"Text Message" | Chapter 1

"Hey Babe, what're you cooking?" Jake kissed his beautiful girlfriend, Tracy, on the cheek.

"Cooking your breakfast." She giggled and nudged him playfully.

"Oh ok," he laughed, "you ready for that promotion?"

"Oh yeah! I'm just hoping that I do get it."

"Ah, you will Babe and if not I still believe in you." He said as he paged through the newspaper.

"Well I hope you're right."


As Tracy was getting ready for work, her cellphone began to vibrate.

*Buzz, Buzz, Buzzzz*

"Ok, ok I hear you!" Tracy whispered aloud, taking time out from getting ready to check it.


'It's probably Jake telling me how much he loves and misses me,' she thought.

When she picked her phone she realized that the message was from a short code. One she'd never seen before. She decided to open it to see what it said, wondering that could jog her memory.

The message read:

Those who face their Fears head on will live in eternal Bliss.

"Hmm. Well whoever it's from they sure are inspiring," She smirked, "Five-Three-Oh-Nine-Seven, hmm I wonder what this belongs to."

In the midst of getting lost in her thoughts she happened to gaze at the time and realized she needed to finish getting ready for work. She definitely didn't want to be late this morning.



"So the reason I asked the both of you to come in was because I wanted to be straight forward with my decision on who the next Senior Executive will be." Said a man's voice.

"Well Mr. Sullivan I hope you made a wise decision like you always do. I wanted to let you know that no matter what happens, there won't be any hard feelings between the three of us, Sir."

'Michael is such a kiss ass!' Thought Tracy.

"Ah, yes. Now to get down to business. This company was built on hard work, sweat, tears and integrity. The ideal candidate would need to have...." As Mr. Sullivan continued his speech, Tracy couldn't help but worry.

Even though she graduated college with high honors and been working at Sullivan, Connors, and Steele Supply and Trade Company since her junior year of college. Yes to start out as a intern and hope for a job is a big risk. She was always a good worker and overcame the obstacles and turned out to be an asset to the company. One of the youngest and smartest women in the company. She also had a firm yet pleasing personality. Even though she always was prepared for when the time would come and her ethnicity could jeopardize her bright future—she was still hopeful. Either way she knew deep down that if she didn't get it, definitely she'd try ten times harder next time and...

"Tracy."

Snapped out of her nervous trance, "Yes Sir?"

"I said congratulations Tracy, you're the new Senior Executive."

"Me? Really?"

"Yes, you've been one of my best employees and I'm proud to honor that."

As Tracy beamed with delight from ear to ear. She happened to look over at her competition, Michael. Who not only seemed devastated but actually angry.

Tracy stood up, "Thank you so much for this opportunity Mr. Sullivan. I truly appreciate it and I can wait to show you what I can do." She said shaking his hand.

"I expect nothing less from you Tracy." Mr. Sullivan smiled warmly.

"Well," Michael cleared his throat and clenched his jaw tight before smiling, "I guess the best man or woman won, hmm?" He extended his hand.

Tracy shook his hand to show she wasn't a poor sport.

"Thank you very much Michael." She smiled at him.


After Mr. Sullivan excused them both from his office. Michael stopped Tracy in the hallway.

"Tracy!"

"Yes Michael?"

"Well I just wanted to let you know you may have won the battle but you've yet to win the war. An inner-city woman as yourself shouldn't even be working in a place like this. But because someone was crazy enough to give you an opportunity to go to college. You think you're hot shit don't you? Well let me tell you, you're nothing more than a candidate for unwed mother with five kids, pregnant with baby number six. Hmmph, that's probably where you should be now with some gang banging thug. Oh no, not only do you want a white man's job, you've got yourself a white man. Not enough black men to choose from? You're so selfish for taking a perfectly good man that could've had a beautiful woman with blonde hair and blue eyes—yet he picked you." You could see the fire in his eyes.

"Let me tell you one damn thing, my mother was white and my father was black ok. Which explains my tanned colored skin. I love my boyfriend very much. But instead of trying to insult me like the child you are, Michael. Why don't you mind your business and accept defeat."

"Fine, but I won't stay defeated for too long. When that moment arrives, I'll personally make sure you're out of my way." Walking away as he bumped into her.

Tracy stood there disgusted. He wasn't the first one to throw a racial slur. Nor would he be the last to do so. She regained her composure and accepted the fact he was being more than a sore loser. She wanted to have a fairly good first day as the new Senior Executive.


Work was hard and utterly exhausting. Maybe tomorrow would good a bit smoother she hoped. As she sat in the taxi gazing out the window thinking of what to cook for dinner to celebrate or if she and jake should go out instead, Tracy's phone vibrated.

"Hmm?" She picked it up and noticed it was a text message from that short code 53097 from earlier.

She opened the text and this message read something different:

"For those that praise Jealousy and Envy; only good Karma will embrace thee."

"What does that mean?" She whispered to herself. Then she wondered it that had something to to with that argument with Michael from earlier. He needs more than Karma in his life, she thought.

As Tracy was searching for keys to unlock her apartment door she was startled by a loud thud that was followed by a woman's whimper. She looked in the direction where the noise had appeared. She remember one day in the laundry room hearing the other residents talking about the couple in C42, they always argued and fought. The husband always came home drunk and angry and the wife would spend the evening apologizing and crying. After hearing the other neighbors gossip about this odd couple. She walked past their door and wondered if it was true or not. Well now she didn't have to second guess, she came home right in the middle of it. When she finally got the door opened she dropped her keys in the dish that sat on the stand near the door. Kicked off her heels and slouched down into the sofa. As she listened to the muffled fighting from down the hall and the rustle and bustle outside. She let the sounds consume her and soon dozed off to sleep.


"Trace! Trace! Tracy!!"

"Hmm?" She groggily answered trying to find out what or who was calling her.

Before Tracy could rub her eyes to get some clarity she felt something touch her nose. She screamed and fell off the sofa. In a panic she looked for the lamp's switch to see what touched her. But a hand beat her to it.

"Babe calm down." Jake laughed at his girlfriend's frightened expression.

"Oh honey, geez you scared me! I thought a burglar was in here." Tracy got back up on the sofa as she regained her composure.

"Got you—well us—a present." Jake smiled.

He put this adorable Shih Tzu puppy in Tracy's lap.

"I thought this would be a good something whether you got the promotion or not." Jake kissed her cheek and threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Oh! Speaking of that," Tracy cradled the puppy as if it was a baby and let it nip at her fingers, "I got the promotion, I made Senior Exec!" She beamed.

"That's wonderful! Congratulations," Jaked hugged her tight, "This calls for a celebration! Let's go out to eat."

"Sounds good to me!" She smiled.


The decided to have dinner at Daniel a beautiful French Restaurant settled on East 65th Street. The ambience was very inviting yet subtly romantic. Between the gorgeous décor and the tranquility of the place. Tracy knew this was magnificent but she was sure it came with a price.

"Jake, honey, this place looks expensive." Tracy was nervous. Not only had she never been to such a fancy place but it looked like the cheapest meal here was in the hundreds of dollars.

"Did I ever tell you, you worry too much?" Jake kissed Tracy's forehead, "We have a good reason to celebrate and we shall celebrate it the right way."

As they waited to be seated by the maître d'. Tracy noticed this strange man staring at her from the bar. She didn't draw too much into it because it could've been strictly by coincidence and didn't want to make a big something over nothing.

As they were being seated. Tracy couldn't help but reminisce about the time she and Jake first met. It was back during their young adulthood years. She was working as a Barista at a local coffee shop to make some extra spending money. He was a recent college graduate with a good entry level job as a Assistant Financial Consultant. He became a regular customer when she first started working there.

"Hey Tracy!" Whispered her coworker known as Jewel.

"Yeah?" Tracy finished wiping one of the many counters clean.

"I think the double vanilla mocha alert latte guy has the hots for you." She motioned ahead of her.

Tracy looked and made that awkward eye contact as he smiled a big smile. She couldn't help but to blush and turn away.

"Jewel would you stop making up stories and things that aren't true." Tracy was so embarrassed. While Jewel giggled with glee.

One particular night they had a slow night. So the boss said they could close up the little coffee shop early and they could go home. While the girls were locking up a man approached and looked a bit disappointed.

"Closing shop, eh?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's been a slow night so the boss said we could close shop and go home early tonight." Jewel said. When she turned around to see who she was talking to she nudged Tracy.


"Hmm?" Tracy looked at her and followed what had her eyesight so fixated.

It was him. The one who always orders the double vanilla shot mocha alert latte.

"Well I best be getting home. I've got a bunch of things to do." Jewel said while she nudged Tracy a couple more times, "You kids have fun ok? But not too much fun" she clicked her tongue, giggled and dashed off down the street.

Tracy in complete shock and feeling like the biggest ass. She stood there unsure what she should do. Knowing that she had a good excuse but she couldn't really bring herself to look his way, let alone talk to him! What's a girl to do? she thought.

"Jake."

"Huh?" She jerked around and was staring him right in the face. She couldn't help but take in that he was gorgeous.

"My name is Jake. What's yours?" He smiled, while his bluish green eyes lit up.

"Um, my name? Um, m-my name, my name i-is, it's um..."

He belted out this laugh. In amazement Tracy stared at him and then got upset thinking he was making fun of her.

"What's so funny huh?" She poked out her bottom lip.

"Nothing, it's just you're so nervous that it was really cute." Jake smiled.

"Tracy. My name is Tracy." She extended her hand.

"Well Tracy the pleasure's all mine." He bent his 6-foot-5 frame down to kiss her hand.

"Oh..." She made eye contact with him wondered had she taken this much time before to look at him while she always filled his order?

"Would you like to grab a bit to eat?" Jake asked her beaming with confidence.

"Oh well, I can't really. I have homework to do. And class in the morning." She stammered and hoped he didn't perceive what she said as a lie.

"Well understandable. I'm a recent graduate myself. Graduated in the Spring from NYU."

"NYU?? How is it that I've never seen you before?" She asked perplexed.

"Well it is a big campus isn't it?" He smiled.

"Yeah I suppose it is." She giggled.

"Have you had dinner yet?" He asked.

"No, but..."

"No buts. You like hot dogs?"

"Yes." She was wondering how she got sucked into this mess.

"Good, lets go to Grey's Papaya." He grab her hand and tugged her along.

"Jake, I'm sorry but I've got a lot of homework to do and I have class in the morning. It's really nice of you to have offered but I have a lot of things to do and—"

"Did anyone ever tell you, you worry too much?" He smirked.




"Tracy, what do you want to eat?"

Snapping back into realty. Tracy opened up the menu.

"What were you so dazed about anyway?" Jake asked her.

"I was thinking about the time when we first met" she smiled.

"Yeah that was a good time. I was nervous but happy I got you to say yes." He laughed.

"You nervous? The ever so confident Jake Williamson nervous? Well that's a first!" She smiled.

"Well why wouldn't I be? I was asking a gorgeous woman out and all I could think of was rejection." He laughed.

"Oh Jake you are so full of it some times!" As Tracy looked over the menu and its prices. She could feel a knot forming in her stomach, "Jake do you see these prices?"

"Tracy, you worry too much."


After they finished their meal. Jake and Tracy decided to take a stroll in Central Park and reminisce the days they use to date. They watched the moon and the stars sail the night sky. They cuddle and kissed and did what most lovers do underneath a beautiful night sky.


"Hey Trace, can I ask you something?" Jake held her hand as they strolled closer to their apartment.

"Yeah what do you want to ask me hon?" She put her head on his shoulder.

"Well maybe it's not a question per say. Maybe more of a statement."

"A statement?"

"Yeah a statement," he stopped walking and so did Tracy. He grabbed her and looked her into her eyes, "Tracy?"

"Yes Jake?"

"Lets get married, someday..." he pulled her in for a hug, "Someday soon ok?"

Shocked and in awe. Tracy couldn't do much but to hug him back. Then she took time to let what he said sink in.

"Ok Jake."

"Good, you've made me a very happy man"

"I'm glad I make you happy Jake."

"Tracy, I love you."

"I love you too Jake."

"WELL! Now that's out of the way, you ready to see what our new baby has chewed up and pooped on?" He laughed.

"Oh my gosh, Jake! Jake don't say that, that's another mess I've got to clean up!" Tracy was agitated at the thought of their new puppy chewing up everything and using the whole apartment as one big potty paradise.

"Don't worry babe, I'll help you clean up. But the puppy poop is your duty....Get it?" He laughed.

Tracy couldn't help but giggle, "what am I going to do with you?"

"Love me like you've been doing. And love me even more after we get married."

"I suppose I can do that. But having you and the puppy, I think I may want to invest in some diapers—and a nanny." She laughed.

"Oh you're a comedienne now?"

"Yup!" She giggled.

"Ok smarty pants." Jake snatched Tracy into the lobby of their building. He couldn't help but to kiss her passionately.

"Tracy, how many kids do you want?" He asked.

"Kids?! Well I don't know." She chuckled, "Lets tend to our puppy for now. Well talk kids later ok?" She kissed.

"Fair enough." He smiled. Then kissed her again.


They kissed their way up to their third floor apartment.

Chapter 2 ⇨