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last to leave. I dedicated every single day, every single hour of hard

work to my sister. I worked three jobs trying to make as much

money as I possibly could. I was going to go back for my sister. So

many times she had saved me, it was my time to do the same for

her. I owed her that if nothing else.

And I did it. I kept my promise. I became one of the best if not

arguably THE best. 1994 I was making $3.75 an hour at

McDonald’s and by 2001 I was earning $75,000 per year at Roy’s. I

was ready to go get my big sister, but no one could find her. No

one knew where she was. By then I had a car and could get around

a lot better. I wanted Selima to know that I was good and meet her

niece because by then I’d already had my firstborn. After months

of searching and phone calls, I had started to give up. I remember

thinking that maybe the streets had claimed her for good, that

maybe she was dead. So, I did what I knew how to do best. I killed

her off in my head. I didn’t think about Selima for years. That was

the best coping mechanism for me, blocking things out. I was

thinking the worst.