Piper
happyhugo
Romance, Interracial
9,387 words
Copyright (c) 04/01/10
Readers score 7.27
Rick goes on vacation down south. He rescues a
woman, but is injured in the process. He falls in
love with his nurse. She just happens to be black
and he is white. There is no sex in this story,
just romance.
A little exercise in slang and dialect drawn from watching the judges try cases on television. This is a mixed race romance. If that bothers you, please read something else.
I was just finishing my lunch and had paid my tab. I was sitting on the sidewalk at a little eatery in a tourist town on the North Carolina coast. She came swinging by, maybe even strutting a little. She was tall, with long raven hair gathered in a silver clasp that nestled near her neck, with the loose strands flowing halfway down her back. Her breasts were bouncing in her red silk top with every step she took with her long stride. She wore tight designer jeans and above average heels.
I watched as she went by, intent to see if she was as attractive from the rear as she was from the front. She was that---attractive, I mean. I glanced around and there seemed to be three older youths who were as interested as I was. Maybe not so much in the woman, but in the black shoulder bag that swung from the long strap over the opposite side. Curious, I stood and followed at a distance. They turned into a parking garage and the youths closed up as she started for the elevator.
I closed up too, and we all entered the lift at the same time. I will say she was a little concerned, but put on a brave face. When we reached the fourth level the lift stopped and she waited for the door to open. The biggest youth turned to me, saying, “You don’t get off here.” He showed me a knife he had hidden by his side.
“Okay, your call.” The door started to open and he turned his attention towards it for a second. That’s when I hit him in the kidney with all the force I could. Scooping up the knife that flew from his hand, I followed the two others out to where they were accosting the woman. I saw that one of them also had a knife and was trying to cut the strap of the shoulder bag. The other kid was hanging on to her, and the woman was trying to wrestle out of his grasp. I launched myself into the mix. Immediately I was slashed low down in the side for my troubles.
It hurt and as the knife was withdrawn for another try at me, I extended my arm. No attention was paid to me holding the knife, and he kept coming, running right into it. I was knocked down in the process. The kid went down with blood spurting everywhere. The woman was no shrinking violet, for she used her bag as a weapon and clobbered the third boy in the head. He staggered and then ran for the elevator. I was suddenly weak as I flopped around on the deck. The woman had her cell out and was talking rapidly.
I passed into a welcoming darkness. When I became aware, I was lying on a gurney, being loaded into an ambulance where again the light disappeared.
When I next came to, I was in a hospital room hooked up to wires and tubes. I can’t say I was hurting, but I was pretty groggy from my medications. A coffee-colored nurse came in, saw I was awake and said there was a policeman that needed to talk to me. He questioned me and I told him the events I remembered as they happened. When I finished he said that I had killed one person, ruptured the kidney of the one in the elevator and they had the third in custody.
“The woman you defended was cut pretty severely in the arm as the thugs tried to get her handbag. She said she wasn’t aware she had a defender until after she had been sliced and the kid was down and bleeding. She will be along to thank you for helping her a little later. Don’t feel bad about this. We have been trying to find out who was committing these robberies. This is the fourth robbery, and we are sure these three are the ones who are doing them. Two out of three of the first victims were injured and one wasn’t expected to live for awhile. She will, but she won’t ever be the same.”
The nurse came in. The policeman eased out when she motioned for him to leave. “Will someone please tell me how badly I am injured? It seems as if everyone has an agenda but me.”
She laughed at me. “Wimpy white boy, can’t take a little slice and lose a little blood. You’re fine.” She ran something into my ear.
“Ow, what the hell are you doing?”
She paid no attention and kept on talking, “Hey man, you’re hot stuff from what everyone tells me. You stopped a regular crime wave all by yourself. I’ll bet if it had been me you wouldn’t have gone after them boys. It had to be that beautiful chick upstairs that made you do what you did.”
“We’ll never know will we? What’s your name?” The nurse stopped moving around and looked at me.
“Why?”
“Because I want to ask you for a date. I’ll need your name and address so I can find where my date lives.”
“Why would you want to do that? Take me out on a date, I mean.”
“To prove to you that I think you are just as beautiful in my eyes as the woman upstairs.”
“Ha! You just think you can get into this little black girl’s panties.”
“No harm in trying is there? Now tell me how bad I’m hurt. I want to know so I know how long before you can go out with me.”
“My name is Piper Burns, just as the name tag says, but I don’t go out with my patients. You really are going to be fine. The knife that got you, sliced along your ribs and down into the muscle of your arm as you turned. It nicked a good sized vein when he pulled the knife out. Actually one going in and one coming out. The sudden loss of blood sent you into shock. Of course hitting your head when you went down didn’t help much either.” She spent another five minutes writing up my chart and then left.
I watched her as she exited the room. There was nothing alike about the woman I had helped and this nurse. The woman I helped, you would say had class, I suppose. Piper was built more like my Mom. I’m not saying my Mom didn’t have class, she was just someone you wanted to hug and when you were hugged back it made all your troubles go away. It was doubtful I would ever get to explain this to Piper and why I thought she was beautiful.
I grew up in a mixed race neighborhood. The first girl I kissed had been black and the first girl I made love to was of a mixed race---Chinese and black. My ex-wife had been white for I thought, with a little prejudice I suppose, that is what I should look for in a mate. The marriage lasted barely sixteen months before I caught her with one of my neighbors. The vows we had taken apparently meant nothing. No kids, anyway, to get in the way of the divorce, which would be final in less than a month.
I was twenty-eight, earned a reasonably good salary, but had to travel on occasion. That was how I discovered my wife’s infidelity. I came off the road early and went looking for her. It was the sounds coming from the neighbor’s bedroom window that led me to her and to him. I got a few bruises from that little set-to, but not as bad as the ones my neighbor had to contend with. At least he didn’t have a knife. This trip down south was my yearly vacation. Time to think about my life. I was sick of collecting all of these hurts.
Then I remembered a short time ago, I had killed a man. Christ, I didn’t ever want to do that again. I dropped off to sleep. When I awoke, the woman whose defense I had gone to was sitting beside my bed. Piper came in and started the ritual of taking my vitals. The woman spoke. “Hi there, savior, I’m Sharon Clones. I came in to compare wounds and thank you. We had us quite a time didn’t we?”
“Sharon, nice to meet you. I’m Rick Manning. Yes, we had us a time. I don’t suppose you know the song by Bobby Bare, ‘I’m The Winner,’ do you? It’s a ballad about a man that challenges someone to a fight and the guy gets beat up all the time, but his injuries are short of what he gives the other guy---so he is the winner. That’s the way I feel.”
“Well, I’m going to make it up to you. Just as soon as you are able I’m taking you out so I can really thank you. And when I set out to thank someone, I go all out.”
“That’s nice. I must tell you I’ve made a prior date with someone. It is someone I just met recently and I really want to go out with her. We’ll see how that works out before I’ll consider meeting you. Just coming in to say thank you was all I expected and I appreciate it.”
“That’s too bad. I was looking forward to showing how appreciative I can be. Are you going to be here in town very long?”
“Not long. This little session here in the hospital has eaten up most of my vacation and I can’t extend it.”
“I’m going to leave my address and I want you to call me as soon as you are released. Promise?”
“Okay, I’ll call.” We talked about different things, including the weather. When Sharon was ready to leave, she came to my bed and kissed me. Piper just happened to come in as this was taking place.
Sharon took my hand and placed it on her breast and kissed me again. “I really do want to thank you properly. That’s just a little sample. I’ll be in tomorrow to see how you are doing. Bye, now.”
Piper lit into me as soon as Sharon was out the door. “Boy, you are a fast worker. You ask me for a date. A woman comes in and insists that you take her out and promises more than a sample of what she is going to give you. And to top it off you already have a date with an unknown woman so you can’t collect what she is promising. I wouldn’t go out with you--ever!”
“Piper, for your information, that unknown woman is you. As for Sharon, I don’t intend to go out with her. I said I would call her and I will, but it will be only to make my excuses. I like to do the asking and I usually turn down those that ask me. Now, when I’m not your patient anymore will you please let me take you out?”
“We’ll see. I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm. I’m not offering what that other woman is though.”
“I know that and I’m not the type that will be asking either. All I’m looking for is a pleasant evening with a beautiful companion.”
She stopped what she was doing and faced me. “I don’t know if you are just a sweet-talking white boy or if you are as nice as you make yourself out to be. I guess I will find out won’t I?” Piper whirled and exited the room abruptly. I was smiling for I knew I had overcome her resistance about me taking her out.
I thought I would be out of the hospital in another three days, but it was not to be. I came down with a nasty infection and that extended my stay three more days. This was painful for me, as that inflicted Sharon’s daily presence on me that much longer. She seemed bent on the plan to pay me for saving her. I was feeling so sick this turned me off. I asked the doctor to bar Sharon from visiting me until I was feeling better, but she was back a day later.
Piper, now that she had accepted my request for a date, became a friend breezing in to say good morning and saying goodbye when her shift ended. The day I was the most feverish, she asked for an extra shift just so she could be here with me. The next day Sharon was back. Piper came in with her and cautioned her not to upset me as I was still terribly weak. Sharon of course came and kissed me as was her habit by now. I had to put a stop to this.
“Sharon, listen to me. You know nothing about me. You’re offering something as a thank you and I’m sure it would be extremely pleasant. I must refuse. I haven’t said, but I’m a married man. True, I’ll soon be divorced, but while I’m still married, I’m not about to break the vows I made. They were broken, but not by me. I really appreciate your concern for my welfare, but I don’t want anything more.”
“You’re serious aren’t you? I have been coming on pretty strong, but it is the only way I could think of to repay you for what may have been the saving of my life. Maybe when we come back for the trial of the two other thugs, we can get together. You will be divorced by then. I’ll go along home. I’m giving you my address so if you ever need anything, you will have someone to call. You’re quite a guy. I guess you’re my white knight in more ways than one.” She kissed me and this time I kissed her back.
As soon as she left, Piper hit me with, “You’re married and you still asked me out on a date? When were you going to tell me about that little complication?”
“Before we went out you would have known much more about me, that included. For your information, my divorce will be final seventeen days from today. Another thing, my Mom always told me to pick my friends that I was the most comfortable with. I feel comfortable with you and if you had come on to me as Sharon has been doing, you would have been turned down as well. Are you getting a sense of what kind of a person I am yet?”
“But can I believe you? Lord knows I want to. It isn’t normal for a white boy to want to take out a black woman without looking for something.”
“But you are willing to go out with me to see if I’m what I say I am, aren’t you?”
“I’ll risk it.”
Two days later I was ready to be discharged. I sat in a wheelchair out on the apron to the hospital, waiting for the taxi I had asked to be called to take me to my motel. I was pretty disappointed that Piper didn’t come in to work that day. I had her address and a promise, but I missed her for the moment. It was just a moment, for she spoke from a car that had pulled up. “Rick, I’m your driver for today. Do you need help getting in?”
I was weak, but not helpless. I slid into the seat beside her. “I missed you this morning.”
“I was hoping you might. I have a few days off and I knew you would need a ride. I arranged it.”
“And where would you be taking me? You don’t dare take me to my motel and come up to my room with me.”
“No I don’t, but we are stopping there for your things. I’m taking you home to Mama. She has a room ready for you. That way if you are thinking of doing me wrong, there will be Mama on your conscience as well as me.”
“You’re safe. God forbid someone’s mama got down on me.” I smiled at this. I really didn’t think this was the reason I was meeting her mother.
“Rick, you may feel free enough to date a black girl, but there is no escaping the fact we are different. I like you, but you should see what our lives and living conditions are like before you get in too deep. You don’t mind me doing this do you?”
“No. I think this is very thoughtful of you. Do you have a father or any brothers or sisters?”
“No father. He left years ago. He was trash and Mama got sick of him and kicked him out. I have a brother, Jackson, but I’m afraid he is on the road to being just like my father. It is sad for I do love the little bastard. I only see him when he comes and begs some money off Mama. I don’t think he even has an address.”
I laid my hand on Piper’s arm, telling her I was sorry. She smiled in appreciation. We soon pulled up in front of a well-kept little bungalow. There were people everywhere on the street and all of them were black. Piper was glancing sideways at me to see how uncomfortable this might make me. Little did she know that I grew up in a neighborhood much like this, a few more whites maybe, but the area was predominately black.
I eased out of the car and by that time Piper was standing beside me. She didn’t take my arm, but stood ready to in case I faltered. When she got to the door, she leaned forward and opened it. “Mama I’m home and I have a friend with me.” She closed the door behind us and led me into a sitting room. An older lady that could be Piper’s sister, stood waiting to be introduced.
“Mama, this is Rick Manning.”
I stepped forward and clasped her hands in mine. “You are as lovely as Piper. Somehow I knew you would be. I want to thank you for inviting me into your home. You can’t believe how depressing a motel room is when you aren’t feeling well. I’ll remember your generosity forever.”
“Thank you. I’m pleased Piper has a friend. She doesn’t go out much. She works all the time.”
“I can see that and she is good at what she does. I’ve never been in the hospital before, but my stay there under her care was pleasurable and it was all due to her. That is after I got by the pain and started to heal.”
“She is a child to be proud of.”
After a light lunch we sat in the living room again and I told Piper and Mrs. Burns a little about my job. I explained my having to travel about the northeast as I was a maintenance technician for a manufacturing corporation and did follow-up on the machines they sold when there was a problem. I also alluded to the fact that I was still married, but would be free in a couple of weeks. All I said about my previous wife was that she wanted to pursue a different lifestyle than I was comfortable with so we decided to divorce.
I said I was twenty-eight and enjoyed my work. I was down here in North Carolina on vacation. I explained how I happened to get involved in a tragedy that played itself out with me being injured, not knowing if Piper had told her mother. I did mention that a death resulted in the altercation. I was sorry it happened and at some level I regretted it but didn’t feel that I was totally responsible. Mrs. Burns knew all of this and agreed with me. We ended the afternoon with me asking her to join Piper and me at our dinner out, but she convinced me to stay in this evening as I must be tired and needed my rest. I didn’t object, especially when she put corned beef and cabbage on the table.
I wiped dishes as Piper washed them. “That’s a difference in your people and mine. Black men wouldn’t think of doing this. You do it just as if it was a normal thing to do.”
“Piper, someday soon we will have a black president. Does that mean that your people, as you call them, are in and whites are out? We really should get beyond thinking like that. I know your people have been disenfranchised for hundreds of years, but some of the blame has to rest at your feet. When I take you out, we will go to a black club and you look at your people. I mean really look at them. Some of them you know are successful and others are losers. Then the next day we could go out into the rural section of the state and find a club that caters to the white people. Do you think I’m going to feel sorry for the losers there either? Nope. Are you going to feel sorry for those blacks at the club? You tell me?”
“What’s the answer?”
“Who knows for sure. Maybe a stronger family unit, maybe a little less misplaced pride. By that I mean, I see young black men bragging about having got some poor ignorant girl pregnant just so he can say ‘my baby’s mama’ when he talks about her. Then he will go off and leave them to fend for themselves and the cycle begins all over again. Little black boy grows up and knocks up poor little ignorant black girl. If there was only a time out to stop it all.”
“Wow, you must have thought a lot about this.”
“I know. Someday I might explain myself. Education is the answer of course. You are the perfect case in point. Either your Mama made you keep going to school or you could see on your own that being like your neighbors would trap you into a sad and depressing life. I know I must sound patronizing, but I don’t mean to be. It is just that there is so much potential lost in our young manhood.”
Mrs. Burns who had been near enough to hear me said, “But none of them will listen. I have a son and he won’t listen. He doesn’t work and as soon as he reached sixteen and half way through the eighth grade, he was out of school. He is seventeen now and it all looks so hopeless.” She shook her head and I knew she was in agony over her youngest child. “Mr. Manning, you must be tired. Piper will show you to your room.”
“Thank you. You are so kind.”
“What would you like for breakfast? We have two things, grits and sorghum or sorghum and grits.” Mrs. Burns smiled as she said this. I was guessing her larder was about empty.
“Grits would be great.” Piper apologized for the skimpy choices as she wouldn’t be getting paid until tomorrow and would have to go in for her pay envelope at that time. I felt bad for I had really dug into the meal that was served last night. Most likely there would have been hash this morning if I hadn’t made such a pig of myself. I said nothing.
“Is there a grocery store near here? I need cigarettes.”
“Yes, down and over one street. I don’t remember you smoked?”
“See, there is a lot you don’t know about me. May I borrow your car?”
“Sure, go ahead. You be careful, you know you aren’t well yet.”
“Okay, Piper the nurse.” I grinned at her and she grinned back.
This was definitely a black neighborhood. I saw only a half-dozen whites while in the store. I bought two bags full of meat and staples. When I came out there was a black teenager standing near the car. I unlocked the car and deposited the groceries in the trunk. I started to get in when he asked, “What you doin’ with ma sister’s car? She don’ let no one drive it.”
“Your name Jackson?”
“Yeah.”
“Get in. I’ll take you home. Yo’ Mama missin’ you.”
“You know nothin’ ’bout ma Mama.”
“I know she got dumb-ass nigger boy fo’ son.”
“Fuck yo’.”
“Yo’ hungry?”
Pause---“Maybe.”
“I got bacon, sausage an’ egg. Yo’ want some? Roast pok’ fo’ dinna’ an’ pie.”
Jackson got in the car. He stared at me as I pulled out of the parking lot. “Who you? Piper nev-brung no white man home befo.”
“Patient of Piper’s. We have a date tonight.”
“Bullshit!”
“You’ll see. How come you hangin’ here?” I had seen Jackson diving in one of the dumpsters behind the grocery when I drove up.
“Nothin’ else to do.”
“Why ain’ yo workin’?”
“Nobody hirin’ except dealers.”
“Yo’ wan’ work?”
“Doin’ what?”
“ ’struction labor.”
“Where?”
“Up n’oth’. Stepdad has ’im a crew.”
“Where I live?”
“Ma’ Mama and ’im’s got room. Yo’ might outa’ go. Make yo’ Mama proud.”
“I think ’bout it.”
“I be leaven’ ’morrow night.”
“Lets yo’ kno’.”
When I pulled into the Burns’ yard, Jackson carried in one of the bags and set it on the kitchen table. I couldn’t tell if Piper was glad to see him or not. They squared off. “What are you here for? Mama hasn’t any money.”
“No, not ’dat. What’cha’ doin’ with this honky? He say you an’ ’im are goin’ out on a date. Ain’ us-uns good ’nough for yo’?”
“That’s none of your business who I date. I’m better than the trash you hang out with. You don’t work and probably never will. You quit school remember?”
“Got me job if’en I wan’ it.”
“What, dealing drugs?”
“No Sis, ’struction. Only thing, I got to leave ’ome. It be up n’oth. Place to live an’ ever’thin’. So there.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Jackson turned to me. “Tell ’er.”
“He is correct. My stepdad does run a construction business. My mom works for the business as an accountant. She’ll put Jackson on if I ask her to. She’ll probably make him go to night school to keep him out of trouble. If he turns out lazy, they’ll pay his way home, so it is entirely up to him what he makes of this opportunity.”
“He’s only seventeen and black. Would it be safe for him? You say you travel and a lot could happen to him when you aren’t around.”
“As far as him being black, there are a lot of blacks on the crew. Mom doesn’t allow any harassment. I did just as Jackson will be doing when I was his age and for the same reasons. I think I have turned out okay. He’ll be safer there than here with his friends. He hasn’t said he wants to go yet.”
Jackson turned to his mother. “Wha’ yo’ think Mama?”
Mrs. Burns turned to me. “Could you call and make sure he has a job before he leaves? I don’t want him to get up there and find he won’t be hired.”
“Sure. I’ll ring the company for you and you ask for Betty Wareham. You tell her that I’m staying overnight with you and then I’ll ask her to hire Jackson. She’ll want to know a little bit about him, so either you or Piper can talk to her.”
Mrs. Burns talked to my mother and let her know a little more about my situation than I expected her to. I wasn’t going to mention to Mom that I had been injured and I spent five extra minutes explaining what happened. I was fine now I assured her. I then asked her about hiring Jackson. She said they could use him. “Whats kind of a kid is he?”
“Mom, he is about like me when I was his age. His mom is nice and his sister is very nice. She was my nurse when I was in the hospital. She invited me home for a couple days of extra care and that’s why I’m here. Yes, she is here and you can talk to her. You ask her about her brother. She probably knows him better than his mother.” I passed the phone to Piper.
I guess Mom told Piper my life story for they talked forever it seemed. Every once in a while Piper would look at me, and I knew Mom was passing on some secret about me. I finally took the phone out of Piper’s hand and said, “You have to hang up now Mom. I’ll be home tomorrow night about midnight. I’ll bring Jackson over the next morning. He can sleep at my apartment and I’ll see you in the office when we get up. Love you.”
I turned to Jackson. “It looks like you have a job, just as I promised. You’ll be gone three months before you see your folks again. I have to be down here for a court date. I’ll arrange for you to come home for a few days at that time.”
“How come yo’ have ta’ be in court?”
“I was in a fight. That’s why I was in the hospital.”
“What’s yo’ name? Nobody said.”
“Rick Manning.”
“O shit. You killed some ’un. I ’erd ’bout it.”
Piper and Mrs. Burns took up for me immediately, telling him how I was protecting a woman and that I was wounded before I hurt the other person.
Piper finally went and got a newspaper that she had saved telling about the fight. He was so excited she had to read it to him. When she finished reading, Jackson was looking at me as if I was a celebrity. I hoped I wasn’t going to have trouble over this.
Jackson had one more question for me. “How come yo’ talk like I do?”
“Simple, I grew up in a mostly black neighborhood. That was my first language. I didn’t learn to talk correctly until I was about your age. I changed, for where would I be if I tried to get a good job talking as you do? That will be part of your job---learning to speak correctly. Maybe I forgot to mention it, but my stepdad has a little church and he helps people where and when he can. He is a quiet kind of man and you’ll find yourself wanting to hear some praise from him. You’ll have to earn it though.”
“What he goin’ say when he find out you done kill a man?”
“He won’t like it. He will question me closely about my feelings, both when it happened and how I felt afterward. Sometimes he appears to be able to look deep into your soul. There is no use trying to lie to him or cover something up, for he will know. In all honesty, I believe in another time he would have been a great man. For now, I’m just thankful I know him.”
Mrs. Burns went about preparing the roast I had purchased. The only thing she said by way of thanks was a quiet thank you. More and more I was coming to appreciate this woman. Piper though, burst out with, “I don’t see any cigarettes.” I just grinned at her.
I laid down in the afternoon. Mrs. Burns still wouldn’t join Piper and me for the evening out. Piper was dressed in a dark brown suit with red facings. It was not evening wear, but she was extremely attractive in it. I asked Piper to choose where we would dine. She chose a nice restaurant and we were very comfortable dining among the mix of interracial patrons.
When we came out I asked her to choose a club that had live music. “Are you sure you would feel okay at a black club?”
“Let me turn that around. Will you be comfortable being there with a white man?”
“I can handle it if you can.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
There were a few white people scattered about the club, although there seemed to be more white women then white men. As the evening wore on, the crowd was becoming more and more boisterous. Piper and I sat and watched the men strut their stuff out on the dance floor. I didn’t feel up to it, but I knew I could do as well when I felt better.
Suddenly a white woman grabbed a chair from the next table and swung it in next to mine. “Well what do you know, if it isn’t Rick Manning.”
Sharon Clones was the last person I wanted to meet and her partner or date was a large man several sizes bigger than me. She was dressed to show off her body. Whatever class I had attributed to her had disappeared. It got worse. With a questioning look at Piper, she asked, “Who is this? She looks familiar.”
I was sharp, for Sharon should have recognized her. “This is Piper Burns. She was my nurse in the hospital.” Just then the man came and stood next to Sharon. He was taller than I was by about three inches and weighed several pounds more than I did. He spoke, “Hi Piper. Is this white boy your date?”
“Yes he is Brian. Rick, meet Brian Turley. Brian and I went to school together. This is Rick Manning. If you want to know a bit about Rick, I’m sure Sharon can fill you in. Sit with us if you’d like. You don’t mind do you Rick?”
“No, of course not. Maybe he will ask you for a dance. Just save a slow one for me.” I received a smile from Piper. Brian went to the bar and brought back drinks for all of us. Sharon, who was used to being the center of attention, was sidelined slightly when Brian and Piper left for the dance floor.
“So Rick, are you getting lucky tonight? I’m asking because if you had played your cards right you could have.”
“Sharon, is this your first date with Brian?”
“Yes. Actually it is the first time I’ve dated a black man. I’m curious, I guess. Aren’t you a little jealous of him out there dancing with your date? He is quite a hunk.”
“Jealous, no. Piper is at ease with him. He is careful not to get too close to her to make me jealous. They apparently have known each other for a long time and are friends. It is just like me sitting here with you. Piper is my date so I won’t do anything either to make her jealous. Before the evening is over, I’d like to have a slow dance with you, but only after I have had one with her.”
“I thought you were afraid of me. You have rebuffed all of my advances.”
“No, I’m not afraid of you. I’m just not interested in a one-night stand and I’m definitely not interested in a relationship. We have a common bond and I would enjoy having you for a friend, but that is all.”
“That’s plain enough. I’ll accept that.” She leaned across the table and squeezed my hand just as Brian and Piper arrived back at the table.
Brian looked askance first at me and then back at Sharon. She answered him, “Rick and I have decided to be friends. I’ve been chasing him but to no avail. I’ve given up.”
“Good, because I was afraid I was going to have trouble with this little wimpy white boy.” I could see a twinkle in his eye.
“More trouble than you think. I might just kick your big black ass.”
“Okay, okay, from what Piper tells me you might just do it. Your turn next to buy drinks though.” Thank God I had read Brian correctly.
We spent the rest of the evening dancing, changing partners when the slow ones were played. I wish I felt well enough to do some of the fast ones, for I think I could have more than held my own. I could really strut when I felt like it. Piper and I sat in her car for a few minutes when we reached her home. “Rick, I had a wonderful time tonight. What did you think of Brian?”
“Nice guy. Why aren’t you dating him?”
“I may. He asked me for a date while we were dancing. Is that going to upset you? You seem to have feelings for me.”
“I do have feelings for you, but for God’s sake don’t let that stop you. I’m hoping we can at least be friends.”
“Thank you. Rick, you have probably noticed that I’m lighter skinned than my Mama. My father was black, but almost white. He was trash. Sometimes I wish I was darker. I’ll always be black and my kids, if I ever have any, will be black even if you and I fell in love and married. Believe it or not, I’m happy being black, so really there wouldn’t be much point in me mixing it up with a white man. Can you understand that?”
“Of course I can. I hope you have better luck than I did when I picked my own race to marry. But then, I think you are smart enough to watch out for the pitfalls. I wasn’t.” I was hurt just a little, for I felt Piper was a wonderful person. Oh well, someday, someone.
Jackson had never been out of his neighborhood before and was apprehensive about meeting the numerous white people in our travels north. This included my mother. It was seven a.m. when I knocked on her door. I knew John hadn’t left for work yet for his truck was still in the garage. Mom let us into the kitchen where she poured coffee for me and an orange juice for Jackson. After the introduction, “You guys have a good flight?”
“Pretty good. Jackson was pretty nervous. He has never been on a plane before.” Mom was smiling as John came through the door from the living room.
“Hi son, glad you’re home. Are you feeling all right now?”
“Fine, Dad. Jackson, this is my father.”
Jackson stood there with his mouth open. “You’re black.”
John roared with laughter. “No boy, I’ve been out in the sun too long.”
Mom explained. “Rick has been planning this little joke on you. Yes, this is my husband and I love him with all of my heart. I hope you will be happy here. I’ll show you where your room is and then we can sit down and have breakfast. You will be going to the company headquarters with me. Tomorrow John will place you on one of the crews. All of our crews have some blacks working on them so you will get along all right.” This was Jackson’s introduction to Wareham Construction Company.
I didn’t come into contact with Jackson very often as I was working all out to catch up from the time off for vacation. I did see an improvement in him when we did get together. He walked with a little more confidence and his speech was slowly losing the ‘boys of the hood’ dialect. When September came, Mom enrolled him in a night class so he could work towards his GED. He was counting the days when I would be going south for the court appearance. I had promised he could go with me and he well deserved to.
The tentative date for that was October 15th, but it was postponed for two weeks and was reset for October 29th. Jackson made arrangements with his Mama for me to stay there with her while I was in town. I was anxious to see Piper again and I suppose I would be seeing Sharon Clones when we went to court. Piper had written me three times inquiring about her brother and I had called her mother, but neither had said anything about her personal life. I wondered if her date with Brian Turley had amounted to a closer relationship. I had answered her letters, but hadn’t asked about it.
Jackson’s mother was so pleased to see her son and how much he had matured in the four months he had been north with me. When we arrived, Piper came to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek, saying thank you for helping her brother. I was just a little puzzled, for she seemed to cling to me just a little longer than necessary. Mrs. Burns announced that she had secured a position as a clerk in the local dollar store. “If both my children have jobs, then I should have one too.”
Jackson didn’t hang around and was off to see the friends he had been parted from. “So Rick, you put one over on us. Jackson told me you have a black stepfather? How come you didn’t tell us before?”
“Yes, he is black. You should have seen Jackson when my Mom introduced him. The expression on Jackson’s face was priceless. Actually John was the saving of my family. Not only me, but Mom too. She wasn’t what she should be, going from man to man and I was running wild, much like your brother. Mom went out on a date with him when he first came to town. He saw something in her make up that even she didn’t know she had. He challenged her by making her take a look at me and the way we both were living.
“Mom wanted him and to get him, she had to get me straightened out. It was pretty rough on us at first, but I wanted Mom to be happy, so I went along with the program. Anyway, that is what he is doing with Jackson and it is working for him the way it did for me. By the time John had worked up to starting a business, Mom learned some skills and now they work side by side making the business a success.”
“He must be quite the person.”
“Yes he is. It would be nice if you could meet him sometime.” Jackson didn’t appear for supper, as I suspect he was off bragging to his friends about the change in his life. Piper said that she had arranged to go to a club that evening and I could be her escort if I wished. “What about Brian?”
“He will be at the club when we get there. He is looking forward to seeing you again. You never asked, but Brian is a school teacher and is quite impressed that you would give Jackson a better chance than he had here. He may not be up to your stepfather’s standards, but they sound somewhat alike. Maybe you saw a little of that in him when you met and didn’t realize it. You’ll have to tell him about your stepdad.”
“Can do. Oh, by the way, I should call Sharon Clones and touch base with her before we meet in court. I’ll do it tomorrow if I can use your phone?”
“Sure. Try now if you wish while I’m getting ready.” Sharon was apparently not at home, so I left her a message that I was in town.
We went to a different club than Piper took me to the last time. This one was just a tad more upscale. A few less tables and therefore less crowded. Brian was sitting alone at a table near the back. When we joined him, he kissed Piper on the cheek and shook my hand, saying how pleased he was to see me again. Piper started by asking me to tell him about my stepfather. He asked me several pointed questions about how John had turned my life around as a youth.
Suddenly I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. Brian, who was sitting across from me, was all smiles. “Rick, meet my fiancée.”
I turned and Sharon was standing there. I stood and never missed a beat. “Congratulations, both of you. You can’t know how happy this makes me.” We hugged and then we all sat down.
Immediately Sharon and Brian started to tell me about their courtship and how happy they were. They were planning a New Year’s wedding. When they got up to dance, I turned to Piper. “Did you have the date with Brian you said he asked you for?”
“No, he called and broke it He was just trying to find out about Sharon. Then Sharon came to me asking more about him. It’s funny, she is a person I never thought I could get close to, but I have. When she first came in to see you in the hospital, I thought she was a piece of work. Since then, I’ve come to the conclusion she really did want to just thank you, and would use her body to do it. There really is much to like about her.”
“Will she remain faithful to Brian after they are married?”
“I believe she will. Someday I will tell you why I think so.”
“I guess the next question would be, is there any chance for me with you? I mean, I’m not going to be turning black and you’re not going to be turning white.”
Piper put her hand in mine and looked into my eyes. “I was hoping you would ask. I was so afraid I had blown my chances. You can’t believe how many nights I have lain in bed regretting my words to you the last time you were here. I was just so afraid you wouldn’t be able to see beyond the color of my skin or in our children’s skin color, for that matter. So, I would like it very much if you asked me for a date and the chance to see if we want to become more than friends.”
“Piper, would you like to go out with me?”
“Yes.”
Sharon and I met in the district attorney’s office to help the prosecutor lay out his case against the two remaining young men who had mugged Sharon, with such disastrous results. He asked both of us if we had any ties to the black community, as the defendants’ attorney was going to play the race card if he could. If we had any ties that could be used as character witnesses, it would show that we acted without any prejudice against the youths of color.
The judge gave the prosecutor a two-day postponement so that my stepfather could come down from Boston and be a witness to attest to my character. My mother might be needed. Also Mrs. Burns and Piper would show that I wasn’t just a northern white man that trod on the poor black youths of the south. It might be possible to bring out I was a mentor of the same sort of youth that had got into trouble. Jackson was put on the list of possible witnesses. All of this would dispel the defense’s assertion that I went after the youths because of their color.
Sharon had Brian Turley, her future husband, as a witness. The prosecutor was sure now that if the race card was played, it would go nowhere.
Mom stayed with Mrs. Burns, Celia now, and Piper, while John, Jackson and I stayed in a motel, but we did take our meals with the womenfolk.
The prosecutor laid out his case and Sharon was his first witness. It was a straightforward testimony. She stated she worked as a buyer for a women’s apparel boutique. She was dressed for court conservatively. This was noted by the defense who said she was dressed much more provocatively when she was allegedly attacked. The prosecutor rebutted this by displaying the jeans and top and entered them into evidence. Of course they were drenched with dried bloodstains which didn’t help the defense at all.
Next the prosecutor called witnesses who described her injuries, and her time in the hospital. The court was shown a picture of the scar that was the result of being cut with a knife. That item was also entered into evidence. The defense then tried to say she had in some way enticed the youths that attacked her, saying she was known to have something against blacks. On rebuttal, Sharon was asked by the prosecutor if she had any racial feelings against blacks. “Not at all. I am engaged to be married to a man who teaches school at the Robert E. Lee Junior High. His name is Brian Turley.”
Prosecutor: “Is he in the courtroom today?”
Sharon answered, “Yes.”
Prosecutor: "Would Mr. Brian Turley stand please?”
That ended the questioning of Sharon. There was a recess and the trial resumed after lunch. Motions and posturing by both the prosecution and the defence took up the remainder of the day. The next morning it was my turn to be on the stand. It took twenty minutes to tell how I came to be in town and what happened in the parking garage. The prosecutor expanded his questioning as to motive in going to the defense of the woman. I explained how surprised I was to be confronted by the knives in hands of two of the perpetrators.
Prosecutor: “Would it have deterred you if you had known they had weapons beforehand?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
Prosecutor: “Under the same circumstances would you do the same thing?”
“Probably. I would hope that it turned out differently, with no death resulting, either mine or the boy’s.”
Again defense tried to play the race card. Defense: “Do you know any black people?”
“Yes, several.”
Defense: “Even where you live up north?”
“Yes, many black people live in the north section of our country. I know Reverend John Wareham. I know Mrs. Celia Burns and her two children, Piper, a nurse here in town, and Jackson, whom I am mentoring, and I know Brian Turley. I also have worked side by side with those employed by the Reverend Wareham before he married my mother. I hold those of the black race in the highest regard.”
The prosecutor spoke up. “Judge, may I remind the defense that Mr. Manning is not the one on trial here?” The defense had to give up this line of questioning. As I was exiting the courtroom, Mom, John and the Burns’ family got up and left the gallery, walking out with me. Sharon and I still had to wait until the trial was concluded before we could leave. At three-thirty on the fourth day, the jury received the case and by five the verdict came in. Guilty.
Piper and I started a long-range courtship, by mail and phone. By Christmas time, we knew it wasn’t working for we needed to see and be with each other. Sometimes I had trouble even remembering what she looked like. I just knew that if we could see each other we would fall deeply in love. Christmas was on a Saturday this year.
I called Celia Burns a week before. “Celia, if I send you the money for tickets, can you convince Piper to come north to spend Christmas with me? You would like to see Jackson I’m sure, so there will be money for you as well.”
“Oh dear, I don’t know. That would be wonderful. It would make you terribly crowded for us to all be there wouldn’t it?”
“No, I don’t think so. Jackson will be staying at his girlfriend’s house so you can sleep in his room. Piper can stay at my apartment. I’ll even promise to be good if she will stay with me.”
“I’ll talk to her. Umm---Rick, don’t be too good. I swear that girl will never catch a man the way she is going. You say Jackson has a girlfriend? Is she nice?”
“Yes, she is nice. She is sister to one of the men he works with. The man has already invited Jackson to spend Christmas at his house with their family, so that isn’t going to change at all. Do you think Piper will agree to come?”
“I’ll call you back within a couple of hours.” I waited.
It was Piper who called back. “Hi Rick. Mama said you called. I already have a ticket to come to see you. I can stay four days before I have to come back. You invited Mama. I don’t have enough money for her. I hate to ask, but she would like to come with me. Uuhhh---.”
“I told her I would pay for both you and her. I’ll wire the money immediately.”
“Just for Mama. I’ll pay my own way. Oh, I’m so excited! This is going to be the best Christmas ever.”
“Why won’t you let me pay for your fare?”
“It just doesn’t feel right to me. Are you sure there is enough room for Mama and me to stay with you?”
“Your mother is going to be staying at Mom’s house in Jackson’s room. I guess you will have to stay with me. I promised your mother I would be good.”
“Well not too good I hope. Rick, I’m a little scared. I’m twenty-five and I have never done much more than kiss a man. You are the first person I want to do more with. Can you teach me how to love you? Will you go slow with me and make it as wonderful as I have imagined? I know you may not believe me, but I just never dared fool around with anyone. I was always afraid something would happen and I would end up like some of the friends I grew up with. You know pregnant and on welfare.”
“Just joking, but what happened to me wanting a date just so this little white boy could get into that little black girl’s panties? That was in the first conversation we had if I remember correctly.”
“Well, didn’t you?”
“Yes, but honest, I wanted to have you fall in love with me first.”
“I did fall in love with you, so it is time you got your wish. Do you want to know when I first fell in love with you?”
“Yes.”
“It was when you kept pushing Sharon away from you. Then when you got so sick, I cried because I thought you wouldn’t get well and I would never get to go out with you.”
“If you were so in love with me, why did you push me away when I left to come back north?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I thought you were too good for me or too smart. I had to say something before I got hurt. I dared hope when I saw how good you were to my brother, and you wrote and called me and Mama. I only then dared to think we might have a life together. I was disappointed when you came down for the trial. The house was full and we never had much time alone. I decided then if you were still nice to me after that, I was going to be your Christmas present. That is why I don’t want you to pay my fare.”
“Oh what a Christmas this is going to be.”
And it was. We did make time for Christmas dinner at Mom’s house with her and John and Celia. I so wanted Piper to know that I loved her. I asked John if we could stand before him and make a commitment to each other. It meant nothing in the eyes of the law, but in our own eyes we were married.
Celia never returned to North Carolina. She stayed in Boston while Piper sold their home and worked out a notice of her own at the hospital. She then came north and on Valentine’s day we were officially man and wife.
The End
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