In 1971 my father Maxwell Carter took myself and the rest of my family out of the little diverse suburb, that had sheltered me from the open racism that plagued the rest of the world and he plunked us down in Virginia... Alexandra to be exact. Why? because he got a new job in Virginia and it's closer if we moved there. So I sit here in my new room staring at the blank walls. My beaded curtain was hung over the rosewood frame of my door and my yoga mat was rolled up on the floor in the corner. My mother was white, blonde hair blue eyes a WASP through and through but my father was native American and black so the called him nigger instead of sir here, But they leave me alone because it's summer and I just look like a white girl with a good tan. because of course I have gray eyes and long soft wavy black hair, but my skin is a deep beige. My older brother Clark knocked on my door frame.
"You know you don't have to knock" I said as I watched him part my curtain and walk in. he looked like me only he had tightly curled hair and green eyes. He was a year older and a foot taller than I was well... He was more than a foot taller but it didn't matter It just sounds better that way.
"yeah but... Dad's taking me to football camp today... he wanted to know if you were coming" He said smiling as he watched me stand up and walk out of my room bare foot.
"Isn't it a little too late for you to make the team, I mean we have two weeks till school starts" I said as I ran down the steps to the overly large living room.
"No... I've been starting on varsity since my freshmen year... and you know that... so there's no such thing as too late"
"Yeah but Clark... this is a newly integrated school which means a newly integrated team... which means we're not exactly what everyone wants"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean... us even being at this school is going to make people blanche... I mean... our father is successful black and married to a white woman for twenty years now"
"Whatever Moonbeam... C'mon dad's in the car" Clark said as he left. Moonbeam was my Nick-name ever since before I was a hippie too.
Sp we drove out to Gettysburg college in Pennsylvania in fact we drove right out to the practice field. There was a red car behind us the whole way. My brother got out and then I did. I looked at the other car, the members of the team were teasing the boy that was sitting in the passenger seat calling him a fruit cake and a queer/
"So you must be Mr. Carter and you must be Clark" A black man said walking over he looked like the coach.
"And you must be coach Boone.. We talked on the phone This is Clark he's a Mighty fine Q.B. Oh and this is my daughter Sandy but she's not going out for the team... she probably would though if I let her" my father said smiling as he patted my back.
"So you like football"
"Yes sir..." I said smiling
"That's great well... looks like I have another student to greet if you will excuse me" The coach said as he walked over to the guy that got out of the car. He was hot , he had long blonde hair and blue eyes
"Oh no another hippie" Clark said as he poked me. It was meant as a joke but the boy seemed offended.
"Don't get hurt now... you have to be all American" I said as I walked back over to the car with my father.
The first day of school was hell. When my brother came back he was always introducing me to other players on the team. I was half way dressed when I got the traditional first day of school knock on the bathroom door.
"Sandy... get out of the bathroom now" my mother bellowed while I pulled my shirt on . I was wearing a white and blue skirt with a Chinese pattern on it and a white peasant shirt. I opened the door to find my mother standing in the door in curlers and her robe.
"Mumma... have a good day at work" I said as I grabbed my book bad and left down the stairs.
"You have a good day too sweetie" My mother yelled from the top of the stairs as I grabbed an orange out of the fridge Clark was eating bacon and eggs at the kitchen table.
"how could you do that?"
"do what?" He said as he ate a piece of bacon.
"that... eat a fellow being?" I said as I through out the peel and ate a piece.
"Oh sorry... coach said I should eat that way"
"Oh... so who was the guy with the long hair?"
"You mean Sunshine"
"Is he a hippie?"
"Yes... hemp and everything but... he's a CAL-I-FOR-NI-AN"
"Oh.... that type of California... still he seems cool"
"He's probably going to be your only friend too"
"What the fuck makes you sat that Clark?" I said as I pursed my lips.
"there aren't a whole lot of hippies at the school that's all"
"Oh"
"Look I didn't mean to piss you off.. C'mon Moonbeam we gotta go before we're late"
"I don't want to go"
"C'mon it couldn't be that bad" He said as he pulled me out of the house with him.
He was wrong when we got there it looked like a mob was about to march on the school.
"Whenever you say it can't be that bad... Clark it always is" I said as I walked over to the locker that according to he sheet was mine. I opened it and put my books in. I closed it to find the boy next to me opening his. It was Sunshine h cut his hair and now it curled at the ends.
"Hey I said as I watched him he looked at me and did a double take.
"Oh hey: he said as he closed his locker and walked away.
It was like that till the day of the first game, everyone ignoring me. And Clark was right I was the only real hippie at the school. After my last class there was a group of girls standing by the window going on about how someone was so cute. I of course being as curious as I am looked out of the window too. Sunshine was out in the quad doing Tai-chi.
"His form is wrong" I said smiling as I watched on.
"No his form is fine" A blonde girl in front of me said not taking her eyes off of sunshine.
"No he's doing it wrong"
"Doesn't look that way to me"
"Whatever" I said as I ran down the stairs and out to the quad he was still there.
"Hey Sunshine" I said as I put down my books and took off my sandals. He stopped and looked around. his eyes then fell on me and he smiled.
"hey... Sandy.. right?" He said watching me as I sat down in the grass
"Yeah who told you?"
"Your brother... he said either you'd find me or I'd find you but we'd find each other"
"Yeah but... I'm here to tell you, you were doing it wrong" O said as I dug my toes in the earth.
"doing what wrong?" he said as he watched me as I stood up and imitated what he was doing before it was nobody's Tai-chi.
"I think you were trying to do this" I said as I executed it flawlessly.
"so you were watching me?"
"No your fan club was watching , me I was just passing by" I said pointing to the window where the girls were watching him from they were still there too and they watched on with scowls.
"So.. I heard you're a Californian" I said watching him he blushed and looked at me.
"What do you think?" He said as he picked up his books and started to walk away. I grabbed my shoes and followed him barefoot.
"I don't care.. so what's your real name?" I said as I walked next to him he was afoot taller than I was and he was so cute.
"You don't need to know my name"
"I could always find out from Clark... he'll tell me"
"Not if I tell him not to"
"Man.. why don't you like me... are you not digging my vibe?" I sad as I stopped he turned around and looked at me.
"Ronnie Bass"
"Okay Mr. Bass... I'm Sandy Carter but my brother and my mother And my friends all call me Moonbeam" I said as I held out my hand he shook it,
"Okay Moonbeam I guess this makes us friends" He said smiling as we walked together out to a slick Camero.
"Materialist" I said shaking my head as I took a step back.
"It's my dad's" He said as he threw his books in the back and sat down in the drivers seat.
"So do you want a ride home before the game or not?" He said as he watched me I looked around and got in.
"It's four blacks away... a brick house with white shutter...and I'm not going to that game man" O said as I watched the houses roll by.
"Why not... are you not digging the whole school spirit thing... cause your brother told me you dig on football" he said as he pulled into the driveway.
"Yeah I dig on football... and school spirit but man... I'm not digging on my chem. homework" I said as I slipped my shoes on and opened the door her grabbed my arm.
"I'll help you with chem. after the game... Since I'm not going to be tires cause I'm not going it... can ya dig?"
"cool... I can dig" I said as I went into the house.
I had never felt so weird in my life as I walked around my room. My heart pounded with the thought of his strong arms holding my chem. note book and explaining stuff to me.
"Man you a such a wuss" I said as I closed my bedroom door and changed into a pair of huge patchwork bell bottom. I then put on a Hendrix record and did my math homework. Before I knew it, it was six thirty I had thirty minutes to get to the game. I grabbed my coat and left.
When I got to the school it was packed I was surprised that so many people had come and then I noticed something. The blacks were all sitting on one side and the whites were sitting on the other. I wanted to cry I didn't know where to sit. I then looked over to the field and saw one of the coaches looking at me he called me over his name was Yoast... my brother had told me about him he said 'the only nice white coach is Yoast... he's cool that other one is just a Square'
"You're Clark Carter's little sister right?" he said watching my reaction I nodded.
"come down and sit with the team sweetheart... be the ball girl" he said as he handed me a football and told me to sit on a bench. I didn't see sunshine anywhere, I also couldn't find my brother. I then looked on teh field for number 17 and I found him sure enough playing defensive end, which wasn't his position he wasn't big enough to play defensive end. I looked over the bench again and I found Sunshine sitting on the end. He was right didn't go in once. He spent the whole time sitting out warming the bench and joking with teh guys. We won the game.