NAME ●●● Emily Grace Moreno
FROM ●●● Detroit, Michigan
SEXUALITY ●●● Pansexual/Panromantic
FULL TIME JOB ●●● Music Teacher at Cotton Plant School
PART TIME JOB ●●● Performer at Ace of Clubs
Emily Grace Moreno may not have been born into much, but that didn’t stop her from being the happiest little girl in existence. Unfortunately, her mother, also named Emily, didn’t share the emotion. Emily hadn’t wanted a child, but with very pro-life parents, she was given no choice but to go through with the pregnancy. The moment her daughter was born though, Emily bailed. The newborn didn’t even have a name yet when her mother took off, but it really didn’t matter. Grace is thankful to the woman for giving her life, but even more so for leaving her with her father. Patricio loved and wanted her enough for the both of them.
Eventually named after her mother by her maternal grandparents, for the first few years of Emily’s life at home, it was just her and her dad. They lived in a small apartment in Detroit, in a very bad neighborhood, but Emily was happy as could be. Patricio was a wonderful father who taught his daughter to be kind, well mannered and courteous. He worked hard to provide for her, and put his dating life on hold because Emily was his main priority. It was by accident that Catalina stumbled into his life, but just one more thing that Emily is thankful for.
Emily hadn’t missed the presence of a mother in her life. She’d had both of her paternal and maternal grandmothers and aunts who had always taken care of her, but Catalina turned out to be that missing puzzle piece. With children of her own, she knew how to handle a seven year old, and Emily took to her like a moth to a flame. Emily has never called her Catalina, she was Momeven before she and Patricio were married, with Emily dropping her first name, not wanting association with the woman who gave birth to her. She was still grateful for her life, but Catalina was more a mother than she had ever been. So, from eight years old, Emily Grace was just Grace. Outside of legal documents, of course.
As for the rest of the new family she’d acquired, Grace felt incredibly blessed. She’d enjoyed it when it was just her and her father, but Grace had a lot of love for everyone. She adored being a big sister from the very first day she met Catalina’s children, and definitely doesn’t look at them as step-siblings. They’re simply her siblings, and Grace has more love for them than anyone. If anything could ever make her lose her temper, it’s someone mistreating them.
Despite the moves and the changes in the family’s life, and the times both parents struggled to pay their bills, Grace never felt that she was missing out. Motel hopping wasn’t out of the ordinary for them, but Patricio and Catalina would make it into an adventure. Grace thanks them for not only her wild imagination, but also her passion. Many nights would be spent with no working television in their tiny motel room, and wifi was out of the question. Instead, their parents would sing, and Grace would always sing along with them. Her voice is nothing short of angelic.
Always the type to walk up to anyone with a beaming smile and more often than not a hug, the move from Michigan or Arkansas was easy for Grace. She didn’t mind uprooting, and made plenty of friends in Cotton Plant right away. She was still young at the time, though she’s sure she would’ve settled there regardless of her age.
Once she was old enough to work, Grace got her first job. It wasn’t fancy, it was just as a helper at the local hair salon. Grace would sweep the floors, make cups of coffee and wash customers hair ready for their cut. She barely made any money, but it was a start, and Grace would give as much as she could to her parents whenever she was given her pay each week. Her next job was at a diner, where Grace’s friendly, chipper personality would help her make plenty of tips. Waiting tables wasn’t what she wanted to do with her life, but Grace made it fun for herself regardless.
When it came time for college, Grace chose not to go too far. It seemed like a waste of money to go someplace out of state when she knew there was really only one ultimate path for her. Of all of the changes in her life, one thing that has always stuck is her ability to silence a room with her captivating singing voice. Ultimately, Grace wants to sing, which she doesn’t need a degree from some fancy college for. Grace enrolled at Arkansas State, where she majored in Education with a minor in Music, then eventually landed herself a job as the music teacher at Cotton Plant School after graduation.
With her job, Grace was plenty content. She writes her own songs, so whenever she wasn’t working or out with friends, that would keep her busy. It seemed that another job fell into her lap from nowhere though, when Grace was visiting a friend at her workplace. The Ace of Clubs, a bar just out of town, is a little more upscale than anyplace found in Cotton Plant. They were hosting an open mic night, and Grace figured there was no harm in signing up. Two songs and a room filled with roaring applause later, Grace was hired to perform at the place on the spot. Three years later, she’s still performing there three nights a week, as well as one weekend daytime shift.
Grace enjoys singing at the bar, and while the money is good and the tips are crazy, it’s not enough for her. As much as she enjoys her life and both of her jobs, Grace has recently turned 26, and is looking for something more now. She needs to chase her dreams, which was never to teach music, it was to make music… she’s just not entirely sure how to do that from the confines of Cotton Plant, Arkansas.
