1 Today is the day

bastard -- a person who was born out of wedlock, and hence often considered an illegitimate descendant.

heir- someone who inherits, or is designated to inherit, the property of another.

6.30 am

My bed feels a little empty this morning. That doesn't seem right because usually at this time I'm cuddling the heck out of my wife. But I guess that's not the case today, because she's out of bed extra early today.

Sigh! Knowing her, she's probably in the kitchen hyping up the day with some over excessive breakfast. Still, I love her for the effort she makes in trying to brighten up my mornings. So let me just find my morning smile and join her for breakfast.

"Morning babe", I greet her while walking into the kitchen. She's standing in front of the stove as expected. She constantly wears a smile on her face no matter what day it is. "Did you sleep well my hubby", she asks me. "I did for a couple hours, up until past six when you weren't by my side to cuddle the heck out of", I tell her while pulling my bottom lip.

She turns around with a plate in her hand after filling it up with a spoonful of bacon, two eggs and a slice of dry toast. "I'm sorry love", she says to me, "I just wanted to make my amazing husband an incredible breakfast today". I chuckle and exclaim to her, "someone's in a good mood today". She hands me my usual cup of black coffee, with five teaspoons of sugar that I have every morning. Afterwards she sits by the chair across the table hiding her hands underneath a piece of rag we call a tablecloth. "I have a good feeling that today is the day", she tells me. I sigh heavily, "you've been saying that for the past five years we've been married. And like always, you set your hopes too high, and only get greatly disappointed afterwards", I remind her. She takes a sip of her sugarless tea, and afterwards says to me, "well today I've got a really good feeling about it". "Well the feeling isn't so mutual, but I won't be the one to spoil your mood right now. You've got your clients to do that", I tell her. Soon after I start looking around my plate for the missing slice of toast. "So what, where on a diet from bread now?What's up with the one slice of toast today", I ask her in a slightly annoyed tone. She hangs her head down and giggles. "I don't know. Sounds like a case", she says as she pulls out the very slice from underneath the tablecloth and bites down on it. "Objection your honour", I yell at her. "Sustained", she replies. "Ugh! And isn't that the last slab of jam on that slice of toast? You cheeky piece of work", I tell her . She takes another bite of toast, and tells me, "next time wake up a little earlier and this won't happen again" .

"So I guess there's no justice for me", I claim to her. With a bright smile on her face she exclaims, "pretty much. Case closed". I push my plate in a comedic fit and tell her, "well I guess I'm not hungry this particular morning". I get up from my seat. "Jahmal Baston! You better finish your breakfast this very instant, or so help me God you're going to have a dry week", she tells me in a sharp tone. "Your threat means nothing to me because, it affects you April Osman, as much as it affects me", I tell her with a smirk on my face. April gives me a cold stare and asks me, "what's that supposed to mean". "You're a sex addict. An addict to the... cough cough", I tell her while scratching underneath my nose. "You take that back Jahmal", she demands me. "Rethink your judgment regarding my case April", I request from her. I walk up to her and go on my knee, kneeling right in front of her lap. She folds her arms, turning her head and stating "that's not possible". Well I guess my take back isn't so possible too", I tell her. I grab the piece of toast hanging out of her exposed hand, and finish the rest of it in one bite. "Hey! That's my breakfast. What am I supposed to eat now", she cries to me. "Well there's some leftover egg and bacon on my plate, so you're welcome to feast on that. Oh, and you can have the rest of my coffee. I know, I'm such an amazing husband", I state to her. "You're an asshole, thats what you are", she tells me. "Yeah but I'm your asshole, so deal with it", I boldly tell her.

"Well my asshole should know I don't like sweet things", she claims. "That's a contradiction love, because I'm the sweetest thing in your whole world", I say to her. I get up making my way to the bathroom to get ready for work, but April stops me in my tracks.

"Well, can this sweet asshole of mine give his wife some sugar", she pleads to me with a smile on her face. "Okay Mrs Osman", I tell her as I make my way to her soft lips. April punches me in the stomach and yells out, "stop calling me by my maiden name". I let out a painful grunt and respond with, "oh! You want me to call you by your home name. Okay, Buttermilk".

April has mixed feelings towards that particular nickname I gave her while we were still dating. She says, "I really need to grow out of it". But I refuse to let that name grow out of me.

"Sigh! Just kiss me already and get out of my face with your annoying face", she tells me with a grunt. "Okay Buttermilk", I tell her while giving her three goodbye kisses. She just rolls her eyes. As I walk off she tells me, "I'm telling you babe, today is the day".

"Yeah, yeah, yeah", I respond with while walking off to the bathroom.

7.30 am

As always, I'm the first one at work. The early bird at this so called professional bank.

Which is really scary, because I get to work before my bosses most of the time. And I'm so convinced that they don't like me for that.

I've been working as a banker for the past five years. The most committed employee here, despite him hating this freaking job . It wasn't the career I particularly dreamt of doing. But due to my hard life, it's what I have to do to keep food on the table. And for all the commitment I've given to this bank, I really deserve a promotion, as April always says. She's right though, but the people I work for are just greedy corporate pigs who care more about themselves than for any of their employees. But hey, today is the day as April says. So maybe I'll finally get that promotion I rightfully deserve.

8.30am

My bosses eventually arrive to work, and by the stare down we give each other as they walk into the boardroom, this is going to be an eventful day.

"Today is the day", a voice cries out in the background. I turn my chair to face the person and notice its one of my closest white friends Trevor. "I'm telling you man, today's gotta be the day these idiots promote you my good friend", Trevor boldly states. I start twiddling with a blue pen in my fingers and tell him, "oh yeah! Maybe it's another day of them giving me some pointless task, or some poor excuse to cut my pay this month or even better. They tell me their cutting my health benefits. You know these guys Trevor. They live on your misery like it's oxygen", I remind him. Trevor scratches the back of his head, and reluctantly says to me, "uhm maybe you should have a little more faith". As soon as he says that, my eyes grow thin and into a cold stare. My voice grows husky and annoyed as I tell Trevor, "right! And how's that been working out for you", I ask him.

I turn my focus back to the work spreadsheet on my laptop screen that I've left hanging for the past thirty minutes.

Trevor and I have been good friends since forever. We're not the best when it comes to having a lot in common, but we have just enough to make us good friends. Trevor knows a bit about my tough upbringing, so to him that's enough to put us on the same boat riding the waves of this great ocean called Life. But I'd like to think differently about the matter. Because compared to my tough upbringing, and his struggles with his demanding but loving parents, we're basically on two different boats heading in different directions.

At least he doesn't get asked the question of, which one, whenever referring to a mother. But I still love the guy, He's one of the loyal friends, and the very few of them left.

"Jahmal Baston", the boss's secretary screams across the room. "The bosses want to see you in the boardroom now", she finishes off saying. Trevor with a cheery smile and shoulders lifted high in excitement exclaims, "today is the day my buddy".

I roll my eyes and walk off to the boardroom

"Mr Baston, please take a seat", one of the old bosses tells me to do. All five of them sit in an exact straight line facing you, in the manner of deciding your very fate. Amongst the five bosses are the four founders of this fine establishment, the old bosses. And of course the final boss is one of the old bosses spoiled son Michael, sitting in the final seat. Everyone agrees that he doesn't deserve to be sitting in that seat. But try telling that to Daddy's little boy and you'll end up being cut off of all your health benefits and working by the printers for the next three months. Michael and I have never seen eye to eye from the get go. It's probably because he has this irrational fear that I could take his position in a matter of seconds, and be his daddy's new favourite employee. But truth be told, I don't have any interest in taking his position or being all goodie goodie with his dad. It feels like a lot of effort to be making just to keep a position, so Michael can keep it.

One the bosses clears his throat and opens up by saying, "Mr Baston. You've been a really loyal and committed employee at this here bank. You've never shown up to work late, kept your nose clean in your everyday doings at work and really have been an all out good employee".

"Thank you sir for noticing", I interrupt him by saying. The boss pushes his glasses backwards to make them sit properly on his nose. "Yes well. Mr Baston, considering the family name you carry and how much power and respect it carries with it. One could say you're a great asset anyone could have in their business. And I could honestly agree. The Bastons are a family I highly respect. But I only respect those Bastons who were born of more conventional means, rather those being born of questionable affairs. Henceforth a Bastard of the family" , the boss states while looking at me over his glasses.

My flesh fell cold and uneasy by that statement. And my anger for that title I was given as a child started to fester. Bastard of the family, how I hated being called that.

"So it pains me to say this JAHMAL, but were letting you go due to financial reasons. And really for the sake of our company's brand name. We cant be known by our customers for hiring the bastard of the family. You understand don't you", the boss asks me. I looked at all the faces in the room, and focused mainly on Michael. I could tell he had something to do with this, and the cheeky smirk on his face was proof enough.

With whatever pride I had left, I picked myself up from my seat and walked off without batting a final word to any of the bosses.

I headed back to my work station and started to pack my belongings. Trevor found me there, and with a cheery smile claimed, "moving up with the new promotion I see". I turned my hanging head towards Trevor and with unenthusiastic eyes breathed out heavily and went back to packing my things. I could feel Trevor's face drop from the realization, and all he could repeat was, "no they wouldn't".

I grabbed the box that held my belongings and told him, "yeah! They did". I headed to the exit, but I was soon stopped halfway there. Trevor made an announcement to the whole building, "listen up your money grabbing pigs. You don't know what you've lost till you've thrown it away". Michael came out of the boardroom stating, "Trevor sit your ass down or we'll end up throwing your monkey ass out too". "Don't worry! You don't have to make the effort because if you don't want Jahmal then you don't want me too. So I quit", Trevor yells.

I look at trevor with widen eyes asking him, "what are you doing man. Your parents won't like this one bit". Trevor starts packing his belongings in a similar box like mine and tells me with a laugh, "as my good friend Jahmal would say, they can deal with it. Now lets get out of this damn place. I've always found it too damn cold in here on any given day".