Apparently, when I ran across that field, some folks were so amazed that they said I was gonna go ta college on a football scholarship! Could ya believe it? I managed ta get in too.
"You're jokin, right?" Lily asked one day. She and I and Cú had decided ta go fishin one week right before school would start. Lily was lookin at mah papers and was ecstatic to find I was headin ta the same college. The University of Alabama! "Well, I'll be! Ya tell ya mama yet?"
"Naw, not yet," I shook mah head.
"Sweet lordy, you know what this means, Shirou?" Lily said giddily, "it means ya don't have ta pay a single dime! Hell, do ya even know how ta play football?" Me and Cú looked at each other with a second of confusion on our faces.
"I reckon I do," I stated. Lily sighed and placed a hand on mah shoulder.
"Good lord, what in the Virgin Mary am I suppose to do with you?" Lily chuckled.
Now, Lily was stupid good in a lotta things. She was smartest kid in mah school, could play every sport (Yer sister could play football better than most of the team), speak a lotta languages, knew like a gigillion martial arts, and...(Arthur, do ya think ya sister was trained by the CIA or somethin? Hell should I know, Shirou?) well, she turned out ta have never fished before?
Ya woulda reckon after outsmartin the mafia (WAIT A FUCKIN MINUTE, she did what!? Lemme tell mah story, Arthur!) in Chicago that ya think she hadda seen it all! But nope! Turns out that Lily had never ever been ta or even touch the waters of Alabama! Lily was real nervous. She was rather jittery, more than I had ever seen her.
"On a good day, especially when it rains, ya can catch like a hundred different kinds of fish," Cú would say, "big fish, little fish. Maybe a lobster if ya lucky! High ho the ocean sea, may the waters come with thee! Give me some salmon, give some tuna, give me as much as the eye can see! Give me a lobster, give me a shrimp, give me not two, but three!"
"Lily, are ya alright?" I asked while Cú was singin like a broken record. While we was in the boat, I saw Lily was real pale, like her face was as white as the sun (The sun is yellow, Shirou. But it looks white when ya look up! Why the hell are ya lookin up? Ya tryna go blind or somethin? I always have sunglasses on, Arthur. Lordy, the hell am I supposed to do with ya?).
"Naw, I'm mighty good," Lily reassured.
"I don't think ya suppose to be leanin on the ledge too much unless ya feelin sick or somethin," I remarked.
"Oh, ya think?" Lily said rather sarcastically. Her voice became quiet after that. "I'm afraid of the water. My daddy would always bring me to a tub full of water, sometimes even the ocean, and well...it ain't pretty."
"Well, your daddy ain't here no more!" I replied happily, "ya got us now! With us, the water's always pretty!" Lily's frown turned into a small grin and she chuckled. I always found it odd how come she only smiles around me.
"I guess so," Lily shrugged, "now, if I can just learn how to fish..." She was holdin a large fishin pole and was restin it on her shoulder. She looked real comfortable, but she looked like she don't know a thing about what ta do fishin.
"I can teach ya," I said, "I thought all folks from Alabama knew how ta fish."
"I ain't from Alabama, Shirou," Lily laughed, "I'm from Virginia, remember? Though, the reason I don't really know how to fish is 'cause I never really tried."
"Do ya miss Virginia, Lily?" I asked.
"Of course I do," Lily nodded sincerely.
I noticed...she smiled. Not like a jokin or some sad one. It looked like...peace. Looked like good times were goin through Lily's head, like she was rememberin happier and a lot better times.
Imma admit. That smile made me feel happy too. I don't know why. I reckon it's 'cause I didn't sleep much the night before. But mah heart heated faster than usual and I felt mah face heat up. I decided that moment that I wanna protect that smile for as long as mah legs can move.
"Even if I don't like the folks there...it's mah home," Lily said softly, a warm glint in her eyes. The sun was settin real low and I was amazed on how Lily's hair was glowin like gold in the sunlight. I was barely payin any attention ta what she said 'cause I was too focused on her eyes and the warm glow of the sun on her. The breeze was settin in, and her hair was blowin softly in the wind. It was a pretty sight to see.
"Really now?" I asked.
"Yeah," Lily nodded, "great Mama Virginia...Old Dominion...I recall every second. Virginia...Virginia is God's greatest design when he made this Earth. The most majestic of mountains, rolling hills, greenest of the green forests, the greatest of rivers leadin to the ocean blue we call the Atlantic."
Lily laughed softly ta the waters next ta the boat, the sun makin her look like she was glowin.
"The cities...are well, amazin," Lily continued, "actually, Washington is just across the Potomac and when I was young, I would always be strollin through that city and Northern Virginia. The south is fine as well but...I don't like the folks there for a reason. Too many of em are stuck in em days back when we had the Civil War. Bastards can't move on from the past and are still stuck with this ugly attitude of prejudice...but Virginia is a Southerner through and through. We's kinda stupid after all. We ain't perfect and it'll take time but ain't that like every single other state in this country?"
"I reckon so," I replied.
"How about you, Shirou?" Lily asked, "what's Alabama to you?" I thought long and real hard. What was Alabama to me?
"I...it's home," I said, "sweet home Alabama is...is home. It ain't the nicest of places, no-sirree, and it ain't the kindest ta me, but it's home. I was born here, mah mamma lives here, and I met you, Cú, and Jeanne here too."
"Ya ever get tired of all of this meanness in the world?" Lily asked. She was frownin now and her eyes looked real gloomy.
"Mamma always said that, 'the toughest of places are the places where ya learn the important things and can become better,' so I reckon Alabama is home 'cause this is where I grow as a person," I replied. We stayed silent like that for a while, while Cú was just tryin ta get another lobster.
"I'd like to see Virginia again," Lily stated.
"Can I come along?" I asked quickly. Lily looked surprised and her cheeks turned a bit pink for some reason.
"Of course ya can," Lily smiled again, "I reckon bein alone ain't a good thing."
"Mamma always said loneliness is what kills a man early," I stated and Lily laughed.
"Well, your mama always was real smart," Lily chuckled, "say...Shirou?"
"Yeah?" I responded.
"Would ya ever like ta...visit Chicago with me one day?" Lily asked, "not New York, but Chicago. Always wanted to visit."
"Of course I will," I replied happily, "I like adventure!" Lily only laughed heartily and asked how ta fish. I just spent the rest of the day teachin her how ta fish. Lily was for some reason a fast learner. She caught about 50 in an hour and even got like a dozen lobsters. Cú proclaimed we was gonna eat the greatest supper that night, so we marched ourselves back to mah house.
"Ya ain't going home, Lily?" Cú asked.
"No one is ever around, so why bother?" Lily had replied. Well, that felt real depressin, I thought.
"Where's ya brother?" Cú had asked and Lily just waved it off like it didn't really matter.
"Always off doin somethin," Lily had stated, "Arthur was never around anyway, so what difference would it make anyway?" Then, in a more quiet voice, she said, "and the rest of my family for that matter."
It was then I realized me and Cú were her first friends. She always looked like she was alone whether it be school or even outside of school. It made me sad but happy at the same time ta be the first person she could call a friend.
Arthur had plenty of regrets. His biggest one was not looking after his sister. His poor, broken sister who never received any kind of love until Shirou came along. He will admit. He was stupid back then. Reckless and carefree, never seeing the things in front of him that matter. He should've been a brother instead of an absentee family member. Perhaps he deserved a bigger punishment than just losing both his legs and an arm in Vietnam.
From that day onward, me, Cú, and Lily became like a the Musketeers or somethin. We was a trio, and we did almost everythin together. So there we was, goin back to mah house, where I saw Jeanne on the front porch readin a book. Jeanne was a rather quiet and keepin-it-ta-herself kinda gal. At this point, Jeanne had practically moved into mah house. Mamma gave Jeanne her own room and she had most of a stuff here.
She knew when ta talk, when not ta talk, and when ta just walk away. Sometimes ya wouldn't even notice she was there. I always said she coulda be a ninja is she wanted. I reckon Jeanne was as smart as Lily, but the thing was she really didn't like studyin. Well, she didn't like school in general.
"Oh, y'all finally back, huh?" Jeanne said when she looked up at all of us.
"Yessiree, I got me some hundred or some fish!" Cú grinned like a happy dog.
"Ya mean I caught half of it for ya," Lily laughed and Cú turned red as a tomato, "come in along y'all, we got some fish to cook." More like Jeanne was the one doin the cookin. Jeanne was a hell of a good chef. She had her French heritage mixed in with her Southern roots and she was so inventive she made some of the best meals ever!
"Hey, Shirou?" Jeanne asked while we was in the kitchen.
"Yeah, Jeanne?" I replied. She had a soft smile on her face when she looked at me. I got a feelin like mah heart skip like a beat. I don't know what the term is called to be honest.
"Come along with me to church, on Sunday?" Jeanne asked sincerely, "it gets real lonely when ya got no one to pray with." I nodded quickly. Now, I never was the one to believe in God a lot, but mah mind I just said 'sure, why the hell not?'
"What ya makin there, Jeanne?" I asked.
"Just some grilled fish and vegetables," Jeanne explained, "here, try some." I took a bite. It was great! "Ya like it?" I nodded. Words really can't explain it. "Well, I'm happy ya do."
When supper was ready, everybody had taken their seats. Mamma had come home from goin ta town all day and I saw she immediately snatched the cuttin knife that Lily washoldin, like she was afraid somethin bad was gonna happen. We said our prayers and we ate. Jeanne also made peach cobbler and apple pie. I discovered Lily wanted a piece of that pie, so we kinda just ate all of thedessert by ourselves.
"My sister was always one hell of a glutton," Arthur stated, "if I recall, she ate all of the pie at Thanksgiving once. We had to go without dessert."
"That's rough," Shirou said with a look of pity.
The next day, me and Cú were on the lookout for ducks. We was in the wetlands of Alabama, near the waters of the delta. Why? Cú wanted ta eat ducks so that's why. Now, I don't reckon Cú was of age to be holdin a gun, but then again it's Alabama. People love guns in the South for some reason.
"I thought ya like fishin, Cú?" I asked.
"Well, mama wanted some duck, so here I am," Cú stated, "who am I to deny my mama?" Then, our hearts froze in fear! We heard the sound of a rifle being shot in the air. Lordy, was it scary! "Is that who I think it is?"
"You're damn right!" Medb had returned! This time she was on a boat. Unfortunately, Cú's mama couldn't kill the crazy girl last time. When she tried, we discovered that the police were everywhere at Medb's house. "COME BACK, MY LOVE! WE CAN BECOME ONE! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT! YOU KNOW YOU'LL LOVE IT!"
"What does she want that I might fookin want?" Cú wondered.
"It can't be somethin good," I replied.
"Maybe it's more fish!" Cú exclaimed.
"I don't reckon Medb likes fish," I said, "she looks like a cow person."
"Bloody hell," Cú frowned, "I guess ya right. No fisherwoman would be that bloody mad enough to love beef."
"Cú, is it reasonable for a girl ta be walkin around with no shirt on?" I asked. Indeed, Medb only had a skirt on and that's about it. I reckon God decided ta sleep on that day, 'cause we was stuck with a lunatic.
"I believe that's illegal," Cú remarked. Anyway, we tried to run. Then Medb launched a net at us! Like a fishin net! We kicked and struggled but the damn thing wouldn't give!
We were trapped! Like a kitty cat caught eating pizza rolls! I know Shishou Scáthach said near-death experiences build character, but I didn't wanna die so soon! I didn't get ta visit the land of Canadia yet!
(Why didn't ya use your rifles? I...I never thought about that.)
She wrapped us in chains and everythin! I don't know why she wanna tie us up outta nowhere. The next thing we knew, we was being thrown into a pickup truck 'cause we had our backs on the floor, all we saw was the sky. It had been early mornin. But as the sky was turnin blue ta orange ta pink, we began ta wonder if we was bein kidnapped. Turns out we were.
"I don't reckon we in Alabama anymore," I said.
"Yeah? What makes ya think that, mate?" Cú asked.
"I saw a sign that said we's in Tennessee," I replied.
"Isn't that south of Alabama?" Cú asked.
"I reckon it's up north," I replied again.
"So we's really kidnapped, huh?" Cú said blankly, "this crazy hag has gone completely mad and is gonna be takin us down to the depths of Hell where the devil and em live and we'll be tortured for all eternity the vultures of Hades." I blinked at that. When Cú gets scared, he makes up some pretty weird stories.
"Aw shucks, don't cry Cú!" I stated.
"I ain't cryin," Cú replied, even though in the moonlight I could see he had tears goin down his eyes. "I just wanna see my mama, that's all."
"I wanna see mah mamma too," I nodded.
"Oh, to hell with everythin!" Cú sniffled, "I just like to go home! I just wanna have mama make me some stew and colcannon. I'da do anythin to get that!" Now, if ya haven't noticed by now, Cú was a mamma's boy. He tries ta deny it a lotta of the time, but he loves his mamma more than anythin else in the world.
Suddenly, the truck came ta a stop. We heard Medb laugh maniacally as she jumped outta her pickup truck. She began draggin us off the truck and through what looked like a forest!
"You's insane, ya hag!" Cú screamed.
"Fufufu, I love it when you struggle," Medb said creepily, "it makes me more in heat..." We looked at each other really confused. We didn't know what the hell she meant.
"Hey Cú, why is there a burnin cross in the middle?" I asked. She brought us ta like a clearin where a bunch of folkswere in this huge circle wearin white cloaks and some pointy hats. A lotta of em also had like a bunch o' torches in their hands. I reckoned that musta been preparin for an adventure or somethin. It looked rather stupid. I don't reckon any folks from the rest of the country woulda been wearin that stuff.
"YOU WERE IN A KKK RALLY!?" Arthur questioned. It was a Sunday afternoon, where they were just coming back home from church.
"That's what it's called?" Shirou asked in sheer curiosity.
"How in tarnation did y'all survive!?" Arthur asked incredously.
"Ya see, it goes like this..."
"Oi, oi, oi!" Cú shouted, "what the hell are ya doin to Shirou ya bastard!?" So Medb was draggin me towards the burnin cross. I was tied up so I really couldn't do much.
"Fellow members of the supreme race!" Medb stated.
"Supreme? I don't recall any race being supreme," I stated, "you remember any race bein supreme, Cú?"
"I don't even know what the bloody hell she's talkin about," Cú replied.
"Shaddup!" Medb responded before going back to her cult thingy, "today we cleanse Mr. Cú Bisset of his sins! The sin of hangin out the yellow man! Not just any yellow man, a Jap!"
"Oh, come on! Is that really necessary!?" Me and Cú said at the same time.
"He's been bewitched! They're speaking at the same time!" One of those cloaked people shouted.
"What the literal fuck are ya doin here?" Cú screamed at the man, "take off ye fookin hood ya bastard!" So the man did. "AHA! I knew it was ye Diarmuid!"
"Not my fault, lad! The crazy bitch threatened to cut off my wee little banger!" Diarmuid tried to argue.
"That's not an excuse ya cunt! Why didn't ya go off to Canadia or somethin?" Cú yelled.
"Where the bloody Brits are!?" Diarmuid questioned.
"Ya already surrounded by a bunch of fookin wankers everywhere ya go so what difference would it bloody make!?" Cú retorted, "go back to Ireland!"
"Anyway! We shall cleanse Mr. Bisset of this filth! And he shall be once and forever mine!" Medb began to laugh maniacally. Now, I don't know if ya ever watch one of em James Bond movies. She's like every bad guy ever in those films.
"Aye, I reckon I musta stumbled upon somethin."
"Lily!" Me and Cú yelled happily. There she was, with a loaded crossbow over her shoulder, a bottle of tea in her hand.
"Good lordy, the hell y'all doin here?" Lily asked curiously, lookin around the place. "Oh, my horn musta been a tootin! I knew some folks were doin some ritual! Real shady, eh? I doubt the Lord would like it if all y'all
"What's your purpose, here?" Medb questioned.
"Oh no, Whore of Babylon," Lily said jokingly, "please walk backwards towards the fire. I heard witches melt like candle wax."
"Cheeky little shit," Medb let go of me and started ta walk towards Lily.
"Now that's just plain ugly," Lily pointed her finger at Medb, "ya ever consider becomin a nun? Lord knows a sinnin, good for nothin, two timin, cock suckin, dick ridin, gold diggin, mad whorin, completely mental motherfucker who's better at kidnappin innocent boys than bein a productive member of this motherfuckin society could use some prayin and some repentin!"
Well hell, that was a mouthful. I didn't know Lily had it in her. It was that day I found out Lily was one sarcastic and witty person, whatever that last word means. Us folks from the South are usually nice people. We take things slow and nice, relax, and like our mamma's peach cobbler. If ya don't count the racism, we's some friendly folk. I reckoned Lily musta been in Boston for a week. I heard folks over there are mean.
(Ya obviously never been to Jersey, have ya? Why? Is it bad? Lemme just say I think we should make it a separate country.)
"Hey, Jeanne!" Lily shouted, "I'll handle the other folks, ya just handle Mary Poppins over here!" By handle, Lily meant she was gonna shoot half the folks there. Which she did. They was blunt arrows. But every time she fired, blood woulda been splattering all over 'cause the arrows would break the skin and crack the bone. Pretty ugly stuff.
Why she had a crossbow? Turns out mah mamma just gave her it.
I don't know why ya sister was so nonchalant when shootin those folks that day, but she was real good at it. All headshots! She spared that Diarmuid guy though, just told him to scatter. She later told me hurtin him woulda been like hurtin a sick puppy.
Jeanne, on the other hand, ran outta nowhere from the forest and kicked Medb like a ninja! Medb tumbled a little bit before she got back up.
"How ya doin?" Jeanne smiled. I reckon I was more scared of Jeanne that time than the burnin fire cross in the background. Her smile was pretty like always. But for some reason, I felt chills down mah spine 'cause of that.
Medb suddenly became madder than a wet hen! Her eyes were glintin in murderous rage! She ran at Jeanne full force and tried ta swing at her. But Jeanne is like a superhero or somethin. Jeanne dodged it with grace! She was bobbin and weavin, dodging and parryin every time Medb was tryna attack!
"Am I watchin two women fightin or am I watchin two ninjas?" Cú wondered out loud.
Jeanne blocked a swing and then went on the offensive. Ya know how Bruce Lee is famous nowadays? Yeah, I reckon he got all of his moves and screamin tendencies from Jeanne somehow.
It was a super combo! Hook, jab, jab, hook, cross, uppercut, underhand ta the gut, jab, cross, knee ta the groin, then a overhand ta the face, and then Jeanne did like this super acrobatic kick where she jumped in the air and spun around and kicked Medb across the jaw.
Medb tried ta attack with hits of her own! But she kept missin and Jeanne kept slappin her across the face. Jeanne suddenly caught Medb's fist and frowned. She then started hittin Medb with her own fist!
"Why ya hittin yourself? Why ya hittin yourself?" Jeanne asked. Well, Jeanne, it's because you were hittin her with her own fist.
"I just feel sad for her at this point," Cú sighed. Jeanne quickly then reeled Medb in and landed a hard punch ta the face.
"Jesus Christ almighty, that shit has gotta hurt," Lily winced while she was untying Cú.
Medb wasn't so deterred, however, and she tried kickin Jeanne across the head. Jeanne ducked and spun around, backhandin Medb across the face. She dodged Medb's punch, elbowin her across the cheek and kneein her in the gut. She then used her elbow to strike Medb's nose! I'm damn sure I heard that crack.
"HIYAH!" Jeanne suddenly grabbed Medb's arm and she flipped her over her back and slammed the livin shit outta her onto the ground! I reckon Medb had the willpower of the devil or somethin. She kept on tryin!
"Ow," Medb groaned, "you can't defeat me ya worthless-" Jeanne stomped on her face ta shut her up. Me and Cú got up and for some reason we started ta bow down ta Jeanne like she was a goddess or somethin. Ta be fair, she is in mah eyes, but that's not the point.
"Jeanne d'Arc, our lord and savior!" We said, "thank you Lord almighty for savin us! All hail Jeanne! Oh, Jeanne can you see, by the Great Jeanne's mornin light, over the ramparts she hailed-"
"H-H-Hey cut that out," Jeanne stuttered. Her face turned as red as a cherry pie! "I was just doin my best..."
"Jeanne!" Cú exclaimed, "ya gotta teach me those moves!"
"B-B-But-"
"Jeanne! Jeanne!" I said, "how did ya do that?"
"W-Well, ya see..." Jeanne turned real quiet after that and just looked down at the ground blushin red.
(Ya like pie too much. Well, what do ya prefer, Arthur? I like cake a lot. Then ya should just stop bein American. What are ya, British? Hey!)
"Sweet mother of God, ya gave the bitch a whippin!" Lily remarked as she walked towards us.
"Can't be too bad," Jeanne shrugged before kickin Medb hard in the side. If there's one thing I'll admit, Arthur, it's that women scare me. Women terrify me. Not ta mention the mood did like a twist when Lily reached us.
"Well, might as well hide em somewhere or bury em alive," Lily sighed, "can't be havin this be taken up to the courts."
(What in the literal fuck, how this got so dark!? It...Actually, I don't know, Arthur, it just did.)
Me and Cú watched on in fascination at their conversation. We never really saw this dark side of both em before. It was terrifyin ta the core. Those cloaked folks were still alive I reckoned! Why kill em, I thought. It would just be plain cruel.
"Ya just gonna leave em here?" I asked.
"Shirou, if any of this gets word to the police, we'll be executed," Lily said blankly, "besides, ya ain't white or real rich. Folks could spin anythin in their favor and you'll be done for."
"Speakin of which, shoulda we kill the little shit?" Jeanne asked.
"Don't know, but I reckon she'll find one way or another to make up a story to get us all killed," Lily frowned, "she's rich too. Her family is all over Alabama's system. We'll be dead by mornin if this gets word. Us, well, I don't reckon I can afford a lawyer. Shirou? Well..."
"He's gonna get lynched," Jeanne muttered.
"We can't just kill her!" I argued, "it's wrong!" I know Medb was tryin to kill us and all, but back then I was never used ta the idea of death or even killin somebody! I'd hate ta see that type of ugly in the world. Cú stayed silent the whole time. I don't know what in the hell he was thinkin that time.
"I know it is," Lily said quietly, "but who are they gonna believe? You? Or her? It don't matter that yer the one who got kidnapped. It ain't gonna matter if she was tryna kill ya or not. That's how America works, Shirou. The unfortunate have to suffer at the hands of the fortunate. I'd hate to see ya die 'cause of her lies."
"Well...I reckon we could just knock her head a couple more times," Jeanne stated, "enough head trauma, makes loss of memory."
"Now that's a better option," Cú nodded. I finally relented ta the plan.
"There's a river around here," Lily sighed, "let's just dump em in there." So...we did. They was still alive. Maybe they mighta hit a few rocks here and there, but I reckoned they'll all live ta see the mornin.
"How'd ya find us?" I asked.
"I saw Medb's car, had a bad feelin, so I just followed," Jeanne explained once we got back ta their car, "there was no time ta call the police. Nearest phone was a mile away. Hell, any more wasted time and I reckoned I woulda been cryin my eyes out."
[This is the 60's right now. Most phones aren't mobile, but are at home phones with a rotary. Hell, people still have phone books at this time.]
"Jeanne...why were you and Lily so...casual when you was talkin about killin em folks?" I asked worriedly. Lily was drivin. Cú had already fallen asleep and mutterin somethin about salmon.
"Well...we came to a compromise," Jeanne muttered, "life always been rough for both of us, Shirou. I'm not gonna stand here and say that what we was about to do was right. It was wrong, but you gotta make tougher decisions as life go on. I'll be damned if you and Cú was gonna die 'cause of that crazy hag. Killin her woulda been wrong. But I'd rather have you alive than her...a-a-as selfish as that sounds."
"Were you really gonna kill her?" I asked.
"I don't know," Jeanne admitted, "words are words, actions are actions. Maybe I woulda have."
"I hope you never do," I stated. I held out mah hand and Jeanne looked surprised before she put her hand in mine. She squeezed it tight like she wanted ta have some sense of peace.
"I hope so too," Jeanne gave me a sad smile andwe road back ta sweet home Alabama.
"That's...rather interestin," Arthur remarked, "I question your life sometimes. It seems like ya just goin all over the place."
"I reckon I am," Shirou nodded, "I reckon I am."
From that day onward, I learned even the nicest of people can have real dark sides. When I got back, mah mamma hugged me like the world was gonna end or somethin. Turns out I wouldn't be seein Medb for awhile since apparently, she had gone missin.
The days leadin up ta the beginnin of mah last year of school were real interestin ta say the least. It was a Saturday mornin. I decided ta run around Mobile 'cause I had nothin else ta do. It was mah first time alone in the bigger parts of town. Shishou Scáthach had Cú stay at home 'cause she was afraid he was gonna get kidnapped again. In her own words, she said, "that boy is gonna do somethin stupid and get himself killed, whether it be goin off to war or gettin hit by a deer."
Now, mah mamma always said, "the world ain't real pretty. Folks hate each other for the dumbest of reasons. Don't judge people just 'cause they crippled, believe in a different god, or they have a different color. Judge people by the good of their heart. It's up to you to be a shinin light in the world, Shirou."
So there I was, runnin and runnin all over Mobile. I was hungry after a while, so I decided ta look around for a place ta eat. But unfortunately, everywhere was full! I checked one diner, it was full. Another diner, it was full. Even the bakery was full! Now, I was starvin and really needed somethin ta eat, so I kept runnin around ta look for someplace that was open. Finally, I came upon another diner. It was full like the rest of em, but there was one more seat! So I ran in ta get it before anybody else.
Now, for some reason, everybody was standin and lookin real mad and stuff. A lotta of folks were screamin some real ugly things that would even make a baby surprised. I kept sayin excuse me ta get through and finally, I got ta mah seat!
"Where's the waitress?" I wondered.
"We don't serve your folk, boy," One man in the crowd told me, "now get outta here."
"Get outta here? I just got here, sir," I replied, "can I get like a dozen pancakes, ma'am?" The lady behind the counter just gave me a weird look and walked away. "Well that's mighty odd."
"They ain't gonna serve ya food, kid." I turned ta mah right ta see a man with brown skin and golden eyes, and a beard too, speakin ta me. He looked kinda old, like maybe 70-ish?
"And why's that, sir?" I asked, "I just want some pancakes."
"Well, ya a Nip, that's why," The man told me.
"Nip? Is that like a food from Mississippi or somethin? I heard they come up with weird names," I replied. The man gave me a surprised look and had a small grin on his face.
"Well, I ain't gonna be eatin much here either," The man shrugged, "they don't serve black folk like me here."
"Did ya ask if you could yet?" I asked, "mah mamma always said to ask."
"Really now? Well, I tried, and now here I am," The man told me.
"Get outta here nigger!" I heard somebody yell.
"Sir, what does that word mean?" I asked in confusion.
"Ya been livin in Alabama all these years and not once did ya understand that word?" The man asked and I shook mah head.
"I reckon she grumpy she and all em other folks ain't gettin food too," I replied, "nobody likes ta start off mornin without any food."
"Tell me, kid," The man said, "are ya stupid or somethin?"
"As stupid as stupid gets," I told him and the man laughed heartily. I turned around confused on why all em other folks in the diner were yellin and stuff.
"Don't mind em," The man said, "my mother calls me Ramses, but my name is Mr. Ozymandias. How about you, young man?"
"Shirou Emiya," I replied, "mah name is Shirou Emiya...mah mamma calls me Shirou." I looked around the diner again. "How come nobody sittin down? It's tirin to stand so long."
"Because nobody wanna sit down near a black man," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "they actin like they'll catch a disease or somethin."
"Mah mamma said always ta wash your hands and cover your sneeze and you'll be fine," I stated. He laughed at mah comment. "Why is you sittin here, sir, if nobody wanna sit near ya and not give ya food?"
"I'm protesting for my rights," Mr. Ozymandias explained, "ya see, Shirou, white folk and non-white folk ain't equal in this country. Folks don't like me 'cause I'm black. That means they can do things like not serve me food if they don't wanna just 'cause of my skin."
"But that's dumb," I said, "food is food. It's part of everyday life, Mr. Ozymandias!"
"Oh, I know that," Mr. Ozymandias sighed, "but I don't have the same civil rights as these folks around us do. My supposed American freedom is different from their freedom. I don't got the same liberties as these folks here. To these folks, you and I are probably not even people."
"I am a person," I said simply, "they must be blind. I don't see no sign that says we can't be served food, Mr. Ozymandias."
"The law can change all it wants, but people are harder to change," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "don't ya think ya should leave, Shirou? Ya gonna get hungry soon."
"Naw," I replied, "I reckon I'll stay. You look lonely anyway, Mr. Ozymandias. I know how it feels ta be lonely." He laughed sincerely and patted mah shoulder.
"Ya know what I think, Shirou?" Mr. Ozymandias stated, "that even though there's white folks and black folks and Asian folks, I reckon we all apart of the same one group."
"And what's that, Mr. Ozymandias?" I asked.
"Folks," Mr. Ozymandias replied, "just folks."
It was from that day forward that Mr. Ozymandias became mah mentor. He was an old man, I gotta say, always walkin around witha cane and he had these glasses shaped like the crescent of a moon.
Ya could always find Mr. Ozymandias at his farm close by Mobile, always lookin at the sky in his rockin chair. He was from Georgia! Where...wherever that is. Anyway, Mr. Ozymandias became another teacher in mah life. While Jeanne and Lily taught me basic school stuff, Shishou Scáthach taught me how ta fish, and mamma taught me how ta be kind, Mr. Ozymandias taught me the truths and ugliness of the world.
"My granddad and my daddy were slaves back in the day," Mr. Ozymandias explained ta me one day when I decided ta visit him. We was makin cookies that day. "Luckily I was born a while after we was all freed."
"Slaves?" I asked, "mah friend told me that's what the Civil War was fought over."
"Some folks will tell ya the South just wanted to preserve their state rights," Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "but truthfully, the whole issue always comes back to slavery. Don't believe everythin ya see in school, Shirou. Some folks have done a real good job of makin the South look like the poor good guys in em history books."
"So what happened to your granddad?" I asked.
"He was shot to death, right before any slaves were freed durin that war," Mr. Ozymandias sighed, "my daddy lived though. Life wasn't so good for him either. When I was born, black folk were dyin left and right, I tell ya. Southerners were pretty angry still about how they lost the war."
"Mah mamma always said holdin on ta the past does you no good," I said.
"Your mama is a smart woman then," Mr. Ozymandias chuckled, "I will admit. I was an angry person back then. I resented a lot of folks back in the day, full of hatred for a lotta o' people. My daddy was a free man. We had money and we had our own land. 'Cause of that, I was a bit...arrogant to say."
"And why's that?" I asked.
"It's 'cause I thought I was better than all em other black folks," Mr. Ozymandias said sadly, "I was more educated than everybody else and had money."
"So what changed?" I wondered.
"My daddy was lynched," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "along with my mama, my sister, and my brother was burned alive. Suddenly, almost everythin I had that made me think I was better than all em other black folks was gone. I hadda hit rock bottom." He sighed deeply as he sat down in his armchair when we was done with em cookies.
"Life gets tough a lot," I said.
"It does, especially when ya grow," Mr. Ozymandias frowned, "I crippled my leg in Europe durin that war back in 1917. My wife died of polio durin that economy crisis. My son died of that dastardly measles. Life is full of tragedy, Shirou. But when ya learn how to forgive and accept things, life gets easier. It means ya have let go of things holdin ya down."
"How are ya not angry at life, Mr. Ozymandias?" I asked and he laughed heartily like he always do.
"Well, maybe it's 'cause I learned life is rough, but anger never does anythin good," Mr. Ozymandias stated, "anger leads to hate, and hate leads to a bad world. Why spread more hate when this world just needs some kindness and love?"
"He was a good man," Arthur said quietly, "always had a smile on his face and that laugh to him. Never an ounce of negativity. I believe he made everyone's day brighter."
"I believe so too," Shirou agreed.
Then, it was a Sunday. I had promised ta come with Jeanne ta church, so I asked mamma ta pick out good clothes for me. For some reason mah mamma was hellbent on puttin a red suit on me. I wanted blue. But she kept tellin me no.
"Oh, look at ya," Mamma said endearingly, "all this for Jeanne?"
"I made a promise, mamma," I replied.
"Tell me, Shirou, do ya like Jeanne?" Mamma asked.
"Of course I like her," I said, "Jeanne is one hell of a likable person." Mamma sighed long and hard and depressin.
"That's not what I mean, Shirou," Mamma giggled, "I mean do ya...do ya like-like her?" I just tilted mah head ta the side in confusion. "Jesus H. Christ, I mean do ya love Jeanne?"
I practically froze right there and then. I wished mamma coulda sent me over yonder already.
"Uh...I...um...wha?" I stammered. Mamma laughed real hard and looked me straight in the eye.
"Do ya love Jeanne, Shirou?" Mamma asked, "'cause as oblivious as ya are, I reckon ya know what love is." I stayed silent. I reckon mah face turned real red 'cause it felt a lot hotter than usual.
"I...I...well-"
"How about this," Mamma chuckled, "do ya love...Lily?" I believe this was kinda too much for me that day, 'cause I hadda sit down.
"I...I reckon I love Jeanne," I finally replied.
"And Lily? From that look ya give her every time, looks like ya have a fancy for her," Mamma smiled, her hands on her hips.
"I...reckon I do too," I said and mamma sighed.
"I see," Mamma shook her head, "I don't reckon it'll be fair to love both at the same time. One or another yer gonna have to pick one."
"They're folks, mamma, not puppies at the pet store," I replied.
"Give it time, Shirou," Mamma said, "maybe you'll get understand later on."
I hadda walk ta church, since mamma said runnin would ruin mah dress shoes. So off I went ta pray ta Mr. Jesus.
A/N: This chapter was meant more as a time of learning for Shirou, as well as to add some context and depth to our characters. I introduced our Ozymandias as an old man, in order to personify a man who's seen plenty of things and is now much wiser than he was prior in his younger days. If ya haven't noticed, there will be some dark moments within the story. This is 1960s Alabama after all, Shirou will have no choice but to face the problems inflicting the country first hand. I hope ya enjoyed reading this chapter. We shall be catching up with Shishou next chapter when Shirou comes with Jeanne to church, where more shenanigans will transpire.