Dwayne wept as he looks at the casket. His emotions, raw. I get it. The shock, the hurt, the loss, the anguish, the outrage. Everything bundles up into one huge unimaginable pain. Dwayne struggles to speak, and then he gets his act together just like his big brother would want him to.
"Bobby Dickens always made me laugh. When he's around, I am happy..."
********
If you look up the word "happy" in the dictionary, you will see Bobby's face grinning beside it. Bobby loved to laugh, and he made other people laugh with him, especially me. During Bobby's senior year of high school, he dated many girls. He was the typical PK. He had no steady girlfriend, and in private, always made it very clear that he liked only me. I kept his secret, but it became confusing when anytime a guy showed any interest in me, Bobby would insist on interrogating them. He had to give them "the talk." Let them know he's my big brother and if they hurt me in anyway, they are dead. He would actually say things like that and scare off the boys. I would laugh when he gave them "the talk".
Of course, my mother appreciated Bobby's overprotective nature, but I wasn't always amused. Bobby had girlfriends. Many of them. But he wanted me to be an Island until he was ready for me? I thought that was stupid. So, I decided to date one of his teammates, Mathew. Of course, Bobby didn't like it and gave Mathew "the talk". But Mathew wasn't intimidated. He wanted to know what Bobby's problem was, "Do you want her for yourself dude. She ain't your sister, so what's this really about?"
"You're not good enough for her." Bobby told him.
"And you are?" Mathew challenged. They were the same height, around 6 feet. Bobby was already clenching his fist. I jumped in. "Matt, I am sorry. Bobby is like my big brother. If he doesn't approve..." my voice trailed off. Matt's eyes narrowed at Bobby and his jaw was clenched. But he walked away. And I exhaled. We couldn't keep doing this.

YOU ARE READING
A Dark Sun
RomanceValerie loved Bobby. Bobby loved Valerie. Everyone in the community knew it, though the two tried to keep their relations secret. They were childhood friends who grew to be lovers. But they were black. And black people can find themselves in the...