Tribulation Enchanted

On a bright Tuesday afternoon, he rolled his eyes, ready to embrace yet another disappointing day of life. Davis Gene made his way through the front door of the apartment, leaving behind the steps that mocked him on his way out. He glanced at his vehicle, a Honda Civic that had been sitting in the same spot for months ever since it became impossible for him to land a job. He drew in a long, frustrated breath as he walked along Chambers Street to the nearest Starbucks, because anything was better than sitting at home, waiting for an opportunity to get a come up as an Instagram phenomenon. Plus, ever since his mother passed away from breast cancer four years prior, he never forgave himself for wasting his time.

Davis stood on the lengthy, jumbled line, looking up every few minutes to make sure that he was getting closer to the counter.

“Next!” The barista called aloud, snapping Davis out of his depressing thoughts. “Oh, hey, umm…Can I just get a grande caramel latte with whipped cream? Almond milk, please.”

He sped through his order as his timid character set in. “Sure! No problem. That’ll be $6.84. Your name?”

“Davis,” he spoke. He shifted to the right of the counter toward the pick up section, eagerly waiting to collect his drink and leave. As he watched another busy worker release the cup onto the marble counter top, he collected it and headed for the door, hastily. As he turned back around to grab a napkin, he bumped into a tall, slender, dark skinned man with a tan Fedora on his head. Davis gripped the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger as he sighed. “Look, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to spill my drink on you. I’ll go get the napkins!” He raced towards the napkins, properly achieving the simple task he attempted to complete in the first place.

The stranger barely budged, and gracefully accepted the napkins to wipe up the stain on the shoulder of his dark brown jacket, about three shades deeper than the hat he sported. Davis’s 5’4” frame inched away from the stranger in fear of his extreme calmness. Just as he was about to leave without even purchasing a new drink, the stranger spoke with a chuckle, “I was gonna let you know that your latte mishap there was completely fine, and this jacket needs to be taken to the cleaners anyway. I’m Brantley, nice to meet you.”

Davis shook his hand, “I’m Davis, and yeah I’m sorry again. It’s just that I was in a rush. I don’t do well in public, but I really had to get out for a bit today.”

“Rough afternoon?”

“Yeah, it’s been that way.”

“You wanna talk about it, man? I don’t have much to do right now. I’ll get us both some lattes. Cool?”

“Umm…Yeah, sure. Fine with me. I left my cat at home, but he’ll be just fine.” Davis wore a smile for what felt like the first time in ages—a genuine one at that.

Brantley returned to their table with the drinks as he placed Davis’s in front of him. “Thank you for this, I owe you…and I promise I will not spill this one.”

The party of two shared a simultaneous snicker as Brantley’s eyes narrowed into fine slits as he fixed his fist underneath his chin, studying Davis. “So, Davis. Where are you from? You look like a young, successful dude out here ready for the world.”

“Ah, man…I’m far from it. I actually moved out here a few months after my mom passed…Four years and I’m still not used to New York.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, that’s life.”

“Indeed. What. exactly do you do?”

“Well, I uhh…I play the guitar. I graduated from UCLA a year before my mom passed, and I got a degree in Accounting. Never used it though,” he shrugged. “I think I came out here for a peace of mind, but like…I’m still trying to find it. I’m far from being the richest guy on earth, I don’t think I’ll ever meet my soulmate, and I want my dreams to finally be achieved when it comes to this guitar stuff, but it’s pretty tough. Feels like my entire life has been a dry season. Everything I work for just remains stagnant. Nothing significant, no friends, don’t associate with my toxic family, it’s just hard. You know?”

Brantley stared in awe while his furrowed eyebrows added more detail to his expression. Davis cleared his throat and looked down at his denim jeans before muttering, “I’m sorry. That was a lot.”

Brantley paused before emitting a response, “No, it wasn’t a lot. It was real. You know, I remember what it was like growing up in these streets. I got bullied for wearing shit that my parents worked their asses off to hand me. I was pushed around, mocked, slapped, kicked, and I would go home every single day and just cry. Every day it was like a new level to hitting rock bottom, and I’d realize that the previous day wasn’t shit compared to what tomorrow would be like. Pain. Agony. I was tired. See now, one thing my parents instilled in me at an early age was emerging from my life as an underdog to reaching my full potential in pure happiness.”

He continued, “I went to college, got a Bachelor’s degree. Headed to grad school, got a masters degree, worked until I was 38, retired, and spent the rest of my life investing. Everything I ever made was doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled, and it’s funny because…I look back over my life and I think of what I associated my full potential and pure happiness with, and I see this sum of money that has accumulated over the past couple years of my life. No kids, no wife, no one to share it with.”

Davis slumped forward, staring intently as the words fell from Brantley’s mouth. “It's funny, you go through life allowing past things to affect your entire future. Rather than, I don't know...getting therapy or something, I spent my whole life trying to be more successful than all those bullies ever imagined. Just for a ha-ha, now look at me moment.”

The two remained silent before Brantley resumed, “Look man. We may not know each other, but I want you to know that things do get better. Opportunities will present themselves, and for the love of God, separate your happiness from your financial situation, alright?” Brantley chuckled before completing his speech and taking a long sip of his latte.

Davis stammered, “S-so, I mean…what are my next steps? How do I make it out here? I just want to make it and-” Brantley interrupted him.

“Tell me something youngin’…what exactly do you live for?”

“I think I just…I wanna live the life my mom didn’t get the chance to fulfill after she got sick. I wanna live the life I know she would be proud of me living if she was still here.”

“What about your dad?”

“Never met the guy.”

“And at what point will your living be for you?” No response was given on Davis end.

“It seems like you and your mother were close. Do you really think for one second that she wouldn’t be proud of you doing what you love? She wasn’t a fan of the idea of you playing the guitar as a career, am I right?”

“That’s exactly it,” Davis cracked a slight smile, recalling the way his mother would bicker about him playing his guitar too loud.

“Regardless, I’m sure she never told you to quit, because she knew that you loved it. All I’m saying is, her lovely time on this earth came and went. Not you, nor I, nor one of those baristas behind the counter can do a thing about it. She’s at rest. Now, what will you do to make yourself happy with the time that you have left on this earth, my man?”

“I wanna play. I wanna play guitar. I wanna play for some of my favorite artists and travel the world with my cat. I wanna write music and hear songs that I produce on the radio. I wanna go back to school and get my degree in music and I want my success to speak for itself,” Davis answered, determined. He sat up right, adjusting his slumped position.

Brantley examined his features as he chimed in, “Now that’s more like it. Trust your potential and take a blind leap of faith. That is what life is all about. Enjoy what is out there for you and focus on true happiness. Having a billion dollars is great, having a billion seconds is priceless.” A stagnant pause sat between the two before another question oozed from Brantley’s mouth. “So tell me, what steps would you take toward funding this dream of yours, Davis?”

“I really wanna go back to school first for this music degree,” Davis’s words raced out of his mouth as he spoke eagerly. “I just think it would be the best time of my life, you know? Doing something I actually love! Building relationships! Getting to network and meet new people! Having doors open for me even before graduating! I can just see it now!”

“Hahaha, hey! That’s it! There’s that drive!”

“I’m gonna get off of unemployment, pick up a full time position, save for a few months or years and take care of this dream of mine.”

“Hmmm, I see. Where are you planning on going?”

“NYU for sure, but that tuition's a killer, so I’d better get started on some job applications tonight.” Both Davis and Brantley shared a warm laugh.

“I hear you, man. It feels good to see you smile. You walked up in here nervous, sad, knockin’ stuff over, I wasn’t sure what was going on,” Brantley exclaimed as they each laughed even harder. “Tell me something, how much is the tuition at NYU?” Brantley asked.

“Ah man, about…53,000 dollars. I just have to save and stuff, I’ll try to invest, you know?” Brantley nodded and smiled generously. “You know, Brantley, I almost forgot there were good people on this earth until we just had this conversation.”

“Is that so?” “Yeah. When you think about all the evil in this world and the lack of empathy that people have? I can’t even believe that we’re sitting here having such a deep conversation about life. Definitely not something I’ve experienced or have seen on a regular. I wish the world was nicer.”

“Well, you just keep on being nice to the world. It needs your personality to garnish its cruel land.”

Davis finished his latte before shaking hands with Brantley. “Hey, what direction are you headed in man?” Davis asked.

“Excelsior, my brother—ever upwards.”

Davis nodded in understanding. As they exited the Starbucks one in front of the other, Davis blurted out another statement over his right shoulder, “I just wish I had all the answers. You know? Like an every day guide.”

Brantley chuckled as he trailed behind, “Toutes vos réponses sont dans le petit livre noir.”

“Haha, what does that even mean?” Davis asked as he turned around. “Uhh…Brantley?” He looked around amidst the broad daylight only to witness children playing outside and a couple walking hand in hand. “Hey, umm…Brantley, buddy?” Davis called out, yet no one replied. A slight wind rustled as Davis stood underneath the now divine sunlight, alone and puzzled. He walked the streets in laps, going around one block and then the other, seeking the individual who’d just changed his life with a few words. He’d paced so hard that his already worn down sneakers could’ve melted into the gravel.

He found a park to sit in and reflect upon the previous hours that took place in his life. As evening made its entrance, he gave up on his impossible search and decided to head home. Davis looked over his shoulder on every block, imagining that Brantley would somehow show up. However, those hopes remained a figment of his imagination. As he approached the front door to his apartment building, he sighed and turned the knob. An unforeseen sense of encouragement featuring a tingle down his spine came about as he emerged upstairs and into his apartment. He threw his jacket down on his footstool as his cat ran towards him eagerly. “Hey you, what’s going on?” Stanley meowed as Davis grazed his rough fingers along the pet.

As he kicked off his sneakers in the dusty corner of his bedroom, he stretched and headed for the bathroom to grab his toothbrush. Suddenly he did a double take and strolled over to his bed in confusion. He couldn’t believe his eyes. He stood frozen for a minute or two before walking toward the the little black book that sat on his bed that he’d never seen before. "What the?" Davis exclaimed as he cautiously picked up the book.

His fingers glided over the rough corners of the hardcover book as the familiar tingle he’d experienced just minutes before, chilled his body. He opened the book as a check slid right onto the hardwood floor. Davis had no interest in it and instead turned to the first page of the book. He read out loud, barely over a mumble, “Lessons I've Learned During My Time There.” He turned the page again to see the first lesson in large writing—so large that it took up the entire page.

1. You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. Half of the people on social media will not be around when your soul will go to rest. Remember why you want do what you aim to do. For clout? Or to make this world go around with joy? Be you. Own you. Spread love. The world needs it.

Davis turned to page 2.

2. When it comes to relationships, don’t compromise what’s important to you. Hold your standards and boundaries. If they are turned off by this, it’s showing you they don’t need to be there.

Davis continued flipping through the pages in astonishment as he backed up into his bed, stubbing his heel.

3. Feel. NEVER deny your feelings. You’re allowed to feel. You’re allowed to stay down as long as you want but don’t be down for too long. It’s pain. It’s natural and it’s regular, like breathing. So feel, it’s alright.

4. New pain means new success. Take this setback and turn it into something beautiful. Create art out of your pain.

5. Don’t live off of others portraying false happiness on social media.

Page 6 was a mouthful for him, but he read it anyway.

6. Find time for things that find time for you. Enter worlds that you have no apology being in. Worlds of fiction and fantasy where you have the opportunity to put yourself in the shoes of those who don’t even exist. Read more often. Watch movies alone more often. Build your craft. Make a footnote before the year ends to go out and do something you’ve never expected yourself to! Go to a karaoke bar. Sing in front of strangers, no matter how ridiculous you may sound. Go to an open mic night! You have this one life with so many opportunities and every day is a chance to do something new. Go for it.

Davis proceeded to flip through the pages and take in every bit of advice from the little black book until he arrived at the final page, 100. When he read the page, his hands started to tremble.

100. You’re more capable than you think. From the minute you bumped into me, I knew that you were even more down-to-earth than you seemed to be. I was sent on a mission to see to it that every blessing you’d ever hoped for should come to fruition. I’m sure you know that it takes more than hoping. Apply these lessons, Davis.

Davis closed the book and sat on his bed in awe. He reminisced about meeting Brantley and sat in mere silence before picking up the check that fell from the book 30 minutes earlier.

Davis ran out of his apartment, went to the bank before it closed and cashed the check. He left half of the $53,000 in his bank account to be invested into thousands and then millions, while keeping the remainder in cash. He sprinted back home, ran inside and left the remaining half underneath his bed in an old sneaker box. As he sat against his bed, he pulled his phone from his pocket and launched the NYU application website. He looked up to his ceiling. “I just- I don’t even know what to say.” He chuckled, unable to finish his statement due to the amount of disbelief about his eventful day. “You know what? I’ll just say thank you.”