to follow her to their car. "I have big news for you two," she said to them as they all entered the car.

"Did you get me the dog I keep asking for?" The young boy, Ezekiel asked.

"God, I hope not. I'll be the one feeding the damn thing when you get tired of it." Replied Flora as she shoves Ezekiel lightly, slightly miffing him.

Unable to contain herself any longer, their mother looked back at them and said "I finally found us an apartment of our own!"

The kids looked at her lovingly and smiled as they nodded in agreement.

"So we don't have to live with grand tia and all those other people in that crowded house anymore?" Flora questioned as she opened her backpack to look for a pencil to get a head start on her math homework.

"Nope," their mother said as she began to drive, "we move next week!"

"Whe...where are we going?" Ezekiel asked.

"Are we staying in... the same school?"

"I'm sorry sweetie," Their mother answered, "We're moving to New York City. Your aunt Sierra got us our own apartment right next to hers, I'm going to be working at her shop..."

"Wait," Interrupted Flora as she looked up from her homework, "aunt Sierra? Isn't she like a witch or something? Are we really gonna live with her?"

"She is NOT a witch," their mother said as she waited for a red light to turn green, "show her some respect, she is like a sister to me. It is because of her and her family that I'm not..."

She stopped talking as she looked at her two little ones through the rear view mirror, subtly realizing she had never really talked to her children about her 'interesting' past.

"You're not what mom?" Flora asked.

"No...nothing sweetie," their mother answered' "just show her some respect. She's really helping us out and I..."

"But... New York mom?" Flora inquired. "Couldn't we just maybe talk with dad..."

"NO!" their mother yelled. "We are not asking him for help ever again, I can't see you two looking so disappointed again. Every time he tells you that he will do something for you, then later... Doesn't do it, I can see the dissapointment you both feel. I'll let him decide when he wants to step up and really help. Until then, it is my job to make sure you two are fed, happy and healthy. I'm... Trying guys, I really am."

The kids sat there quietly for a minute or two.

"Thank you mami." Ezekiel said.

"Thanks mom," Flora also said, adding "we know you are. I guess we're gonna be New Yorkers now. Cool."

The car eventually stopped by their soon to be former home as the kids hopped out of the car and ran inside. Suddenly the tired, restless, and overworked woman's cellphone rang.

"Maritza," the voice on the other line spouted, "I just talked with the landlord over the phone about your apartment. Do you plan on bringing any furniture? The last tenant left everything there, but he said he found a ton of bedbugs, so he's throwing it all away..."

"We don't really have anything Sierra," Maritza responded, "I barely made enough at my job to pay for food and the freaking rent your mother made me pay. We have three air Mattresses and a thirty-two inch flat screen TV."

"Well," Sierra said through the phone, "guess I gotta give you an advance on your pay. You're lucky I love you cuz. Now I gotta go, get your butts over here, we gotta go shopping."

Sierra then hung up, and Maritza slowly put the phone back in her purse.

"Thank you God," She said as she walked towards the house, enjoying the breeze as her thoughts became clear:

life is finally getting better.