Oct 6 Ohio

“If you’re going to live in the hood you need a hood friend” – Mom.

Those were words my mom uttered to me one day. At first I looked at her like she was crazy, but then realized that she was right. Now I didn’t live in the hood per se, but there were parts of my area that were hoodish. Yet, I don’t feel uncomfortable walking down the street. I don’t worry that something is going to happen to me. I feel very safe. I see familiar faces on my block whether they are the deli owner who refers to me as smiley girl or the homeless man who has literally built a house out of boxes on my street.

One of those familiar faces is Ohio. Note: His name has been changed to protect his identity. Ha ha. My mom refers to him as Lil Wayne because he in fact looks like Lil Wayne. From the locks to the gold teeth. We met because everyday walking home I would see him and his friends outside. Everyday he would ask me for my number and everyday I would respectfully decline. He would say he would try again tomorrow and he always did. It became a joke. I expected to see him and him me. He was a very nice guy though I believed he could be involved in some things that weren’t exactly above board. We never talked about this. One day I was going to get pizza from my pizza guy and he was walking and we talked. He had an interesting story. That’s what I love about New York. Being exposed to so many different types of people makes you more tolerant and less judgmental. It allows you to be a witness. I have met so many interesting people. Ohio and I were cool. I felt safe knowing that if anyone messed with me he would be the hood friend that had my back.