Trust, Loyalty, Commitment
He Is
by Heather Headley
Oh my, where do, how do I begin
To answer the questions I know you been wonderin'?
When could, why could, how could it all be true?
These things, who's that, and what's he to you?
He is the mind injector, the heart protector
The sole defender of anything I fear
The baby conceiver, the make me believer
The joy bringer, the love giver
He is the dough increaser, the pleasure releaser
The hard-knocks knower without the scars to show ya
The night school teacher, the good life preacher
The caretaker, the kiss craver
He is!
(Oh) These words are only frostin' on my cake
Feelings explained, don't do justice to how I feel
So alive, so in love for the first time.
No way can I hide who, what...He is, so
Everything, everything I want and I want it
He is, so
And so much more than I thought it could be
So I, girls, I
I gotta be the same for him For my baby
yes, he is,
I know exactly what he is
He is
My joy bringer
He is the make it alrighter, the get me through the nighter
The sole defender of anything I fear
The pain remover, the bad times undoer
The joy bringer, the love giver
He is!
"I will say of the Lord, 'HE IS my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'."
-- Psalm 91:2
Chapter 15 - Action In The Affirmative
EPOV
Edward was humming "Taps" in his head at Mach one speed as he held and kissed a supple and pliant Bella in his arms, but to no avail. Bella had laid a kiss on him that had gone straight to the sweet spot. After her comment about him and the latte, his virginal girlfriend had suddenly become a vamp and was seriously pushing the limits of his self-control. It was as if something had clicked in both of them now that they had established that they were indeed embarking on an exclusive dating relationship. It took every ounce of willpower he had to break the kiss.
"Mmm, Bella… baby…" he groaned.
"Hmm…?" she answered, still peppering kisses over his face as she lay sprawled over him on the sofa.
With a heavy sigh that he tried not to make sound like a groan, he sat up and gently cradled her in his lap. Her arms were still around his shoulders and her brown eyes were smoldering as she regarded him through the curtain of her lashes.
"What is it?" she asked innocently. Her kiss-swollen lips were delectable, and as much as he wanted to continue to kiss her, he knew that things could quickly get out of control. While he would never do anything with her or to her that she didn't want him to do, he didn't want their first day as a couple to be marred by his inability to control his overactive libido.
"I think we should be heading over to Alice's," he said. He couldn't help but smirk at how clueless she was of the effect she was having on him.
As she moved to slide out of his lap, her tush made contact with the evidence of his arousal, and he groaned audibly. She gasped, blushing a bright red. Her brown eyes were like saucers, and she covered her gaping mouth with both hands. She then began apologizing profusely.
"I'm so, so sorry… I didn't mean…" She paced, unable to find words to complete her thoughts. "I shouldn't have… sorry."
With his "Taps" trick finally doing its job, Edward stood and attempted to calm her. He stopped her pacing and captured the top of her arms with his hands. His eyes focused on hers with the gentlest, most smug-free expression he could muster. "Bella… Bella, it's okay, really," he said soothingly. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I would worry if I didn't have that reaction with you."
She tried to smile, but her brow was still furrowed worriedly. "Are you sure it's not… too much?"
He smiled and embraced her again, this time as chastely as he could. "Nothing you can do would be too much for me. I just don't want to cross any lines with you that would make you uncomfortable."
"Okay, but I don't want to make this difficult for you, either," she said, leaning back to look into his eyes. "I guess I never knew I was such a passionate person… until now."
"Believe me, passion is good," he said smiling crookedly as he brushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "But maybe not so much when you can't… act on it."
"Right," she said with a shy smile, her face visibly pinking up again. "I guess we should head over to Alice's, then."
~888~
BPOV
When they arrived at the Whitlock's, Jasper answered the door, dry erase marker in hand, and ushered them in quickly. "We're playing Pictionary," he explained.
Edward removed his hand from the small of Bella's back and shook Jasper's hand. "Sure you're not just sniffing that?" Edward teased, gesturing toward the marker.
Jasper feigned taking a huge whiff. "Why didn't someone tell me sooner what a great buzz you can get from this stuff?" he asked, playing along. "Go on into the den, fix yourselves some drinks, and come join the game. I'm pretty sure you won't get enough buzz from these markers."
"Jasper, can I talk to you for a second?" Bella inquired. Then looking up at Edward who still had his arm around her waist she asked, "Will you fix drinks for us?"
"Sure, white wine?" he asked, pulling away and backing toward the den.
"Yeah, Riesling, please," she said sweetly. She watched Edward disappear through the door and then turned to Jasper. "How's James?"
"I went by his place and we hung out for a while after the scavenger hunt today. He's hurting, but he's dealing with things. He's reading, praying, and calling his NA sponsor in Atlanta." Jasper paused. "He told me that you had chosen Edward, but I figured as much when you asked me to keep an eye on him."
Bella's throat tightened at his words. "Thank you for being his friend. I am praying for him, too. I feel so bad about hurting him like this. Maybe I should've just taken more time to figure things out and not dated them both."
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Bella. Everyone agreed, and frankly, hurt feelings were inevitable.
"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier," she said solemnly. "Oh! Did you tell Alice?"
"No, I thought you would rather have that honor," he said with a smile.
"Thanks. I'll tell her tonight," she said returning his smile. Edward came out of the den carrying a glass of wine for her and a beer for himself.
Jasper pretended not to see him and continued, "You know, I love Edward like a brother, but don't hesitate to let me know if he gives you any grief." He cracked his knuckles for effect. "I'd be happy to open up a can of 'whoop ass' on him anytime. You just say the word, Bella."
Bella played along. "You'll be the first to know."
Edward handed Bella her wine glass and clapped Jasper on the back. "Thanks, brother," Edward smirked. "But we won't be needing your can-opening skills." He pulled Bella close to his side and slid his arm around her waist. Bella set her wine glass on the table next to her and wound both arms around his waist.
Alice came bounding into the foyer. "Baby, it's your turn again…" she said to Jasper. Then seeing Edward and Bella, she walked over to them. "Hey, you two. We thought we might have to send a search party after you, you guys took so freaking long to get here." She punched Edward on the shoulder playfully.
"Hey," he complained. "Those bony knuckles are like acupuncture needles." Edward set his beer down on the table so both his arms were free to hold Bella. The move didn't go unnoticed by Alice.
"Something's going on with you two," Alice declared, looking from Edward to Bella through narrowed eyes. "So, you might as well tell me."
Edward looked down at Bella and pulled her closer. Bella smiled up at him and then turned to Alice. "We've decided to be exclusive."
Alice squealed, "Oh my God, you guys, that is just… awesome!" She almost bowled Bella over with her hug, and then embraced Edward with the same voracity. Her expression became a smug "I told you so" look. "Cousin, you'd better do right by my best friend," she warned.
"Jasper's already threatened me with a can of 'whoop-ass,' so I think you're good," Edward said with a grimace.
Four other heads peeped out of the living room to see what all the commotion was about. Emmett, Rosalie, Ben, and Angela looked curiously at them.
"Hey guys," Alice said, waving to them. "Come on out and greet the new couple."
Rosalie got to them first with a smirk on her face that turned into a full smile as she stage-whispered to Bella, "If you ever need any help keeping that jerk in line, I know several ways to take a man down." Bella was surprised when she punctuated it with a hug.
Emmett pretended to tackle Edward, but they bobbed and feinted, ending the little dance in an embrace. "Dude," was the extent of what Emmett had to say to him. Then he bear-hugged Bella and declared loudly, "If he even looks like he's about to mess up, call me. I'll kick his ass."
"Okay, what's with all the warnings?" Edward complained, rolling his eyes.
Embracing him, Rosalie said, "We all know your track record, buddy."
Edward pulled Bella close to his side again and laced his fingers through hers. "You're gonna scare Bella away before we get a chance."
Bella wound her arm around him reassuringly and squeezed. "I'm not going anywhere." Then she looked over at Angela and Ben. "Ange, Ben, come and meet Edward. Edward, this is my 'sister from another Mister,' as she affectionately refers to herself, and other best friend, Angela Weber and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney."
"Hello, Edward," Angela said. "I feel like I know you already."
"Hello, Angela. Same here." Edward extended her a hand.
Angela ignored the hand, stepped in, and gave him a hug. "No warnings," Angela smiled. "Just be good to my little sis."
"That is my intention for as long as she'll have me," he said earnestly.
Edward then shook Ben's hand. "Nice to meet you, Ben."
"Likewise," Ben said with a warm smile.
"Let's take this party back into the living room," Jasper said, taking Alice's hand and moving back in that direction. Everyone followed them back into the living room. Bella nudged Edward over to the love seat, so she could keep him close. Everyone else drifted to the sofa while Emmett took the over-sized chair, pulling Rosalie into his lap.
"I think this news calls for a toast," Jasper said, raising his glass. Everyone raised their respective glasses and or bottles. "To Edward and Bella. May fortune forever be kind to you, and happiness be true to you, and life be long and good to you, is the toast of all your friends to you... be good to one another always."
"Honey, they've just decided to date exclusively, not get married!" Alice said with a prodigious eye roll.
Everyone laughed. Not to be dissuaded by his wife, Jasper held his bottle aloft and said, "Well, just have fun, then!"
There was more laughter and a cacophony of voices wishing "here, here." After the customary clinking and a drinking, Edward kissed her sweetly on the lips. Bella had never felt so grateful for good friends.
~888~
EPOV
Edward awoke early Sunday morning without the aid of an alarm. He'd had a scalding hot dream about Bella, which had given him the stiffest case of morning wood he'd had since being at his mother's house. Just thinking about where he was saved him from a raging case of blue balls. They had enjoyed a crazy evening at Alice and Jasper's playing Pictionary, then they'd eaten take-out from Lucy Ho's complete with sushi, Sake and other Japanese delicacies. When it was cooler on the patio, they took the party out by the pool and danced until the couples trickled out two by two. He drank minimally because he was driving precious cargo home, and didn't want a repeat of the last time he'd been at the Whitlock's.
He and Bella had not been able to keep their hands off one another. They spent the entire evening touching in some way. If it wasn't dancing, they were sitting together, holding hands or embracing. It was like they were both afraid that if they didn't touch, the night wasn't real. His happiness seemed to be bursting out at the seams. Just three weeks prior, he thought he had lost any chance of ever being with her. And now, he had this beautiful, vivacious woman for a girlfriend and she was all his. No more sharing her with anybody and it was all her choosing. He had allowed her the time and patience necessary to choose and she had chosen him. When that moment came, he'd thought he was going to die from happiness.
He had already gone for a run, showered, put on a fresh pot of coffee, and popped a bagel in the toaster before his mother emerged from her room, dressed and ready to go to church.
"Coffee, Mom?" he asked as he poured himself a steaming cup.
Elizabeth smiled. "I'd love a cup. Thanks, son." She moved to the island and took a seat on one of the chair-backed stools. Edward retrieved another cup and saucer from the cabinet, poured her a cup of coffee, and delivered it to her.
His bagel popped up, and he retrieved it from the toaster before sitting on a bar stool one over from his mother.
"Bagel?" Edward offered.
"I think coffee is all I can manage this morning," Elizabeth confessed as she stirred sugar and creamer into her coffee. "Carlisle, Esme, and I had a late dinner last night at Urbane downtown."
"And you came home after? I thought you were spending the night with them," Edward said impassively as he slathered cream cheese on his bagel.
"I have to get used to staying in this house alone again," she said resignedly. "I'm sure you never intended to move back here indefinitely." She took a sip of her coffee.
"Were you able to sleep before I got in?" he inquired, ignoring her remark.
"Surprisingly, yes." Her green eyes regarded Edward's greener ones with interest. "You're anxious to get back to your life in Tallahassee, I'm sure."
"We do have another event coming up at the Center in a couple of weeks. There's a festival Memorial Day weekend for the community. I should probably be available to help Bella and the volunteers with that project."
"Which reminds me; exactly why was my offer of my time and financial resources to City of Hope so unappealing to you?"
Here we go. Elizabeth Masen Cullen-Volturi returns, Edward thought.
"Mom, it wasn't necessarily unappealing. It just wasn't the right time. Bella has a lot going on and she really doesn't have time to schmooze with well-meaning philanthropists right now." He took a bite of his bagel, washing it down with a swig of coffee.
"Since when did you start speaking for Ms. Swan, Edward? Do you have a relationship with her outside of work?"
"What if I do?" he challenged.
"It would just be nice to know these things," Elizabeth hedged. "Judging from the way you shadowed her last night, I'm guessing something is going on with you two."
"Yes, Bella is very important to me," Edward growled through clenched teeth.
"I figured as much. She's a beautiful girl, and she seems to be very capable, despite her colorful lineage."
Edward's anger spiked, and the one bite he'd taken of the bagel now felt like a brick in his stomach. "That is exactly why I didn't want you to meet with her. I won't stand for you to go spouting any of the prejudices drummed into you by COGS to her, Mom."
"I'm not a racist, Edward," she protested. "I just believe that things would be easier for both of you if you dated someone of your own kind. She can't have had it easy growing up. If this became serious, just think of how it would affect any children you two might have together."
"That's the most ridiculous excuse I've ever heard of," he spat. He stood up and pushed the bar chair forcefully against the island. His mother flinched. "Do me and Bella a favor, Mom. Don't donate any time or money to City of Hope. I have a trust fund, and I can do that. Take your resources elsewhere." With that, he stalked out of the kitchen and into his room to pack his belongings. It was time he moved back to his apartment.
~888~
BPOV
"Daddy really brought it this morning," Angela said. "He almost made me feel like I needed to turn in my resignation tomorrow and pursue missionary work in South Africa."
"It's that good old Charlie Swan charisma," Bella replied. "Works every time."
They were headed out of the church foyer to Angela's car so they could meet Edward and Ben for lunch when Bella heard her mother calling after her.
"Bella!" Renee said, as she made her way through the crowd to where they were standing. "So, you were going to leave without saying anything to me or your father?" she asked Bella. Then she turned to Angela. "And we haven't seen you for two weeks, young lady. I expected better from my surrogate offspring."
"Aww, mommy needs a hug," Angela said and threw her arms around Renee.
"It's not like we didn't just see you both last night," Bella said, embracing her mother after Angela released her.
"Come to the house for lunch," Renee offered. "Dan and Laura are coming over, and we've got plenty."
Bella just barely refrained from wincing; she wasn't ready to see James' parents. She didn't want to think about what he might have shared with them about their failed attempt at dating. Bella and Angela exchanged a look, and then Bella looked at Renee. "Sorry, Mom, we're meeting people for lunch."
She purposely made it sound like they were meeting a group rather than just Edward and Ben for lunch; she didn't want to talk about Edward just yet with her parents, either. Although she was an adult and more than capable of making her own decisions, she wasn't ready to defend her choice with them, especially with her dad.
"Okay, well you two should come for dinner one day this week," Renee said. "I want to hear all about your trip home, Angela." She pouted. "And I really would like to see my daughter in a setting other than church or work."
"How about Tuesday night?" Angela asked.
"That works for us," Renee said. "Bella?"
"That's good for me, too." Bella smiled as she began to back toward the parking lot. "We'll see you, then. Hey, kiss Dad for me, please."
Renee smiled mischievously. "A request I will happily grant. You girls have fun at lunch, and we'll see you Tuesday."
"See ya later, Mom," Angela said with a grin.
They turned and Bella followed Angela to her car. She could not wait to see Edward. Bella fished her cell phone out of her purse and looked at her new favorite photo. It was a picture that Alice had taken of her with Edward, cuddling on the love seat the night before. She smiled; they looked completely entranced with one another. On auto-pilot, she got into the car and fastened her seat belt. As she waited for Angela to settle into the passenger seat, she flipped through the rest of the photos, both from the party and the concert. Every photo she saw of Edward nearly took her breath away; she was simply amazed that he was actually hers now. She smiled so widely her face hurt.
"Ooh," Angela said, drawing her out of her immersion into Edward Cullen-land. Bella glanced over at her. "You've got it bad, chica," she said matter-of-factly.
~888~
After lunch, Bella and Edward went to his place, where Bella was surprised to find that he had brought a lot of stuff from his mom's. He didn't say anything about it, just unloaded everything and took it upstairs. He wouldn't allow her to help at all. In his living room, Bella browsed through his CD collection and put on one of her favorites, Nina Simone. Edward emerged from his bedroom and joined her on the sofa after putting his bags away. He'd seemed rather sullen when he'd joined them for lunch, but once they all engaged in conversation he had lightened up considerably. Now that they were alone, she saw something akin to uneasiness on his face again.
"Hey," Bella said, taking his hand in hers. "Want to talk about it?"
"About what?" he asked, caressing her hand and attempting to dazzle her with his smile.
"About why you brought all your stuff home today," she answered. "Did your mother send you packing?"
"Not exactly." He looked away and ran a hand through his hair, leaving a new row of furrows in its wake. "I sent myself packing."
"Did you two have a disagreement?"
"You could say that," he muttered, his gaze flickering back to her. He sighed bitterly. "She still has the demon tentacles of COGS lodged deep within her soul."
Bella's heart broke for him. "That isn't surprising. It takes quite some time for people who've been indoctrinated by a cult to be deprogrammed."
"I knew that would probably be the case, but I hoped she would snap out of it, at least on subjects that matter most to me."
"Give her time, Edward," she coaxed. "Like you said, it took eighteen years for her to get this way."
"Would you still plead for me to go easy on her if I told you we argued about you...specifically your ethnic background?"
She didn't hesitate. "Yes. She is your mother. I can't say it doesn't sting that she doesn't accept me as readily as she would a blonde-haired, blue-eyed angel, but I would never want you two to be estranged over me."
Edward's eyes widened, and then he sighed and shook his head. "Bella, if she doesn't accept you, then she has no relationship with me, period."
Bella didn't push to try and make him see her point of view at that moment. However, she really wanted him to keep communication open with his mother, because she felt it was important to his recovery from all the things he had suffered in his past. She decided to drop it for now and revisit it later. They talked about the books they were each reading, and then he got his guitar out and played. They even sang some songs together, but Bella was most impressed with one that he'd written.
"Edward, that is just beautiful," she gushed.
"You inspired it," he said huskily. She blushed, but wasn't too self-conscious to lean in and kiss his beautiful mouth in thanks.
He laid his guitar on the coffee table and reached for her in earnest. Bella went willingly into his arms. She could feel the contours of his sculpted chest through the fabric of her soft cotton dress, and her body immediately responded to him. It was as if the peaks of her breasts were straining against the fabric of their clothing in an attempt to reach his skin. Her core warmed as hot as molten lava as his tongue explored her mouth and hers reciprocated. She felt his hands caressing that symphony that he was so good at creating on her back, and she toured the rippling muscles beneath her fingers in response. He deepened the kiss, and they moaned in concert, their primal need for one another so great they couldn't help themselves. Edward broke the kiss, but only to trail a path from her mouth to her neck, where he gently sucked her pulse point which made her moan with greater ecstasy. Bella felt herself being drawn toward that ever present precipice, and she tried to rein herself in before she fell headlong into a maelstrom of desire from which she would not be able to extricate herself.
She took control and decided that she would drive this vehicle of desire for a change. She placed her palms flat on his chest and pushed him down on the sofa, where she could taste and explore at her leisure. She attacked his neck and bathed it with moist kisses until she felt the pounding of his heartbeat beneath her lips. Repeating his earlier ministrations, she licked and suckled until he groaned and squeezed her tighter in his arms. She worked her way from his neck to his earlobe, nibbling it gently with her teeth and then sucking it into her mouth. Edward shuddered beneath her and then stiffened.
"Fuck! Oh, Bella... sorry," he groaned savagely. Bella giggled as she released his earlobe and moved to claim his mouth again, winding her hands through his soft bronze hair. He took control again, his kiss leaving her breathless and lightheaded. When he relinquished her lips this time, they were both panting like they had run several miles. Bella rolled onto her side and laid her head on his chest, sighing deeply. She loved how wonderful this man made her feel.
When she was able to focus again, she angled her head to look up at him. He was kind of squinting at her, his green eyes dark and smoldering. "What?" he said, smirking slightly.
"This is going to sound weird, but I kinda like it when you lose control and drop the F-bomb, especially when I'm kissing you."
He chuckled. "Bella, you never cease to amaze me," he said in wonderment, kissing the top of her head.
He eased her off of him and rolled off the sofa before rising to his feet.
"Edward," she whined playfully, "where are you going?"
He extended his hand to her. "Maybe we should do something else...something safer, like watching television," he suggested. She took his hand, and he pulled her flush against him, wrapping his arms around her. "You are entirely too tempting for me to stay on the couch kissing you like that."
"Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But I get to pick what we watch."
He released her, then picked up the remote off the end of the coffee table and put it into her hand. Kissing her temple briefly, he pulled away and went to the cabinet to turn off the stereo.
Still standing, Bella turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. "You're not a remote hog, are you?" she asked warily, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"To be honest, I don't watch a lot of network TV," he said, returning to stand behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her back to his chest.
She rested the back of her head on his shoulder, her eyes on the television. "How about sports? Are you an ESPN man?"
"I watch my fair share of football and basketball, but my one true indulgence is a cable subscription so I can watch as many Manchester United games as I can and the FIFA World Cup games every four years."
"So, is it safe to say we can skip over anything sports related right now?" she inquired, craning her neck to look at him.
"Depends on who's playing," he mused. She glared at him. He smiled and gestured toward the television. "Just kidding. Tivo will catch whatever I'm missing. Really, we can watch whatever you want to watch."
Bella flipped a few more channels.
"Ooh, Ghosts Of Mississippi. True story—my mother's sister, my Aunt Lonnette, is in this movie. It's a non-speaking part, but she and Yolanda King play the Evers' children, and they come out with Whoopi Goldberg at the end—she plays Myrlie Evers."
"Isn't this the movie about how they brought Byron de la Beckwith to trial?" Edward asked, releasing her so that she could put the remote back on the table.
"Yeah," she said, sitting down on the sofa again. She looked up at him and patted the spot beside her. "Come watch with me?"
She didn't wait for him to respond before she turned her attention to the movie. His reply was to slide next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. She smiled and patted his thigh, letting her hand rest there.
He whispered in her ear, "You know, that song 'Mississippi Goddam' by Nina Simone was written in response to Medgar Evers' murder and the bombing of the church in Birmingham that killed four little girls."
She looked at him, amazed that he knew pieces of African American History that she hadn't even been aware of. "I knew it was a protest song of some of the atrocities of the civil rights movement, but that is fascinating."
They settled in to watch the movie together. As she had done every other time she had seen the movie, she was overcome with emotion as Myrlie—Whoopi—made her victory statement at the end on the steps of the Courthouse. After having lived with a denial of justice for thirty years, Byron de la Beckwith was finally convicted of murdering her husband. Bella had watched the entire movie in rapt attention, despite having seen it several times. She thought that Edward might have spent more time watching her than the movie, but his response to it would prove her wrong.
Bella laughed as the final scene played, but her vision was blurred with tears, "See, that woman right there, behind Whoopi, that's my Aunt Lonnette."
As the credits rolled, Edward cupped her face with his hands and kissed her tears away. "That's why I won't stand for anyone, not even my mother, to disrespect you, Bella," he murmured. "People like Medgar Evers died for equality in this country. COGS made a mockery of that, and my mother bought into it."
"I'll be hoping and praying that your mother will have a change of heart, not only for me, but primarily for you," she said, lifting her hand to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. "Maybe the Cullens will help her see just how skewed things were at COGS."
Bella was pleased that Edward really "got her" and the precariousness of her ethnicity with no manipulation of the learning curve from her. His sensitivity was not surprising, but his thorough understanding and acceptance of all of who she was… well, that was a very welcome bonus.
~888~
A/N:
NA - Narcotics Anonymous: is a twelve-step program of recovery from drug addiction, modeled on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It describes itself as a nonprofit "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem", and it is the second-largest 12-step organization. As of 2007 there were more than 43,900 NA meetings in 127 countries. The program is group-oriented, and is based on the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions, adapted from AA. (Wickipedia)
Manchester United Football Club - is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. Manchester United are the reigning English champions and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2008–09 Premier League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 22 major honours since Alex Ferguson became manager in November 1986. (Wickipedia)
FIFA - The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, because of World War II. (Wickipedia)
Ghosts of Mississippi is a 1996 drama film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and James Woods. The plot is based on the true story of the 1994 trial of Byron De La Beckwith, the white supremacist accused of the 1963 assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers.
Mississippi Goddam is a song written and performed by United States singer and pianist Nina Simone. It was first released on her album Nina Simone in Concert which was based on recordings of three concerts she gave at Carnegie Hall in 1964. The song is her response to the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi; and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four black children. On the recording she cynically announces the song as "a show tune, but the show hasn't been written for it yet". The song begins jauntily, with a show tune feel, but demonstrates its political focus early on with its refrain "Alabama's got me so upset, Tennessee's made me lose my rest, and everybody knows about Mississippi goddam".