Black

Part Four

Sunday night was where it all started.

          William knocked on my window. He was standing on the fire escape with the wind blowing his hair all over the place. He knocked again.

          I got up and opened the window. "What are you doing here? What time is it?" I said feeling almost too tired to even speak.

          "I wanted to talk to you." He said as he climbed in through the window. He was shivering and looked so drowsy, but he still looked like a god. "I couldn't wait until the next morning. I couldn't let you think the way you've been thinking any longer."

          "You sure are bold to come running to a girl's fire escape in the middle of the night. Especially, if you've just met them two days ago, man." I said. I was getting really displeased by him appearing so suddenly.

          "You really think that all white people have it easy, eh?" he asked.

          "Yeah? What about it?" I said.

          He paused for a minute like he was wondering if what he was going to say next was the right thing to say. "Come with me and you'll see why what you've been thinking is very wrong."

          "Have I not mentions that we met two days ago? Besides I can't leave my mama and brothers here. They'll be so worried and my mama will be more stressed. I can't do that to her." I said. "My mama don't deserve that."

         "Trust me. You can leave a note telling her what we're going to be doing." He was begging now.

          "Why is this so important and what are we doing?" I asked. This boy was crazy for thinking that I should trust him. We were strangers; we knew nothing about each other.

          "Grab a piece of paper and pen and write what I'm going to tell you." I hated taking orders but I did it anyway. I wanted to know what this boy's plan was. "Okay start with 'Mama, I've been brainwashed with ideas on white people."

          "Is this some kind of joke?" I said. I was starting to get furious.

          "No, just do it." I wrote down what he said. "Write: 'I'm gonna learn about how it really is like. Don't worry, I'm in safe arms. We'll be going to a few states-'"

          "Different states! You must be kidding me. You are crazy for thinking that I would do such a thing." Before I could keep on shooting harsh words to William, he softly grabbed my wrist and looked me dead in my face.

          "If you don't want to go, you don't have to, but I think you really need to know this. You've told yourself all these false things and it's time you know the truth. You can't stay in this way of thinking or you'll be blaming us for everything you do. You'll be stuck in the past and not the present. I wouldn't want to go to those places if I didn't have to. There are memories in those states that I need you to know of. Okay? I need to know if you want to come or not."

          I stood there, looking at the guy who wanted to take me to places I've never been to. This was the guy who wanted me to trust him when I barely knew him. "Okay. I'm down." I decided in the end.

          "Okay, so let's finish this letter so we can go." He said as he let go of wrist. I picked up my pen again and continued to write. "' We'll be going to a few states. This way I will fully understand where I've gone wrong with my thinking. I will be back. I promise.' Now you can add whatever you want at the end."

          I decided to put "I love you" and my initials. "So what do we do now?" I asked him.

          "Pack some clothes and stuff in a backpack and dress properly. From there we'll get going."