The Survival Games {Entries}

Task One: Love

I stared at her, as if my gaze would make her answer. We stood under the dark sky, drenched by the rain. Her eyes surrounded by dark circles, were digging into her youthful face. I would have mentioned she resembled a raccoon, but I could hardly seem to mutter anything.

The rhythmic pit-splash of the rain kept us from standing in a queer silence. Neither of us spoke, neither smiled, and neither mumbled any form of language.

"When will we see each other again, baby?" I could feel my forehead tensing with lines while I whispered.

She heard me, even with the hoarseness in my throat, she heard me. Her fingers tugged at her zipper, avoiding my gaze. The button down coat that she wore was covered with frayed threads; still, she refused to wear any other. It was the one I had gotten her.

My girlfriend's pale lips were the most memorable feature of her face; and the softest pair to kiss. My eyes urged for them to move, to speak, to tell me it was a misunderstanding, and kiss me once more. I hoped she'd say something soon or I'd be madder than I aleady was.

A spark of lightning flashed in the skies above; a clash of thunder boomed seconds after it. But we stood unmoving, and soaking in the rain. After the silence of a hostile eternity, she took a small step towards me, pulling at my fist. Loosening my fingers, she entwined hers in between mine and finally spoke: "I'm sorry, I...I cant..."

When she looked away and to the ground, I wrapped my arms around her. I whispered the three words she'd tell me every night. Neither of us pulled away, and I had forgotten there was anyone else around, until I heard her father's voice.

"Gracie, I thought I told you not to touch him, hurry up now," I despised the man, but he could have me fired and in jail with a single phone call. I loosened my grip on Gracie and stepped back to watch her pretty face.

"You don't have to do everything your scumbag tells you to do, you know that," I said through gritted teeth.

"He's not a scumbag, he's my father," she whispered as if there was a lump in her throat. "I'm sorry Oliver, but it's better like this," she moved a lock of hair from my face and wiped my right cheek. "You were the best person I have ever known, and I wish I could be with you forever-but it's not meant to be."

"You can Gracie, look at me, we can," I took a deep breath, "but you have to tell your dad what you want. I need you to do that for me."

A silence between us was created again and uneasiness spread through my body. "Father doesn't approve of-" she looked away as she muttered: "of niggers."

I could feel my heart in my throat. "What about when we would go down by the creek and I taught you to climb trees? Or when you'd sneak out at night just so we could ride my brother's motorcycle with me to the diner? You didn't care about my skin then. Have you forgotten you're my girl?"

"I'm not your girl anymore, I loved you and your company, but I should never have gone anywhere with you." She sounded just like her father, to the point, and almost sympathetic. But the words hurt even more coming from herself.

"You're not my girl?" I wondered aloud as she shook her head. "You were my girl when your father was away for his work trips. You were my girl when I kissed you on that raft we built and fell over in. You were my girl when you put your head on my chest last night, you're my girl now." I was ranting and my eyes burned with tears. "You say you love me, stay with me."

Gracie half smiled at me, and looked away again. "It's not that simple, Oliver, father says he would leave me for the streets if I stayed with you."

"Then come with me, we'll stay with my family until we can get our own home, we'll have eachother baby," I held out a hand for her to take, but she never grabbed it nor reached for it. She had shook her head again and looked back at where her father was waiting for her. She pecked me quick on the cheek and mutter another useless apology.

I watched her walk back to her father's side without so much of a glance back. There was no point of me standing here, and before Gracie's father could tell me to get my nigger feet off his property, I turned around and headed for the gates. I pulled out the ring I hid in my pocket and threw it as far behind my head as I could. As I walked home defeated, the rain settled down but my love for Gracie couldn't.