One of the most positive things a family member did for me was to pray on my behalf.

In 10 years I see myself retired from LAUSD as a Special Education Instructional Assistant and working on my second book while working as a substitute teacher, fashion columnist for a newspaper or magazine and possibly not living in L.A. any longerI also see myself with a life partner and still owning my beloved cat Zombie.

If I could be a character from a book I’d be Denise Baudu from Emile Zola’s “The Ladies Paradise” because like her I’m a hard worker, quite humble, and transformed by realism.