ASHWOOD ACADEMY

GENRE: Historical Racial Drama

RATING: PG – 13

SUMMARY: A group of four black students integrate a school for academic prodigies, in the 1950’s, just after Brown. One of them finds lasting love with a white student.

est. reading time: approx. 2 hours

CHAPTER I: THE FIVE

——————————————————–

Nathan settled down in his easy chair to read his wife’s latest book, a semi-autobiography called ‘To Sleep in the Arms of Equity’.

Though his eyes found every word, his mind drifted easily….

____

…Ashwood opened a day early that year. There were rumors that the school was to be integrated. Though no one knew for sure.

“Well”, thought Nathan.

“I’ll have extra time to unpack and settle into my dorm.”

Ashwood was the most exclusive private school in the nation. Students had access to an education that spanned from ninth grade through graduate university courses, if they so chose. Specialized as it was, offering that many levels was a necessity.

Money alone would not allow entrance.  A child had to have skipped at least two grades through his or her own merit. And the admittance officers had to find at least one subject in which the student consistently turned in prodigy level excellence.

For Nathan, this was mathematics. Equations seemed to almost solve themselves for him. Those few that didn’t were a challenging pleasure, something he did for fun in his spare time.

Mathematics were his life. Nathan knew the answers could not be debated. They were absolute and universal for everyone. He loved it, not simply because it came easy to him, but because it was the most logical subject in the world.

Nathan was now seventeen, two years into his collegiate studies in most subjects at graduate level in mathematics and science.

Nathan Fulton was an enigmatic boy. A pair of spectacles hid large thoughtful brown eyes, framed by expressive dark eyebrows. He only needed them to read, but he liked them.  They reminded him of one his favorite musicians, Buddy Holly.

His thick hair was too long, but well-groomed. It was always careful parted and combed. If he’d cared more about his looks, he would have gotten more attention from the girls on campus. …Of course, he hadn’t come to the Academy for girls.

As it was, many still could see the potential behind the black-rimmed glasses…Especially those who attended the school’s track-meets where it just wasn’t practical to wear glasses.

He was on the track team, but he didn’t excel.  A reserve member, the only benefit was that his body was in amazing shape, typical of the sport.

He was in school based solely on his merit, having earned a full scholarship to attend. His single working-class mother couldn’t have been more proud.

___

Ben, Nathan’s friend and roommate knocked briefly on his door before letting himself in.

“There’s a meeting in the auditorium, starting in five minutes. We’re all required to attend.”

Nathan sighed deeply and followed him.

____

A very severe looking older woman stood at the podium.  She was the very definition of icy blond. With hair nearly white-blond from age pulled taut back from her face and wrinkles set into a permanent down-turned sneer, she was an intimidating looking figure.

The Chancellor, Dr. Alice Kensington, cleared her throat and the entire auditorium fell silent.

“I’m sure many of you are wondering, why you are on our campus early, this year.”

Kensington gripped the podium, her eyes firmly set.

“Well, if you’ve been following the news, I’m sure you have heard about the plight of the colored citizens of our nation.”

A few students whispered at this, as if this were confirmation of the rumors that had been floating throughout the school.

Kensington waited for it to stop, before she continued.

“…What you have heard, is true. We will began an integration program this year, beginning with five gifted colored students. We have opened the school early, allowing the students to better orientate themselves to our fine Academy.”

Kensington paused, allowing the students a moment to take that in.

“…I trust that you will show them that we are as enlightened as this school purports us to be. I will not tolerate any manner of bigotry in these hallowed halls. …As a school for the gifted, we should be beyond that.”

She adjusted her spectacles. They sat precariously on the end of her upturned nose.

Nathan looked around. Though, no one said anything, he could see there were many angry, disgusted, faces in the auditorium.

Nathan thought about this. The Academy was located in a entirely white area. In fact, he hadn’t seen one non-white face since he began attending school here. No wonder, the head mistress was giving this speech.

“Dr. Kensington…” A stout blond boy stood up. “Why couldn’t these students have stayed in their colored schools?”

“Well, these students have been tested. Their intellectual gifts have far out-stripped the capabilities of their own schools, or they would have stayed. We were the ones who convinced them to come here.” Groans were audible throughout the auditorium.

“Sadly, our government provides little in the way of funds to colored schools….We could not, in good conscience allow these gifted students to continue to receive substandard instruction. We will nurture them here.”

A pretty auburn-haired girl, Nathan had dated briefly the previous year was now standing.

“But, Dr. Kensington, has it not been proven that the intellect of the negro is simply substandard by nature? Even if they are gifted by the standards of their race, would that not be closer to that of the average student?”

Kensington adjusted her glasses. “Rebecca Mayhew, when I said they have been tested, I meant it. In fact, all five of them easily outstripped you in the IQ test.”

A smattering of giggles reverberated throughout the crowd. Rebecca sat down, red-faced.

Kensington held up a hand.

“They are here.”

Everyone quieted.

Kensington, turned and beckoned backstage. “Please, allow me to introduce: Fred Gale, Jasmine Coolidge, Janine Preston, Thomas Elton, and Anita Scott.”

The five students filed out onto the stage, to a few bold hisses, which were quickly quieted by a stern look from Kensington.

Fred was a large well-muscled medium brown boy, who looked to be about sixteen. His conked hair was parted down the middle.

Jasmine was so light, they probably would not have known she was colored, had she not been introduced as such. She had hazel-green eyes and only a slight olive tone to her freckled skin. The only feature that gave her away were the generous waves in her jet-black hair.

Janine was a smiling round-eyed, faced, and bodied girl of the same medium complexion as Fred.

Thomas looked very young, no older than thirteen, Nathan guessed. He was a shade lighter than Fred and had yet to shed all of his baby-fat. He seemed to be focusing all of his energy on looking as mature as the others.

Nathan’s eyes fell on Anita. She was statuesque and very elegant-looking. “…beautiful…”, he thought. …and quite graceful. She carried herself like she was above it all, but she didn’t seem snobby. It was a difficult juxtaposition, but it seemed comfortable on her.

The darkest of the bunch, her skin was the color of stained mahogany. Her eyes were wide and clear and slightly upturned at the corners. Her cheeks were high and round, though she was not smiling….He could see that as openly optimistic as Janine looked, Anita looked wary and skeptical. He didn’t blame her.

Though all of the negroes onstage looked neat and clean, she was neatest of them all. Her hair was styled-up into a high bun. Not a hair was out of place.

She wore a starched royal blue dress that was cinched at her waist and wide at her calves, as was the fashion. On her feet were bobby socks and shiny patent leather shoes. In her ears, she wore tiny pearl studs, which stood out against her skin.

“These are the first negro students to join our campus…Welcome!”

Finally, Kensington’s severe expression broke. She smiled and gave each student a hug.

As she began to applaud, many of the students joined in, Nathan included. A significant number did not.

____

Nathan trekked across campus, his mind occupied by something other than his studies, for the first time in a long while. The fact that colored students were on campus, piqued his curiosity. He had known very few in his life and only then, in passing.

Though, their struggle in this country did thoroughly intrigue him. He had read Phillis Wheatley’s poems, Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery and Fredrick’s Douglass’ Slave Narratives, just to name few.

…His mind kept wandering to the girl on the end.

____

He was almost to his dorm, when he noticed the pretty one, Anita struggling with a beat-up old black leather bag.

As he passed, he heard a few of the students giggling at her. She ignored them, focusing instead on her unwieldy bag.

Before he could think better of it, Nathan walked over to her and grabbed the handle of her bag.

It broke off in his hand. The other students, renewed their laughter, this time even louder.

“Thanks, but I’m fine.” Anita didn’t bother to look up.

“Come on. It’s obvious you need help-”

Anita cut him off… “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate your offer, but I think you’ve seen how many folks see my kind.” She said, taking her handle from his hand, deftly avoiding skin-to-skin contact.

“…It just wouldn’t be wise for you to be seen around me.”

Nathan took a breath. “Well, perhaps I’ve come to the conclusion that being a decent human being matters more than what bigots think of me.” He surprised even himself with that.

Anita really looked up at him for the first time then, her eyebrows raised.

“This boy must be really stupid.”, she thought shaking her had.

“Okay.” She sighed, skeptically. “My dorm is this way.”

He gathered her heavy awkward bag in both of his arms and lumbered clumsily behind her.

All of the students they passed, stared openly and whispered. Many gasped and one of them even spit at her.

She nasty glob landed on her dress, but she kept walking. Nathan had wanted to help her clean it off, but he could see she was strong in her resolve to not let them see it ruffle her.

So, he ignored it too.

___

Her dorm turned out to be an old abandoned house, long ago used by a now defunct fraternity. The house was across the street from the campus police and the Chancellor’s office. For their safety, he presumed.

She was quiet for most of the walk, which was almost three fourths of a mile. He grunted and strained with her bag.

“What do you have in here?” He asked, breathlessly.

“Books.” She replied, shortly.

He dropped the bag on the front porch. The old house was literally falling apart. It’s painted facade was chipped and even crumbling with decay, in some spaces.

“I’m sorry, I can’t carry it anymore. My arms feel like lead.” He said, shaking them out.

“My name is-“

“-Thank you.” She said, and without looking at him, she dragged her bag quickly inside.

He stood for moment blinking, his hand still extended.

He listened as the others greet her “I would’ve waited if I’d known you were having trouble with bag…” and then turned to leave.

___

“Nate!”

Ben caught up to him, just as he reached the middle of campus.

“Jesus, Nate, what in heck are you doing?”

“Just helping, is all.” Nathan shrugged.

“People are talking. You walked with one of the colored students?”

“She needed help.”

Ben sighed. “Look. All I’m saying is you’ve got a rep to maintain…I’ve already had somebody ask me if you were a nigger-lover.”

Nathan stopped at that, an incredulous look on his face.

“My rep? Nobody cared about what I did before. That they do now, says more about them, than it does about me.”

“Well, you’ve singled yourself out, this year, buddy.” Ben said, as he clapped him on the back.

He shook his head, sighing, “I’m just worried for you, is all.”

“All I did was help her with her bag. It’s not a big deal.” He said, calmly. “Since when is helping somebody wrong?”

“Since you helped one of the colored kids.”

___

“I don’t know about this…” Anita said as she looked around the dusty house.

Janine walked around… “Oh come on, we can spruce it up.” A mouse squeaked by, causing her to yelp.

“With what, Janine? We ain’t exactly rich.” Fred said.

Jasmine shyly supplied, “Well, my daddy might help.”

Jasmine had an upper-class family with a large home, in the colored section of The Hamptons. They were among the wealthiest colored families in the country.

“Maybe that white boy’ll help her…” Fred said.

Anita gave him a hard look that made him drop his eyes.

“I don’t know him and I don’t care to.”

Thomas came jogging down the steps. “You guys! You won’t believe the view from the attic!
I bet we can see every constellation from up there, with the right telescope.”

“And where are we going to get a telescope?” Fred asked.

Anita sighed. “Look, we just need to keep our noses in the books and stay out of trouble.”

“-Says the one who brought a white boy here.” Fred said sarcastically.

“He came on his own. I didn’t bring him.” She said, her voice hard and low.

“We all are going to get it bad from these white folks. I don’t need it from you too, Fred.”

“All’s, I’m saying, ‘Nita.-”

Anita put up a hand. “‘All’, you’re saying, Fredrick. We need to watch our grammar. You know they think we’re a bunch of dumb niggers. Let’s not prove them right.”

“I don’t care what these crackers, think!”

“Then leave, Fred!” She said, her eyes flashing with anger.

“We have an opportunity to make history here, to be an example of the best of our race. Inspire others…You are a fool, Fredrick, if you don’t take it.”

He frowned like he was going to say something else, but he sighed instead. “You’re right.”

“We got to stick together… Help each other.” He added.

The next day, the campus seemed quieter. They’d learned that about ten percent of the student population had simply packed their bags and left.

“Great!” Thomas said “The less there are, the fewer we have to face trouble from.”

“That means we have to be that much better.” Anita said. “So, they’ll realize it was worth it, allowing other colored students to follow.”

___

The next morning was the first day of classes. Their schedules were arranged so at least two of them were in every course they had. Kensington had wanted to do as much as she could to prevent them from feeling alienated because of their color.

Anita and Jasmine walked to their first class together with a campus policeman following closely behind.

No one spit this time, but they heard slurs as students walked by. Jasmine got it especially bad…They seemed to really fear her white features, because she looked so much like them.

She understood that it was because it made them question their own blood. So, “-white nigger bitch!-“, became a familiar refrain to her.

Their first subject was a freshman college course, AP History 101, though they both were only fifteen. It had been a grueling experience. The professor spent the whole class talking about various studies and writings throughout history, dissecting the innate inferiority of the negro race.

Of course, they both offered counterpoints at every turn, but they were shouted down and even marked down for their efforts. The students who had done the shouting, went unpunished.
____

Anita moved on to her next class, AP Literature 101, with Thomas.

As she sat down at her desk, the two students on either side of her got up and moved to other desks.

Thomas sat next to her on her left, sighing heavily…On her right side, a familiar boy wearing glasses, took his seat. The immediate whispering that ensued, reverberated throughout the room.

Anita shook her head at the irony.

She turned and gave the white boy a warning look, but he stubbornly remained. He even greeted her.

“Hello, Anita…?” He leaned over so she could hear him. “I was rude when we met. I forgot to introduce myself.”

“I’m Nathan.” He held out his hand, again.

Thomas peeked around, staring at them both, his eyes wide.

She looked conflicted. Her well-instilled manners clashed with her desire to protect him.

So, she compromised. As quietly, as she could, she said… “You know my name. Thank you.”, indicating with a flit of her eyes, that she would not be shaking his hand.

Still, it felt like the whole room was watching them.

A gorgeous woman strode into the classroom, her head held high, her hair full of wild dirty blond curls. She had a distinctive long nose that suited her face, light brown eyes, and a heart-shaped pout. A pencil was planted firmly behind her ear. She wore all black, from head-to-toe.

Two of the male students said ‘-hubba-hubba-‘ eliciting a smattering of giggles.

She held up her hand.

The classroom immediately quieted. Anita had never been so relieved to see an instructor.

“Good Morning.”

She took the pencil from behind her ear and placed it on the podium. Then she walked to the chalkboard and wrote down three names.

Trudy Bronstein
Anita Scott
Thomas Elton

“What do these names have in common?” She asked.

The classroom remained silent, as the students poured over the names.

A student raised her hand. “Is there a kind of code in the lettering?”

“Good guess, Rebecca, but no.”

She stood for five minutes, in complete silence, waiting.

“Shall I supply the answer?”

Anita raised her hand. Everyone turned to look at her.

“Thomas and I are colored, Professor…’”

She cleared her throat and spoke clearer. “The first name has a Jewish surname. I believe the answer is this: All of the names belong to people who would face bigotry.”

Trudy smiled.

“Correct.”

“I am Professor Trudy Bronstein.”, she said. The two boys who had ogled her when she came in, were now beet red.

“I am a Jewish woman. My eldest aunt and cousins were rescued from a concentration camp in Poland…Twenty of my relatives, from infant niece to grand-uncle were systematically executed during the German occupation.”

She let that sink in.

“I will not tolerate the same thought processes that endorsed their murders to be perpetuated in this class. Am I clear?”

She never raised her voice, but what she had said created an impact as though she had..

“When I ask question, I expect a response.”

A student got up, looked at her significantly and left. It had been one of the boys who had ogled her.

“Anyone else?”

Five other students followed. She waited.

“No one else?…Are you sure?” She said this last with a smile. “Good. This means you have heard my primary condition for gaining knowledge, in my class and you will abide by it. We have an agreement.”

There were many, Anita knew, who were quietly seething at their desks. Rebecca was one of them.

“We are all human beings. I am sure many of you hold prejudices, -believe one or more of the races to be superior to others, but that has nothing, I repeat nothing to do with your decision to inflict hate on one another.”

She shook out her thick hair and leaned on her podium.

“All I ask, is that you treat another human being as you would have them treat you.”

“-Even your pets get that much.” She said, coldly.

Many students looked down at this, squirming at their desks. Rebecca and a few others keep their eyes level.

“Now, -let us begin…”

____

As Professor Brunstein’s class let out, both Anita and Thomas lingered. It had been an incredible class, the first they hadn’t been bored in, in…forever. They wanted to thank the professor.

Nathan also lingered at the door, absently running a hair through his hair. As the students filed out, many followed Nathan’s example and introduced themselves. A few even apologized.

Thomas, smiled happily. Anita, let out a breath but kept her guard up. They still weren’t willing to shake hands.

“Professor?”

“Hmm?” She said as she stacked her papers.

“Thank you.”

Trudy looked up, and smiled. “This is only the beginning. You know it will get harder.”

Anita sighed and nodded.

She reached out and squeezed Thomas’ shoulder, encouragingly. It was the first time a white woman had touched him. Sympathy passed through her eyes, as she imagined a twelve year-old having to deal with this.

“I hope you’re prepared.”

___

Nathan leaned against the wall beside the classroom door, waiting. As Thomas and Anita exited, he touched her arm gently.

“Wait.”

She stopped and looked down, until he got the message and dropped his hand. He had no idea what he planned to say, just that he wanted to talk to her. …He should have thought this through.

She stood back, her arms crossed on her chest.

“I – I just wanted…That was a great class, wasn’t it?”

Thomas pointed to his watch and walked backwards down the hall behind Nathan, doing a modified “You’re Dead.” pantomime at his neck. His variation was with a noose instead of the cutting motion.

“…I’ve been trying to get into her course for a year.-” Nathan continued. “You must extremely bright to have gotten in, your first year.”

“I had to be bright to get this school.”

“Right.”he said, pushing up his glasses. “Of course. I knew that.”

“-What do you have some kind of death wish or something?”, she asked sharply, her brow furrowed.

“I – just want to get to know you. That’s all.”

“I’m sure…” She said, look in her eyes, indicating what she thought he was after.

“No, it’s not like that.-“

“I’m not going to be your token, either, Nathan.”

“Jesus, Anita, can’t a person just want to get to get to know you?!”

“-Not if he’s white.” She snapped.

“…I see.” He said, nodding.

“You want to fight bigotry, by inflicting it? That makes sense.”

She huffed, narrowing her eyes. “You just don’t get it.”

“Then help me, get it!”

She paused a moment, looking around. He had a moment’s hope that she might bend.

Instead, she said… “That’s not my responsibility.” and left him standing in the hall.

—————————————————————————————————–

CHAPTER 2: FOREST TREES

Trudy’s office, was a doorway down from her class…After Anita’s footfalls had faded, she called him into her office.

“Nathan Fulton, would you step in here for a moment? -And close the door, behind you.”

She planted her elbows on her desk, an arched hand supporting her chin. Her other hand rapidly tapped the desk with her ever-present pencil.

“Hmm.” She smiled.

“She’s an attractive girl. …Very smart, even for here. …Well-mannered. She’d be on the highest tier of eligible women at this school…”

She stood up and walked around her desk, sitting down on the front ledge. She was a about two feet away from Nathan.

“…If she were white.” She finished significantly, her expression neutral.

“So, young. ‘…sincere but deluded idealists.’.”

She held up a hand, hoping he’d the supply the author of the quote, but she continued.

“-Ayn Rand.”

He kept still and listened.

“I’d like to see where your mind is a month from now, or two, or six…You seem hard-headed enough.”

“…We shall see, Mr. Fulton.” She said, “I think life will teach you a hard lesson, before the school-year ends.”

“But I do hope.” She said, as she stood up, the corners of her mouth ticking up a bit into the barest hint of a smile.

“….I’ll see you in class on Thursday. Don’t forget your reading.”

He placed his hand on the doorknob. “-Oh, and uh…I know Mathematics is your subject, Mr. Fulton. Literature, however, obviously is not. You might want to look to Anita for that.”

She absently leafed through her class roster, as she spoke. “She’s already read and has a full understanding of all of the required reading for my course.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Fulton.” She said, not looking up.

He left her office and shook his head. “…my favorite professor.” He thought.

____

Anita waited at the bottom of the stairs. She, Jasmine, and Janine had made a pact to stay together, as much as possible. It was safer. They didn’t even trust the campus police.

One of them had been looking at Janine, lasciviously…Making sure he talked about indecent subjects around her. …Namely big colored whores and how much he liked sleeping with them.

They were supposed to meet here. All of the girls’ courses ended at the same time.

“What could be keeping them?” She thought. Rebecca came around the corner, happily chattering with two other girls. When she spotted Anita, she broke from the pack, heading towards her.

Anita turned and walked in the other direction.

“Hey, colored girl!” She called out…

But Anita kept walking, as she thought inwardly “…i have a name, evil-cracker…”

“Hey!” She felt a hand grip her shoulder.

“You heard me calling you. Why didn’t you stop?”

She shrugged it off.

“There are three other colored ladies here. I had no idea you meant me. ” She said, trying her best to prevent her sarcasm from being obvious.

She chuffed. “You’re the most colored of your lot, of course I meant you.”

“I supposed one such as yourself, would call for a tree in the forest, instead of a pine, oak, or ash.”

“There are no trees here, just five little -nig-“

“-Rebecca, don’t you have somewhere else to to be?” Kensington said, from behind her.

Rebecca stalked off, glaring at Anita as she went.

“Your friends came to see me. Apparently, a few of your professors, without tenure, mind you, don’t even have the tact to hide their prejudice….You won’t be seeing them, at your next session.” She frowned.

“…But you still have to deal with students like Rebecca, I’m afraid. If we expelled every student who had problem with colored students, we wouldn’t have a school.”

Kensington, then marched off, before Anita could thank her.

Anita shook her head, wondering what in the world Rebecca was genius level in, that allowed her admittance to this school. Did she make some crude remark at the doctor, when she was born?

Finally, Janine and Jasmine appeared.

“Thanks, for talking to the Chancellor.” Anita said.

“Now, we need to work on getting that house up to par. My father’s sending down some people this weekend.” Jasmine said.

“She wouldn’t fire that policemen, though.” Janine said. “You know, Officer Gates? His father is the mayor of the town.” Janine sighed.

“Cheer up, Janine. We’ve dealt with it at home. We can deal with it, here.”

“Amen.” Jasmine said.

___

When they got back to their house, they saw it had been vandalized. All of the windows, had been broken with bricks.

When the girls got in, they saw that was the least of it. Profanities and slurs had been written on their walls and the two boys were busily scrubbing the floors…Luckily they had no furniture to ruin.

“We had hoped to have this cleaned up before you ladies, got back.” Fred said.

“They pissed on our flo-!” “-Thomas!” Fred said sharply, trying to shut him up. But it had been too late. They knew what had happened.

“Oh, my God.” Janine said her lips trembling. “How did the police allow this to happen?”

Anita hugged her. “They can’t watch the house, all the time.” She said.

Jasmine went upstairs to assess the damage, there. Luckily their rooms had been deemed too much effort, or perhaps that hadn’t had time for the trouble. All had been locked tight.

Anita’s eyes fell on Fred’s face. His eye was swollen.

“My God! Fred what happened to your face?”

“You know what happened. Good ole’ boys go to fancy schools, too.”

___

Nathan walked down the campus, looking in all directions, looking slightly paranoid.

“This was a bad idea, this was a bad idea…”

Ben jumped out from behind a tree. “CHAH!”

Nathan jumped six feet. “Jesus, Ben! You nearly gave me a heart attack. “ He laughed with relief.

“Say, where are you headed, buddy?” Ben asked, casually.

“Mmm, just for a walk.”

“Just for a walk…Well, do you mind if I tag along?”

“…Actually, I’d just like to be alone with my thoughts for a while.”

“Really??”

Ben sighed… “Because it looks like you’re headed up to the Colored House.”

“What’s it to you?”

“Nothing.” Ben replied, his voice nonchalant.

“But it may mean something to them.” He said, subtly indicating a menacing group of boys hidden in a nearby dark shadowy corner.

“I’m think it might be a good idea to walk with me.”

They turned and began to walk back to their shared dorm room.

“This is a lot of trouble to go through for a girl you barely know.” Ben said, quietly. “And that’s if you don’t consider the fact that she’s colored.”

____

Ben lay back on his bed, throwing his baseball up to the ceiling and catching it.

“What is it about this colored girl? She hasn’t exactly been encouraging…”

“I mean she’s a real looker, but she’s not worth it, Nate.”

“There are plenty of beautiful girls, safe clean white ones that would love to go with you-.”

Nate sat at his desk, busily writing an essay. “-She’s clean.” He said absently.

Ben sat up, at that. “How do you know? I mean do you…know?”

Nate looked at Ben as if he were the biggest imbecile on the planet.

“Are you sure you belong at this school?”

Ben laughed. “I’m just curious. I mean you can’t deny that they’re different. Their hair, their skin, they’re shaped different, I think they even smell different.”

Nate was very irritated now. He wished his roommate would just shut up and let him concentrate.

“They have two arms, two legs, hearts, red blood, ten fingers and toes, just like you, Ben. They laugh, cry, and get angry, – just like you. They have families at home who love them as much as yours love you. And get this, Ben, she smells better than the other girls, I know.”

“Aaand we’re back to the colored girl.”

“-Anita.”

“Right.”

“Who you’ve barely said three words to.”

“I’m writing my essay. I need some peace, Ben.”

“Okay, but answer me this…”

“-No, Ben. I’m done!” Nathan was a quiet person by nature, so on the rare occasion that he raised his voice, even slightly, it had the desired effect.

Ben said no more…After throwing his ball up a few more times, he left the dorm room.

___

Anita sat in the most isolated spot of the school library. Fred sat across from her. He was helping her with some challenging equations.

They had managed to solve them all except for the two bonus problems, the ones put up yearly that only one or two, if any of students, could solve.

Fred had been their engineering prodigy, having constructed his first working vehicle at eight. It was powered by batteries. So math and physics, were his fortes.

“If I knew how to begin with this, I could solve it easily…” Fred said.

They heard the sound of books plop down on at the far end of the table.

Anita looked up and saw Nathan. She sighed, irritably.

Fred sucked his teeth.

“We’re not moving.” Anita mouthed, silently.

They whispered over the problem, hoping it was low enough that he couldn’t hear.

She kept glancing up at him, expecting him to get up and try to help. Try being the operative word.

Nathan boldly said. “I’m sorry, but I’m having problems concentrating with you looking down here, would you mind?”

Anita looked appalled. “How dare you imply…”

“-I mean, unless you need help with that.” He said, looking back down at his books.

“For your information, these are the yearly bonus equations, it’s not likely anyone at this school can solve them. – So, go ahead.” She sat back in her chair. “Knock yourself out.”

He smiled smugly and calmly got up. He leaned over her shoulder, half of his upper body arched over, deep within her personal space.

“Ahh, you were close, very close.”

The vibrations from his voice, reverberated through her body. She shivered involuntarily.

“See these two signs…” He reach over her, purposely brushing her shoulder. Anita stiffened and held her breath.

“…They just need to be switched.” He knelt down so his face was an inch or two from her own. She cringed back and unconsciously pressed her lips together, pulling them into her mouth just a little, moistening them.

His eyes darted down to them and then quickly back to the equation.

He cleared his throat.

“Here…” He gently picked up her hand, which held her eraser in a death-grip and used it to erase the erroneous signs.

“You see?” He said softly. “That wasn’t so bad.”

After a short moment, he stood up and quickly got back to his seat.

Fred was shooting daggers at him with his eyes.

Anita swallowed, forgetting herself for moment. “Thank you, Nathan.”

He looked up and said, “You’re welcome. It really was my pleasure. I love solving equations.”

He went back to studying…

“…And Nathan.” Fred kicked her under the table.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been rude. You were right. You can’t fight bigotry with bigotry.” This last she emphasized for Fred’s benefit.

Fred’s eyes widened in shock.

“Sure.” He said, smiling a bit and turning back to his books.

A minute or two later he continued.

“…Hey, Anita if you really wanna make it up to me, I could really use your help with Lit.”

“‘-Nita.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s Nita. I prefer friends to call me that.”

Fred plucked her leg. She shot him a warning look.

“Okay… Nita.” He grinned.

“Um, we meet for study here at the library every Saturday at five am. Can you make it?”

“Sure!” He said, looking like the cat that got the canary.

“It’s not too early, for you?”

“No.” Truthfully, it was. Saturday was the one day he slept past five in the morning. Between track practice, his studies, and Mass, it was the only day, he could get a full night’s sleep.

“ –Because we have to meet at five. No one’s awake on campus. We can get our work done easier, if we’re not being hassled.” She added.

“No, really, it’s fine. I’ll be there.” He said smiling broadly.

____

“Have you lost your mind?!” Fred screamed.

“He’s probably going to tell all his boys when and where we meet to study!”

“So, he can what, have them beat us up at the library?”

“Yes. Why not?”

“Because the library has librarians. It’s next to the police station and oh yeah, because Ms. Grace opens it early on Saturday, JUST FOR US.”

“…She locks it behind us, Fred.”

Anita sighed. “If anyone should be worried about getting beat up, it’s Nathan.” Indicating that she knew Fred would happily volunteer.

____

At Literature class on Thursday, Nathan seemed distracted. He sat at his usual seat next to Anita and found himself, shifting uncomfortably and flushing with every discreet glance at her.

“…And so, the epic Russian tome, can be used for more than just a sturdy doorstop, written by…. Mr. Fulton?”

“Mr. Fulton?” She repeated.

“-Tolstoy.”

“Correct.”

Rebecca had turned around in her desk. She saw who Nathan had been trying not to look at.

___

The previous year, Rebecca had gone steady with Nathan. Or so, she called it.

She was a pretty girl. With her heather gray eyes, shiny auburn locks and even features, she was never short on male attention. And these days, she wasn’t averse to obliging it, either.

She had no clue, why he had simply stopped calling after their fourth date. She had called him, asking why, but he simply said, they weren’t compatible.

Truthfully, it had been because he’d tired of the all the hidden hate she spewed at others. Everyone who wasn’t her, especially girls, were targets for her snide remarks. From how fat, how poor, stupid, and of course, whatever race they were that wasn’t white. She’d never fail to say something disparaging, just within earshot. It had disgusted him.

He didn’t understand how anyone could make that their chief interest and somehow be at this school. But he was learning, being well-versed and wise were two different things.

As for Rebecca, her parents were rich. They donated a significant amount of money to the school and he suspected, paid off her previous schools, to allow her to skip grades.

Her prodigy level subject? Music. She was good at playing the violin, but to him at least, she was nowhere near ‘prodigy level’, just the level of someone, who could afford to have private tutoring from the time she was three.

“Hey, Nathan!” she said, catching him in the hall as he left the class.

“Rebecca” he said, politely acknowledging her, but still looking suspicious.

“I was just wondering…If you…wanted to hang out? I don’t know, study or have some lunch.

“Rebecca, I told you…”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.”

He sighed. “Listen, Rebecca, I wanted to spare you, though God knows why.

…You certainly don’t spare others, –but you’re vile and you enjoy it. You torment people for your amusement. You wear it well and you’re fine with it.”

“I however, am not. That’s why we can’t be friends.”

He walked off.

She stood there, in shock.

“Well, then. Let my amusement, begin.”

CHAPTER 3: IN THE CIRCLE

All six students sat in their quiet corner of the library. They had arrived at a quarter til’ the hour.
Anita, had told Miss Grace about Nathan.

“Let’s see, here.” She looked over his student ID card and let him in.

When he arrived at the table, everyone was already deep in their studies.

“Nathan.” Anita said, standing up… “This is Jasmine and Janine. And you know Thomas and Fred.”

“Hi.” Janine didn’t bother to hide her look of approval.

Jasmine, looked away, blushing.

“I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Fred.-“ Anita, said.

“No, Nita. He’s going to get us into trouble.”, but of course, he was only referring to Nita.

“I don’t know…” Janine said, boldly. “I don’t get any off-putting vibes from him.”

“What are you some kind of beatnik?” Thomas asked, laughing.

Jasmine added, “He seems alright.”

“…I’m standing right here.” Nathan added, quietly.

Fred threw up his hands.

“His ofay white brothers gave me a black eye. Remember?”

Everyone gave him the “You’re being difficult, Fred”, look.

“Fine. He stays.” Fred continued, getting up.

“…but I’m staying down here.” He slid his stuff to the other end of the table.

Anita sighed and sat down. Nathan sat down in the chair Fred had been sitting in, opposite of her and next to Thomas.

He discovered that they were all, far ahead of the curve. Anita had not only read just about every great bok, ever published, she also had them memorized. He learned that she had a photographic memory.

The rest were no slouches either. In fact, Thomas, the youngest and the brightest of them all, could have taught many of the classes himself.

It was a pleasurable challenge keeping up with them.

Much to Fred’s discomfort, Nathan was getting along well with the others, but he stubbornly kept his nose in his books.

Ben noticed he got up early on Saturday, but he assumed it was for track.

Fred joined them the following week, and against his better judgement even found himself warming to Nathan, too.

___

Nathan had wanted to arrive at the same time as they did, this time. So, he got to the library at a quarter ‘til the hour, like they had, last time.

Fred arrived at the same time, rolling eyes.

“Morning, Fred.” he said.

Fred didn’t reply.

Grace greeted them and let them in.

Fred again sat at the opposite end of the table.

“Look it’s clear that you don’t like me-“

“–Good.”

“Jesus, Fred what have I ever done to you?”

“It ain’t what you done.” he said slipping into his Virginia accent. “It’s what you’re gonna do.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know who I’m talking about.” He said, his eyes challenging him.

“Oh.” He said, reddening a bit.

“Crackers like you only want one thing from a colored girl…”

“Now, wait a minute.” Nathan’s voice level was now rising, a little. “It’s true. I am fond of her…but.I swear I wouldn’t take advantage of ‘Nita like that.”

“…And I’m supposed to believe that.”

It dawned on him, then. “-You like her too.”

It wasn’t a question. “That’s not your business, white boy.”

Fred simply cracked open his books and began to study.

“…So how did Professor Thurman react when you turned in those equations?” Nathan asked, seeking to change the subject.

Fred sighed. “We didn’t.”

“What? But–“

“We ain’t like you. We don’t cheat.”

“But- …You did solve it. I just got you started, is all. The white students here wouldn’t have been able to solve it with what little I gave you.”

“But we’re colored. We got to be more careful, honest, better upstanding citizens than the whites here, because there’s a spotlight on us. You understand?”

“No. ….I’m not colored, but that doesn’t mean I don’t empathize.”

Fred was quiet for moment. What he had said had shocked him. He didn’t know any white people who got that no matter what, they couldn’t really understand what it was to be colored.

He really was different. He could almost see why Anita, of all people had allowed him into their circle.

_____

Jasmine, Janine, and Anita were busily fussing over their looks. Jasmine was helping both Janine and Anita finish pressing their hair.

Thomas sat on the floor of Jasmine’s room, the only room that had furniture beyond a sleeping bag yet, and watched them happily. Three beautiful older women, in the same room as him. He was in heaven.

Anita was a crafty one. She told Fred to go on ahead, as the girls fussed over their looks and Thomas fussed over them.

She left later than usual for two reasons. The planned reason, was to allow Fred and Nathan to end their penis measuring competition. The unplanned reason, was to look extra nice. She couldn’t admit to herself, that she was really trying to look nice for Nathan.

Everyone was nearly ready. Jasmine was busily brushing her hair out, trying to bring out the wave pattern, while Janine assessed her ample curves in her woolen pencil skirt. Anita wore her favorite butterfly-collar, puffed sleeve top and a pair of denim pedal pushers. All had colorful matching ribbons tied in their hair.

“Okay, are you guys ready, now?” Thomas, asked impatiently. Staying behind didn’t seem like such a good idea, now.

They all arrived exactly ten minutes late.

_____

Fred and Nathan were discussing some new mathmatical theory. Fred had been itching to be able to talk to someone else about it. Thomas could, sure and Janine as well, but a girl and a twelve year-old weren’t exactly the same as a guy his own age. In this instance, finally being able to discuss an intellectual passion, trumped color. He even found out that their backgrounds weren’t so different. Both had been raised in rural areas, by single working-class mothers.

They finally buried the hatchet.

Thomas and Janine joined in with the discussion.

Jasmine winked at Anita, saying with a single look “Good thinking, girl.”

They both cracked their books and got to work.

____

The following weeks had been pretty quiet, at least by their standards. It was just the usual taunts mixed in with a few people who had tried to be aquantinces, Nathan’s roommate, Ben included.

And of course, the only white person they trusted enough to consider a true friend, Nathan.

Jasmine’s people had wisely only brought the basic necessities for each student to be comfortable; a bed, a desk, and a good scrubbing for the house. And of course, the windows had been fixed. So, far all of them were still unbroken.

Nathan was getting it bad too; the slurs, the looks, the whispering. And it had truly tested his resolve. He was used to some bullying. He wasn’t the richest student there, after all, but what he was experiencing now, was extra malicious.

His dorm-room door, had been ingraved with vulgarities and he had even been cornered and punched in the stomach by the stout blond boy, he’d remembered from assembly.

It would’ve been much worse, if Professor Thurman hadn’t been nearby.

“Hey! -GET OUT OF HERE!” he yelled, as the student whispered -niggerlover!-, kicked him in the groin and scampered away.

Nathan was doubled over, clutching his stomach.

“Are you okay, Nathan?” He had been his favorite student, when he was in his class two years ago.

He nodded, and immediately started coughing….

“I’m going to get you to the clinic…”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Nathan- I see what you’re doing, here. And I admire your good heart, boy. But you shouldn’t subject yourself to this. You have an amazing mind in that head of yours. I’d hate to see it get cracked open by some idiot like Peter Rucker.” he said, indicating the boy who’d just left.

“Some people here, don’t have a choice.”

“I know, kid.” He said looking serious. “But you do. And you can live long enough, perhaps to see things change, if you’re cautious enough, now.”

“‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’.”

“-Mahatma Ghandi” the professor finished, quietly. He frowned, and dropped his head.

Then he simply stood up and gripped his shoulder.

“I admire your strength boy.”

And he walked away, looking somewhat diminished.

CHAPTER 4 : HOLIDAY

It was nearing Christmas and the end of their semester.

None of the students could afford to go home, except Jasmine, but she opted to stay.

They all were excelling in their studies. Many of the students who had been bothering them, were now too busy cramming for finals to even think about it.

They sat in the library, just skimming over what they already knew, when

Jasmine asked. “How would you guys like a roadtrip?”

“–I mean, after we’ve passed our classes.”

“What do you have in mind?” Nathan asked.

“Melbourne!” She said smiling. Though none of them had picked up her meaning.

“Famous for Christmas lights…?”

As if that was supposed to help. She sighed. “My cousin Betty lives there and says we can stay for a few days. She has a huge beautiful home.”

Betty was another wealthy relative of Jasmine’s, one who had been until recently, passing for white. She had amassed a significant fortune through her food company, Hattie’s Maple Syrup.

The name had been subtle tribute to her great-grandmother Hattie. She had escaped from slavery while pregnant and raised twin boys, on her own, who could and sometimes did pass for white.

They were the beginning of the Coolidge family-line.

Now, that Betty was well into her eighties, she didn’t care who knew she was actually colored.

She had never married nor had children, so she enjoyed spending her maternal energy on Jasmine and her siblings.

“We can go the night after grades are posted. Cousin Betty said she would send her Rolls Royce.”

All of them looked shocked. “Wow, Jazz, I knew you were rich…but LORD HAVE MERCY!”

Janine said.

Anita replied. “I don’t know…It seems ostentatious. We might attract unwanted attention.”

“Well, I think you’ve earned it.” Nathan said, smiling at Anita.

Anita smiled back and looked down. “We’ve earned it.” She took a deep breath.

“…Okay. You only live once, right?”

Jasmine, pumped her fist and hissed “YES!”

_____

The week after exams, grades were posted. They thought they were skewed unfairly low, though none were below a B. But even their most prejudiced professors couldn’t deny Thomas, who had earned straight A’s and of course, Nathan’s.

All of them protested their B’s and were forced to retake their exams (some of them had been changed), with the professor and the Chancellor present.

But they had prepared for that too. Their grades were all amended to their proper marks. The lowest, an A- belonged to Jasmine, who had twisted her ankle during her Dance final.

Most of the campus was empty. Even Rebecca had gone home to her rich family. They got a much welcome break from the constant bullying.

Ben Porter, Nathan’s roommate had stayed, too. The lanky blond’s family lived too far away for it to be practical to go home for the holidays.

They had the cafeteria all to themselves when they ate breakfast on first the morning of their break. Jasmine had let Betty know about the grading issues and had their ‘holiday’ moved to a safer time, “…Just in case.” Anita said.

Ben joined them for breakfast, but seemed a little uncomfortable. He wasn’t close enough to get their in-jokes. It bothered him, that Nathan was.

But they happily chattered on, trying to help him feel more comfortable. He kept looking at Jasmine. He couldn’t believe she was colored.

When he mentioned it, she replied “Why thank you, Ben!” and the whole table broke-up in laughter.

He had missed the sarcasm.

_____

As they were leaving Ben fell behind to try to talk to Jasmine, again.

Fred lingered too, keeping them within earshot.

“So, Jasmine…I was thinking. You seem like a decent colored girl. So, I don’t know maybe we could, you know, go out, or something.”

She pursed her lips. “Look, Ben. I’m sorry, but I’m really not interested.”

She jogged away, yelling “Hey! Wait up, guys!”

Ben looked put-out. “Jas-!”

Fred stepped in front of him. “You heard the lady.”

He looked at him significantly and turned to catch up with his friends. Ben trudged sulkily back to his dorm.

_____

The Rolls arrived at three am, when they were sure every student left, was asleep. They all piled in while the driver loaded the trunk.

Janine, squealed excitedly.

And Fred kept turning around in his seat, not knowing what to do with himself.

“This is boss!” Thomas said, running his hand along the buttery leather seats.

Anita and Nathan had ended up next to each other. They were too busy giving each other uncomfortable glances to really join in with excitement.

Ben hadn’t been able to sleep that night, so he went for a late walk.

He saw them all pile into Jasmine’s family’s Rolls.

____

With the early morning, night-driving, everyone in the car had fallen asleep…

They arrived at the gates almost two hours later. The Rolls slowly cruised up to Betty’s mansion. Nathan woke up to Anita sleeping on his shoulder. He froze, his heart drumming in his chest.

Then they hit a bump in the driveway, jarring her from her sleep. She woke up with a start and looked up into Nathan’s eyes, which weren’t hidden by his ever-present spectacles. They stared at each other for a long moment.

And then Thomas yawned loudly, breaking the spell. They quickly straightened up as the rest of them awoke, too.

“We’re here!” Jasmine announced.

They were all awestruck. It was no ‘house’ as Jasmine had indicated. It was an immense, four wing mansion.

“Cousin Betty!!” she yelled, and lept into the very spry looking lady’s arms.

If Ben had thought, Jasmine looked white, they couldn’t imagine what he might say about cousin Betty.

She had straight reddish brown hair and even more freckles than her young cousin. Her skin was whiter than Nathan’s. Her eyes however, were a deep brown shade.

“Oh! These must be your friends…Now, let’s see. Fred, Janine, Anita, Thomas, and Nathan.”

She still had her mind too. “Come in! Come in! Now, don’t be shy!”

They filed in, while the butlers took their luggage up to their rooms.

“Now.” she said, beaming. “The ladies’ wing is to the left, The gentlemen’s to right. Your doors are marked…If you need any help, ask Terry, the head-butler here.”

Terry was a long, tall, light-skinned man who appeared to be around sixty years old. He had a very tight refined expression.

“Let’s have some tea.”

_____

They ate great food, laughed and even shared their struggles with Jasmine’s cousin, who looked on sympathetically.

They all listened quietly as she told them of her storied history. The decision to pass, as she’d put it, had been out of her hands. It was difficult enough, as a woman to keep her hands on her burgeoning company. The decision had been ‘pass’ or lose everything. They could tell from the quiver in her voice, that she still had guilt about it.

“Well…” she said, changing pace. “I’ve arranged a special surprise for you!”

“Follow me, kids.”

She lead them out the back door, where there was a long winding path, through the woods. On it were two open carriages with horses drawing them.

“I’ve had the property decorated….I thought you might enjoy a carriage ride and hot chocolate!”

“Oh, Thank you!”

“THANKS MISS B!!” Thomas said giving her a big hug…

“OH!” she yelled, laughing. “It really is my pleasure.”

It was twilight and the night sky was already lit up by many stars.

“You can load up whenever you’re ready. The seats have been warmed and there are blankets if you get cold…”

“We’ve got you, Ms. B.” Fred said, helping her, along with Nathan up into a carriage. Each had taken an arm.

Fred stayed seated next to her.

Nathan lingered back, knowing his decision on where to sit would be based on where Anita ended up. Of course, she was thinking the same thing…

Jasmine hopped up into the same carriage with Fred and Miss. B. Janine and Thomas took the back. One seat each, was all the space that was left.

As it was, they had no choice bu to ride in separate carriages. Nathan took the front next to ‘B’ and Fred while Anita took the back with Janine and Thomas.

As they set off, Janine whispered. “…I should have moved.”

“It’s okay.” Anita said.

Thomas smiled and sing-songed, “I know what you two are talking about.”

Janine swatted him playfully.

_____

The ride was magical. As they got deep into the forest they noticed lights on the trees…All white. It was like another world.

“WOW.” Janine said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Up in the front carriage, B explained that she did this every year and had outlets out here for this very purpose.

The carriages suddenly stopped.

“Okay, kids. Out we go!” Nate and Fred helped her down. “You can bring along your hot chocolate!” But we stroll from here. Stay on the path!!”

As they walked around they expected to be cold but they weren’t.

“Look.” Jasmine said quietly guiding their eyes to several tall poles, that looked like were streetlights. Instead a low hum emanated from each.

“These are outdoor heaters.” Jasmine said.

“Oh, this is too much.” Anita said, shaking her head.

Nathan frowned. “Too much for who?-”

Everyone in the group knew how they felt about each by then, so they simply rolled their eyes, and wondered how much longer it would take before they acted on it.

Even Ms. B. Had picked up on it, walking with Jasmine and jabbing her thumb back at the pair comically.

She thought it was a good time to tell them a story…

CHAPTER 5: DREAMS, REALITY

They reached a small clearing in the middle of the woods, the only place that didn’t have the heated lights.

There was a circular wooden bench, with a firepit in the middle. It was already blazing.

They all sat down. There was a enough room that they could space out a bit, which most of them did, Jazz, sat next to her cousin, Fred sat close on the other side, and Nathan sat next to Anita.

“Now.” B said as she sat down.

“…I’m going to tell you why I’m not married.”

“When I was a girl, I went to a white school out of this state…. I met a boy there, by the name of Samuel Hines.”

She paused to sip her hot chocolate.

“He was white. Everyone in school thought I was too. They had to. My mother passed as well… But my father?… though light-skinned, could not. So, they hid their marriage. Father stayed in an apartment in town, while mother lived in a small home outside of it.”

She sighed as she continued…

“We…grew fond of each other, as we got older and I enjoyed his company, very much.”

She looked off then, as if caught up in the memory.

“My senior year in high school, my family was outed as colored. Sam said he didn’t care, but I did….Too much.

…You see I made the decision for him, that he couldn’t handle it.”

She glanced at Anita.

“By the time I’d realized how foolish I’d been, our family had moved…Well, mother had moved. The outing had killed their marriage.”

She looked down, clearly hurting from the painful memories.

“Oh, I’d dated since then. White and black, but none could handle my color. Of course, I never gave Samuel a chance to. I didn’t realize how big a mistake I’d made until I’d grown too old for marriage…And by then, my business was my love.

So, kids, I just want you to know this. Love…REAL love, is not common enough to be taken for granted. When you find it. You hold on to it.”

She looked down at her withered hands, her eyes wet.

“….Oh, boy look at me, bringing you down…Who wants some more hot chocolate? My men are bringing out marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, as well!”

The butlers passed out the food and everyone thanked them, politely.

They all sat quietly by the fire, enjoying the heat and comforting crackling sounds. And then everything got still.

Huge nickel-sized snowflakes fluttered to the ground.

Causing everyone to laugh and “ooh!” and “aw!” at the sight.

Thomas, yelled “It’s snowing!”,

Having come from Florida, it was his first time witnessing it.

“It’s beautiful.” Anita said softly, and let her hand fall to the bench.

…Nathan gently took it in his own.

_____

“I think we’d better be getting back in, it’s really picking up now…” B said, afraid of a whiteout.

“Let’s go!”

Everyone got up and did a fast-walk back to the waiting carriages. The blankets really came in handy, then.

This time, Janine moved to the front carriage, leaving Anita, Nathan, Fred, and an all-too-curious Thomas.

_____

“Come on everybody! I have roasted duck, braised carrots and asparagus…”

Miss B. kept rattling off all the wonderful food as she slyly herded the kids in from the snow.

She watched as Nate and Anita lingered behind on the porch and gently closed the unlocked door behind herself.

They stood by the railing, watching the snow pour down.

“Anita.”

“Hmm.”

“I think you know why I joined your group…” He said looking down at her, his glasses safely in his coat pocket. The weather had kept fogging them up.

She looked up and nodded her head. “I think, I may have an idea…” she said.

“I think it’s the same reason, I let you.” They looked at each other, meaningfully.

He caressed her cheek and slowly bent down, planting a gentle kiss on her parted lips.

It had been tentative at first…and then slightly deeper. They broke for a moment, their foreheads slightly touching.

“Are you okay?”

She chuckled. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m with you.”

She leaned in for another kiss. He met her, half-way. They lingered in it, enjoying the feel and taste of each other.

After they’d reluctantly parted, their lips tingled with pleasure.

They stood silently on the porch, his arms wrapped around her body in a gentle front to back embrace; planting a few gentle kisses on her neck, and watching the snow, until the cold finally forced them in.

______

Everyone could see the change as soon as they got in, but they ignored it for their benefit, except for Thomas…Who Ms. B could see was about to say something.

“-Thomas, why don’t you come along and help me take my cookies out of the oven?” She said, her arm outstretched.

“Sure!” He popped up, his quip forgotten, and followed her into the kitchen.

They loaded their plates at the serving table and plopped down by the gigantic fireplace.

Fred and Jasmine were playing backgammon.

Janine was on the phone with her boyfriend, who was waiting for her in Michigan. Until then, she had only been able to write to him.

They played board games well into the night, not going to bed until after twelve. Thomas joined in their games of course, but his youth drove him to the sack slightly earlier.

____

The rest of their days with B drifted by like a blissful dream.

Between the presents, their new intimacy (Fred and Jasmine had also grown close) and the insulated environment at B’s it had been an unforgettable time.

So, when it came time to go back to school, they truly were loathed to go.

They left two days before the next semester was scheduled to begin, again, timing it so the Rolls, arrived at an appallingly late hour.

____

“I know it’s crazy, but I kinda missed the place.” Janine said as she stood in the main room.

“You’re right, Janine. It is crazy” Thomas said, shaking his head.

The last bits of luggage were loaded into the house. Nathan, brought them in himself and waved off the Rolls.

The others walked up to their rooms, allowing them privacy.

“We have to be careful here, Nathan.”

“I know.” He said, kissing her. “I will.”

…Another kiss. “I’m just enjoying this before it gets hard, for us.”

She looked away, frowning.

“Hey.” He said, touching her face to bring her eyes back to his.

“I know how strong you are….Your friends all look to you. You can handle this.”

“I know.” She said.

“I’m worried about you.”

“Listen to you…Always taking care of other people. I’m fine.” He said, taking her face in both of his hands.

“As long as I have you, I can handle it.”

They kissed once more and he headed back to his dorm.

Anita hugged her arms, seriously second-guessing this.

_____

Ben was up already when Nathan came through the door.

“Hey, Ben. I’m back.”

“Yes, you are.” He said, his eyes narrowing.

He had told Ben that he was going away for break, but he had been intentionally vague about exactly when, where, and with who.

“How was your trip?”

He inhaled, smiling. “It was nice.”

Ben smirked. “Did you and your colored friends have fun?”

This stopped his smile.

“Yes.” he said, simply.

“I saw you leave, last week…In a Rolls, wow, who knew they could have so much money! My daddy’s not that rich.” He said.

Nathan unpacked his bags, ignoring him.

“Look at you. You can barely stop smiling. Everything’s real cool for you, huh?…”

“She must’ve put out, huh?”

Nathan froze… “Your little nigger girlfriend.”

He walked over to his roommate’s side of the room and punched him square in the jaw.

He grabbed him by his collar.

“Now, you listen. I’m not hearing that come out of your mouth, again.”

He let him go.

Ben’s eyes were wide. He touched his lip, which was bleeding freely and sat on his bed, shaking.

“Fine.” He said. He got up and left the room.

Nathan continued to unpack, distractedly… “Oh, great.” he thought, sighing.

“It’s already begun.”

CHAPTER 6: THROUGH THE FIRE

Nathan was disappointed to find that he had no classes with Anita this semester. It made sense, though…her only fulfilling the required courses for math and him for literature.

He did have a few with Thomas, Fred, and Janine, who was one of only three females, period in the math program.

They helped each other, when they could.

They had no classes with Rebecca. Apparently she had to take the lowest levels of her classes again. It was clear she didn’t really belong there, but the Chancellor had no choice.

Nathan and Anita had to take what they could, in terms of time together.

They still met for their study groups, of course, and occasionally in the stairwells. Though, that had been foolhardy.

They had an unspoken pact that they would not let too much on to others, if they didn’t have to.

Nathan, did worry about Ben, though. He knew he would talk, and he knew most of the campus knew anyway, but he didn’t want egg anyone on, if he didn’t have to.

He knew, his friends would pay the most, Anita especially would pay the most for it.

Ben moved out of his dorm, shortly after the confrontation.

They’d begun to relax this semester, as they had gotten used to the taunts. And with many of them, even closer, it rolled off them like water.

They’d grown comfortable in their defensive routine.

That had been a huge mistake.

_________

The school-bell blended with the sound of the high-pitched whine of an ambulance.

All of the students where changing classes so, they all stopped what they were doing. It had been a long time since they’d heard a siren on campus.

They frantically tried to find each other on the quad.

“Anita! Anita!!” Nathan yelled, looking frantically for her at their designated emergency meet-up spot, beneath the University Blvd sign.

“I’m here.”, she said, running up.

“Oh, thank God. Where’s everybody else?” Nathan asked, careful not to touch her. It had been difficult.

“I see Janine and Fred!!” Anita yelled and ran towards them.

They both looked into the their frightened eyes.

“Where’s Jasmine?! Where’s Thomas?!”

Janine shook her head, looking very shell-shocked….

Jasmine came running out of a building from across the way.

Janine started babbling…. “I tried to help, but they pushed me out… They pushed me out!”

Anita placed a calm hand on her shoulder.

“Janine, please just tell us what happened.”

“Some nutcase threw acid on Thomas, in Chemistry.” She said, shaking from shock.

Everyone gasped.

“ ….ohgod…” Jasmine said. “He’s twelve!”

“He’s just a boy.”

“I-I knew what to do….I neutralized it with a strong chemical base…but…he may not…”

A gurney was wheeled out of the science building, Thomas’ tiny body was strapped to it.

They could hear him wheezing loudly “…my…” -wheeze!- “….classes…”

At least he was awake. They knew that was a good sign.

Pounds of gauze were taped to his neck, shoulders, and especially his chest.

They all ran to the ambulance. Janine leading the way.

“-Let me see him!”

“I’m sorry ‘miss, he’s going to need emergency surgery.”

Kensington followed the gurney into the back.

“Classes are canceled for the day!” she yelled.

As the back doors closed, they saw Kensington close her hand around his.

________

Peter had done it over a perceived slight.

…Thomas had made him look stupid in class.

Janine told the story. “He had been paired up with Peter for labwork and Thomas kept correcting him about the using the wrong chemicals.

I had warned him…but he’s just a kid. They don’t like us negroes getting too uppity.” She said bitterly.

She began to cry. “He just…. hauled off and threw acid on him.”

Anita hugged her while she sobbed.

Fred sat down on the sidewalk with his hands over his head. Nathan stood behind Anita, wanting to offer more comfort, than he could.

“He’ll pull through…” She said. “I know, he will.”

“Little ankle-biting nigger deserved it, if you ask me.” Rebecca said taunting.

They all gave her the look of thousand deaths.

Janine started.

“No- No!-, Janine” Anita whispered, blocking her path.

“She’s not worth it! Think of Thomas…” She said.

Janine took a few cleansing breaths and held still.

Rebecca walked off in a huff. Even some of the whites looked at her like she was low.

_______

The campus atmosphere had changed in the wake of the attack. Most students thought that what happened to Thomas, went too far.

So, they gave them space.

_______

They all sat in the main room of their house, waiting for news.

Fred rocked Jasmine is his arms, while tears ran down her face.

Anita held Janine.

They heard a knock on their door.

Anita got up and carefully peeked from the window.

She breathed a sigh of relief and let Nathan in.

After a quick glance, she shut the door and jumped into his arms.

“You shouldn’t be here…” She said.

“The campus is different now. I didn’t think they would bother me.”

“Still- you took a risk! Stupid risks are what got us here….” She said shoving him away.

“He was STUPID!!!” She yelled. “We’ve been stupid…” She said, her voice cracking.

She was finally breaking.

“It’s okay…Let it go.”

He held her tight while she sobbed into his chest.

______

There was another knock on there door.

This time Fred checked to see who it was.

“It’s Kensington.”

He let her in.

She sighed heavily. “He’s stable.”

They all let out a breath.

“He’s going to miss the semester…But, he’ll pull through.”

“Visiting hours are over today.” She continued.

“-but I’ll drive you to the hospital in the morning.”

She turned to leave.

This time, she wasn’t going unthanked.

“We appreciate what you’ve done, Dr. Kensington.”

“-Everything.” Anita said.

Kensington paused for just a moment, nodding, before she left.

CHAPTER 7: FOUR

The charges that had been brought against Peter, were dropped on a technicality. Though, he had been promptly expelled and sent home to Alabama.

They all sat in the waiting room for the nurse’s ‘okay’ to see Thomas.

Anita leaned on Nathan’s shoulder while he squeezed her hand and Fred rubbed Jasmine’s arms.

Janine peeked around the corner, as if her watchfulness could speed up the nurse’s response.

Finally, the short stocky nurse peeked in, briefly giving Nathan and Anita the up-and-down look.

“-Follow me.”

___________

They weren’t prepared for the sight that met them.

Thomas was propped up on his bed, with several tubes running out of his face and chest. An odd translucent sheet covered his entire bed like a fish-tank.

“Hey -wheeze- guys.”

“How are you, Thomas?” Janine asked, her eyes tearing.

“I’m -wheeze- fine. Can’t you -wheeze- tell?”

At least he was well enough to make jokes.

“That -wheeze- bastard.” Thomas said.

The doctors had said he had permanent lung damage and extensive scarring on his shoulders, neck, and chest. He probably would have to used an oxygen tank for the rest of his life.

“See my -wheeze- gifts.”

All around him were flowers, cards, and balloons, given by his classmates and professors in the chemistry program.

“What did you -wheeze- bring me?”

They laughed. “I’m -wheeze- serious.”

They stayed with him until visiting hours were over, when Dr. Kensington came back around to pick them up.

_____________

“If you need more time, I understand”, she said.

“I can let your professors know.”

Fred spoke up first. “No. We don’t.” Thomas, wouldn’t have it.

____________

Thomas had been sent home to his county Hospital, to finish his recovery. It left a huge whole in the circle. They hadn’t realized how much they appreciated his humor. And his academic gifts would be put on hold. That had hurt the most.

The only positive, was that because it occurred on school property, it fell under their liability clause. His working class family wouldn’t have to worry about his medical bills.

It had taken awhile, but they finally fell back into the rhythm of their classes. Because they lost Thomas, they clung to each other that much harder. The attack had brought home the reality, that no one member of their circle was more in danger than the other. It could be completely random.

If they had spent their life worrying about specific people, who had threatened them, like they did for Rebecca and Ben, they wouldn’t get anything done.

Nathan and Anita were more open with the affections. Many people gaped, stared, whispered, and at worst showed pity at the held hands and loving looks. …That had been expected. But there were also a few who they could tell had been routing for them.

Professor Brunstein winked at them in the hall, as she passed.

____________

Anita, Jasmine, Fred, and Janine sat in the back of the bleachers watching the guys warm-up.

Anita whistled like a pro.

“Runners on your mark-“

“-Get set”

-pop!-

Nathan sped around track, with his friends cheering him on, for the first time.

Ben heard the whistling and looked back, watching Anita and Janine hoot and cheer, while Fred and Jasmine, behind them were engaged in a kiss.

____________

Nathan came in third place, but by the way Anita celebrated and embraced him you would’ve thought he had won.

They walked back to campus talking about the various track and field events, they’d seen.

“Did you see Troy through that javelin?!” Janine asked incredulously. “He almost hit that guy!”
Anita and Nathan laughed.

Fred and Jasmine lingered behind, kissing under the bleachers.

“Hey!” Ben said. “Whatcha’ doin?”

“What does it look like?” Fred answered, irritated and ready for a fight.

Jasmine tugged on his sleeve and indicated the five guys he had with him….

“Yeah…” a big ugly one said. “She’s almost white.”

“Get behind me, Jasmine.” Fred said…

“And when I say, you run…”

They closed in.

“-YOU BOYS GET BACK TO YOU ROOMS!-“ Said the voice in the police car.

Ben sucked his teeth and looked her up-and-down.

“I’ll see you later…” He winked and stalked off. “Come on guys.”

Nate, Nita, and Janine were running up… “We noticed you weren’t behind us, anymore!”

“I knew something was wrong.” Janine said.

“You got the campus police??” Jasmine asked, ready to thank her.

“No, I think Kensington’s been having them follow us.” Anita replied.

“It’s a good thing, too.” Nate said. “You shouldn’t go off alone like that.”

“Yeah.” Jasmine said, looking thoroughly shook up.

“Jasmine, you don’t go anywhere alone from now on. I don’t care if it’s to the bathroom, you let one of us know.”

“If you’re with Nate or Fred, hold the door open and let them have a look, before you go….I’m mean it.” Anita said.

Jasmine nodded vigorously.

“I’ll talk to the Chancellor.”

_____________

“The police have already been by.” Kensington said.

“So, what about Ben?”

“My hands are tied. He hasn’t done anything.”

“–Yet.” Anita said.

“Yes.”and Kensington sighed

“I’ve done what I can…The police will continue to keep close watch on you.”

“And for that, I thank you, but I’m still afraid.” Anita replied.

“Me too.”

_____________

Once again, they were back in super-defensive mode.

It was getting exhausting. Anita was afraid someone would break under the pressure.

This was getting ridiculous.

_____________

Jasmine came down the steps, holding Fred’s hand, her bags packed.

He looked forlorn.

“I can’t stay. I have a feeling they’ll succeed if they get another chance…I’ll visit before the semester is out.” She said lowering her head.

“I’m sorry, I failed you guys. I’m just not strong enough.”

“Nonsense!” Anita said.

“You’re following your gut, which is a common sense move. Don’t feel guilty for saving yourself.”

She gave hugs all around and kissed Fred.

A car-horn honked.

“I’ll miss you guys.” She said, tears streaking down her face.

This time the car that took her away was a down-to-earth model.

CHAPTER 8: TENSION

There were no more extra-curricular activities for what was left of the circle. Kensington had put them on a strict schedule, for their own safety.

The campus police knew where each of the three colored students were supposed to be, at all times.

It had worked.

The bigots had learned that they simply wouldn’t be afforded the opportunity to do anything to the colored students.

On the downside, the only time Nathan had protection was when his schedule matched theirs.

Anita pleaded his case with Kensington, but on this, she would not bend.

Every minute he was away from her, she was needled with worry. It had begun to effect her work.

_____________

Anita was reciting a poem she had written for an oratory class. It was as personal as the assignment had called for, all about her hopes, dreams, failings, and love.

After she was done, the professor, began to ask her probing questions, he had not for anyone else.

She felt intruded upon.

So, she asked very personal questions back, visibly, upset.

What she hadn’t known was that the reason he had asked her personal questions, was to try to better understand the motivations behind her phenomenal poem.

_____________

The circle sat in library, for their usual study session.

“I heard you lost it in class, yesterday, Nita, what happened?” Nathan asked.

“You know I’ve been stressed.” She said, her answer purposely cryptic.

“With Jazz and Thomas gone, it’s been rough.”

“It’s been rough going on all of us, Nita.” Janine said. “-But we’ll get through.”

She nodded, looking up at Nathan, who looked worried.

“I’m fine, Nate.”

He didn’t look convinced.

Fred looked over at Janine. “Uh, Janine…Why don’t we go for a walk around campus. And before you start, Anita, there are two cops, one of them can act as an escort.”

Nathan watched them go.

“Now, what’s really wrong, Anita?”

“I don’t know if I can deal with this anymore.” She said.

“Thomas and Jazz are gone and you don’t have protection, Nathan.”

“Yes, I do.”

“-When you’re with me or us. But most of the time, you’re on your own.”

“-As I was at the beginning of this.”

“It’s different now, Nathan!” she said, frustrated.

“Every minute you’re away, I think something may be happening to you. …It’s ripping me apart.”

“You’ve always had an active imagination Nita, it helps your writing, but you need to put it aside when comes to me.”

He reached across the table and picked up both of her hands. “I promise, I’ll be alright.”

“No deal.”

“What?”

“No. Deal.”

“You can’t keep that promise. It’s not in your hands.”

She said frowning, her voice low and full of tears. “Maybe should break-up with me-“

“-No.”

“That’s not an option, Nita.” he said, seriously.

“Well, then what can we do?!”

He got up and walked around the table. “Take my hand.”

She did.

He pulled her out of her chair and dragged her through the many aisles and rows of books. He moved with a purpose, knowing where he was going.

“Nate- Whut…”

When they rounded the last corner, he began to kiss her.

She returned his kiss and then he paused, putting a finger to her lips.

She nodded her head, understanding.

They kissed again, more urgently this time.

Nathan was fumbling with her skirt. She helped him, guiding his hands.

The sounds of shifting bodies and rustling clothes echoed in the silent library. They were terrified of being discovered….but not enough to make them stop.

She bit her lip to keep a pained gasp from escaping her lips, the first time he entered her; his hands wrapped around her waist, keeping her steady.

This was not the love-making session either had imagined. This was urgent, hushed.

As he built up an awkward rhythm, her initial pain had melted into something else.

A tiny gasp escaped from her lips.

His breath was coming out in hot drafts against her neck.

He brought her leg around his waist and pressed in as far as he could go.

Another small gasp. And they were through.

____________

He held her there for moment, neither one of them wanting to let go, but they did. They had to.

Anita leaned against the wall, catching her breath… She tucked in her shirt and smoothed down her skirt.

Nathan adjusted his clothes as well…Anita stood up on still shaky legs, self-consciously checking everything with her hands.

Nathan took them in his own and kissed them.

“You look fine.” He whispered.

“You too.” She replied.

He lead her back through the stacks, to the table, were Fred and Janine were reading their books.

They didn’t look up.

Anita and Nathan sat down, only pretending to study for the rest of the hour, their thoughts drifting back to those fleeting minutes.

It had worked….

She stopped worrying…at least for a time.

CHAPTER 9: ONLY ONE PLACE TO GO

As they exited the library, Fred gripped Nathan’s shoulder.

“Man, you are too smart, to be so stupid.” He whispered.

Nathan flushed…He knew what he was referring to.

Nathan stood for there moment, feeling guilty. He knew Fred had been right to call him out.

It had been selfish. He rationalized it, knowing she’d go along with it, but it had been more about what he, -they wanted, needed in that moment, than anything else. But just as Fred said, it was stupid.

This short-term solution could be another problem for them.

They hadn’t done it again. There were no more opportunities to do so.

Still, if he’d had it to do over, he knew they would not have done any different.

________

Anita got it worse.

“What the hell, were you thinking?!”Janine yelled.

Janine never cursed, so she knew she was livid.

“I wasn’t…” Anita said.

“What if someone had seen you?!…What if you’re pregnant?! We’ve already lost Thomas and Jazz, we can’t lose you over, this!!”

“You’re right! I might have screwed this up!”

“…But either way, I was losing it. If I didn’t go because of that, I still would have from losing my mind over all of this. …Nate knew that.”

Janine sighed, shaking her head.

“…You two are something else. You make me glad my boyfriend is in another state.”

_____

Anita spotted Nathan in the hallways between her classes.

She beckoned him into an empty classroom and shut the door.

She looked down…her arms crossed against her chest.“What we did in the library…You know that can’t happen, again. …Not here.”

“I know.” He replied. “I hadn’t planned on it happening, then.”

She could see he was blaming himself.

“Hey…” She said, reaching up to touch his face. “I’m not sorry, I was with you. I wanted you too.”

“Nita, I love you too much to let anything happen to knock you off course, but that’s what could’ve happened. What could still happe-.”

“Shhh…” She said a placing a finger to his lips. She gently kissed him.

He pulled her into his embrace, where she could hear his heart beating in his chest. The rhythm seemed to match her own.

“…Don’t even speak it.” She breathed in deeply.

“We’ll be fine.”

_____

Anita counted the days and was relieved that her cycle was on schedule.

Galvanized by yet another scare, they all buckled down for their studies.

Like most people who experienced trials in their lives, the pain never went away. Thomas, and Jasmine were in their thoughts, but it did get easier.

They got further into their concentrations and found that they could find some respite focusing on their interests.

Anita even found herself enjoying her Advanced Writing course…despite the presence of Ben.
It incensed her that he was still here, while Jazz had to go home on account of him. But he stayed quiet. He hadn’t tried to engage her or her friends…Not then, anyway.

_____

It was nearing mid-semester break and the campus was in the midst of an unusual heatwave. Everyone was irritable by default. Some of the buildings did not have air conditioning…including the library.

The circle sat in the library, studying for their mid-terms.

Nathan, Janine, and Fred worked on all manner of difficult computations, while Anita busily read and wrote.

They took a break; stretching, going to restrooms, getting water…While Anita went to the stacks to find a book she needed…It was half a level up, in a very isolated section.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “-Nathan, I”

It was Ben.

“Hello, Anita.” There was a click.

She turned to bolt… He grabbed her arm and yanked her back. “You’re not going anywhere.” He said pressing a gun to her cheek.

“..Now we don’t have much time, before your friends start wondering where you are and you’re going to hear what I have to say.” He hissed.

“I’m going to scream.” She said, quietly.

“Not, before I use this…”

“…Now, I’m gonna speak my peace.”, he whispered. “Little bitch…You think you’re really something. Got my buddy treating you like a white girl, putting a nigger on a pedestal. What did you do to him??”

He dug his fingers into her arm.

“…You people, think you can go anywhere, take whatever you want. You have the Academy catering to your every whim.” He hissed, his mouth beside her ear.

“ …You think you’re better than me. Well, you’re not…

You were born a nigger and you’ll die a nigger.”

She closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer..

“If you’re going to kill me, do it.” She said, her voice steady.

“I don’t know…That rich white nigger bitch friend of yours, thought she was too good for me…but you’re not too good for a little white meat, are you?”

He said, fondling her breasts…Tears were beginning to roll down her face…

“…Hello, Anita?? I thought you might need some help finding your bo-….”

As Ms. Grace rounded the corner, Ben took off.

“Oh my Lord, child. Are you okay??”

“Just call the police…” All Anita could think of was the danger her friends were in with Ben running around with a gun.

____

Dr. Kensington sat in the library with the circle. Anita had already made her report to the police.

Nathan was furious.

“The campus police are looking for him.” Kensington said.

“-He should been expelled when he threatened Fred and Jazz!!” Nathan interrupted. “You knew he would try something like this!!”

“….Now, he’s assaulted my girlfriend and he’s STILL OUT THERE!! Are you happy, now?!-” Anita touched his arm and looked into his eyes. It brought him back down.

“What should we do?” She asked.

“It’s nearing Spring Break. I want you to finish your mid-terms. You may reside in my home, until they catch him.”

“And if they don’t?!” Fred asked, as angry as Nathan.

Kensington took off her glasses and rubbed the space where they rested, replacing them.

“Then perhaps, we should put an end to this experiment.”

“–No.” Anita said, fiercely. “We won’t quit.”

“Do you remember what Thomas said, when they rolled him out of that Chemistry building, with those chemicals on his neck, and chest cooking him alive??” Janine asked quietly.

“He asked about his classes….Even then, all he could think about was getting through this school.” She continued…

“So, no. Dr. If you want us to quit, you’ll have to expel us.”

Dr Kensington nodded her head.

Nathan squeezed Anita’s shoulders. “I don’t know. You’re all strong, stronger than anyone I’ve ever known or will know…. But you’re all still human. There’s only so much one can take.
You just have to know when you’ve hit your limit. And this is…..TOO MUCH.

That piece of shit, almost raped Jazz and Anita.”

At mention of Jazz’s name, Fred dropped his head, flexing his jaw.

“We haven’t reached ours yet, Nathan.” Fred said. “We’ll die before we let anything push us out of here.”

“Yeah.” he said…”That’s what I’m afraid of.”

_____

They dragged their things into Dr. Kensington’s home, including Nathan, this time.

She cleared out the basement for the boys and the guest room for Janine and Anita.

That night Janine heard Anita fighting in her sleep…

“Get off me, GET OFF OF ME!!”

“Anita!! -Anita!!”

She nearly hit Janine. “It’s just me, girl. He’s not here. It was just a nightmare…” She said, holding her.

Anita was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, shaking like a leaf, and crying.

Their midterms began the next day.

_____

To say it was hard for all of them to focus would be like saying Antarctica has just a little bit of ice, but they managed.

Everything was done on autopilot. And somehow, their grades stayed strong.

_____

“You’re going to have to stay in my home for all of Spring Break, I’m afraid. No leaving for any reason, whatsoever. There is a police car sitting right there, watching you guys.”

Kensington said, pointing out of her window.

“-So, you should be safe.”

“Should be…” Nathan said. “There were police outside of the library too, Dr.” he said, stepping forward.

“It was supposed to be locked. He did he get in then?”

“He broke out a bathroom window and climbed through.” Kensington replied.

“My property is too open for that to happen. The police would spot him..”

Everyone just sat there looking so defeated.

“Let me let you kids in on something…” she said, sitting down opposite them.

She removed her glasses and placed them on the table beside her.

“The Mayhews have pulled their funding. They removed Rebecca, before we could expel her for her low grades. From what I understand she has been transferred to a private school in the United Kingdom. She’s their problem, now.”

They looked at each other and then back to Kensington. They had, had no idea Rebecca was gone.

“Do you wish to know how we are still running??”

“-Donations.”

She said, her hands clasped together on her lap.

“… from various groups all over the country including the NCNW and the NAACP. Private donations have come in as well. Nat King Cole even made a significant donation and so many anonymous checks have come in.”

She leveled her eyes at all of them.

“We have more money coming in now, to support this, than we ever could have lost from Rebecca’s backwards family.”

Kensington, gave a rare smile.

“So, I want you to know that it may not seem like it, especially in times such as this, but you have many allies.”

“I truly believe things will change and we’ll look back on this era of bigots and hate with shame. But the only way to get to the other side, is to go there…And that’s never easy.

You’ve had to contend with maliciousness, assault, death-threats, vandalism, and all manner of cruelty and yet…You. Have. Endured.”

She leaned forward in her chair.

“Your ultimatum to me was school with these all of challenges or expulsion.”

“Well, then…” She said, standing up and putting her glasses back on.

“School it is.”

CHAPTER 10: VICTORIAN NIGHT

Ben was captured on the final day of Spring Break, hiding in a friend’s apartment and they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Again, the charges didn’t stick, but he did thoroughly embarrass his family. They sent him away to a strict military school.

And so, they all returned to their classes with renewed hope and strength.

It was the beginning of the final month of the year and the time had come for the only formal dance held at the school.

The Caldwell Spring Ball.

Jeremy P. Caldwell, had been the man responsible for the establishment of the Academy. Having been a prodigy himself, there had been no institutions in his time, that were capable of challenging his preternatural intellect. So, when he was able, he formed the Academy.

The Ball was a seventy-year tradition for which every student wore Victorian formal attire and adopted the manner; as was true to the times when Caldwell established Ashwood.

As a prodigy, he never had the opportunity to attend a formal dance, because he was so much younger than everyone else in his classes. This event was to make certain, none in his class of intellect would ever again miss out on that experience.

Kensington allotted an allowance from the donations made to the school, and they were able to choose gowns from a very exclusive catalog of period attire.

Janine and Anita giggled and fawned over the sumptuous wear in the pictures.In light of everything that had happened to them, throughout the year, this was a very welcome distraction.

Staying true to the times, any boy who wanted act as an escort to a young lady, had to send a handwritten note requesting the honor.

A representative from the student union went to every girl and delivered wax sealed letters, often during classes, providing much amusement throughout the room.

Anita was reciting a soliloquy from Macbeth.

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day…”

The professor, her own favorite Bronstein, was managing the class for the day, in Dr. August Redmond’s absence. She spied the young man, dressed as a period deliver boy outside of the classroom door. She indicated with a hand-wave that he should hold until, Anita had concluded.

To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing…”

Her classmates and the professor, applauded…. Bronstein opened the door and spilled in the comically accented boy, another twelve-year old, a curly brown-haired boy, attending the Academy.

“I have several private letters for delivery here…” He removed his hat.

“For Ms.’s Landry, Robinson, Underhill…” The boy rattled off names of every girl in the classroom…. “Scott….” But there were gasps when Anita’s was announced.

Agnes Landry, a redhead so pink, she nearly glowed, raised her hand, clearly upset. She had been in Rebecca’s elite circle of friends. After she left, she took over her alpha-female position.

“Professor Bronstein? The negroes will be allowed to attend the Ball as well?”

“Yes, Ms. Landry. They will be.”

“But professor…That means…well, the manners of the time dictates that we all have to dance together.”

Bronstein stepped forward walking down the aisles.

“And why not?” She removed her pencil from behind her ear and twirled it between her fingers…

“Have you not been attending class with Anita for several months?”

“Yes. But…”

“No buts, Ms. Landry. Is there sense in the idea that they are good enough to learn with and from and but are somehow not good enough to dance with? That seems like a contradiction to me.”

Another girl raised her hand…A girl with pale blue-eyes and straight black hair. She’d never volunteered any opinion to this class, until now.

“Well, I have no problem with it, Professor. After all I’ve seen them go through, especially Thomas…I think they, more than any other students on these grounds, deserve this.”

Many students nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for your opinion, Ms. Underhill, but it is inconsequential. They will be attending. Everyone here has to the privilege to attend or not if they so chose. If there is an issue with touching colored people. Than you are free to not attend.”

A few groans and protests were raised in the room.

“No more on this subject…” she said, raising her pencil. “Now, let us return to our soliloquies…” She placed it back behind her ear and returned to the podium.

_____

After class, she cracked her sealed card…

Dear Ms. Anita Penelope Scott,

I humbly, request the honor of being your escort to the Caldwell Spring Ball.

Yours Always,
Mr. Nathan Allen Fulton.

She clutched it to her chest, like a treasure; all the romantic images from the books she’d read flashing through her mind.

“A Victorian ball!” She thought.

She could hardly believe she was going.

_____

The night of the ball arrived and the school looked like another place and time…In the center of the main square was a large open air tent embellished with jewel-toned tassels. Portable oil street lamps lit up the main road and paths and the gazebo, was wrapped with climbing wisteria in lavender, white, and pale pink.

Both girls’s gowns arrived three days, prior.

Janine chose a gorgeous red satin gown with huge puffed sleeves and a huge bussel, square cut at her bosom, and emphasizing her curvy figure, cinched at the waist by a large black velvet belt.

She wore long black gloves and a delicate feather hair pin, with black crystal accents atop her hair, a complicated mixture of tight curls and wrapped braids. It had taken Anita a long time to get it just right. She was no Jasmine when it came to fashion and hairstyles.

Anita opted for a more romantic look. Her antique white gown had ruffled lace spilling from her gently puffed sleeves and the edges of the open line at the top of her gown, exposing her shoulders and clavicle.

Her waist was cinched by a large jewel-tone golden ribbon at her waist which tied into a bow in the back, setting atop her more subtle bussel.

And her hair was also pinned up with fat spirals spilling down to her neck. The look was completed with a large gardenia hair pin, also deep gold, and long white gloves.

They took a deep breath and stepped down the rickety steps of their house, their dresses held up in hand.

Three young men in the classic black and white coat and tails waited at the bottom, Fred Gale his frame really filling out the suit, just right, Nathan Fulton of course, his tall frame and suit also setting off his handsome features and a new guy…

“-JOHN!!!!” Janine yelled and bounded into his arms…

There stood a gorgeous man with smooth skin as black as his teeth were white and his clear dark brown eyes twinkling, from within his smiling eyes.

“Nathan, Anita, Fred, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, John Freeman.”

“Pleased to meet you…” he said, giving everyone a firm handshake and smile. “I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”

“Thanks for getting my girl, through.” he said seriously.

“Oh, she was the one who helped us…many times. She even saved our friend’s life.”

Anita said rubbing her back.

“I knew she was being modest in her letters.” He said kissing her.

Anita looked up at Nathan who had never looked so handsome. He was almost better looking than her…Almost. “Nathan where are your glasses? I miss them.”

“They weren’t true to the period. Besides, I only really need them for reading.”

Before he met the circle, he’d been hiding behind them. Using them as a shield to real social interaction. He had just been going through the motions before. His math studies were an easy replacement for true friendship. But now that he did have true friends, he didn’t need to hide anymore.

There was a knock on the door…

_____

Fred, used his gloved hand to smooth down his eyebrows once more, and opened the door.

There stood, Jasmine Coolidge, looking amazing…Janine and Anita were certain no one at the Ball would have a gown even close to matching the opulence of her own.

It was layers of deep lavender silk, with a deep purple brocaded belt. She was dripping in amethysts, her birth stone with one the size of a silver dollar, set in a broach surrounded by pink diamonds at her bosom.

Delicate chandelier earrings dripped down until they grazed her shoulders. And her bussel…the piles and layers of fabric trailed down, dragging the floor for about three feet behind her. She would have to clip it up to her belt, with yet another amethyst pin when she danced.

Her hair was the most complicated of all…Mounds of spirals spilled down to one side of her face
reaching her bosom, pinned back with a barrette of crystals. And in her white gloved hand was a fan of delicate white plumes, which faded to a lavender blush.

“OH MY GOD, JAZZ!!!!!”

The girls screamed and gave her a big hug while every one else followed in turn, including John, whom, Janine quickly introduced.

“Well…” She said, winking. “I couldn’t exactly say no to that lovely letter, Fred.” He held up her hand, bowed deeply, and kissed the back of it.

“God, we missed you!…So what school are you attending now?”

“Believe it or not, here.” She said, to dropped jaws.

She laughed. “I’ve been keeping up my studies through correspondence. So, has Thomas…”

“Truthfully, I think this way worked out better for me. I missed my old ballet teacher. There’s not enough innovation in the Dance department here. With my teacher at home, I can work on my technique and choreography. My parents even pay Janet Collins to come personally to give me a private workshop, every year.”

She said, beaming.

They opened the front door and prepared to walk to the tent in the center of the school square.

“Shall we?…” Jasmine asked.

Sitting outside of the house was a large open top carriage, straight out of a fairytale, big enough for all of them.

Each of the men, bowed deeply and helped their ladies into the carriage.

_____

As they rode through campus they saw a fire blazing across the way…There was a cross burning in the field, opposite of the campus.

The rode on in silence, watching it burn. The clopping of the horses and the crackling of the fire seemed very loud.

They dismounted at the long black carpet which lead into the tent. There was a heavy police guard, which they tried to ignore…It spoiled the mood of all the period decorations.

Kensington stopped Anita. She too wore period wear and looked uncharacteristically feminine.

“I wanted to let you know, that the Klan has been protesting today. The guard is here to keep you safe. Please…try to enjoy yourselves this evening.”

“I will.” She said, smiling. “I’ve been listening to the radio. We all heard about it earlier.”

Nathan took her hand… “I’ve got to go, Dr. Kensington.”

She waved her off.

“Announcing, Ms. Anita Penelope Scott and her escort! Mr. Nathan Allen Thurman!”

The announcer went one to list their accomplishments and honors in their subjects, which were numerous. Many students and professors, stared open-mouthed at them, the first interracial couple many had seen period, forget attending a formal event.

Janine supplied. “I think they’re staring because they can’t believe how beautiful you two are together. They’re jealous.” She said winking.

“Announcing Ms. Jasmine Alisa Coolidge and her escort Fredrick James Gale!!”

The whole room hushed….She really did have the most beautiful gown in the place. Fred beamed proudly, with a ‘look at my woman’ strut in his step.

They sat at their table sipping their punch out of crystal goblets and watched the group dance to the live orchestra.

Janine’s dance card was filled by Fred. They got up and happily joined the group number… A few students bowed out gracefully when they joined, but most were so overcome with joy in the dance, they continued…a few merely ‘ghost-touching’ when they switched partners, a few full-out dancing.

Mary Underhill, was one of the few white women who smiled happily and danced with Fred. Her date also switched and danced with Janine. The spun and whirled, under and over, backwards and forward through the intricate routine.

Anita looked on terrified…This was the one thing she couldn’t do, dance.

The number ended with boisterous applause…

“Whew!” Janine said, fanning herself… “Dancing like that is MURDER in this corset.”

The music began again, this time a slow romantic tune.

Nathan offered his hand, at which she fiercely nodded ‘no’.

He laughed. “Do, you mean to tell me, I’ve found the one thing Ms. Anita Scott isn’t good at??”

”No, isn’t that I’m not good.” she said laughing, back. “It’s that I’m not even a bad dancer. I can’t dance, period.”

“Well…” He said offering his hand, again. “It’s a man’s job to lead, anyway…Trust me.”

She took his hand and got up too fast, tripping a bit on her hem. Agnes, who was watching giggled with her girlfriends. …He caught her, before she wiped out.

“Gotcha’.”

“…Trust me.” he repeated.

She took a deep breath and he whirled her into his arms. He was incredible, so light on his feet she felt like she was flying.

She didn’t have to do a thing. He glided her across the floor and she felt as if they were in heaven, and she were his angel.

CHAPTER 11: LIKE HOME

When Nathan finally closed the book for the night, his home, the entire neighborhood had gone completely still.

He removed his glasses and placed them on the side-table.

He crept quietly up to the bedroom, where Anita lay slumbering in their bed.

He smiled.

As he slipped beneath the covers, she stirred.

“You’re just now getting to bed?” she said, her voice crackling with sleep.

He leaned over and kissed her. “I think you may have a few more book awards coming with that one.”

“You’re biased.” She said, chucking.

“A little bit.” he replied, sliding a hand over her thigh.

____

The ball had been a dream for them all.

Fred had gotten a bit frustrated as Jasmine’s card had been filled by a few of the more adventurous white boys in attendance, as well, but he was polite.

They even had a portrait taken. The photographer refused to take Jazz and Fred or Nate and Nita together, so they simply all took a group photo.

As the night ended, they lingered on the weathered porch of the old house, listening to the distant tinkling sounds of the classical band, which played on into the night.

After a while, the others went back to their rooms. Jasmine and John spent the night in the house, before returning to their homes.

Nate sat on the steps with Anita and held her hand in his own, bringing it up to his lips.

“I can’t believe how beautiful you look tonight.” He said.

She smiled, thankfully.

“I’ve written my mom about you.” He continued, seriously.

“…She knows you’re colored.”

“How’s she taking it?” Anita asked.

“She’s worried for me, of course. But she doesn’t know you, yet. When she does, she’ll love you as much as I do.”

“Nathan…I-”

She could see where this was going. She had wanted to delay the inevitable talk about their future for as long as possible.

She had been living in the present with it came to them. All thoughts on the future brought up possibilities of all kinds of frightening dangers.

“-Classes are over next week…” He said.

“But we won’t be.”

“I’m not going down that road, again Nathan.” She said. “But…Everything else. I just haven’t thought about it.”

“Well, I have. And I want us to be together. I can’t imagine my life without you, Anita. And I won’t have you as anything less than you being my wife.”

Anita froze, her eyes wide. “Nathan… We’re still in school.”

“We could be anywhere, a few years from now…”

“-I know, but there’s one thing I know for sure. I’ll be right there with you.”

He leaned over and kissed her. Anita was deep in thought.

“If you can come down to Kansas before school starts up again, my mom wants to meet you.”

_____

Anita rode on the train and watched the trees fly by in the huge picture window. It had been hard fight, especially with her father, but in the end she had been allowed to visit Nathan.

It had come down to a single empty threat. If not, she would leave school. She doubted they really believed that she’d do it, but it scared them enough.

She would be staying at her godparents’ house who lived two towns over, while she visited.
When she stepped off the train, she looked around for a familiar face.

There on the platform stood Nathan. “Nathan? What are you doing here?!”

“I couldn’t wait. I had to see you.” She lept up into his arms, laughing.

Her godmother, Esther stood on the other end of the platform, her mouth hanging open. She was a thin middle-aged woman with skin as black as soot and large clear eyes. She wore a large impressive hat.

Despite her size, she had a scrappy look about her.

She quickly walked up, interrupting their embrace.

“Ahem.-”

“So, this must be Nathan….” she said, her voice dripping with skepticism. “The young man who has impaired my godchild’s good sense.”

“Hello, mam.” He said, removing his hat and offering a hand.

Esther set her mouth firm and shook briefly. “You may address me as Mrs. Haines. Now, that you’ve seen her, you can go on back home. She’ll be by two days hence.”

Anita hadn’t seen her in five years. Esther had been her mother’s childhood friend. Her parents trusted her judgement.

Nathan lingered, hugging and giving her a quick peck on the lips before moving to pick up her things.

“Ah, thank you. But we’ve got it.” Esther said. “You can go on home, now.”

“Okay then, Mrs. Haines, mam’…” he, said, wanting stay but not wanting to damage his impression with her.

“I’ll see you, soon.” He hugged her once more before departing.

_____

Esther drove her old eggshell-colored Buick in silence.

“You’ve already made up your mind you don’t like him.” Anita said.

“He’s white. That’s all I need to know.-“

“He’s a good person, Miss Esther.”

“-That’s all you needed to know, to have left him be!”

“-I love him.”

Esther gasped. “You do not! You stay in love with those books of yours!”

She said sounding scandalized.

“Don’t you know what they done to my husband’s business??”

“Yes, mam. Nathan had nothing to do with it.”

“That’s not the point.” She said frustratedly

“…Love? You’re too young to know what that means.”

“I’ll be sixteen next month.”

“Exactly.”

“If you knew what we’ve already been through, you wouldn’t say that.”

“–It don’t matter. What do you expect to happen? You’ll never be one of them.”

“I don’t want to be. I just want to be his.”

“Dear Lord, help this child…” Esther mumbled under her breath, as her hand trembled on the steering wheel.

_____

When she arrived at their home, her godfather, Mr. Jimmy looked even sterner.

He said nothing when she greeted him.

The following days were very tense, but she did her part, sweeping up his business, Haines’ convenience Store and running the register.

_____

When Nathan got back to his mother’s home, he found her standing in the den, holding his picture from the Caldwell Spring Ball.

“She is a pretty girl.” She said tracing her image, her voice fragile.

“You two…look right proper together.”

She looked up. Her face was dark-featured and beautiful, but permanently weary in a way that spoke of a difficult life.

“…but. I can’t help but fear for you.” He hadn’t shared all of his challenges in school, but she wasn’t a stupid woman.

“You’re lucky your father’s not alive to see this.” she said, her voice cracking.

His father had died some years back, in the Korean War.

Nathan lowered his head. It stung to hear her mention anything about his father. He had been an alcoholic who had beaten his mother on more than one occasion.

In truth, he saw his death as a blessing. Unlike his good-hearted mom, he had been a hateful man. He would have never brought Anita anywhere near harms way, by bringing her around him.

Good riddance.

He sighed. “Yes, I know. It’s a good thing he’s not, but it wouldn’t change how I feel about her.”

His mother worked as a waitress in the local diner, supplementing the few benefits coming in.

She placed a hand on his cheek.

“I won’t stand in the way of this…As scared as I am for the both of you. I saw your face when you scooted out of here this morning.” she said, a strained smile touching her lips.

“We’ll make the best of it.”

_____

Days ticked by slowly for them both, but Saturday finally came.

He drove his mother’s Dodge two towns over to Clearwater, to pick up Anita.

He had brought along his mother’s pineapple cake as gift.

“Oh, thank you Nathan.” Anita said, taking it into the house.

She wore that same royal blue dress he remembered the first day he saw her.

“Your mother is kind. Send along our thanks.” Ms. Esther said, her lips set in a thin line.

“You have her back by eight pm., no later.” Mr. Jimmy said. “Have your mother call us, when you arrive.” he said, his voice deep and imposing, his face stern.

_____

They drove along over the long flat roads, past field after field of grain, with the sun glaring overhead.

The radio played Sam Cooke’s ‘You Send Me’ while the wind breezed through their fingertips, as they dangled from car’s open windows.

-whoop!-whoop!-

A police car had turned on a siren behind them.

“Great.” Nathan mumbled.

He pulled over.

The huge redheaded officer unfolded himself as he exited his vehicle.

He walked up to the driver’s side and leaned down.

“License and registration, please…”

“Yes, sir.”

Nathan quickly found them and handed them to the officer.

“You, uh…Missus Fulton’s son, aren’t ya?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hear you’re at that special school, up in Vermont.. Folks around are real proud of ya.”

“Thank you, sir.”

The officer looked across at Anita.

“And what’s your name, lil’ miss?”

“Anita Scott, sir.” she piped up, quickly.

“Anita Scott…Well now, that’s a right proper name.”

“Thank you.” She said quietly.

“You aren’t from around here, are ya’.” He said, his eyes unsubtly traveling over her frame.

“No, sir.”

He looked at them both significantly, for a moment longer and then gave back Nathan’s license.

“Well…”

“You kids keep your fun…discreet.” He said tipping his hat.

He straightened up. “You tell your mother I said ‘hello’”.

He walked back to his car and drove off.

They both let out a breath.

“Do you know him?” Anita asked.

“No.” He replied. “But I think my mother does.”

____

They both could smell the aroma of roast beef wafting from the kitchen as Nathan opened the front door.

“Oh! You’re here! Give me a second!” His mother called from the kitchen.

A small-framed woman, from whom Anita could see he’d gotten his looks came walking into the front den, her brow beaded with sweat.

She ran a hand through her lush walnut-colored locks.

“I’m Sandra Fulton.” She said, extending a hand, her dark eyes seemingly peeking into her deepest being, just like her son’s.

“Pleased to meet you Mrs. Fulton, I’m Anita Scott.” She said, shaking it.

“Well, I see why my son’s taken with you. Come along to the dining room…Your places are set.”

CHAPTER 12: COMMON GROUND

Sandra ushered them both into the dining room.

“Have a seat.” Sandra said, smiling

As they did, the doorbell rang.

“Excuse me.” She said, as she headed to the door.

They could hear harsh whispers coming from the front room.

Anita whispered. “Who is that?”

Nathan shrugged.

They both went white when a towering redheaded man strolled into the dining room.

“Look’s like I’ll be setting an extra place.” she said, a nervous smile ticking her lips.

“Officer Jacob Jackson, this is my son Nathan and his friend from school, Anita.”

He clearly hadn’t been invited.

“Well, then…You have a seat and I’ll see to the roast.”

“Allow me to help ya’, Sandie…No sense in you doing this on your own. You should’ve told me you were having guests.” he said sarcastically.

Sandra sighed, looking from Jake back to her son and Anita. She nodded her head looking apprehensive.

As they disappeared into the kitchen, Nathan looked stricken.

Mr. Jackson reminded him of his father. Polite while things were going his way, but he had a feeling that could change.

Anita touched his hand under the table, her look questioning.

“–Later, Nita.”

She nodded.

_____

“You knew I was having guests over, Jake.”

“Yes, and now I see why you didn’t want me to join the family reunion…”

“Jake, please don’t start…Not tonight.” she said, looking wearier.

“Of course not, we can’t leave the colored girl in there with a bad impression…”

“This is why you weren’t invited.” she hissed, straightening herself to her full height.

“Come on, now Sandy, I ain’t gonna make trouble. Hell, I already met them both earlier.”

“You have?” she looking very anxious. “Did you harass my son?”

“No. No baby. It’s alright…” He said, his hands sliding around her waist…

“I’m not your baby.” She said, peeling his hands from her body with some difficulty.

She walked to the other end of the kitchen. Jake followed her.

“Now, look here. I told you I was sorry, I dun’ everything I can to make up for it, now you just gonna have to accept that, and stop being so goddamn stubborn, Sandie!”

“Do not blaspheme in my household.”

“Well, shit…What can a man do in your household?”

“Leave.” she said, her eyes level.

“You don’t got to do that.”

“Yes, I really do. …I’ve changed my mind. I’d really like this to be just us three this evening. You’re already acting up.”

“So, please… Just leave Jake.”

He stood glaring down at her for a brief moment before his expression melted into faux softness.

“–Come on, now baby.”

“You heard me.” She said, her voice raising a bit for the first time.

He sighed. “Fine.”

______

He strode through the kitchen doors into the dining room. He paused briefly.

“Looks like I’ve got a call… Nice meeting you kids.”

He swept on through the rest of the way, Sandra close on his heels.

They could hear more whispering and the front door open and shut.

“Sorry, about that.” She said, reappearing.

“Let’s have that dinner, shall we?”

_____

“So, where are you from, Anita?”

“Henry, Indiana, mam.”

“Henry? I have a friend from out around that way.” She said, smiling.

“You remember Miss Anne, don’t you Nathan?”

He nodded. “She took me up to the pond with her kids once, when I was seven.”

“That’s right.”

She put down her fork, giggling a bit… “You came home that day, soaked to the bone but dragging along two cods bigger than you!” She said.

“Her boys were so jealous, they roughed you up a bit, before you got home, didn’t they?”

He nodded.

“You see, he could see the fishing pole weren’t working, so he waded into the water and dug a out a trap where he saw the biggest fish.”

“They swam up in it, got their gills all full of mud, and all’s he had to do was scoop ‘em out when they were good and tired.”

She laughed. “My boy’s always, been smart.”

“We had fish for weeks!” She said… “And Richard hated fish.-”

The mood changed for the worse, palpably at the mention of the name.

Anita changed the subject.

“I went fishing once…” She said, clearing her throat

“Well…” She said, “More like, reading by the lake, all day.”

“Do you remember what book?” Sandra asked.

“Yes, mam. It was Daisy Miller, by Henry James…The spine was coming apart, I’d read the thing so much.”

“That was a favorite of mine, too, when I was a girl.” She said.

The continued throughout dinner, swapping stories about books they’d read. He had no idea his mother had read so many.

He could see that his mother was completely taken with Anita.

As they finished up the meal, which had been delicious, they both helped to clear the table over Sandie’s protests.

“Anita…When we’re finished here, I’ve got something to show you.” She said.

_____

They were all knelt down in the far corner of the den, as Sandra uncovered a dusty old trunk…

She unlatched it and there were a few old photographs and threes rows of books, neatly lining the bottom. All first editions.

“ …wow.” Anita said, stuck dumbfounded.

“I’d wanted to give this to you, when you were growing up Nate, but you never showed as much interest in books as I did.”

And, he could’ve added…Neither did Richard. He’d sooner sell them all if he’d known about them.

“I was saving this for my grandkids…I knew one of them would appreciate it.” She said, her eyes traveling over the titles.

She lifted up an old sepia picture that was creased down the middle. A couple looked stoically back at them from the formal setting. A bright-eyed man standing with his hands on the shoulders of a dusky woman, wearing exotic clothes.

“My parents…” She said, talking to Anita. “Nate’s grandparents. That’s my father Peter Wells and my mother Florica Wells. He was English and she was Roma.” She said, fondly….

“Very beautiful.” Anita said.

“Yes.” she said, her eyes faraway. “They both died of pox when I was still a teen.”

“But I did alright.” She said, straightening up. “Anyway, I think you ought to take a few of these.”

“Oh, Mrs. Fulton, I couldn’t.”

“Here.” She said. “I insist. At least take Daisy Miller, to replace the one you had as a girl.”
She placed the tome in Anita’s hands.

“…Thank you, Mrs. Fulton.”

“Honey, it’s my pleasure.” she said, her eyes appraising.

CHAPTER 13: BREEZY NIGHT

As Nathan drove along, the sun glared into the car from the horizon. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers’ harmonies pumped through the radio speakers.

Nathan clicked off the dial.

“About dinner…Well, before.”

“Nita…When I was younger, when my dad was alive, life was…turbulent.”

“He was a real jerk…treating my mom, badly. And she put up with a lot.” He said quietly.

“I just…I hope she doesn’t make the same mistakes.”

“…She did make him leave.”

“Yes.” He said. “…That’s more than she used to do.”

“…I wish she’d just get rid of him permanently.

_____

As they cruised along, Nathan pointed out some of his childhood spots, including the infamous lake.

Nathan pulled up to Anita’s godparents’ home at seven thirty, a half an hour earlier than they’d asked..

Mr. Jimmy was working late at the store, so Esther met them at the door. The stern-looking woman wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and a faded flower-print mu’umu’u.

“Thank you, for bringing her back, surprisingly early.” she said, her lips pursed, as she ushered Anita through the threshold.

“It’s my pleasure, Mrs. Haines. My mother really enjoyed Anita’s company.”

“I’m sure..” she said, unconsciously waving a gnat away from her face.

“Anita! There’s sweet tea in the kitchen! Why don’t you bring out a couple of glasses? I’d like a word, with Nathan here.”

She glanced at the them both, apprehensively.

“Yes, ‘mam.” she said, her footfalls on the creaky floor fading into the kitchen.

“Have a seat, young man.” Esther said, gesturing at a hideous pink aluminum outdoor chair, gently rocking on a track.

He sat down and Esther sat across from him, in a large wicker chair. “Since you’ve brought her back early, I thought we might have time for a few words. Do you have time, young man?”

Anita reappeared in the doorway holding two sweaty glasses.

“Oh, thank you, dear.” Esther said grabbing them both. She handed one off to Nathan.

“Now, would you mind finishing shelling them peas out back?”

“Yes, mam.” She said, lingering for moment to give Nate an encouraging look.

“…Hurry on, now.”

After her footsteps stopped, Esther took a long drought of tea.

Sighing she asked. “How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Seventeen…” She repeated as she sat back in her chair. “Well. I’m forty-nine years old. I know much more about life is, than you do, young man.”

She sipped her tea. “….One thing that always stays the same, is whites stays with whites and negroes with negroes. God had the tribes separate on different continents for a reason.” she said, leaning forward.

“We weren’t ever meant to be together, in God’s sight.” She picked up an old church fan and fanned herself.

He was tempted to ask her about Solomon and Sheba but he kept his mouth shut.

“You go to church?”

“I go to mass.”

“Mmph, mmph. You know, Catholics are the most heathen of the faiths. You all worship Mary, when you should be worshiping Jesus.”

Nathan refrained from speaking, once again.

“I assume you had some troubles, at your school. Why then are you still messing around with my goddaughter?”

“I’m not messing around with her, Mrs. Haines. I love her. I’m marrying her when she graduates-.”

“-Boy, you don’t know what love is…And marriage? That neither.” she said, shaking her head.

“You think you’ve had hardships? Multiply that by a thousand and then add marriage on top of it.”

“That makes no difference, to me-“

“No difference?” she let out a sarcastic laugh.

“Honey, it makes a big difference to everybody else…As it ought to, to you. Folks out there will beat-cha’,-kill you and her for being together…And where are you going to live? What about children?”

She let out another sarcastic laugh.

“You think you’d even know how to begin to raise colored children?” she said, leaning forward in the wicker chair, making it creak beneath her.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, Mrs. Haines, but I don’t think anyone’s children come with instructions.”

Esther looked away, shaking her head…

“…Find a nice white girl.”

She got up.

“I don’t want a nice white girl, ‘mam.”

She sighed. “If you cared half as much as you say you do, you’d leave her alone. She’s going places, that she’ll never get to miscegenating with you.”

“Now, you don’t want to be here when my husband gets back.” She said, her back to him.

She went into the house, letting the screen door slam shut behind her.

“-anita go on upstairs to your room. -yes, mam.”

Nathan was halfway to his car when he felt a light pat on the back of his head.

He looked around and found a tiny balled-up piece of paper on the ground, near his feet.

He glanced around and saw Anita leaning out of her window. She put a finger to her lips, before he could say anything.

He picked up the paper and got back into his truck, unfurling it, once he’d settled into the driver’s seat.

Nate,

I’m going back Indiana tomorrow afternoon.
I have to see you before then.

My godparents will be out until late tonight.
They’re going to revival at nine.

My window will be open.

Love, ‘Nita

He smiled up at the window and drove away.

_____

Anita sat with her legs folded up to her chest on a small bench beside the window. It was a pleasantly warm evening and crickets were out in force. She slipped her gauzy cotton gown back from her knees, to stave off the heat and allow a light breeze to flow across her knees .

Her godparents had been gone for only a short time.

This was the one thing her mother did not allow Anita’s godparents to do. For all the talk about Nathan’s Catholicism, her godparents’ Pentecostal church had some odd practices, including faith-healing with snakes.

Her Baptist mom wouldn’t allow her to attend.

A light pattering at her window began and she leaned out.

“It’s me!” He still held few small pebbles in his hands…

She ran down the steps and opened the door.

Nathan pulled her into his arms, kissing her, like she was a sip of water in the desert.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye.” She said.

“God, I’m going to miss you, so much…Every moment without you feels wrong… like my soul’s been stabbed.” He said.

She leaned up and kissed him, again. Their tongues languidly entwining.

“…Come upstairs.” He followed her up the steps and into her room. He sat on her bench while she sat on the edge of her bed, facing him.

“I’m sorry about the way she treated you. She’s always been very protective of me.” She said wringing her hands.

“…There’s something behind it, though, that goes beyond that.”

She sighed, lowering her head.

“Some years back…When she was living in the same town as my mother…Before I was even born, something terrible happened to one of their school chums.”

He picked up her hands and squeezed them his lap. “…It’s okay, take your time.”

She frowned momentarily and continued.

“His name was Terrell. They have many pictures of themselves together. I’ve seen them. They looked happy, then.”

“…One day when he was in town, shopping for his mother, he wasn’t looking where he was going…And uh.” She took a deep breath. “He bumped into a white woman, with her husband standing there right beside her.”

“Of course, he apologized and explained it was a mistake, but her husband wasn’t having it. He cursed at him, right there on the street.”

“Well, the next day, my mother and godmother went to school as usual…but Terrell wasn’t there.”

“He never missed a day of class, so they were quite worried, you understand.”

He nodded.

“Well, the police didn’t much care for searching for a negro boy…So the community got together and did it themselves.”

“They searched he woods, with the risk of stepping on snakes or white hunters ‘accidentally’ shooting them.”

“They found nothing.” She said, shaking her head.

“The following week, a young negro boy had gone out into in the woods and…”

She took a deep breath.

“He found his charred body tied to a tree, with a sign hanging around his neck.

…It said: KEEP TO YOUR OWN, NIGGERS”

“They’d…done things to him. …Brutal, disgusting, things that would turn anyone’s stomach.
When they described it to his father…He had him cremated immediately and made folks swear not the discuss the details with his mother.”

“…but Esther knew. …She was there when they cut him down.”

Anita turned away.

“They didn’t find all of his parts.”

“He was sixteen.”
____

“Honestly, Nate…Sometimes, I do wonder about things. I love you, but I wonder if it might be better for you. You know…With Terrell and what happened to Thomas.”

“… ‘Nita, It would kill me to be without you Anita. There’s nothing worse for me, than that.”

He kissed her hands.

She clasped them in his and he allowed her to pull him onto her bed.

She kissed him again, a wanting in her eyes.

He stopped her and whispered against her lips.

“…They may come back, early.”

“They won’t.”

“But…you.”

She reached across to her nightstand, opening the drawer.

She took out a small package.

“I took it from their store.”

“You stole it?!” he said incredulously. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Anita laughed.

She reached up his collar and began to undo the buttons.

A light breeze rippled her gown, making her curves all too clear beneath it. It was all he could do, not to rip it from her body.

Instead he reached up a hand to caress her cheek. She leaned her face into it. His hand slipped down her neck, over her breasts and settled on her hip.

The buttons undone, she helped him take it off.

“There….Now let’s take these off.”

Her hands slid down to his belt buckle and undid it. It lightly clacked as she pulled the leather through the loops. He did the rest himself…sliding his pants down his legs, taking his shoes and socks with them.

He wore nothing but his white boxers.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. You remember the library.”

He nodded.

“I wanted more. For it to be proper.”

He still looked at her like sex would be the instrument of their destruction, but he reached his hands out to her anyway. He shivered, bunching up her gown at her hips and pushed it up her body and over her head.

She stared at him, unembarrassed. Her breasts bare, only wearing a pair of frilly pink panties. His scanned every part, every detail he could see. From the small birth mark on her shoulder to the way her panties sat on her hips, one side dipping slightly.

He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “You’re a goddess.”

She too was taking his lean frame, flat stomach and the sinewy muscles he had from running. His hair made her smile. It was still too long… Her eyebrows raised at his shorts, She wondered how she’d ever fit him inside her.

“You too…” She caught herself and they both laughed..

“I mean you look, amazing.” He took her into his arms and pulled her against him, wanting to feel her skin against his own.

He kissed the hollow at neck and felt her relax against him. He kissed her collar bone

Nathan’s hands wandered down her back, over the dimples over the top of her panties and toyed at her waist band. “You’re so soft.”

He drew his lips down, taking a nipple into his mouth.

Anita allowed her head to fall back, enjoying the sensation.

He gently lay her down on her bed and continued to worship his goddess, his lips brushing across her belly, causing her to giggle.

His hand slid over her blanket and found the rubber.

He gnawed at the package causing Anita to giggle again.

“Well, it’s not as easy as it looks.”

After a struggle, he finally managed to get it open.

She sat up… “Here, let me help.”

She pushed his boxers down his legs, with some difficulty and he kicked them off.

She took a hold of him and he gasped.

After a moment, relishing his reaction, she rolled it over his shaft like an expert.

“I’ve read more than just the classics, Nathan.”

And she lay back down. He slipped his hands under the waistband of her undies and pulled them down her legs, kissing her as he went. She sighed and watched him, the pleased smile never leaving her lips.

He lay down beside her and whispered into her ear.

“Well, I may know a trick or two, myself…Let me look at you.”

He propped himself up on one elbow his face resting on his palm. Stared down at her greedily, unable to decide where to touch her first. He had played a scene like this in his mind many nights before.

She sighed, as if impatient. “…And you were worried about time.”

He traced her full lips with his fingers, trailing them down her chin and over her nipples. He allowed himself to compare her to Rebecca. He’d made it to third base with her.

She had been thin. So much so, he could see her bones jutting from her hips. She was all sharp angles.

Anita reminded him of Marilyn Monroe, soft round curves.

“Turn over.”

She flipped over and he ran his hand over her back cupping her round bottom.

“Is this all you want to do, Nathan?”

“Just wait.”

“…What are you..Uoh.”

He had slipped his hand between her thighs and found her soft slick flesh.

Her legs relaxed apart. She let her eyes flutter closed, while mouth opened in a wide ‘o’.

“That feels really good, Nath-, Oh God.”

He had slipped finger inside her, while the other made slow circles around the tender spot above.

She inched up her bed, allowing him easier access. Nathan was enjoying her reactions. He didn’t think he could could get so aroused watching…But God, the look on her face, they way she arched her body, he thought he might explode just from that.

She gripped the edges of her pillow and buried her face in it…Her body beginning to shudder from her impending orgasm.

She screamed into her pillow as the pleasure pooled throughout her body.

She looked up at him, her eyes still hazy, her breathing still heavy.

“Who are you?”

“Still me…You’re not the only one who reads.” It was a necessary white lie. There would never be a good time to bring up Rebecca.

She turned back over and nibbled her bottom lip, her legs still relaxed apart. He needed no further encouragement.

He crawled between her legs and propped himself above her.

“Are you ready?”

“Nathan, we have done this be-“

“Mmm…” she hummed as he entered her, that pool still wavering within her body. He took deep breaths and slowly stroked her.

“God, “Nita you feel so good.”

She gasped when she herself building again, he was sliding against the most her pleasurable spot.

“Please…” she breathed out. “Please, don’t stop.”

He increased his pace and depth. And she cried out…both legs wrapping around his waist, urging him on.

“Oh, God, -Anita…” He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. His breaths came out as if he’d just run and hard race. He thought his heart might explode.

Suddenly, he felt her soft wet flesh tense around him rapidly, her hands gripping his sides. She couldn’t even scream, her breath was caught in her throat.

He croaked out her name and pushed as deeply as he could…collapsing on top of her

They held each other, knowing that things were different and yet still the same.

“Was this a dream?” She asked.

He shook his head. “Dreams don’t feel that good.”

“It’s ten-thirty.” She said, glancing at the clock.”

“Good. I can hold you a bit longer.” And he held her more tightly.

CHAPTER 14 : THERE AND BACK AGAIN

As they lay in each others arms, in that comfortable space between wakefulness and sleep, the phone rang loudly, startling them both.

Anita hopped out of bed.

She ran down the steps and into the parlor. The phone rested on a side-table. She picked up the heavy receiver and spoke.

“Hello?”

“Oh, good, I got through…Whew!”

“It’s your godmother Esther.” She said, as if Anita didn’t recognize her voice.

“-Mam?”

“Look, here child…” She said quieting her voice.

“Looks like Sister Francis is needing an extra hand this evening. Her husband passed recently, and she was just looking pitiful today. She needs help around with handy work ‘round the house, so my husband is staying too.”

“We just can’t leave her like this, it ain’t Christian…I need you to mind the house, ‘til the morning. I’ll still have you at the station by noon.”

Anita could hear the woman in the background howling.

“Yes, mam.” She said trying to sound neutral.

“Alright. Eggs are in the fridge and pataedahs are in the bin. We’re out of sausage, but you can fry you up some hashbrowns with your eggs, tomorrow.”

“Yes, mam.”

“Okay, then.-“ She paused just a moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Anita waited until Esther hung up first.

_______

Anita crept back to her room, only to find a somewhat dressed Nathan, wearing his boxers and his t-shirt.

“My godparents are staying out ‘til tomorrow morning.” She said in a disbelieving voice.

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “Don’t cast an eyeball at me, it’s real…Honest.”

“She’s never lied to me in her life.”

Nathan rubbed his bottom lip. It was an adorable act, that Anita noticed he always did when he had some sly idea.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“What? But I was just getting comfortable…”

Nathan hopped up and grabbed her hand.

“-Let’s go.”

“Nathan, I’m still wearing my nightgown!”

“It’s okay…” He lead her down her stairs and into the front room.

“You’re always so serious.” he said.

Nathan pushed open the creaking screen door and let Anita out first.

“Someone has to be.” she said, screwing up her lips.

“Just…get in the truck.”

“Not until you tell me where we’re going and promise to have me back before first light.”

“…But you said they wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning.“

“Promise me, Nathan!”

“I promise.”

“I don’t want to push our luck.”

She slipped into the front seat. Nathan quickly put his keys into the ignition and turned it.

“Now, where are we going?…And don’t you dare pull off, until you tell me.”

“The lake.” he said sighing and pulled off.

_____

Nathan pulled up to a small clearing at the side of the road. He lead Anita through some thickly packed trees and brush, helping her stoop under a large low hanging branch that could’ve easily snared her hair.

“I don’t understand, why…” she huffed, her flip-flops slipping over some dead leaves. “We couldn’t just go through the front.”

“You’ll see.”

“We’re here.” He held the last branch back and Anita walked through.

“Oh.”

The water gently lapped at pebbled shore. A few large boulders perfect for perching lined the edge of the wooded area.

And the water was like glass, causing the multitude of tiny lights from the stars to reflect like another sky.

The half moon lit up the scene like a night-light.

“I was wrong…This was definitely worth it.”

He took her hand and led the first few steps into the water.

“Oh…I can’t go in there.”

“Why?”

“My hair…Esther will know something’s up if my hair is different.”

Nathan looked confused.

“When my hair gets wet…It changes. It gets nappy. It’s not straight anymore and it’s a pain to get it back straight.” she, patiently explained.

“Oh. Well, then we just won’t get far…”

He took her hand and walked ahead, letting her trail behind while tested the levelness of the ground.

The water never rose above their knees.

“Wow. I’m surprised there are no mosquitoes.”

“Planes fly over every year and spray…Kills all the bugs around here.”

She noticed then that she’d not seen a firefly nor heard a cricket since she’d been here. She was torn between enjoying the stillness and being unnerved by it…But with Nathan with her, the scales definitely tipped overwhelming the former way.

The water was pleasantly cool on her legs… Once they gotten to a certain spot, they were completely still. It looked like they had waded into the starry night sky, the water reflecting like a giant mirror.

It was so gorgeous…

They stood for awhile, the only sound being the gentle lapping of the water around their legs. Nathan took her hand and helped her up onto a boulder. She almost slipped back once, briefly terrifying her.

…But they both managed.

Nathan put his arms around her and held her close.

“I’m going to really miss you, ‘Nita.” He said giving her a gentle squeeze.

“I’m going to miss you too.”

“I have to keep telling myself, it’s only two months…But a few weeks away from you, was like… a piece of me was missing.” he said.

Nathan made good on his word. Anita was glad she’d made him promise. It was the only way she’d gotten him to bring her back when he did.

He lingered at her door, holding her close and raining kisses on her mouth and face, as if his lips might remember her better than his eyes.

Their hearts seemed to beat with a matching tempo and intensity.
After many failed attempts, as they were reluctant to separate, they finally managed to pull apart, tears shining in Anita’s eyes.

“Two months.” he repeated and finally left.

_______

Summer passed slowly for the both of them, despite all the laughter and good weather surrounding them, delicious outdoor smells of rain and food, …It was still empty without one another. There wasn’t a moment that one did not think of the other.

______

When they returned to school for the new year, things were different. The atmosphere was more hopeful and less hostile. They both assumed, this was because, those who really objected had found other schools. The new freshman class was full of idealistic liberals, including three more colored students.

A sassy hazel-eyed fourteen-year old girl, named Bianca, a talkative sixteen year old named Corinne, and a tall handsome brown-skinned seventeen year-old named Zeke.

Zeke,was not just tall, but a giant. he was probably approached daily, if not hourly about playing basketball. But it was not something that interested him. Ever since he’d help a cow give birth to a breached calf with his father, he had been obsessed with becoming an obstetrician.

Bianca was sharp and sassy, though unlike many, she could back it up with brains. She yearned to be lawyer, to make changes happen like the one that allowed her to be at Ashwood in the first place….After all, she could argue.

Corinne was talkative, because her mind could hardly contain everything she’d learned. She knew just about every, mostly useless, random fact,. She could have dominated any quiz show.

It had been Anita’s job to orient Bianca to the campus.

It gave Bianca pause when she first saw Nathan. He’d spotted Anita in the quad, pointing at the engineering department. He ran up to give her a peck and squeeze.

Bianca watched him jog off, her eyebrows raised. “Is that how it is, here?”

Anita huffed. “No. Not really. Nathan’s a special case.”

Bianca laughed sarcastically.

“Really, you need to watch yourself. …I have a feeling it will likely be easier for you, but don’t let your guard down around these white folks. …Some of them may even wear the mask of friendship, just to dupe you into trouble.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure”, she said giving her an up and down look.

Anita shifted on her heels. “You’ll see.”

“Oh, it’s not that I don’t see what you’re saying…I just, don’t believe him”, she said tipping her head in the direction, Nathan had gone.

“Well…” She said, a strained smile on her lips. “It’s a good thing that’s not your concern.”

None of her group had been so pig-headed, judgmental, and just plain mean. Thomas had been sweet, a perfect angel in comparison

Thinking about him brought up painful memories. So, she conciously shook them off and continued into the building.

Thomas had been advised to stay out one more semester, in order to allow his lungs to fully heal. He had not progressed as quickly as they’d hoped. His risk of infection was very high. A serious illness, like pneumonia could set him back for months or even be life-threatening in his fragile state.

Anita scrapped together enough money go see him before school. She saw he was in remarkable spirits. She could tell, he wasn’t faking it this time for her benefit. And he still kept up with his school work.

Jasmine had opted to continue her education in dance, still completing her primary courses at Ashwood, by correspondence. …She was quite gifted. She hoped to shatter the color-barrier in a few areas of dance, while she was still young and able to do so.

“This is the Chemistry Building. There is a state of the art lab— in there. You’ll be doing possibly life-saving research in there.” She said to Bianca, smiling…

*a note: I’ve been relcutant to post this entire story here, because I did not feel that it was finished.  Right now, however, I am filling in the blanks between the previous chapter and the following  chapter in the sequel. So, this now does feel complete for me.  Thanks, for reading!

FLIPPED PAGES

The rest of their school years passed with many expected challenges and a few unexpected, but they got through.

More and more colored students joined ‘the five’ in the following years, but when the time came for them to except their diplomas, the one thing Anita dreaded as most inevitable never came to fruition.

No one failed. Everyone made it through.

Dr. Kensington called out the names in the graduating class, giving ‘the five’ an undeniable sense of deja vu.

Nathan having already been through this, sat in the audience, supporting them. He had just begun work for a major non-profit, in biostatistics and epidemiology, specifically on malaria.

Thomas, having graduated summa cum laude was given the honor of a speech. He stood tall in his cap and gown at the podium. His scars were visible, but fading. An oxygen inhaler was at the ready just in case. He was fifteen, the age the others had been when they arrived.

He began…

“When, I first arrived here, I had no idea what to expect.” he paused, taking a few breaths.

“I was this little colored kid, excited for a challenge. And that is what I received here.” he said, smiling.

“But I made it through…With the help of good friends”, he said indicating Jazz, Fred, Nate, Anita, the doctor, and professors.

“We all did.” He said, getting slightly choked up. He paused again, regaining himself.

“I just have this to say. I feel no anger, no bitterness…Life is far from fair. The few get advantages over the many, a good number of which have to struggle just to survive.”

He leaned forward on the podium.

“I’m just glad I was given the opportunity to use this.” he said, pointing to his scarred forehead.

“Without Ashwood, I would not have been able to.” He said. At that Kensington rubbed the bridge of her nose under her glasses, where it had grown a little damp.

“I’m just happy and proud that we made it…All of us.” His eyes scanned the field, over the mostly white faces and over the few, seven or so other black faces that were now apart of the class with him.

Finally he found the faces of his friends, Jazz, Nathan, Thomas, Anita, Janine, and Fred, all rapt with attention, some streaked with tears.

Janine held her hands clasped in front of her mouth.

As he sat back down, the applause was thunderous. The flashes were too numerous to count. The press was out in numbers for this historic event.

______

Thomas was offered a teaching post at the Academy, but he turned it down to focus on his career.
He became an world-renown astrophysicist, becoming good friends with another physically challenged contemporary Stephen Hawking.

He was often interviewed for various public television specials and published several books on theoretical space travel.

Fred was offered a high post at GM, designing new vehicles. Though he decided to focus on freelancing with military contractors, to make the vehicles soldiers were transported in, safer but still cheap to make. He was even in the process of patenting a smaller and more efficient inhalation apparatus for damaged lungs…for his good friend, Thomas.

Jasmine was now a prima ballerina at the New York Ballet, only the second person of color to make the position and Janine was at the forefront of the research team responsible for breakthroughs in cancer treatment, including the introduction of chemo-therapy.

She was the only woman and person of color on the team.

______

Nathan was helping Anita load the taxi with her things, when he came across that familiar black leather bag.

He laughed.

“I thought you had gotten rid of this.”

“I can’t now.” she said, absently thumbing the goldband on her ringfinger. “It has too much sentimental value.”

He picked up her hands. “I promise we’ll have a real wedding, soon.”

She shook her head.

“I’m already you’re wife.” She said.

“That’s all I need.”

…Soon after her graduation they eloped in a small chapel. Anita wore a simple white shift and Nathan a clean dark suit.

Their friends from school had been their witnesses.

______

Nathan and Anita pooled their resources together for their first big purchase together as a married couple. Between the income from the sales of Anita’s first book and Nathan’s raise, they had enough to make a down payment on a modest brownstone in Brooklyn.

As they pulled up, they could hear Sam Cooke’s ‘Cupid’ blaring from a car stereo.

They both paused at the beginning of the walk and looked up at their home. Several children, from different backgrounds ran down the street and touched the railing opposite their own.

“Safe!” they screamed, their voices peeling with laughter. The gangly brown boy who had been chasing them, feigned jumping at them to make them do the same. He hoped one would stumble from ‘homebase’ so he wouldn’t have to be ‘it’ anymore.

The couple smiled. They could have afforded to live in whiter and more well-off area, but after being in Ashwood, they craved more diversity and less pomp.

“I can’t believe it’s ours…” Anita said.

They stepped up the stoop and in through the threshold.

_____

“Push! PUSH!” Anita grimaced in pain as she bore down, her whole body drenched with perspiration.

Nathan squeezed her hand, anxiously watching on.

Finally, there was a cough and a high-pitched whine.

“It’s a girl!”

Her pain was suddenly distant and dull as the tiny brown child was placed in her arms.

“Hi, Rose.”

She said, looking into her squinty eyes. Both parents sobbed in joy and wonder at their creation.

_____

“Daddy! Daddy! I fell down!! My kneee!!!” She cried as she sat on the front porch, a thin stream of blood running down her leg.

Anita was away promoting her latest novel, so Nathan was gladly taking on the full brunt of parental figure.

He knelt down in front of her and peered at the small scrape on her knee. The girl looked so much like her mother, it just made him miss her all the more. The same long limbs, rich brown skin, and upturned eyes.

He dabbed the small scrap with peroxide and Rose winced.

“It’s okay, ‘Blush’” He said.

That was his own special nickname for her. Rose’s complexion was the only thing that physically hinted that he was her father, along with a slightly different texture of her hair. She flushed a deep red, when ever her emotions ran high, in anger, embarrassment, and even when she exerted herself too hard.

He was pleased to see that she also had an early propensity and love for math, as well.

He’d give her equations for fun, which she completed with relish.

Nathan’s mother often visited in Anita’s absence, playing with the girl and scolding her son, for not knowing the same things she had to learn through trial and error when he was a boy.

Anita switched with him on the few occasions his work took him onsite, overseas to malaria-heavy countries in Africa, South America, and Asia.

_____

They stood on the vast expanse of land, sandwiched within the huge crowd of people. Anita with a round billowy afro and Nathan with shaggy shoulder-length hair.
Signs dotted the peopled landscape, indicating states people represented. People were even hanging from the trees.

Little Rose fidgeted in Anita’s hand…

“I can’t see.”

“I’ve gotcha’…” Nathan hoisted her up on his shoulders, so she could.

And the speech began.

“I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation…”

The man was so far away…a tiny brown dot behind a tiny brown square, but his voice echoed the hopes, the sweat, the blood, and tears of many in his audience…including Nathan and Anita.

They squeezed each other’s hands and looked at each other, three simple words passing in worlds of a look.

“We made it.”

THE END

~ by Raven White on December 15, 2008.