It must have been her first day in school because she kept on parading up and down the hallway yet never entered the class. She peeped through the transparent glass door and made a quick scan with her chestnut shaded eyes, “Not enough colored folks,” she concluded.

In the middle of not knowing if she should go to the class or cut her first day of school, the end of class bell rang, as she heard the commotion of students getting off their seats, she instinctively headed for the lockers. Too late, a lot of the young guns had already all surrounded her.

One, two, three, four, five….shit! There’s no use counting, the numbers of the colored kids are not as many as the numbers of the fingers on her hands. Before she could say amazing grace, they were all gone.

This was suppose to be one of the most integrated school in the vicinity, what happened to all the Negros in town? She attempted to shut out the looks and snares, she was so busy in her head, the next thing she heard was her own body hitting the ground like a pound of corn.

She looked around and saw the blond white girl who had made her trip hi fiving with her friends, all the kids stopped, laughed and stared but none of them tried to help her, well except one.

Her mind silently pleaded, “don’t come near me,” her prayer must have been bounced back by the prince of Persia because as each second went by, he stepped closer to her. She must have been hallucinating because he was beaming with extreme confidence and pride, with every stride, his semi long hair bounced and moved with the wind. , There was a light about him, no one, male or female could take their eyes off him as he walked past them, he halted in front of her and bent down to inspect her, their eyes met for just about three seconds, she was right, there was something godly about him and his sharp blue eyes. Who needs prince charming on a white horse when she could be rescued by the almighty, all-powerful all charming Hercules, minus Pegasus? The moan of every girl calling his name faded into the background there she had it, his name was Todd.

The girls where gushing and clutching their temples as he tapped her, “are you okay?” they both looked down at her ankle, it was slightly bruised, swollen and discolored.

She stared at his hand on her ankle, the skin difference was silently screaming so glaringly, it was a disaster waiting to happen, after all he was one of them. She slapped his hands away, “ I don’t want your help.” the sound of ahhhhs filled every mouth at what had just happened. If only he wasn’t ……never mind……everything would have been perfect in her world just if only he wasn’t…….. hmm…..just never mind.

There was a sudden rush that claimed her body, part of it was pain and fear, the other was the appreciation of his sweetness, he smiled with his eyes, “ your ankle is twisted.” He was going to help again but she pushed his hand off and tried to get up on her own, wrong move, her legs gave way, she would have fallen with her face being squashed into the hard cement but he caught her just in time, her body collided into he’s.

He swept her into his arms and ignored the grunts and gasp of their audiences, he mumbled, “it would have been easier and less painful if you didn’t fight me.” she laid her head on his well crafted chest, his body felt like her cuddly teddy bear, this doesn‘t feel too bad after all.

They were not able to get far as they met a stronger oppositions, her brother and his friends appeared from nowhere with his fist balled up and ready to strike.

“Jay Jay, don’t, I’m hurt and he’s helping.”

Her elder brother puffed out a winded air loaded with hate and quickly snatched her from Todd’s arms, he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “ Ain’t no whit man eva gon help ya sis, all whit man does is to help himself ok, him no good for ya lil sis.” he gnarled his teeth at Todd, “ Stay away from ma sista snowflake.”

“Thanks brother, he probably wont talk to me again after this…not that I want him to.”

“Dats gud, you don’t need no trouble, first dey steps on us and now dey eyes our women and dey cant even come out and say it.”

“He meant no harm Brother, I’m just a negro girl, I’m a plain Jane….I’m just Evangeline now why would he……just let it go bro.”

“Well plain is sweet and forbidden, dey gets trilled from doing thins dey ought not to do.”

“You are pre judging him Jay, mother and father taught us better than that, don’t say bad things about others, you dont even know him.”

“What about the society and the rest of them/ I still gon gets hit to death if I stares at his mama fo fuckin too long. dey are all the same, handsome, oppressive, greedy and without remorse. E the devil sista, don’t let him deceive ya.”

“You should thank him, he was nice to me.”

“E aint no good sis, ain’t nothing good eva gon com outta something dat preti.”

He was going to walk off with his sister but Todd interrupted them, “Hey if you need a ride home….”

Jay Jay saw a crowd gathering, so he held his sister with one hand and raised his other fisted one in the air, making a black panther symbol “Na… we takes care of our own men…..just go in peace, you don’t stat noffing, ther ain’t gon be noffing.” in other words, Evangeline was one of his own while Todd belonged to the white clan.


Weeks later,

The driver hardly stopped the vehicle when both Todd lord the second and his brother Walter wrestled one another out of the car. Walter ran into the house, Todd chased in a heated pursuit, he caught him just in time and tried to cover his mouth.

“Paaa.” Walter screamed. Todd unsuccessfully tried to cover his mouth again but his hand was covered with sweat and it was slippery. Their father was sitting on his chair with his glasses on, reading a news paper, he pulled his spectacles down toward the tip of his nose and took a peek at them, “knock it off boys.”

“Paa, Todd likes a girl in his class.” he managed to get it out this time then ran into his room. Their father dropped the article he was reading to focus on his boys.

Their dad groaned, “She’s colored isn’t she? if you ever stop being a wuss and summon the courage to talk to her, you should bring her home for dinner, that‘s if she likes you too.”


Todd eyed his pa with disbelieve, “How do you…….” his voice got lost somewhere between the sentence.

“I have my ways. You are in finale year senior high, did you think I was going to let you run wild like you use to. The girl seem modest, I checked her family background, her father is a human right activist. So tell me, what‘s stopping you from talking to her?”

“All the senior negro kids in school fancy her.”

“It’s not about them, it could never be. Does she like you?”

“Yes..no…maybe…pa I’m not sure.”

“There’s only one way to know, ask her out.”

Victor Lord Manning is well known all over the south, a downright ugly republican congressman, lawyer, cut throat businessman who takes no prisoners and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty if need be.

Since the death of his wife Cynthia, he began to put all his energy into raising his children.
even though it was 1965 and segregation was ended in 1964, he knew that everyday would be a struggle if his son really wanted to be with that girl. The Afro Americans were still sitting at the back of the bus not physically but psychologically, blacks are still been looked down upon and love might not be enough reason to go through the adversity they will face.

Young black men were still getting lynched because they looked at a white girl the wrong way and God help their child if they ever have one because mixing races is frowned upon and interracial marriage is prohibited.

A million thoughts already raced through his head. Somehow, he knew there was no way around it, his son was bound to get hurt somehow.

Victor was once in love with a Maria woman of color, after she was discovered with him, she was stoned to death, he never got over her. Even after he met Cynthia and had children by her, he never got over her, even when he laid with his wife, he never got over her. Even on Cynthia’s death bed, her never got over her.

He tried to love Cynthia, he tried really hard, Cynthia had his body but Maria had his heart and soul, that side of him was dead and buried with maria.


His first love was a colored woman and even till this day and till the day he would be laid to rest, he will never get over her. Now, history is repeating itself with his son and even though he fears for his son’s heart, he would do whatever it took to keep his sons happy.
Just as his son was about to retire to his room, him called him, “Hey Junior?”

“Yes.” the younger man answered.

“If you two ever decide to go that route, you need to be prepared for the consequences, the world is not as tolerating as I am. You know it’s going to be hard especially for her don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“And to make thing worse, you wont be able to protect her when you want to, even when you are with her.”

“Yes pa.”

“If you are not sure of yourself, it’s better to take a step back while you still can.”

“Pa, is it wrong? For me to like someone like her?”

“No, the world is what’s wrong, not you my precious son.”

“Do you think we’ll ever weather the storm if we end up together.”

He could not tell his son the tale of his own first love, he didn’t want the system deciding what Todd’s life would be like either, Todd will have to decide that himself. “You’ll need all the strength you can get because you will be fighting your battle along with hers all at once. It might never end but then, the labor of love is continuous.”

“Does it get better?”

“Son, I marched with the King to Washington Dc, I was there when Kennedy was assassinated, things are looking up but right now, it doesn’t get better and I’ll be damned if anyone tries to hurt my children or any of their friends.”

Weeks and months have gone by so fast, the whole purpose of integration was to promote equality but still, the African Americans choose the right side of the classroom while the Caucasians sat on the left. Every attempt to make one side civil to the other had resulted in nothing but chaos and wreckage, leaving almost nothing to salvage each time.

Just like every other kid from an opposing race, Todd and Evangeline would ignore each other, they walked past each other and avoided bumping into one another. But unknown to others, they have been having clandestine meetings and secretly courting each other.

On Mondays, they would arrive an hour early for school so they can meet up in the supply room, on Wednesdays, they would leave each other notes in library books, hide it under the book covers and check it out of the library at break time.

Now the second Fridays of the mouth were very special, once the final bell rings and everyone rushes toward the door, they mingle right in the middle and hold hands for five seconds, they pretend as if nothing is happening and part ways once they get to the door but no one notices because they were all eager and ready to get home. That’s the closest to normalcy they’ve ever experienced in the public eye.

Three weeks before graduation,

It was lunch time, she didn’t bother to sit with her peers, since the time they saw her talking with him alone by the lockers, they began to distance themselves from her. She was treated as if she had misplaced her loyalty in the wrong place so she sat by herself. It didn’t take long for him to notice, he excused himself from his friends and picked up his tray then made his way to where she was seated.

She felt uneasy, “You shouldn’t do this. People will talk”

“I’m done pretending and sneaking around, I love you, I know we are young but I‘m sure about this, I don’t want a future without you.”

“But we’ll never be able to get married, it’s against the law, you and I…….”

“Victor is working hard to change that law for us and for every one in our predicament, it might take time, it might never happen in our lifetime but can you really stop loving me because of what people say?”

“No.”

“So tell me you’ll wait with me, for that time to come.”

“I’ll wait.”

In her hands, he could almost feel his heart beating, only she could cut him deeply where it hurts, in her eyes, he saw his unborn future children, only she had that power to create something pure out of something the world deemed contaminated.

The grip his hand had over hers became tighter, she looked around, the other kids weren’t so thrilled with what they saw. “Todd what are you doing!” she exclaimed. He scoped up some food from his plate and fed it to her, she did not hesitate, she chewed shyly then smiled with the corner of her lips.

“What are you doing?” she asked again.

“Hi.” He, looked at her as if they were meeting for the very first time.

“Hi.” she replied then looked away.

“Hi gorgeous.” he curtsied cutely.

“Hi beautiful.” she flirted back.

“Hi.” He whispered.

This time before she could get it out, he stood up and leaned across the dinning table, his lips quickly brushed against hers. There was an instant uproar in the hall, chairs and plates were flying, fist and knuckles were cracking, he grabbed her and together, they fled the crime scene, happy that the world got a glimpse at the affection they shared.

Wherever these two went, trouble followed and that’s because they knew that in a perfect world, in a new century, he would be hers and she would be his and no one would be able to dispute their love. But for now, they both pretended that this was the year of the lord and no one else was alive in it except them.

In 1967, interracial marriage was fully legalized in the united states, they were among the first few to get married, as they expected, things were tough at first but as time went by, it got a little easier. Evangeline became a nurse while Todd became a judge.

They are both sixty-one years old now and with three kids and eight grandchildren, their life is more fulfilled than ever. Even though a lot of people still frown at interracial relationships, today marks the forty-fourth year of their union and they are still in love and going stronger than ever..

Even though her boobs are now saggy, he still tells her she looks like a twenty-five year old spinster and while he’s turned to a hairless wonder, she kisses his bald head and tells him that he’s number one on her sexiest man alive calendar.


THE END