Ebony Washington had the world at her feet. She was young, and she was beautiful. Ebony had a dream job which paid her enough money to get everything she ever wanted. She bought nice clothes, drove a new Volvo and she lived in a nice apartment near the Hudson River.

And Ebony was in love.

She drove her car slowly down West 132^nd Street, looking for a place to park. As she drove past her apartment and turned onto Riverside Drive, she thought parking was the only thing that she regretted about living in Harlem. Even though she could now afford to live anywhere she wanted, she was born and raised in Harlem and wouldn’t think of living anywhere else.

The last few days had been hard for her. It’s not an easy thing to hear bad things about the one you love, but sometimes you have to-even if it’s just to give you an opportunity to ask questions and give them an opportunity to respond. It’s good to clear the air sometimes, Ebony thought. Get things out in the open.

She had spent the better part of the evening with Martin. They had dinner at Via Brasil on 46^th street. Ebony liked eating there. The food was excellent and the portions were always huge. She usually had the Misto, which was mixed grill skewered with Brazilian sausage, beef, chicken and pork, but that night she opted for the Frango Bossa Nova, which consisted of fried diced chicken in a garlic lemon sauce. After dinner, they went for drinks at People Lounge on Allen Street, another one of her favorite places. She liked the atmosphere, with its dark wood tables that accented the comfortable apple-green suede couches. The ample recessed lighting, the den-like atmosphere, the chocolate-brown walls, and the waterfall pane made the place feel so romantic.