Remember

Chapter 4

I pick at my peas with my spork, never having been a fan of them. 

Alan nudges me. "Hey, look." 

I look up and see the "big" white guy, Louis Lastik, walking over and sitting with the black people. 

"So what?" I ask. 

"what you doing man?" asks the guy who's name I learned was Julius. 

"Eating lunch" replies Louis.

"I see you eating lunch." says Julius. "But why you eating over here? Why don't you go over there and eat with your people?"

"I don't have no people, man." replies Louis simply, making me smile.

"Yeah, he's just a light skinned brother." says Jerry.

"Yeah, and I'm a dark skinned cracker." replies Julius, making everyone laugh. 

"Come on Julius, he's just another blessed child in god's loving family." says Jerry, patting Louis on the back. 

Blue begins to hum Amazing Grace, and makes everyone join him. I softly hum along, because they sound nice all humming together. 

Gerry comes down with his tray of food. 

"Look at that traitor." says Ray. "And Rev?" he asks gesturing to Jerry. "He better hope I block for his black behind."

"Ray, if you don't block, you're not gonna start." says Gerry pointedly. 

"Oh I'll start." says Ray firmly. "I'm just biding my time."

"Lastik!" calls Boone. Lastik gets up and stands in the middle of the room. "I want you to tell me something about one of your black team mates."

"Sir yes sir!" yells Louis. "I'm rooming with Blue, sir! And I noticed that he wears those leopard spotted underwears, bikini style, sir!" 

I laugh, choking on my juice.

"Okay, maybe somebody who's not your roommate." says Boone. 

"Sir, I eat lunch with rev, that's Jerry Harris sir, people call him Rev because he's always praying and he won't abide a foul tongue sir!" yells Louis. 

"And what is the Rev going to do after high school?" asks Boone. 

"I don't know." replies Louis. "Go to college, I guess."

"What about you, you gonna go to college?" Boone asks. 

Lastik laughs. "Oh, not me coach. I ain't a brainiac like Rev."

Boone looks at him warily. "Think you got a future in football?"

"Heck no." laughs Lastik. "I just figured if I gotta be in school, I might as well hit some people while I'm at it." he earns a few laughs from the crowd. 

"All right, I like that." says Boone. "A self-aware man."

He leans in and says something to Louis. 

"And what kind of music does the Rev like?" asks Boone. 

"Oh, we both dig on The Temptations." replies Lastik. "I know you want to leave me! But I refuse to let you go." he sings, spinning around. I dance a little in my seat. "If I got to pray, plead for your sympathy. I don't mind, cause you mean that much to me." Alan joins me in dancing. "Ain't to proud to beg!" I sing along with Lastik and a few others. 

"Anybody else?" asks Boone. "Campbell?" Julius shakes his head. "Bertiers?" I avoid his gaze, and Gerry shakes his head. "No?" Boone thinks for a moment. "Each one of you, will spend time, every day, with a team mate of a different race. You will learn about him. His likes, his dislikes. YOu will report back to me until you meet every one of your team mates. Until that time, we go to three-a-day practices. YOu continue to ignore eachother, we go to four-a-days. That Includes you Caroline. Is there any part of this that you don't understand?" Everyone remains silent. "Good." says Boone. He goes back to sit with the coaches. 

"Who are you going to talk to today?" Alan asks me. 

"Probably Rev or Petey." I reply. They're in the same bunk room as me, so it'll be easy for me. 

~

"So, you do plan on going to college, right?" I ask Rev.

"Well of course. I want to be a pilot." he says. "What about you?"

"I want to be a scientist." I say proudly. He laughs. "A scientist?"

"Yeah." I say defensively. "A forensic scientist. I want to solve crimes."

"Oh, okay." says Rev. "Should we go check on Alan and Blue?"

"Probably." I say. We walk into the room, and burst into laughter. Alan is dancing to some country song, while Blue tries to cover his ears. 

"Does the term Cruel and Unusual Punishment mean anything to you?" Blue asks Alan. 

"Dear god, turn that off." I say, scrambling to the radio. Alan grabs it and hold it over my head, so I can't reach it. I jab him in the side, where I know he's ticklish. He reflexively jumps back, dropping the radio. I catch it and change the song to a Rock and Roll station. The song My Girl by the Temptations starts to play, and Blue, Rev, and I sing along loudly. 

Alan gives up and sings along. Ray and Petey walk in, looking confused. Petey joins in, but Ray takes the radio from my hand and turns it off. 

"Aww, come on." I say, trying to take it back. He puts it up on a high shelf. 

"You done?" he asks Alan and Blue. Blue nods and leaves the room. 

"Party pooper." I say quietly to Alan, who snickers.