~The Color Of Love~ A Julius Campbell Lovestory(Remember the Titans)

Chapter 2

"The school board has decided that Negro Herman Boone is going to be head coach at T.C." the fat man representative from the board told us grouchily.

"Well ya'll need to re-decide! My uncle gave ya'll 15 winning seasons.15!" I told him harshly.

The news that we are hearing was just outrageous.

''We can't. What's done is done." the fatty told me.

Sheryl was holding on to Coach tightly and crying furiously. "It's not fair, my daddy's head coach! This is gonna be our Hall of Fame year'' she cried. Coach had one hand on one of Sheryl's arm and another around my shoulder so that we were both wrapped in his arms.

"No one is trying to take away your daddy's future place in the Hall" he tried to reason with her but Sheryl is very hotheaded like me.

"You can't just walk your butt in here and take my uncle's job away! I screamed.

My uncle sighed and told Sheryl and I to head inside. Sheryl scowled and stomped ahead of me then she whipped around and ran at the man and kicked him, then she ran in the house.

I was proud of her.

"Sheryl!'' I screamed for hear but she didn't answer back. I walked to her room and saw her sitting on the bed, knees pulled up to her chest with her arms

Wrapped around them.

She looked at me and said, " I'm not going to apologize cuz' I ain't sorry."

"I wasn't gonna make you say sorry.'' I sat down on the bed and pulled her to my chest. I started playing with her hair. "I'm actually proud of you." I told her.

"You are?" she asked surprised. She looked up at me with her big blue eyes.

"Yup. You stood up for ya' daddy and for that I am proud.'' I said to her.

I heard the phone ring in the kitchen, so I climbed down stairs to answer it.

"Hello." I said into the phone.

"Hey honey." replied a hoarse voice on the receiving end.

"Daddy" I said his name, trying to sound happy but failed miserably.

" Everything okay sweetheart?'' my daddy asked worriedly.

"Nope" I replied back truthfully. I could never fake with daddy, I tell him everything .

"What's going on? Is it that boy Ray? You know I could fly out and beat the shit out of that kid for hurting my babygirl!" He screamed through the phone "You say the word. You say the word sweetheart and he is a goner.'' He chuckled darkly. "I could make his father a goner too. I've been itchen' to get my hand around that bastard's neck and-"

"Dad. Dad. Dad." I cut him off. "he is not the problem! For the love of God!" I rolled my eyes.

"Then what's the problem?" he asked.

" I would have told you if you would have just shut up and let me finish!Damn." I said with an attitude.

"Chica who do ya' think you talking to like that? May I refresh your memory of who I am? Do I need to get my ass on a plane and come down to Virginia to give you a good licken'? I am your Dad. Your spermdonor." daddy told me sharply. "Now tell me your problem." He said demandly.

I told him everything.

"I don't see the problem. Yes, it's bad that Bill isn't the head coach anymore, but he can take the head coaching at Lowden." Daddy told me calmly.

"What?" I cried of outrage. "That's your brother-in-law! Someone swooped in and took his job, just like that." I told him while snapping my fingers.

" It's a good thing. It's a good thing that someone of color is finally getting a head job somewhere. It's a good thing that someone of color is finally getting something.'' He told me.

''You don't get-

Daddy interrupted me "No sweetheart, you don't get it." I can tell he was shaking his head. "For a thousand years or more negroes have been treated cruelly, like nothing I haven't seen before! They were slaves then set "free". That word free is ironically  because they are free on paper but not in actions. Whites kept bringing them down, but they kept getting back up. They never stop fighting even  if they would get lynched. Whites think they are so pure and anyone colored are dirty and soiled. It's good that T.C. Williams is finally understanding that it doesn't matter what you look like but how you act." He preached to me.

" Yeah daddy I get that. I get that they are denied going into stores and stuff. I get that they have separate but "equal" everything." I told him.

"'Separate but equal', that's a load of bullshit. I tasted their water, it tastes like piss. I went to their hospital once. It was very hot with no air conditioner and you had to wait hours to be seen by the doctors. Honey, we both don't get it. We can't get it. We're not colored so we don't know how it feels but we can know sympathy, but not empathy." My daddy said sadly with a sigh.

"Look sweetheart, I got to go. Remember what I told you. I love you!'' He told me.

"Love you too daddy." I told him lovingly and hung up.

At night there was a knock on the door  and I let Sheryl answer it.

"What do you want?" Sheryl answered with a growl.

"Is your dad home" a voice said sounding like Boone. I started walking towards the door.

" Yea. He's out finding a new coaching job, so that means that he have no time for you." she told him snarkly and was going to shut the door in his face until I put my foot between it.

"He's out back, I'll take you to him." I told him.

Boone nodded and Sheryl let out a huff and stomped to her room. I better get him out of here before she kicks him.

I started taking him to where my uncle was and I decided that I should apologize.

"Look, I'm sorry about how I was acting yesterday. It had nothing to do with the color of your skin. It was just that someone was taking his job." I apologized sincerely.

"I accept your apology Miss- " Coach Boone started saying but didn't know my name.

"Gabriella. Gabriella Martinez. You can call me Gabbi." I smiled at him.

"I didn't think that all this may be hard on you already and you don't need  me to add more hate. " I stopped walking and just was talking. "You know you're brave coming here. I don't think that many colored people would be able to handle all the hate and pressure. Hell, I don't even think that I could even do it." I said with a little laugh and he smiled. I started back walking "I don't know what you're going through but I can sympathize that its hell. But my motto is that "If you're going through hell keep going because you never know what good can come after". Coach Boone is soaking in  I'm saying to him.

"Here we are." I said to him when we were in front of Coach's out-office.

I knocked on the door while opening it " Uncle Bill, Coach Boone's here to talk to ya'" I told my uncle. He looked up at Boone. I took that as my cue to leave and I shut the door on my way out.