And then I remembered something else: a complaint letter I’d filed years before, while working in city planning. I’d flagged the Bright Steps Learning Center for code violations, a bureaucratic step that unintentionally threatened the very tutoring center where Zayd worked. It was a paperwork task, an impersonal act—but for him, it carried real consequences.
Months later, when I met Zayd at City Hall, I braced for awkwardness, maybe resentment. Instead, he met me with grace. “You probably weren’t wrong,” he said thoughtfully. “Sometimes the hardest pushes are the ones we need. If that center hadn’t closed, I might’ve stayed stuck instead of seeking out new opportunities.” Continue reading…
