Chapter 3

I woke up with the sun kissing my face. I squinted my eyes and groaned. Why so early? "Time to get up!" Dad shouted. I placed the blanket over my head and said, "Five more minutes.." My blanket was snatched away. I opened my eyes and quickly sat up. Bad idea! I pressed my forehead because I felt a dizzy spell coming on. "Get ready and meet me downstairs in 20 minutes!" Dad left the room. I got up and headed to the bathroom. I brushed my teeth then took a shower. When I got back to my room, I chose a basic outfit: a white t-shirt with a pair of pink shorts. I slipped on a pair of my white Nikes. Then, I combed and brushed my thick, curly hair into a puffed-up ponytail. This is a daily, simple hairstyle that I usually do. Curly hair is hard to manage with most of the time, what can I say?

As I headed downstairs, I heard my parents talking. "Micheal, what if she's not ready for this? Maybe moving down here was a mistake." Mama said. "Don't be silly. She'll be just fine. After all, she has the smarts and strength to handle it. It's not a mistake." Dad said firmly. I walked in after a few minutes and said, "Good morning!" "Good morning sweetie! Did you sleep well?" Mama asked. "Yes." I replied. Dad grabbed a cup of coffee. Mama handed me a plate of eggs and bacon with a cup of orange juice. Mom gave dad the same thing and sat down to enjoy her portion too. Today we were visiting my new school: Brookforest High School. When we were finished eating, we climbed in the car and drove off.

-at the school-

Mama dropped Dad and I off at the entrance. "I'll come by around 1:00 pm to pick y'all up." Mama said before she drove off. Dad and I went up the steps and to the front door. Dad opened the door and we both stepped in. The receptionist desk is the first thing you see when you walk in. The lady sitting at the desk gave Dad and I a condescending look. Dad walked up, shook her hand and said, "Good morning miss. I'm here to register my sweet daughter." The woman froze and quickly removed her hand. "You..wha...that's your daughter?!" She said in disgust. Ok...now the lady is just being extra. Dad placed his arm around me and said, "Yes. Is there a problem?" The woman said, "Maybe you should go enroll somewhere else." She mumbled under her breath. I heard her though. "Segregation ended a year ago miss. I have every right to enroll in this school if I want to." I stated proudly. The woman looked up and said, "I know that! And watch your tone missy! I won't hesitate to call security on you." I backed up surprised. Dad placed a firm hand on my shoulder and said, "We aren't trying to cause any trouble, miss." A security guard came from around the corner. My heart spiked from my chest. I tried to stay calm. Breathe, Mira, breathe. I was always afraid of officers for some reason. Like the big bad wolf ready to blow a house down. He placed a hand on his baton and looked straight at me then at Dad. "Are you causing trouble sir?" Dad made me stand behind him and said, "No sir. I just want to enroll my daughter here. That's all." The security guard whistled in surprise. He looked at me with disgust then turned to the receptionist. "Give them the papers." He said. "But--" she started to say. "Clara, just give them the damn papers! I don't like this anymore than you do but the law has changed and we have jobs to keep." The receptionist clenched her jaw and reached out to get a packet from underneath her desk. She stared at me while she shoved it to my Dad. "Thank you, miss." Dad said. The lady said, "Mhm." then turned around and started typing on the computer. The security guard stood by the front door keeping watch.

Dad and I sat down on a bench near by. He started filling out the papers while I just looked around. There were ivory pillars as high as the sky. The walls were beige and the floors were marble. I felt someone staring at me. I turned and I saw the security guard looking at me. However, it wasn't a look of disgust...more like lust? It was weird and my heart spiked again. I turned to look at Dad. He was almost finished. I looked back up and saw the security guard still looking at me. I started playing with my fingers and looking down at the floor. "Alright." Dad said. Thanks goodness. We both got up and he handed the papers to the receptionist lady. She didn't even bother to look at them. She just stamped them and with a tight smile she said to us, "Have a good day." Dad and I started to leave. As we walked out, the officer kept staring then winked. Ew...I felt so uncomfortable. What was wrong with him? It was 12:50. "Wanna grab something to eat?" Dad asked. "Sure." I replied.

I followed Dad down the steps and around the corner of the school. There was a mini plaza near by. I saw a little grocery store, a library, a diner, a park, a police station, and a clothing store. There was also a church 200 yards away from the plaza too. I couldn't wait to visit all those places. Then again, I had to be careful. Black folks roaming around the South were bound to get into some unwanted trouble. It's sad but true. My race limits me from doing many things but it doesn't stop my imagination. I can roam freely there and fly around for hours. We are getting closer to the diner. Its a classic place colored in red. Red for love or red for blood? That's the question. Dad and I stepped into the diner.