Chapter
30
The
year was 1996. I drove my Nissan Altima to school on a cold gray morning in
early December. I had a bad hangover. In fact, I was hung over quite a lot back
in those days. I used to be an habitual drunkard. I quit drinking just
recently, and I feel much better. Good for me.
I gave
my first-period class a pile of worksheets. Worksheets are a drunk teacher’s
best friend. Then I sat at my desk and
nursed a cup of strong black coffee. I reeked of alcohol, but I didn’t care.
The job made me completely miserable, and I secretly wanted to get fired. I
would have been much happier collecting shopping carts at Walmart.
A girl
named Peach gazed at me and smiled. She was a pretty light-skinned teenager with a
nice set of pearly white teeth.
“You
lookin fine today, Mista Buffalo. Me and you could have a good time.”
The
class went nuts.
“Peach want
some of that Buffalo meat,” one boy screamed.
“Peach
already have a little girl, so you best wear a rubber,” another student said.
I
waited for them to settle down before speaking. When it was finally quiet, I
turned to Peach. “Don’t talk like that. If people get the wrong idea, we’re
both going to end up in lots of trouble.”
She said,
“I ain’t afraid of nobody. Ain’t nothing they can do to me. I’m bawdy bawdy.”
“Bawdy
bawdy? What does that even mean?”
She
said, “It mean that I don’t give a fuck.”
“Well,
I care. In fact, I care deeply. I don’t want to go to prison. Being behind bars
isn’t my idea of a good time.”
But she
just wouldn’t keep her goddamn mouth shut. “Me and you could make some
beautiful babies. They’d be cream colored.”
The
kids started laughing so hard that some of them were falling out of their
chairs.
“Get
out of here,” I said, pointing to the door.
Peach
looked hurt. “You really gonna send me to the office?”
“Yes.
What else can I do? You’re acting like a crazy person.”
She
shot me the stink eye. “Then go ahead and write me up. I ain’t scared of no office
referral. Fuck you, Buffalo.”
“Whatever
you say. The last thing I want to do is argue.”
“And I’m
gonna tell Mista Jet that you called me a nigger.” She turned to the entire class.
“You all heard him call me a nigger, right?”
“We
heard him, sista.”
“Buffalo
be a fucking racist.”
“Buffalo
is KKK all the way.”
Peach
stormed out slamming the door behind her, and I resumed teaching. I wasn’t the
least bit worried. There was no doubt in my mind that Jet would see through her
ruse. The guy didn’t like me, but he wasn’t a fucking idiot.
Well, I
was wrong. He came to my classroom with a huge frown on his face. Peach stood
behind him.
He
said, “Buffalo, I heard you been calling the children a bunch of niggers.”
I was
flabbergasted. “Are you for real?”
“What
does that mean?”
“Do you
think I’d be dumb enough to use a word like that at this school? Do I have
stupid written across my forehead?”
He took
a step toward me with fists clenched. For a moment, I thought he might actually
hit me.
He
said, “Well, let’s ask the kids.” He faced them, and they were all smiling like
the Cheshire Cat. “Did Buffalo call you a bunch of niggers.”
“He sho
did.”
“Buffalo
be worse than the KKK.”
“Buffalo’s
own mamma know he be racist.”
My
goose was fucking cooked. Racism isn’t against the law, but good luck finding a
job with something like that on your employment record.
Suddenly,
a girl in the back named Anita stood up. She was a dark-skinned outcast whom
the others perpetually teased. Anita’s grooming skills weren’t up to snuff. Her
body odor could gag a maggot.
She
said, “Jet, you gotta be the dumbest negro in Texas.”
He was
taken aback. “You better watch your mouth, girl.”
“You know
that Buffalo ain’t called nobody in this room a nigger. And you also know that Peach
ain’t nothin’ but a triflin’ liar. She been causin’ problems since the day she
was born. So why is you going along with it?”
Peach
said, “Don’t listen to her. She just want to have Buffalo’s babies.”
Anita
said, “Bitch, you be crazy. Buffalo a worthless drunk. But he never called you
a nigger. You ain’t nothin’ but a fuckin’ liar.”
A look
of supreme disappointment passed over Jet’s face. He wanted the story to be
true. That was one of the scariest days in my life. My asshole still puckers
when I think about it.
this episode is reminding us of how in the book of Mattias and chapter 26 it goes:
ReplyDelete59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death
60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward
61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’”
...
66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
although they did not accuse jaycee of using the N word, they still were able to achieve their intended outcome.
that is why it is important to join the mob and cheer for someone to be flogged, otherwise the mob will be cheering for you to be flogged.
here is the sisters of serenity with Joy of Meditation for Spiritual Oneness
CLICKY CLICKY
Cheers.
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