Hi, my name is...

So, where do we begin? My name is Soloman Sebastian. Last name, not important.

I live with my Mom and Dad in West Philly. The street I live on is real nice-lots of kids and real community focused. Two streets over though, niggas be wildin.

I live right across the street from my girl, Regina. We have been dating since like forever. Her mom babysat for my sister, Marcia and all my brothers, Benny, John, Barry and me. Regina and I being the same age and all, then on top of all that the same faith. It was kind of natural that we got together.

Fast forward, now we both are in college. She’s at this school called Hampton and I’m at CCP. Things been real shaky these past couple of weeks. The phone calls from her have been less and less. I know her girls been getting in her ear real good. Community College to them girls is like not even going to college at all. I heard them call it 13th grade.

When I picked her up a few days ago at the train station, I could really see the change. Yo, hand to God when she came up the escalator she walks right past me. I didn’t even see her. I was expecting something different. She tapped me on my shoulder and I’m like, “What?” Her hair is straight, she’s wearing make up and got on heels and that just what I ain’t used to. Straight dime.

You see, we both grew up Seventh Day and the girls I went to church with were kind of, well, plain and now my girl, Regina done went to Hampton and left Jesus and found the mall. Straight flipped the script.

So these past couple of days, I notice she has changed more than her hair. She is bossy. She has been trying to get me to transfer to Hampton. I went down there to drop her off, so I’m kind of familiar. I know I would never want to go down there. For two reasons: it’s slow as hell and the people are mad stuck up. Buses stop running shortly after the sun goes down. I just feel out of place down there. I guess I’m just too Philly.

So we’ve been fighting over stupid stuff. I just can’t do anything right. I hate arguing. Always have, so I take a walk. I leave her on her steps and walk around the block. I come in my house and there she is talking to my brother John’s girl, Ruthie. Now I got two girls on my back.

We haven’t even done it this weekend.

We both are just changing. I feel like she is just way ahead of me.