AGE: Thirty-seven years old
BIRTHDAY: January 21st, 1984
GENDER / PRONOUNS: Cis Man - He/Him
OCCUPATION: Chief Gemmologist & Designer at Osuwu Jewelry
PLACE OF BIRTH: Astoria, Nova Pangaea
HAS LIVED IN ASTORIA FOR: 37 years
There’s a story behind every person
Reminiscing on his life thus far, the underdog, the black sheep, the prodigal son, and the oddball were never tropes that Khalid Bakari would have ever associated himself with. Growing up, the oldest Osuwu offspring was surrounded by loving parents, and the finest of everything the world had to offer. The roles of dutiful son and older brother were ones that he embraced wholeheartedly. Khalid Bakari—or KB as he’s often called,— adores both of his siblings, and in their former years the three of them lived truly charmed lives. On the outside they are the perfect family, with several family portraits, vacations, and themed christmas cards to prove it. Alas, the truth leaves a lot to be desired. There was a lot that KB could deal with; overprotective parents, curfews, sibling rivalry, mandatory schooling and extracurricular activities, but he drew the line at secrets, lies and deception. Over the years there were instances where he discovered things about his family and Osuwu Jewelry that opened his eyes in the proverbial sense.
For years KB could not understand why being the first born and first son, took him out the race to takeover Osuwu Jewelry. Instead, the Beyoncé of the jewellery Industry, his sister, had their father wrapped around her fingers and was basically one step away from claiming the throne. In pressing their mother, Angela, he could never get her to tell come clean, instead she would dismiss or distract him, but he too could play games, and that’s exactly what he did in order to unearth what she was hiding. Digging into his mother’s past led KB to discover the gut-wrenching truth about his parentage. Then suddenly all the puzzle pieces fell together and so many instances that left him confused in his youth finally made sense. Omari Osuwu is not his biological father, despite his name being on the birth certificate. Tahj Warner is his father’s name, but KB didn’t end his digging there, he continued to use private investigators to find out more about the man before he challenged his mother next.
Angela and Tahj never had any meaningful romantic relationship, they were on and off but never defined what they had as a relationship. Resulting from this labeless connection Angela got a child that she longed for. A self-sufficient woman, she was determined to become a mother without a husband much to her parents’ chagrin. In fact, Angela had been looking into In vitro fertilization around the time where she found herself pregnant with Tahj’s child. Instead of telling her family and Tahj the truth, she let them believe that she went through with the IVF process. As she got over that hurdle, another presented itself in the form of true love. Omari Osuwu swept her off her feet and saw her pregnancy as an early blessing for their future together.
KB doubted that his siblings were aware of his half-sibling status, and why would they be? Their parents have done absolutely everything in their power to create a narrative that suits their purposes. KB began to question whether or not Omari truly loved him as he did his own children. No longer blinded by the lies, KB started to plot his way out of the family. In his naivete he thought that it would be an easy task. His siblings don’t even see him as a real threat to their possible ownership of the company, so why should he even continue to waste his time? KB thought that good people would always be rewarded, but with his luck he’s realizing that this is not true for him. In his youth, whenever Angela took him along to visit with Omari, he always sneaked away to observe the designers at work. It fascinated him to the point that by the age of thirteen he was designing and making jewellery as a hobby. His friends and romantic partners could always count on receiving KB’s hand-made trinkets as gifts. This talent he had wasn’t exactly something that Angela was 100% supportive of. As he got older, she kept steering him into taking on more of a financial interest academically.
Being the dutiful son that he is, a young and impressionable KB followed his mother’s guidance. While he didn’t particularly care about running Owuwu Jewelry, his mother had other plans. Angela was grooming him for the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the company. There is never any doubt about who is Angela’s favorite child; KB can never do anything wrong in her eyes. The Osuwu matriarch was and still is always finding opportunities for him to outshine his siblings and gain Omari’s approval. Quite frankly, she’s more invested in his future at Osuwu Jewelry than he is, especially after he found out about his biological father. While Omari has been the only person he considers as his father, KB always believes that him not being Omari’s biological son will always be a dark cloud hanging over his head.
In his early twenties KB attended Astoria U, he wished that he could have attended an equally established institution outside of Astoria, but as long as Omari and Angela are his parents a school only 2 hours away was the furthest option. KB still found a way to pursue his true interests by striking a bargain with his parents. Once he kept his grades stellar he was allowed to take on courses at the Gemmological Association of Nova Pangaea. Years later he graduated with honors, and alongside a business degree (finance and accounting focus) that all Osuwu children had to have under their belt, KB has certifications in Gemmology, Jewelry Design & Technology, Jewellery Sketching and Design.
When it came to taking up the position as CFO, a twenty-six year old KB surprised everyone by taking on a different role entirely. Chief Gemmologist and Chief Designer were the perfect fit for the credentials he earned from the GANP. The business media loved the ‘Astoria U MBA turned Jeweller’ angle of his story. Instead of becoming one of the youngest CFO’s in Nova Pangaea like Angela had envisioned, KB made news by doing the unexpected. She knew he was upset over her not being truthful, but dashing his chances at taking over from Omari was a foolish move in her books. Alas, once Angela got over the curve ball, she found a way to spin it to her advantage. KB went along with her whims because while he questions her moral compass, he loves his mother, and tries to turn a blind eye to the extent at which she goes to get things done. In his role at Osuwu Jewelry he enjoys sharing his diamond and gemmological expertise as well as the designing process with the team. Product development is a very important aspect of the business, and for the past ten years he has been excelling despite the stressful meetings and family drama.
At this point the Gemmological Association of Nova Pangaea is probably tired of seeing him enrolling in their programs. Recently, KB completed their Diamond Technology Theory program. The six month course refreshed his knowledge, while at the same time it enlightened him to several issues within the jewellery industry regarding the sourcing of diamonds. Thankfully, with The Kimberley Process thriving, the unethical practices worldwide have been significantly reduced to the point that they boast a whopping 99.8% of naturally sourced diamonds are conflict-free. Of course Osuwu Jewelry prides itself on supporting ethical diamond sourcing and sustainability. However, KB, still a bit untrusting of the people he calls family, decided to ensure that the company wasn’t just making statements to the media and doing the opposite, KB decided to investigate for his own peace of mind. KB left for the gorgeous South African country of Botswana, where he spent a year gaining a hands-on understanding of the advancements made since 2003 to diamond mining. A true humanitarian, KB went back and forth with Omari over undertaking more social impact projects aimed at supporting those in need as well as improving the company’s reputation. Upon his return to home KB has been looking into more alternatives for the future; such as lab-created diamonds to supplement the ethically sourced supply, because contrary to popular belief; Diamonds aren’t forever.
And just like that, the guy who wanted out of the company, and by extension the family has gotten pulled back in for several reasons. KB is unsure of what his next steps would be family-wise, does he finally confront Angela and Omari, or does he just avoid opening that particular Pandora’s box. Besides, they already have enough contention among the siblings as is. At least he doesn’t have to see them almost 24/7 anymore. Both have moved out of the family home in CBD, and set up lives in other neighbourhoods, while KB remains at home with his parents. However, unbeknownst to any of them he has an apartment in North Valley under a pseudonym. It’s the last place the family would check, so it’s where he goes to escape under the guise of gemmological conferences, work trips and the like.
FACECLAIM: Sinqua Walls
PLAYED BY: Kels
