Part two of Eugene Sledge x Black Reader.
âCourage meant overcoming fear and doing oneâs duty in the presence of danger, not being unafraid.â -Â Eugene Bondurant Sledge
They talked long hours about inequality and the need for change. Neither of them even realized how late it was, until the room was completely empty and Eugeneâs friend came to tell them they need to close the coffeehouse. They took their things, thanked the boy and went out of the shop.
âWell, I promised to get you back home safely,â he smiled while Angel shook her head.
âOh, no. The only person I donât want to mess with in this world is my dad. And he wonât be happy seeing me with a boy,â she chuckled quietly and he nodded his head.
âI understand,â after he said that, she felt a little bad. The real reason she did not want to let him walk her home, was because she promised her friend she will not be that âstupid.â However, she talked to him for hours and she grew to really like him. She did not want it to be their last meeting.
So she added, âbut you know what? I finish my classes at 3 PM tomorrow. How about we meet in the coffeehouse around 3:30? I would like to talk to you some more,â she gave him a warm smile.
âIâd like that. You taught me a lot today. Iâd love to find out some more,â he admitted. She fascinated him. Angel gave him a double thumbs up.
âOh, no worry. I will bring a whole new set of facts and figures tomorrow. I must admit, you were a great student. Iâm proud,â she chuckled quietly.
âAnd you were the best professor Iâve ever had. If only others could talk as interestingly as you do. Learning would be much easier,â he complimented her and she was really happy to receive such a compliment. Some guys complimented on her looks, others liked her personality and sense of humor, but she hardly ever received a compliment about her intelligence, which was the most important thing for her that anyone could point out about her.
âSo, do we have an arrangement?â she asked, waiting for his reaction. âWill we see each other tomorrow?â
âOh, most definitely. I wouldnât keep a lady waiting,â she smiled in response. They said their goodbyes and each of them went their own way. Eugene turned around a few times to see her again. So did she, right before she turned to a corner she would not see him from, and their eyes met. They both smiled embarrassed. She was the first one to wave at him. He waved back. Then he lost her out of sight.
When he came back home, he kept on thinking about everything she said. Her words resonated in his mind. She was so right, about everything. Before that, he always thought not being a part of a problem was enough. That day he understood how important it was to actually be an active participant in the fight for justice. Fight other than physical, which was the only type they taught him in the military.
The next day he came a little early, as usual. He sat in the same corner and drank his coffee, waiting for her to show up. He really hoped she will not stood him up. He liked her and wanted to get to know her better. Minutes passed by, and she still did not show up in the door of the coffeehouse, despite Eugene observing it closely.
âIâm sorry for being late. They kept me longer in class,â she smiled apologetically, throwing her purse on the chair and sitting next to him.
âOh, itâs not a problem. I hope you got home safely yesterday,â he started a conversation after the waiter brought her order.
âYes, I did. Itâs pretty close to my neighborhood. We all know each other there, I always feel safe,â she smiled and sipped her coffee.
âThe sense of community is always nice,â he said while nodding his head. She wondered whether she should ask that question, but she couldnât really help herself.
âJust like the army, right?â Angel looked at him biting her lip. She was not the one to be scared of tough conversations. Her topics were usually difficult, since she didnât like a simple small talk. She wanted her life and her relations to be deeper and more meaningful than just that.
Eugene looked at her surprised, not expecting this kind of question at all. He put his coffee away and took a deep breath.
âYou were in the army, werenât you?â she asked, not wanting to let go that easily. She wanted to get to know him, and his army experience was obviously a huge part of his life.
âYes, I was. For over three years,â he liked her. He wanted to be honest with her, but it really wasnât the kind of topic he wanted to explore.
âMy friendâs brothers all went to war. Most of them even returned. They enrolled even though their father was doing everything he could to get that idea out of their heads. His own father was born into slavery and he could not understand how could anyone risk their life for a country that enslaved their ancestors, tortured them and raped the women to create more free labor. But they went anyway. You know why?â he shook his head. He had some ideas, but preferred to let her speak. âBecause that is their country. It was created on slavery. Slaves made the United States. Not to mention all those asshole whoâd say we cannot decide for this country if we didnât fight for it.â
Eugene nodded his head. He remembered very well all the slurs he heard directed at the Black community. He reacted every time, but unfortunately it rarely changed anything other than the soldiersâ opinion of Sledge.
âNot to mention the Double V. Victory in Europe and victory here. Have you heard about it?â she asked looking at Eugene.
âYes, actually, I did. I support the cause wholeheartedly. I canât imagine how it must feel⌠Itâs already hard enough coming home from war, feeling estranged and misplaced. I canât imagine how it felt for them, coming back to a segregated country that doesnât even allow you to sit in the front of the bus, even though you risked your life for freedom of that countryâŚâ he scoffed and shook his head. âThe greatest democracy in the world, fighting with the nationalistic regime of Germany whose segregated country used the US as their role model for that separation.â
She raised her eyebrow and he nodded, confirming what he has just said is true.
âIn the 30s, when they were isolating Jews from the rest of the society, they looked at the American model of segregation. I read a report on it. I guess the United States must be really proud to be such a great idol for others,â he said ironically.
âThatâs just outrageousâŚâ she sighed and then looked at him. âCan you tell me the stories you have of Black soldiers? I ask this question to anyone I know who went to war.â He hesitated, not being happy about speaking of war, but finally agreed, since he did not have to talk about himself specifically.
âThe situation was no better than the one back here. The troops were segregated. At the beginning they didnât even allow none of the Black men to carry a gun. I guess they were scared of a revolution, or whatever other thing white men thought they obviously deserved for their actions. So the Black men were used for other things. They unpacked the trucks, cooked, drove cars. Only later, when we were short of men, they allowed Black troops to actually fight. A lot of them became great pilots. I really respect their courage, cause after all they fought for a country which doesnât even treat them like full citizensâŚâ
ââLike actual humans,â thatâs what you wanted to say. You donât have to be afraid of the truth,â she interrupted him. âItâs because of the Double V. We need justice all over the world, we need to stop racists in America, Europe and everywhere else. We donât stop here, itâs just a start. We managed to win in Germany, so why not here?â she smiled, and her smile was full of hope that one day things will be better.
âI understand their reasons now. Thank you, it became cleared to me,â Eugene smiled. He already loved listening to her. She spoke with such energy and faith in her cause. âBut I have to tell you, their determination was like no otherâs. Because I donât know a single white man who would keep on pushing and trying to get in combat for a country that segregates armyâs bathrooms⌠Hell, they segregated even blood donations! Can you imagine that? As if Black blood was any different from white⌠I mean, itâs red. Itâs blood.â She just shook her head with disapproval and disgust, but she was not surprised at all. What for him was a shocking news, for her was everyday life.
âThereâs a great poem, I donât know if you heard about it. Itâs called âBeaumont to Detroitâ by Langston Hughes,â she looked at him expecting a reaction, but he just shook his head.
âIâm sorry, I never heard of it,â he admitted, ashamed he was not familiar with it. She took a book out of her bag. It was a notebook with a handwritten title: âPoems of Freedom, Justice and Equality.â She opened it on selected page and began to read the poem to him.
âââŚI ask you this question/Cause I want to know/How long I got to fight/BOTH HITLER â AND JIM CROW,ââ she finished reading the poem and looked at him for reaction. He did not say anything for a long moment.
âThatâs⌠Thatâs a really good poem. And it touches all the painful spots. Iâm just really sorry, on behalf of all menâŚâ
âNo, donât apologize for them. They wouldnât apologize. They donât apologize and they wonât apologize. They donât feel sorry. You feel sorry, and you have nothing to apologize for. Youâre one of the good guys. We donât judge people because of what they ancestors did to us. We judge people by their current actions. We want to be heard, acknowledged. We understand that living your whole life in a country based on slavery mightâve made you turn a blind eye on some issues. We understand that the systemic racism made you believe in certain things. We really know all of that. But it doesnât excuse anyone from learning. The problem is very often ignorance. People just assume something is this way because itâs ought to be this way. Or they say something in supposedly good faith, and when we educate them about it being a wrong thing to say, they donât want to acknowledge their mistake. That I donât understand and I wonât accept. Everyone makes mistakes. As a white man, you cannot know about all the issues a Black woman faces. But you should be willing to learn about them and fix your mistakes,â Eugene thought to himself that this girl should be a universally known speaker. She spoke with such respect, intelligence and charisma. She knew how to put the issues so that everyone understood her. She couldâve been the next Sojourner Truth if they let her. And it was then when it hit him. Why has he heard of so many Black male orators, but so few women? Was it that the system wanted to silence Black women in particular? Was the problem rooted not only in racism, but also in sexism? Yes, of course it was. Eugene could not believe it took him so long to see how oppressed were the Black women, who had to fought not just with white men, but also with white women, who did not want to acknowledge their femininity, in order to cut them from the feminist movement.
âSo teach me. Tell me, please. If you want to. What are the most common mistakes white people make? Iâll try to teach others about them, so we can all know better,â she smiled hearing that. She thoroughly enjoyed having such a clever student.
âFirst of all, stop with the âI donât see colorâ thing. Iâm glad you acknowledge that a color of oneâs skin shouldnât be a reason to treat them as a lesser human. I mean, it should be obvious, but unfortunately it isnât. But itâs not a good thing to say things like that. Because by ânot seeing colorâ you donât acknowledge the pain and struggle Black people have to endure every single day. Another thing â could the white ladies just stop asking to touch our hair? Weâre not their puppies to pet. And donât assume you understand. Donât talk about those issues as if they were yours. Itâs not just for you specifically, of course, is directed at all white people. I hear all too often them discussing our experience as if they were all-knowing. You have no idea. You have just the point of view of the oppressor, even if you donât oppress anyone knowingly or purposefully. You didnât live the struggle, so respect the fact you donât know how it feels,â he actually took out a notebook and wrote down some of the things she said, as she continued to lecture him. They talked about race and social issues, and then their conversation turned more casual. They talked about books and poetry and exchanged some names they might like to read. Finally, Eugene found the courage to ask the question he thought about for some time.
âWould you like to maybe go out with me? Like⌠Not for a coffee, for a dinner for example,â he smiled and then looked down, being a little shy. He did not ask a girl out since he was in high school, apart from that one ball after he returned from the war, but neither he nor the girl enjoyed their time there.
Angel smiled slightly, but needed to remind him of something that he did not realize as he usually did not have to live with it. She was not surprised he did not know. Most white people do not think of such things before making plans, because the issue did not involve them.
âIf you can find a restaurant that will allow us to sit there, sure,â her smile was a little sad. In Washington maybe it would be easier, but they were still in Alabama. âThey usually donât allow mixed couples in the public eye, you know, not to ruin their reputation. Black people are hardly allowed in any fancy places anyway.â
âSo⌠I invite you to my house. Iâll cook the dinner,â he smiled. Of course, he did not think of the reputation his household will have among his neighbors after that event, but if anyone reminded him of it, he would say he did not care. If they had a problem with that, then it means they were racist, and he did not wish to affiliate himself with such people. âI can pick you up from wherever you want. I assume your father may not appreciate my presence at your house.â
âOh, no. Just give me the time and address. I will definitely be there and get there on my own. I cannot wait to see what youâll make for that dinner,â she gave him a big smile. She wrote down the address and they agreed on the time. They were both really happy about the meeting. Neither of them commented on how happy they were, because they did not want to jinx it or appear weird, but they definitely could not wait for the Saturday to come. And it sure looked promising.
