Race Relations

Blossoming Love

                  Nathaniel paced around his large room thinking about what his mother had said to him three days prior. How could he have known this, but like him she was a victim of the Harrington.  He recalled her frustration as she warned him to stay away from Leila.  It’s because she knew, she had witness it first hand.  He had misjudged her, categorized her as a Harrington, but how could he have known.  He recalled all the times his mother stayed quiet while his father said degrading things about a black person, now he could see that she was not arguing but rather avoiding the wrath of his father. God how horrible must it have been for her to live life as a lie.  In that moment he decided that the Harrington’s’ wouldn’t get to ruin anyone else’s choices, including his. His door opening and viewing his mother that walked in and interupted his thoghts and said " I have an idea!"

                __________________

 “Nope”

“I’ll be a perfect gentleman”

“Nope”

“Oh C’mon”

“Mike, I wont be going anywhere with you.”

“And its because I’m white”

“Yes,”

“That’s racist”

“No, that’s a preference”

“No, that’s racist” mike counteracted. “ A preference would be to like tall guys over short one, or to prefer a more serious person, but to say that you wont date me on solely on my skin tone is racist no matter how you try to format it.”  Mike told Laura. God he wanted to have her. To have her in his bed in an instant, to hold her in his arms. “C’mon one date wouldn’t hurt” he pushed.

Laura sighed. What could he want with her? Its not like she was one of the black girls with a lighter skin tone, so it would be easier for him to explain to his friends. Why would he want to date her? “One date?” she asked.

“One” he said. “And if you like it enough, maybe you’ll give me a second, but yes one” 

“Okay” she said with a slight smile. She observed his face. He was cute that was for sure. His sly grin, his stubble five o’clock shadow, the full pink lips that any girl would want to kiss, dreamy blue eyes. Okay maybe she could give him a chance, she thought. But what would Leila think she thought and looked over at the couch to see her cousin busy playing with her niece. Leila had agreed to take care of her brother Derrick’s daughter; Soledad. The little girl was gorgeous. Laura imagined the fondness Leila had for the young girl did not lie on simply that she is her niece, but rather that she looked like the possible product of Leila and Nathaniel’s. Soledad’s mom is a white Cuban, she and derrick had been friends since they met in the army and Soledad had been a product of loneliness in the Iraqi dessert.  Now that she and Derrick had been called back, Leila gladly volunteer to take care of the young girl.  If she were to go out on a date with Mike, Laura was sure that it would bring sadness to Leila. She was sure of it, of course her cousin would never be the one to admit it. But Laura knew that she feel the sadness of Nathaniel being absent from her life the minute she went on a date with Mike.  “I have to ask Leila about it first” she found herself telling Mike, who stood in front of her in a khaki cargo short and a white V-neck.

“Ask about what?” Mike inquired,

“Look it wont be easy for her, I have to make sure she is okay with this” 

“I’m sure she will Mike assure” and before Laura could stop him he belched “LEILA I’M TAKING YOUR COUSIN ON A DATE IS THAT FINE WITH YOU?”