Sometimes, the toughest obstacle in the black man's path to success isn't the white man, it's a negative black female. How else would you explain my situation at work? My name is Alexandre Vincent. All my life, I've been the good brother. The hard-working, law-abiding and church-going on you seldom hear about. I'm a firm believer in higher education as perhaps the best ( if not the only ) way for the forward-thinking brother to move forward in western society. Brothers should stop trying to be rappers and athletes and instead get with the program and stick with education. The world would be better off, don't you think?
My parents, Louis and Genevieve Vincent are Haitian immigrants who came to Ontario, Canada, in the early 1980s. They instilled in me a lot of ambition and drive. And it totally worked. Let's look at the results for a moment, shall we? Bachelor's degree in Criminology from Carleton University, and Law degree from the University of Toronto. Not bad for a twenty-seven-year-old black man living in Canada, eh? I started working for the Law firm of Harrington, Tremblay and Rahman in August 2012. One of the top criminal defense firms in Toronto, Ontario, it was founded in 1990 by three law school buddies.
The Law firm has an interesting history. A pair of distinguished white Canadian lawyers, Lucas Harrington and Jean Pierre Tremblay, joined forces with their old pal Abdul Rahman, a Somali immigrant who once made headlines as President of the Law Review at McGill University. Together they founded the firm, and it's been booming ever since. I'm one of the forty three attorneys working for them. They have offices in Ottawa, Hamilton, Montreal and Quebec City, and they're thinking about expending into Calgary. How cool is that?
I was fortunate enough that when I first got hired by the firm, the only black senior partner, Mr. Abdul Rahman, took me under his wing. Even though Mr. Rahman is Somali and a card-carrying Muslim and I'm a Haitian-Canadian Catholic, we totally bonded. The old man taught me much about how to practice law as a black man in Canada's biggest and most racially diverse metropolis, and about life. In many ways, he became the mentor I long sought but never had. I looked up to him, man. I really did. No matter how educated you are, you can't know the unwritten rules of the game until an old pro teaches them to you. Sometimes, what makes or breaks a case for the attorney assigned to it has nothing to do with their knowledge of the law. How you dress, who you know, and how you are seen by the opposition, the jury and the judge himself, all those things matter. Juries don't side with the truth or the law, they side with the victims ( or defendants ) and the attorneys they happen to like. How else would you explain how a clearly guilty racist punk like George Zimmerman is ( for now ) still free while OJ Simpson is in jail?
Yeah, the good Mr. Rahman taught me all these things. He hooked up with this awesome Lebanese tailor, Marcus Suleiman, who got me a whole new line of fancy suits for just about every occasion. While other rookie attorneys at the firm did the backbreaking work of combing through files for the big bosses upstairs, Mr. Rahman showed me the beauty of Toronto and gave me priceless tips. The man is truly beneficent. Unfortunately, I hadn't counted on his daughter. Remember, at the start of the story, I said that a tough obstacle often found in the black man's path to success is the negative black female? I was referring of course to Yasmina Rahman, Mr. Abdul's daughter.
When the esteemed Mr. Abdul Rahman left the Toronto branch of the firm to look into opening a new one in Calgary, there was a power vacuum which his daughter, thirty-year-old hotshot attorney Yasmina Rahman stepped in to fill. Ever heard the term rain maker? That's the seemingly invincible young attorney who's raking in victory after victory in the courtroom. Miss Yasmina Rahman has the distinction of being the firm's only rainmaker. You see, she's tried thirty three cases in her career...and she hasn't lost a single one. Considering she's a black woman attorney in a racist place like Toronto ( don't let the multicultural bullshit fool you, Canada's largest and most racially diverse metropolitan area is full of bigots ) that's doubly impressive.
Now, when I heard that my former boss daughter was going to be my new boss, I was quietly thrilled. Talent runs in the family, I thought as I looked at Yasmina Rahman's picture on the company database. I'm still a rookie but after winning six out of six cases I'd been assigned, I was rising in the ranks. My only rival was Liam Bosworth, this red-haired white dude from Kingston, Ontario, who joined the firm six months before I did. Like all the white guys at work, all he seems to do is smoke cigars, ski and talk hockey, and he's surprised that I'm outpacing him when it comes to actual work. Another reason I dislike him is that he's a University of Ottawa Law school grad, and as a Carleton University graduate, I cannot stand the breed. Our schools have been rivals in academia and athletics for decades...
Anyhow, I showed up at work bright and early Monday morning, only to find Yasmina Rahman in my little office. Dressed in a stylish dark gray business suit, white blouse and dark gray silk pants, the tall Somali lady looked pretty good. Her long black hair cascaded on her shoulders. I love Somali women's natural hair. More sisters should go that way. Hello Vince, Yasmina Rahman said, her big brown eyes wide and unfriendly. Miss Rahman I don't believe we've met, I said, smiling warmly at her and extending my hand for her to shake.
After an uncomfortable span of time, Yasmina Rahman finally shook my hand. You now work for me and I've got work for you, she said, dropping a thick file on my desk. I looked at the file, then cleared my throat before opening my mouth to ask her for further details but she was already walking out of my office. I stood there, feeling irked by the way she disrespected me. Yet I couldn't help staring at her thick ass as she waltzed out of my office, practically sashaying that ass from side to side like a pendulum of temptation. What is it with them Somali women and their mesmerizing asses? Hot damn. Yasmina Rahman is definitely a stuck-up bitch and I knew that, from that day onward, I've had to be careful around her. Still, I couldn't stop thinking about that ass...
Little did I know that my antagonistic relationship with Yasmina Rahman was just beginning. Over the next few months, this broad continued to assign me menial tasks, bug the hell out of me and generally speaking, make my life miserable. If any white manager, male or female, had done that to me, I would have either quit or filed a complaint with the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Yet I refused to give in. I wouldn't be run out of the firm, especially not by this annoying black bitch! I decided to stand up to her. Yasmina isn't the first person to antagonize me in the workplace, and she won't be the last...
Things came to a head between us at the office Christmas Eve Party. It was the last place where I expected to find her, since she's Muslim and all. The office party was held at Toronto City Hall, in a wing rented by the firm. There we were, attorneys, with our wives and husbands, and in some cases, girlfriends and boyfriends, celebrating the holiday with champagne and caviar. I'd come alone, since I basically have no life but I thought I might meet a cutie or two, for the firm has a habit of inviting former clients and their consorts to these events. I looked pretty good in my tuxedo, and I had a glass of red wine in hand. I'm not a big drinker but it's a party, you know?
I was in the middle of conversation with Dylan Croaks, an old white dude who'd been a senior associate with the firm for at least a decade. He was going on and on about his daughter Mildred moving to Atlanta, Georgia, to be with some black guy she met while at a local university. The nonsense of today's youth, Croaks kept repeating, mostly to himself. I wanted to tell the racist old white dude to go fuck himself. I mainly date black women and the occasional Asian or Hispanic woman but I don't have a problem with interracial relationships. I've seen black guys with white chicks and black women with white dudes. Doesn't bother me either way. To each his own, you know?
Just as I was ready to either punch Mr. Croaks or duck out with a lame excuse, guess who came to my rescue? The last person I expected. Yasmina Rahman. The tall, statuesque Somali gal showed up at the party, and stole the show. Clad in a sparkly short red dress and carrying a designer handbag that must have cost my salary for the year, she looked like a princess. Hello Vince, she said, looking me in the eyes. With the snap of her fingers she dismissed Croaks, who skulked away. I looked at Yasmina, mesmerized. The old buzzard was bugging you with his usual racist nonsense, she said. It wasn't a question. I was this close to cussing him out, I said, rolling my eyes. Yasmina smiled. There's life in you I'm glad to see, she laughed. I looked her up and down. Thanks for that, I quipped. Yasmina grinned, and gently touched my arm. You owe me Vince, she said in a sexy drawl that sent shivers down my spine.
For the rest of the evening, Yasmina and I talked. I don't know why she was so friendly. Normally, she and I don't get along. I had to ask. Why are you being so friendly? I asked. Yasmina grinned. I've been saving your butt these past few months and that's all the thanks I get? she said, seemingly amused. Lady I do good work and you typically treat me like shit, I said, more than a bit angry at this point. If I am tough on you it's because I care, Yasmina said, stunning me into silence with these simple words. Come again? I asked, feeling flabbergasted.