Freedom Train

December 25, 1962 cont.

Chapter Two: December 25, 1962 Cont.

Terry stood in the corner of Mable's living room as Elvis Presley's rendition of Blue Christmas bellowed softly from the record player. He sipped a cup of eggnog while his good friend, Henry, told him plans for their next protest.

Mable made her way through the crowd toward Terry, grabbing his arm as soon as she got close enough. It was clear to Terry and Henry that Mable might've had just a bit too much to drink. She was unsteady on her feet and her smile was lazy, her eyes glossed as she focused in on Terry's face.

"I'll catch you later," Henry said with a look of amusement on his face as he backed away, disappearing into the crowd.

Mable wound her arms around Terry's neck and licked her lips. He was sure she meant the act to look seductive, but it reminded Terry of the way his old hound dog, Max, looked when he was around a bitch in heat. Terry gently pulled her arms away from his shoulders and took a step back.

"How many times do I gotta tell you I'm sorry?" she asked, her full lips in a pout.

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Mable. Any woman who can claim to love a man one minute and end up in another man's bed the next is not the kind of woman I want to be with."

"Of course," Mable mumbled. "Cause' you're just so damned perfect, right, Terrance? Terrance White can do no wrong. Thinkin' you're better than everyone else just because you travel around holding up signs that ain't never gonna make any kind of difference anyway."

"Thanks for the invite, Mable, but I think I'm done here. For good this time. Merry Christmas."

Terry tried to leave but Mable pulled him back. She stumbled slightly in her effort and Terry reached out to catch her on impulse. Her arms ended up back around his neck, his hands resting lighting on her waist as she situated herself. Mable smiled up at him apologetically.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it."

Terry removed his hands from her waist and looked down at her, his eyes sad. Truth of it was, he had loved her once. Then, she went and broke his heart into a million pieces, the day after she had agreed to marry him. He would never forget the way it felt to have his heart trampled upon by the one person he never thought would betray him.

"Yes you did," he replied sadly. "And that is only one of the million reasons why I'll never be with a girl like you again. I've learned my lesson, Mable. Guess I gotta reason to thank you after all."

Mable looked offended as Terry turned away from her yet again. She reached out angrily, dramatically poking his shoulder as her voice rose in embarrassed anger, quickly drawing the attention of the other party-goers and stopping Terry in his tracks.

"You're right!" she screamed. "I did mean it! You ain't never gonna be nothing, Terrance. You can hold up all the signs you want, sit in all the white diners you want, ride as many integrated buses as you want- But at the end of the day you're still just another black man in a white man's world, wasting your time on something that ain't never gonna matter to no one that can make a difference."

Terry was clearly bothered by her drunken tirade, but he said nothing- aware of the scene Mable had already caused and not wanting to further aggravate the situation. Instead, he turned and headed for the door.

This time, Mable didn't stop him.

The streets were empty as Terry left the party and took a deep breath of fresh air. He buttoned his jacket and jogged down her front steps, heading toward his waiting car.

A sound in the distance stopped Terry cold, his ears on alert as the woman's scream reverberated through the air once again. Terry ran toward the sound, the sight before him not only concerning but blood boiling. Before him, two men held a helpless woman against a large dumpster in the alley.