Power of Words, Power of Action
A black teen named Darrell was probably one of the most popular kids in his school. He was a star on both the football and basketball teams, and before he graduated received scholarship offers in both sports from many colleges. He wasn't that great with his academics, but he did enough to get by. Teachers would often turn a blind eye to his grades by request of a coach, as often happens in high school sports. Darrell always had kids behind him in the hallway in between classes, and his friends huddled around his locker when he arrived in the morning. His high school was pretty diverse, so he had just as many white friends as he did black ones. Darrell himself never really thought too much about it, but he would hang out mainly with the other black guys. They were a little bit different, though. Most of them only dated other black girls, and thought that white girls should date white guys. Darrell never really voiced his opinion on what he thought of this, but just continued to do what he did best: keep his mouth shut and play great in sports.
Winter was slowly fading away and Spring was peeking its head from just above the horizon. Everyone was ready to shake off the winter snow flurries and welcome the thawing warmth of a Spring's sun. To Darrell this cued the start of basketball season, which meant practices every day after school. School itself was becoming quite enjoyable for him. He had a fun spending time with friends throughout the day, and even though he was now failing in Math, he had plans to get a student tutor to help him before the season actually began. People would always pat him on the back in the hallways, and yell out his name: "Yea, that's our Darrell!", and such. He was proud that he was such a revered athlete in his school, and loved to perform for everyone. There probably wasn't anything in the world for which Darrell would've traded his athletic abilities. He truly was incredibly overjoyed that the basketball season was finally starting, and knew he'd be able to please everyone with his performances on the court.
Sadly, however, Darrell still had the task of passing Math on his plate. He put in a request with the tutoring services the mathematics department offers, and had an appointment with someone in two days in the library. That was how Darrell met Michelle. Michelle was a 3.6 GPA student, and overall an average girl, but she excelled in mathematics. Over the next few days Michelle began to tutor Darrell in the library after school or during lunch. Darrell tried his hardest to understand the material. "OK, so when solving for antiderivatives...", he'd think to himself, "You just take the exponent and....(She has pretty eyes) and.... (God she's cute) and raise it...."(I wonder if she has a boyfriend). "...by one and then divide by the new exponent", she'd finish for him. She'd ask him if he was really focusing, and he said that he was, but Michelle wasn't quite sure. Truthfully, she had caught herself staring at him on more than just one occasion. Any of Michelle's friends could've told you that it wasn't because she was shallow and wanted to date a popular guy - it was just that every girl in the high school thought Darrell was extremely good looking. If any one of them had said they had never atleast once found themselves staring at him, then they were most certainly not telling the truth.
Darrell's grade was increased to a passing "D" after only a few short lessons, but he continued to tutor with Michelle for weeks after that. His friends became concerned when they stopped seeing him at lunch, and when one of them saw him with Michelle they all teased him about it. They knew that he was already passing Math, since he was being allowed to play in the first couple of basketball games that had already occurred, and none of them could see why he was still being tutored by this prissy white girl. Michelle's friends were really no different, and they too were concerned for their friend. Perhaps it was their old-fashioned fathers who taught them to stay away from trouble (which in their town equated to blacks), but they were definitely wary of Michelle's relationship with Darrell. As you can imagine, it was not long after both sides began to worry that Darrell and Michelle began to date. Michelle's friends still talked to her, but she could feel that an icy presence had overcome them. Darrell's friends all but turned their back on him, but still kept him around simply because he was the school's athletic star. They told him that his popularity would be in trouble if he continued to hang around with this white girl, but he didn't listen. How I wish I could say Darrell and Michelle's love flourished, and how they triumphed over the evil stereotypes that are often conjured by the ignorance of youth in high school. Alas, such a thing did not occur.
It is true that their relationship became the hottest topic of the school. Darrell's popularity, coupled with the fact that he was dating a white girl, spread extremely quickly throughout the gossip channels. Some people gaped at them, some people gawked, some stared, and some looked disgusted. A few were supportive, but not nearly enough to make either of them happy. One night, while Michelle was spending time at Darrell's house, she voiced her concerns to him about the direction of their relationship. She said that she was getting tired of people constantly staring at her like she was an animal, and that she knew his friends hated her. She started to cry, and became extremely vulnerable. Darrell held her close and told her to forget about all of them, that all she needed was him, and that all they needed was each other. He told her they could go through life and all they would ever need is the support given by the other. This concept struck an emotional chord deep within Michelle's soul, and she gave herself to Darrell. Darrell had been pressing the topic of sex for quite a while now, and had at some times even pressured Michelle in to making a decision. Up until tonight Michelle had not fully been able to hand over what had always been hers and only hers, but after hearing the sentiments of Darrell she decided it was finally time to give herself to the man that she loved. She knew that he loved her too in return.
Darrell and Michelle continued to see each other, and soon the hype of their being together blew down. People didn't react so strongly to seeing them together in the hallways, and eventually Michelle's friends and Darrell's friends stopped harassing them so much. Things were just starting to look up. Michelle was chosen to give a speech at graduation, as part of a poll process held by the SGA. Darrell's basketball team was going to State this year, and he felt as if he had never played better in all his life. The weeks seemed to slip away easily, and in their last few blissful weeks of being a high school couple, Michelle and Darrell grew closer and closer yet. Little did they know that several events would take place that would change their lives forever.
One day Michelle caught Darrell after a basketball practice. Darrell was especially excited because a prospect from a college university had visited the team for today's practice, and Darrell was only a dotted line away from signing the best scholarship offer he had received to date. Michelle decided to talk to him later, and Darrell ran off with the guys to the locker room. She called him later that night, hoping that he was home and somewhat calmed down from earlier that day. Michelle told Darrell that she had missed her period. Darrell didn't really know why she was telling him this, I mean she never talked to him about this kind of stuff before. Then she told him that she thought she might be pregnant. The phone almost dropped from his hand, which along with the rest of his body was frozen in shock. He kept saying over the phone that he didn't know how this could be, that it was impossible. He said she had made a mistake, that there's no way she could be having a baby. He went on a tirade for several minutes, then told her that he had to collect himself and that he'd call her later that night. Michelle was just as afraid and scared as Darrell was. It was way too early to be a parent, how would they manage? Would they even be able to go to college now? Had Darrell even planned on staying together with her after high school? What happened now? Where do they go from here? Darrell called her back about thirty minutes later. He told her he wanted an abortion.
Putting aside the three hour argument that followed well in to the night, Darrell and Michelle were at extremely opposite ends with the situation. Darrell still had his athletic career ahead of him, and if you remember there was "nothing in the world he would've traded for his athletic abilities". For Darrell, that even included a human life. Michelle thought he was being extremely selfish about his decision, and soon cried herself to sleep every night. Darrell was constantly hounding her to get an abortion, and she was even afraid to go to her parents for help. She was afraid of what they would think of her. She regretted allowing Darrell to break her down and take what was once only hers. She was having pressure put on her from all sides, and the only thing she would do to cope is cry and stroke her stomach. One day after school Darrell found Michelle and led her to the bathroom. He held both of her wrists tightly and held her arms up high. He told her that she was going to get an abortion before it was too late, that neither of them had the responsibility to do this, that it wasn't shameful, that it was the only way, and a slew of other things. Michelle began to weep, her wrists now painfully sore from his hard grip. Having him bear down on her like this with all these comments was just too much of a strain for poor Michelle, and she agreed to have the abortion. She told Darrell she would get it done a week before graduation, which was only two weeks away.
Two Weeks Later
Darrell's team got to the semi-finals in State, but ended up losing to a high school only five miles away from them. Slowly Darrell and Michelle grew apart, which was largely due to her abortion. Darrell thought of how hard it must be for Michelle to live with herself after what she did. He knew that she wanted to keep the baby, but there was no bright future for either of them if she did. He had plans, he had a scholarship, he had a road that he intended to follow. He spent many nights wondering if he made the right decision, the most important of which was the night they graduated. It took place at a local church, and the entire place was packed (which was quite impressive, if you could see the size of the church). The students were all in their robes and garments, and the parents sat to look at them proudly. Michelle's parents sat in the audience, still oblivious to her abortion. They still did not know - and maybe they never will know - that just a few weeks before their daughter was carrying a baby. The ceremony was winding down, and the members of SGA all gave their short speeches before introducing Michelle. Everyone gave a round of applause as she approached the podium.
Michelle began with a seemingly solid tone of voice.
"As we gather here today, we take time to reflect on the years of our lives which have led us to this point. We remember the struggles we faced, and the friends and family that helped us overcome them."
Her voice began to quiver slightly as she continued.
"This support from those we know we can count on, is perhaps one of the greatest things that a high school community can grant. It allows us to live our lives head-on, without any regrets, and without doubt of our actions."
Tears begin forming around her eyes.
"And now, as we continue on our journey, we must entrust the community and its livelihood to our children. Our children, who we cherish most above all, who will inherit, all that we....."
But Michelle could not finish the closing part of her speech, and ran off the stage crying. Darrell watched her flee in to the back behind the curtain. Perhaps he was the only person who knew why.
Two Years Later
Darrell became a college basketball star. He was not yet at the level of a superstar, but he was a very successful player which had benefited from remaining healthy throughout his college years. Michelle was still single, and working part-time at a cafe while she was working on completing her Bachelors. She had been through much more than Darrell had the last couple years, but she didn't regret it at all. She was on her way home from work at eleven o clock at night. She pulled in to her driveway and walked up to her front door, where she fiddled with her keys before opening them. She knew that her life would never be the same. After graduating high school she wasn't able to attend college right away. She began working immediately to try and raise as much money as possible on her own. She opened the door and headed upstairs. She went in to a room, which was bathed only in the light of the moon, and stood by a wooden cradle in the middle of it. She stared down at her baby boy, and smiled to herself. It was times like these that she was glad she never doubted her own abilities, and her willingness to take care of herself. All the pain and hardships that she had to endure for her child, was nothing compared to the pain she would had to have endured killing him. Meanwhile Darrell was reminiscing on his glory days of high school, his days spent with Michelle, and the child that he had given up. Miles away, that child was sound asleep, with a single mother by his side, where she always intended to be.
Winter was slowly fading away and Spring was peeking its head from just above the horizon. Everyone was ready to shake off the winter snow flurries and welcome the thawing warmth of a Spring's sun. To Darrell this cued the start of basketball season, which meant practices every day after school. School itself was becoming quite enjoyable for him. He had a fun spending time with friends throughout the day, and even though he was now failing in Math, he had plans to get a student tutor to help him before the season actually began. People would always pat him on the back in the hallways, and yell out his name: "Yea, that's our Darrell!", and such. He was proud that he was such a revered athlete in his school, and loved to perform for everyone. There probably wasn't anything in the world for which Darrell would've traded his athletic abilities. He truly was incredibly overjoyed that the basketball season was finally starting, and knew he'd be able to please everyone with his performances on the court.
Sadly, however, Darrell still had the task of passing Math on his plate. He put in a request with the tutoring services the mathematics department offers, and had an appointment with someone in two days in the library. That was how Darrell met Michelle. Michelle was a 3.6 GPA student, and overall an average girl, but she excelled in mathematics. Over the next few days Michelle began to tutor Darrell in the library after school or during lunch. Darrell tried his hardest to understand the material. "OK, so when solving for antiderivatives...", he'd think to himself, "You just take the exponent and....(She has pretty eyes) and.... (God she's cute) and raise it...."(I wonder if she has a boyfriend). "...by one and then divide by the new exponent", she'd finish for him. She'd ask him if he was really focusing, and he said that he was, but Michelle wasn't quite sure. Truthfully, she had caught herself staring at him on more than just one occasion. Any of Michelle's friends could've told you that it wasn't because she was shallow and wanted to date a popular guy - it was just that every girl in the high school thought Darrell was extremely good looking. If any one of them had said they had never atleast once found themselves staring at him, then they were most certainly not telling the truth.
Darrell's grade was increased to a passing "D" after only a few short lessons, but he continued to tutor with Michelle for weeks after that. His friends became concerned when they stopped seeing him at lunch, and when one of them saw him with Michelle they all teased him about it. They knew that he was already passing Math, since he was being allowed to play in the first couple of basketball games that had already occurred, and none of them could see why he was still being tutored by this prissy white girl. Michelle's friends were really no different, and they too were concerned for their friend. Perhaps it was their old-fashioned fathers who taught them to stay away from trouble (which in their town equated to blacks), but they were definitely wary of Michelle's relationship with Darrell. As you can imagine, it was not long after both sides began to worry that Darrell and Michelle began to date. Michelle's friends still talked to her, but she could feel that an icy presence had overcome them. Darrell's friends all but turned their back on him, but still kept him around simply because he was the school's athletic star. They told him that his popularity would be in trouble if he continued to hang around with this white girl, but he didn't listen. How I wish I could say Darrell and Michelle's love flourished, and how they triumphed over the evil stereotypes that are often conjured by the ignorance of youth in high school. Alas, such a thing did not occur.
It is true that their relationship became the hottest topic of the school. Darrell's popularity, coupled with the fact that he was dating a white girl, spread extremely quickly throughout the gossip channels. Some people gaped at them, some people gawked, some stared, and some looked disgusted. A few were supportive, but not nearly enough to make either of them happy. One night, while Michelle was spending time at Darrell's house, she voiced her concerns to him about the direction of their relationship. She said that she was getting tired of people constantly staring at her like she was an animal, and that she knew his friends hated her. She started to cry, and became extremely vulnerable. Darrell held her close and told her to forget about all of them, that all she needed was him, and that all they needed was each other. He told her they could go through life and all they would ever need is the support given by the other. This concept struck an emotional chord deep within Michelle's soul, and she gave herself to Darrell. Darrell had been pressing the topic of sex for quite a while now, and had at some times even pressured Michelle in to making a decision. Up until tonight Michelle had not fully been able to hand over what had always been hers and only hers, but after hearing the sentiments of Darrell she decided it was finally time to give herself to the man that she loved. She knew that he loved her too in return.
Darrell and Michelle continued to see each other, and soon the hype of their being together blew down. People didn't react so strongly to seeing them together in the hallways, and eventually Michelle's friends and Darrell's friends stopped harassing them so much. Things were just starting to look up. Michelle was chosen to give a speech at graduation, as part of a poll process held by the SGA. Darrell's basketball team was going to State this year, and he felt as if he had never played better in all his life. The weeks seemed to slip away easily, and in their last few blissful weeks of being a high school couple, Michelle and Darrell grew closer and closer yet. Little did they know that several events would take place that would change their lives forever.
One day Michelle caught Darrell after a basketball practice. Darrell was especially excited because a prospect from a college university had visited the team for today's practice, and Darrell was only a dotted line away from signing the best scholarship offer he had received to date. Michelle decided to talk to him later, and Darrell ran off with the guys to the locker room. She called him later that night, hoping that he was home and somewhat calmed down from earlier that day. Michelle told Darrell that she had missed her period. Darrell didn't really know why she was telling him this, I mean she never talked to him about this kind of stuff before. Then she told him that she thought she might be pregnant. The phone almost dropped from his hand, which along with the rest of his body was frozen in shock. He kept saying over the phone that he didn't know how this could be, that it was impossible. He said she had made a mistake, that there's no way she could be having a baby. He went on a tirade for several minutes, then told her that he had to collect himself and that he'd call her later that night. Michelle was just as afraid and scared as Darrell was. It was way too early to be a parent, how would they manage? Would they even be able to go to college now? Had Darrell even planned on staying together with her after high school? What happened now? Where do they go from here? Darrell called her back about thirty minutes later. He told her he wanted an abortion.
Putting aside the three hour argument that followed well in to the night, Darrell and Michelle were at extremely opposite ends with the situation. Darrell still had his athletic career ahead of him, and if you remember there was "nothing in the world he would've traded for his athletic abilities". For Darrell, that even included a human life. Michelle thought he was being extremely selfish about his decision, and soon cried herself to sleep every night. Darrell was constantly hounding her to get an abortion, and she was even afraid to go to her parents for help. She was afraid of what they would think of her. She regretted allowing Darrell to break her down and take what was once only hers. She was having pressure put on her from all sides, and the only thing she would do to cope is cry and stroke her stomach. One day after school Darrell found Michelle and led her to the bathroom. He held both of her wrists tightly and held her arms up high. He told her that she was going to get an abortion before it was too late, that neither of them had the responsibility to do this, that it wasn't shameful, that it was the only way, and a slew of other things. Michelle began to weep, her wrists now painfully sore from his hard grip. Having him bear down on her like this with all these comments was just too much of a strain for poor Michelle, and she agreed to have the abortion. She told Darrell she would get it done a week before graduation, which was only two weeks away.
Two Weeks Later
Darrell's team got to the semi-finals in State, but ended up losing to a high school only five miles away from them. Slowly Darrell and Michelle grew apart, which was largely due to her abortion. Darrell thought of how hard it must be for Michelle to live with herself after what she did. He knew that she wanted to keep the baby, but there was no bright future for either of them if she did. He had plans, he had a scholarship, he had a road that he intended to follow. He spent many nights wondering if he made the right decision, the most important of which was the night they graduated. It took place at a local church, and the entire place was packed (which was quite impressive, if you could see the size of the church). The students were all in their robes and garments, and the parents sat to look at them proudly. Michelle's parents sat in the audience, still oblivious to her abortion. They still did not know - and maybe they never will know - that just a few weeks before their daughter was carrying a baby. The ceremony was winding down, and the members of SGA all gave their short speeches before introducing Michelle. Everyone gave a round of applause as she approached the podium.
Michelle began with a seemingly solid tone of voice.
"As we gather here today, we take time to reflect on the years of our lives which have led us to this point. We remember the struggles we faced, and the friends and family that helped us overcome them."
Her voice began to quiver slightly as she continued.
"This support from those we know we can count on, is perhaps one of the greatest things that a high school community can grant. It allows us to live our lives head-on, without any regrets, and without doubt of our actions."
Tears begin forming around her eyes.
"And now, as we continue on our journey, we must entrust the community and its livelihood to our children. Our children, who we cherish most above all, who will inherit, all that we....."
But Michelle could not finish the closing part of her speech, and ran off the stage crying. Darrell watched her flee in to the back behind the curtain. Perhaps he was the only person who knew why.
Two Years Later
Darrell became a college basketball star. He was not yet at the level of a superstar, but he was a very successful player which had benefited from remaining healthy throughout his college years. Michelle was still single, and working part-time at a cafe while she was working on completing her Bachelors. She had been through much more than Darrell had the last couple years, but she didn't regret it at all. She was on her way home from work at eleven o clock at night. She pulled in to her driveway and walked up to her front door, where she fiddled with her keys before opening them. She knew that her life would never be the same. After graduating high school she wasn't able to attend college right away. She began working immediately to try and raise as much money as possible on her own. She opened the door and headed upstairs. She went in to a room, which was bathed only in the light of the moon, and stood by a wooden cradle in the middle of it. She stared down at her baby boy, and smiled to herself. It was times like these that she was glad she never doubted her own abilities, and her willingness to take care of herself. All the pain and hardships that she had to endure for her child, was nothing compared to the pain she would had to have endured killing him. Meanwhile Darrell was reminiscing on his glory days of high school, his days spent with Michelle, and the child that he had given up. Miles away, that child was sound asleep, with a single mother by his side, where she always intended to be.
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