The Sunday Incident, Part 4

"Hey, Cuz." A female voice greeted.

His eyes diverted from the page curiously to see. At the sight of her, Damien shook his head disapprovingly. Delia seemed like some of the girls he knew back home. They were playful and loved to tease anyone who'd catch their eye. They'd press your buttons all day and prank you with no concern for the impact they have. But god forbid when you push back, because they cry foul play and say that they're being bullied.

With most other people, the trick is to blend in and leave them alone. Because if you do, they'll typically do the same. But girls like Delia are a different story. Their antics can be hurtful and cruel, and they'll barely admit it, if they're at all aware. He remembered the way she treated him. She attempted to invade his personal space and make unwanted physical contact. Even after he set that boundary, didn't respect it. Instead, she attempted to vilify him for it. That showed him exactly what he needed to know about her. And in such knowledge, he wondered what would exactly happen if they made contact. If such a thing were to happen, a simple touch or brushing against, she could take that very instant and make up the wildest accusation.

It was safe to say he didn't trust her. Damien wanted nothing to do with Delia. Unfortunately, there she was standing before him. She wore the same mischievous smile as before. He, though, glared at her with eyes like frozen daggers.

"I said," Delia was about to repeat herself, "Hey, Cuz."

Damien said nothing at first. He wanted nothing more in that moment for this girl to just go away. But he couldn't just show her away. After all, the two of them were "Family" now, whatever that means. She wanted something. Maybe if she got it, she'd leave him alone. Perhaps this visit was about earlier. And so, Damien knew what he had to do. He laid the book flat on his lap as he sighed, swallowing his pride. He leaned forward towards her.

"I'm sorry, Delia," He began. "If you thought I was being rude to you in the parking lot."

"Oh, that?" She chuckled playfully. "I forgot all about it."

Her words caught Damien by surprise.

"Oh!" He awkwardly exclaimed. "So, what do you want."

"I just wanted to talk." Delia shrugged. "We're family, right? Maybe we should get to know each other."

Was this truly real? Someone actually wanted to talk to Damien? And not just wanting to berate him over some social mistake? And a girl, none the less! Damien blushed as he was now caught off guard. He didn't know how to respond to her.

"Umm…Okay." He said hesitantly. "What would you like to know?"

"I'd like to know what you're reading." Delia requested.

The color went away from Damien's face.

"That's….," He paused, "Actually private."

"Why!" She asked.

"It's just not something I don't want to share with anyone." Replied Damien, hoping she'd take the hint.

"Too Bad." Delia gave him a disappointed look.

All of a sudden, Delia reached over and plucked the little black book from Damien's hands. In a split second, she made off with it.

"Hey!" Damien called out, rising from his position to chase after her.

The peoples' conversations were interrupted as they turned around, seeing Damien chase after Delia. The children pointed and laughed as Damien clearly could not keep up with her. However, the adults looked upon in shock as all they saw was a white boy chasing a black girl. And they were quite upset at this despicable sight. In spite of their perceptions, Delia chuckled as she ran while Dante shouted to her to return the book.

Suddenly, someone noticed Delia run past them. Spitefully, they held out their leg, allowing Damien to trip as he came by. In a second, his body became acquainted with the ground. His face fell into the dirt. The entire cookout burst into a state of laughter as the lad struggled to get up. Before he rose to his feet, Damien became aware that everyone was laughing at him. Adults and Children, young and old alike, pointed and laughed at his embarrassment. They, who hours before, gathered at the church, listening to a sermon about community and kindness. They stood and mocked him at the gathering of their hypocritical religion.

The lad's heart pounded. His flesh became moist as he began to sweat. His nostrils flared. Wind rushed into them as quickly as it rushed out. The mortification brought back flashbacks that flood his mind. And yet, still, he had to rise to his feet. If anyone were to read his book and discover it's contents, the titanomachy would be sure to happen. And yet, his hopes were to no avail, as his humiliation gave Delia enough time to make it to Ivy.

"I got it!" She told her cousins. "I got the book!"

She stopped running as Gerome walked over.

"No!" Damien shouted as ran over. "It's not for them?"

"Why?" Gerome asked with a spiteful smile. "What are you trying to hide?"

He took the book from Delia. Then he opened it, though he appeared frustrated as he tried reading it.

"What the fuck is this?" He asked in his frustration.

"Here, Ivy." Gerome huffed as he handed the book to his sister. "You make sense of this stuff."

Ivy flipped the cover over to see the title. There in big golden letters it read "Kabylion." Curiously, Ivy read through a page or two. Her eyes widened as she sampled the content.

"This is a book on philosophy." She stated.

In a flustered combination of anger and humiliation, he walked over to Ivy.

"Give it back!" He demanded.

Though, Gerome stood before him; blocking his approach.

"No way." He denied. "Not until we find out if it's some sort of white supremacy shit."

"I don't think it is." Ivy began to explain. "This book is talking about ancient Egypt and Greece. I don't know what it's about, but I'm not seeing anything objectionable."

"Gerome, let him through." Ivy commanded her brother.

Gerome reluctantly moved. Damien passed by him, both giving each other a baleful glare. Ivy looked at Damien who's face flushed with a shameful red. Her eyes displayed regret, and yet he was too embarrassed to see. Ivy held out the book in her hand, offering for Damien to take it. Quickly he liberated it from her person, and held it as if he was jealously protecting it. In his flustered state, she saw him clutch the book to his heart as a child would a stuffed animal.

And yet still, the all attendees pointed and mocked him. Even Delia and Gerome joined in the jeering. Damien looked around, completely distraught, as he was laughed at and berated from all sides. His breathing grew heavy as he was now overcome with a massive amount of anxiety.

"I have to go." He said to himself frantically. "I have to go!"

Desperately, he bolted to the stairs that lead to the parking lot. Ivy beheld first hand this cruel incident. Though, who was the cause? Was it Delia's for stealing the book? Or was it her for putting the idea in the girl's head? This moment of Damien's mortification was then known as the Sunday Incident.