A Dark Sun

Chapter 5

Keisha walks over and hugs me after giving her tribute. I know Bobby's funeral is equally difficult for her. Bobby was like a big brother. I whisper in her ear, "thank you." In the meantime, Dwayne makes his way to the podium.

I look over at Pastor Donald. Now a lonely, exhausted old man. His wife, Aunt Peaches, Bobby's mother, and Keisha's godmother passed away a few years ago from cancer.

******

Pastor Donald was angry with me that day. The day Bobby almost went to juvie for beating Michael to mush. He blamed Bobby's obsession with me for his son's nonsensical behavior. Bobby. Obsessed with me? Now that was news. Bobby liked all girls. There was nothing special about me. All the girls in our neighborhood saw Bobby as a prize. He was the vice- captain of our school football team. And student council representative for the eleventh grade. Most importantly, he was the Pastor's son. Don't get me wrong, I liked him too, but we were family. It was never like that for us. But clearly Pastor Donald saw things differently.

The school's principal had decided to expel Bobby, and I had to go into the office and explain everything that Michael had done to me since we started the ninth grade. Michael had been a bully and the ultimate insult were the things he said about my father. Bobby was sick of Michael's behavior and decided to defend me against this bully. Well, with help from members of the church, that's how I framed the incident to the principal. Bobby, as always was sticking up for the 'defenseless'. Thankfully, my classmates corroborated some of my story, and Bobby's fate was overturned. He was suspended, not expelled.

So back to Bobby liking me in that way. Bobby and I were walking one evening during his two-week suspension and Bobby just turned to me and said, "Everybody was talking about what that idiot, Michael, did to you. I had to teach him a lesson. He can't say those things about your family. And that's not how you treat a girl you claim to like," Bobby said, still reeling from the incident.

"Whoa! Who said Michael likes me?" I asked.

"He told me that just before I whipped his ass." Bobby said. "Don't you know when a guy like you Val? Hey, I've liked you for forever. You're the sweetest girl I know. But I know you won't take me seriously. But when we are older, you will." Bobby said with a slow shy smile. He reached out and held my moist hand. The little girl inside me did a somersault.