From the short story collection

The Swinging Gate featuring Rory L. Watkins

Cassius Clay Winston circa 1985:

Yesterday was a strange day. Even though it was strange, it was kinda fun. It was the first day of the new school year and I was going to a new school, Eureka Elementary. I woke up yesterday morning at five o'clock, but I wasn't mad or tired or nothing. I was excited and could not wait to catch the bus at six. My mother Moms was up with me and my big brother Sonnie. As you can tell Moms is a BIG boxing fan.

Anyways, like I was saying, me and Sonnie woke up, took our wash up, brushed our teeth, and ironed our clothes. Moms took us school school shopping Saturday, so we were trying to be nice and clean for the new kids we didn't know. Sonnie was funny. He was the reason why we couldn't go to Columbia Middle School. He kept saying yesterday to Moms "I'on wanna go to that white school, I'on wanna go to that white school." I was thinking 'fool, you the reason we going to that white school.'

See, we used to live on the Southside of The City and had seen a few white people, but our neighborhood was all black. Then we moved to the JVL. The Jeff Vanderlou projects that is. The JVL is on the Northside of The City and we have been having problems with the JVL Posse. I'on know why they don't like us, but they don't. Them cats look very scary. Sonnie wants to take 'em all on and I'm like 'they cool, they ain't said nothing to me.'

See, Sonnie went to Columbia Middle last year and I went to Dunbar Elementary and me and some of those JVL guys were real good friends. And I know for a fact they were in the JVL posse. But Sonnie got into it with one of them cats on the last day of school and they been looking for him all summer long. He stayed with my grandmother Grandma on the Southside all summer so they haven't caught him yet.

Moms knew some of the people in the neighborhood and they told her the JVL Posse was looking for Sonnie so she made us transfer schools out to the county. I was mad at first because I wanted to go to Columbia. People was saying how much fun it was. I guess I'll never know.

So, anyways, when me and Sonnie got to the bus stop yesterday I saw some of my friends from Dunbar on their way to Columbia and they were looking at us crazy and mean. I just saw them cats a week ago and we played cork ball together on the Church lot and everything was cool, so when I saw them I was like 'what's up, Darius, Marcus, Baby?' and they just looked and stared. Sonnie just stared back, grabbed me by the back of the neck and said "C'mon little brother, I got you."

I really don't know what happend between my brother and my friends but I get the feeling Sonnie don't like them cats too much. I was really glad when our bus came, because Darius 'nem was tripping off me and my brother's new shoes Moms had got us at the mall Saturday and I thought we was gonna have to fight. And man, I hate fighting. I just wanna play ball and live good like Ozzie, Vince and Willie.

The morning kept getting weirder. The bus pulled up and the busdriver asked me for my bus pass. He looked at it and said "Wrong, bus little guy, you have to wait on the other bus." I was like "what other bus?" "The one that says Eureka Elementary, this bus here is for the junior and senior highs." I looked at Sonnie, Sonnie looked at me and we both looked at Darius 'nem. "You'll be alright little brother, they yo' partners right?"

Sonnie got on the bus. I wasn't scared but I was. Darius, Marcus and Baby had always been cool with me but they hated my brother, so I was kinda nervous. They just started asking all sort of questions out of the clear blue sky "Why ya'll ain't going to Columbia, Cass? Where you get them shoes at Cass? Where dat 'foxy momma of yours at, Cass?" And then the bus came.