CHAPTER 1​
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FAMILY BUSINESS
Four years ago
June 2010
San Antonio, Texas
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Nina always felt out of place. “You’re a haystack in a needle” is the painful point her dad would consistently poke her with. He’s a tall, lanky man who loves two things dearly—basketball and using phrases like “a needle in a haystack” in the wrong context, but, of course, Nina couldn’t tell him that. When she did, he would run his fingers through his thick afro, rub his scruffy beard, then point to all the trophies on the wall, and spew his favorite rebuttal, “All-time leader in steals, Nina. Never forget that.” It never made sense, but neither did he, so she let him be.
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Both parents were former basketball players and proudly hung their high school trophies around their lowly two-bedroom apartment. Her mom was a woman of few words, but when she spoke, her voice carried weight, wrapped in a Southern twang. It was either “no, child,” or Nina’s personal favorite, “child, please.” There was something about her mom’s Southern twang that made “child, please” sound good even when Nina didn’t get what she asked for. Her mom was tall and slim, with silky-smooth hair that she faithfully had pressed on the first of every month. It was one luxury she allowed herself, even if it meant saving up for weeks. It was hard to believe she played basketball until the Spurs games came on television, and she turned into Coach Popovich. She “child, please’d” the players to death too and, sometimes, ended up sweating out her silk press.
Like most kids, Nina thought her parents were a little strange, but she loved them despite their major differences. Nina is short, curvy and never made a sports team. Her parents wore the San Antonio Spurs’ silver and black proudly—they even painted the house gray (silver was too vibrant). Nina loved vibrant colors, especially gold. Her parents say it’s from their time in California, where the Los Angeles Lakers influenced her. The family moved a lot but always to warm states like California, Texas, and Georgia because they hated snow. Nina, however, loved snow despite never living in a state that snowed.
There wasn’t a single book in the house outside of the one Nina brought home from school. Nina doesn’t recall her parents ever reading, not even a newspaper or magazine, but Nina is fascinated by books and recalls hearing bedtime stories every night when she was younger.
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One night, as Nina watched her mother prepare her hair before bed, she finally mustered the courage to ask what had been on her mind. Her mom was a tough woman, as cool as the steel gray walls of their two bedroom apartment, but Nina felt like she needed to ask.
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“Why don’t you read to me anymore?”
Her mother paused mid-stroke, comb in hand, her reflection in the mirror meeting Nina’s gaze. She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned and looked her daughter up and down, sizing up her question.
“Nina, child,” she said as her voice dropped low. She continued,
“What you wanna know that for?” Her words were calm but carried the same finality she always had. They meant—be careful what you ask and even more careful what you wish for.
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Nina hesitated, realizing she wasn’t sure herself, but something about her mother’s silence around books, words, and stories made Nina want to know them more.
“I don’t know. I just…liked it when you used to tell me stories. The bedtime stories.” Her mom’s expression softened for just a moment before she leaned in, laying a hand gently on her shoulder.
“Ain’t no need for all that story business no more. You’re grown now. Besides, life got its own stories,” she said, brushing her hand across Nina’s face. She continued “You just gotta live it.”
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Nina sighed, sensing the end of the conversation. But then her mother’s voice floated back as she returned to her hair. She continued, “Life don’t come from no book, child. It’s out here, real and tough.”
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As they prepared for bed, Nina realized that to her mom, bedtime stories were just another kind of luxury—nice for children but not necessary for the grown-up world she herself had known for too long. That day, Nina saw something in her mother—the steel she always had, the quiet pride she wore, and a life that maybe didn’t allow much room for stories. But Nina promised herself she’d always make room for reading.
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Something she had a problem reading was her mother’s lips when she gave her directions because of her teeth. There lies the biggest gap between them. Her parents had pearly, white teeth, while Nina had a gap big enough to stick her tongue through and what many called a crooked smile. She begged them for braces for four years, but every year, she got the same response.
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“Child, please…we ain’t got no money for no braces,” her mother would reply. But like her father would always say, “Fifth time’s a charm.”
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Her fifth attempt was supposed to happen on her thirteenth birthday, but she was extremely anxious about asking and even more afraid of hearing the same response from her mom, so she tried to get her dad onboard first.
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One Saturday night, Nina shuffled into the living room, only to find her dad glued to a Spurs game. She took a spot on the couch, hopeful but hesitant. It had been a week since she’d last asked about braces, and she had a plan if she could get him to see it like a play, a solid strategy, maybe she could convince him.
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Her dad loved basketball in a way that made every other part of life seem small, simple, almost irrelevant. To him, the world was a court, people were players, and any situation could be solved with the right play. Whenever he was home, a game buzzed in the background, sometimes two or three on different mediums—one on the television, one on the radio, and another on the computer he didn’t fully know how to work yet. He would sit on the floor and stretch his long legs across the living room carpet. His legs stretched out like a shadow, and he wore his old college jerseys around the house, always making comments about how he could’ve done better than the NBA players today if he’d been given a fair chance.
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“Hey, Dad,” Nina said as she slid off the couch and onto the floor.
“What’s up, baby girl,” he replied without looking away from the screen. He continued, “You see that defense? Locked down, just like life—sometimes, you gotta hold your ground.”
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She nodded, not quite sure what that meant, but seized her chance.
“So…you know how I’ve been wanting braces?” He glanced over with one eyebrow raised.
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“Oh, that again? Nina, braces are like a risky trade. You gotta be sure they’ll pay off.” He paused, flicking his fingers like he was preparing to deliver her his wisdom. He continued, “You can’t see the trees for wood, Nina.”
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“Mmmmm, that’s deep,” she responded without actually knowing what he meant.
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“You can’t be so involved with the big picture that you forget the small important details. You know who focuses on the details? Him,” he said as he pointed to the television.
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“Manu Ginobili?”
“Wait, the screen just changed.”
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They both waited in silence as the screen cut from person to person. She looked at him, then back at the television several times. Her eyes widened as she grew annoyed with the pause. She tried not to show it on her face but couldn’t help but break the silence.
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“Hello?”
“Wait for it…no, not him, not him. Ah! There he goes! Coach Pop. That’s a man of great detail. You think he cares about his teeth? No! That man’s teeth are his teeth, all natural.”
“Dad,” Nina said, trying not to roll her eyes.
He continued, “Don’t worry about that gap, Nina—play your game! Don’t focus on the big picture stuff, or you’ll miss the important details. Do you know what’s the most important part about teeth?”
“What?”
“That you have ’em!”
“But, Dad, I get made fun of for my teeth. People say all kinds of things about them.”
“Just imagine what they’d say if you didn’t have any at all.”
She sighed, glancing at the trophies glistening on the wall, his small shrine to his high school days. She could tell by his distant look that his mind was already drifting back to the court, to buzzer-beaters, to past victories. To him, her braces were just another fumble, a blip on the way to the hoop.
Resigned, Nina leaned back, realizing that today was not her day. His current world is a court, a game, and she was just trying to make it through the first quarter.
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Nina laid down to sleep that night, thinking of ways to sway their decision. She began talking to herself.
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Maybe I should go back to Dad. How can I sway him onto my side? There has to be a basketball argument that I can make…something that can make him change his mind. Or maybe Mom…but she’s tough. Is there a silk press joke I can make to help her understand? Nah, she hates jokes.
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Compelling thoughts rained in her head and eventually flooded her mind to the point where she could no longer sleep. Filled with angst and a clouded mind, Nina decided to get up and turn her thoughts into actions. She slowly got out of bed and turned her room light on. Nina walked over to her mirror and projected a big kiddish smile. She examined her gap and teeth. The more she looked, the more her smile shrunk. This shrinking continued until her mouth closed.
“Here goes nothing,” she mumbled.
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Nina peaked her head out of her room door and leaned into the hallway but saw no one. She took another step into the hallways and saw the room lights beaming through the bottom of their door. Her parents always turn the lights off before sleeping or leaving, so they have to be awake. She left her room and slowly crept toward her parent’s bedroom. She carefully leaned her head toward the door trying to hear any conversations between the two.
Nina heard a sound that resembled papers shuffling but no words from her parents. She raised her hand to knock on the door but was stopped when she heard her mom’s voice.
“It’s not here. You sure you know where it is?” her mom asked.
“Yes, it was in the files we took from the Dobbs,” her dad responded.
“Well, you need to find it then.”
“I know.”
“We already strapped for cash.”
“I know.”
“And if we don’t find it, we’ll have to change how we’re running the family business.”
“I know.”
“You know, you know, you know. You know everything except where it is.”
“Your complaining isn’t helping.”
“I’m not complaining. I’m trying to help you.”
“It’s not helping. It’s stressing me out.”
“You’re stressing me out. All the paperwork has been in this room. Did you bring someone in here?”
“Why would I do that?”
“You tell me. You’re the one making friends all up and down the neighborhood.”
“I have one friend here.”
“I know, that boy next door.”
“Dennis? He came over to watch the game.”
“Did you let him use the bathroom?”
“No. Besides, he’s dumb as rocks. He don’t know a dime from a dame.”
“What?”
“Never mind,” he said as he waved her off.
He shuffled through a few more papers before grabbing a small card from a pile. He held it up as if he found a pot of gold and continued, “This should work.”
She walked over and grabbed the small card from him.
“We can’t use this. It says Essie,” she replied.
“But it has the information we need. Look, both IDs are right there.”
She continued to examine it—trying to grasp his vision. He continued, “Dennis knows a guy that knows a guy. If we give him this, he can get us what we need.” He could tell by her silence that she was in agreement. She handed the card back to him. He began to smirk and continued, “Your tongue’s with the cat?”
“You mean cat got your tongue. And no, the cat does not have my tongue,” she said in a corrective tone. She continued, “How soon can he do it?”
“Tonight. I can go over there now.”
“It’s late.”
“He lives next door. It’ll only take a minute.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Okay, but let them know we don’t have any money.”
“I will. He owes me a favor anyway.”
Nina speed-walked back to her room and shut the door. She listened through the door until her father left. He rushed out of the house and out of the front door.
She stepped back into the hallway and saw the light from her parent’s bedroom still on.
“Now it’s one-on-one,” she said as she made her way back to their bedroom door. Nina got to the door and raised her hand to knock, but the bedroom lights turned off before she made contact with the door.
“Noooo,” she pleaded silently. Motivated to get an answer, she decided to knock anyway.
“I’m sleeping,” her mom said quickly from the other side of the door.
“It’ll be quick,” she cried.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Nina turned and took a walk of shame back to her bedroom and shut the door. She walked back over to the mirror and took another long look at her teeth.
“Maybe the sixth time’s the charm,” she said as she went to turn off the lights. She grabbed her headphones, plugged the cord into her phone, and then hopped into her bed. She scrolled through her music, selected the song “Crooked Smile” by J. Cole, and clicked the repeat button. She lay with her eyes closed, listening to the song. She continued, “Or maybe there’s no charm at all.”
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Nina woke up the following morning to the sight of her parents standing next to her bed. They were talking, but she couldn’t hear them because the music was still playing. Her mom grabbed her phone and paused the music.
“Happy birthday, baby girl,” her dad said with the blindfold in his hand.
“Happy birthday, Nina,” her mom followed up.
“What’s the blindfold for?” Nina asked.
“It’s for you to put on,” he responded.
“Why?”
“We have a surprise for you,” her mom stated. Before she could respond, her dad quickly tied the blindfold around her head.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Well, it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you now, would it?” her mom responded. She continued, “Go get the car ready while I help her get dressed.”
Her dad exited the room, and she quickly swapped out Nina’s pajamas for black sweats and a gray hoodie. Her mom placed the headphones back in her ears, restarted the music, and then guided her out of their home and into the car. Nina stayed silent, enjoying the music for about fifteen minutes before she started to worry. She paused the music.
“Okay, where are we going? We’ve been in the car for an hour,” Nina exclaimed.
“It has not been an hour. It’s barely been fifteen minutes,” her mom rebutted.
“Well, it felt like an hour. And I can’t see—I’m getting dizzy. Can I take this thing off?”
“Leave it on. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?”
“You’ll see! We’re pulling into the parking lot now,” her dad said. Her dad parked the car, and they both helped Nina out of the car and into the building.
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They walked in together—her dad on her right and her mom on her left. Nina heard the sound of a sliding door and felt a cold breeze immediately after. She was guided to a seat by her dad and began to hear a multitude of sounds—from cries to laughter, machine noises, parents talking to their young kids, and more. The sounds were short lived as her dad lowered the blindfold to also cover Nina’s ears along with her eyes.
“Don’t want to ruin the surprise,” he explained. Nina started thinking of all the places they might be.
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Are we at Bobby’s? (a popular diner the family visits frequently). No, we can’t be. I would’ve heard the bell when I walked in. Plus, their seats are way better, and I would have definitely smelled the food by now. It sounds like a mechanic shop, but why would we be at a mechanic shop? I don’t have a car…I can’t even drive. Oh my god! What if we’re at a pet shop? What if they’re getting me a pet? Owww, I love dogs. I want a dog! But wait…I don’t hear any animals. Dang…I hope they’re not getting me a goldfish. Or maybe all the animals are in the back…I don’t know. I’ve never been to a pet store. Oh! Maybe we’re at an amusement park! I’ve never been to one, but everyone tells me it’s really fun.
“Nina Anderson!” a woman screamed. Nina could barely hear it but felt her dad pushed her toward the voice.
“Here!” he yelled back at the woman. She was then guided through several hallways, taking a right, then left, then right again, followed by two more lefts.
“We’re almost there,” her mom reassured. They finally entered a room, and Nina was placed into a reclined chair.
“You ready?” her mom asked.
“Yes, I’m about to throw up from all those turns we took,” Nina said.
“All right, take it off!”
Nina removed the blindfold and began to look around. She saw a short, thick Asian woman in a white coat.
“Hello, Nina. I hear that it’s your birthday.”
“Yeaaahhh,” Nina said as she ignored the woman and scanned the room. It did not take her long to recognize where she was at.
“Really?” she asked as she turned to her mom and dad. She continued, “The dentist? I get clean teeth for my birthday?”
“That’s not all you’re getting,” her mom followed up.
“Let me guess…I get a toothbrush and floss as well.”
“That’s not all,” her dad chimed in.
“Hi, Nina, I’m Doctor Hill. I’ll be your orthodontist today.”
“Orthodontist?”
“Yes, I’ll be applying your braces today.”
“Braces?” she yelled as she sat up in the chair. She continued, “I’m getting braces?”
“Yes, you’re getting braces!” Dr. Hill confirmed.
Nina jumped out of the chair and smothered both of her parents with love.
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“Thank you so much! This is the best day of my life!” Nina yelled. She then stepped back from her parents and handed her phone to her mom.
“What’s this for?” her mom asked.
“I have to do a before and after,” Nina said. She shared her big, kiddish smile with the room, and her mom captured it on camera.
“Let me see?” she asked before receiving the phone from her mom. She continued, “Can you get this printed for me?”
“Of course,” her mom responded.
“Time to finally say goodbye to my crooked smile,” she said before hopping back into the chair. She continued, “I’m ready, Dr.
Hill!”
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Her gap and largest insecurity was finally closed. She took a final photo after the braces were applied, and as promised, her parents printed the before photo, which she kept in her wallet as a reminder of her parents’ love. Nina looked at it whenever she was upset with them or felt unloved, indifferent or like “a haystack in a needle.” It was a symbol of their love and sacrifice because she knew they didn’t have the money, but they made a way.
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Despite seventeen years of sacrifices from her parents and hours of staring at her photo from the day she got braces, Nina struggled to trust her parents when it came to her future. Her parents have failed to shed light on the mysterious family business they vaguely mention. Apparently, it was what they do for a living, but she had no real proof that it’s actually what they do, nor what the business entails. They agreed to share everything once she turned eighteen, but she was no longer willing to allow the secrecy of the business to impact her life any longer, especially with graduation coming up.
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The uncertainty of her upcoming graduation made her think back to her first graduation thirteen years ago. The first time the family business impacted her in a negative way.
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