The Right Gift

Author's note: hatred and violence due to racial differences.

“Thanks a lot”, John White said sarcastically. He closed the front door, went to his cold bedroom, opened the drawer of his wooden nightstand, took his old revolver, sat down on his comfortable bed, breathed in deeply, looked at his upset face in the mirror, and killed himself without thinking much about it… or after a fast-convincing thought. John White was raised in a rural southern county where lifestyle and social etiquette have remained the same for ages.

* *  *

Jamal Black was raised in a country where lifestyle and social etiquette were hard to change.

His ancestors came from a beautiful and exotic continent so long ago. They used to be royalty; nonetheless, because of a twisted destiny, they became slaves in that new dreamland. They were treated as merchandise by ignorant cruel beings from an arrogant continent who cultivated their insane seed in that former paradise.

*  *  *

“Hey you, kid. What the hell are you doing here? Don´t you know you don’t belong…? Get out.” That was the greeting John used to introduce himself to a little Jamal, who immediately ran away from the store and never came back. “These… (people) forget their place!”, John told the store owner, who cackled. Both men continued watching the escaping scene with satisfaction.

“Daddy, a man yelled at me at the General Store… but I ain’t do nothing wrong.”, Jamal explained while he was trying to catch his breath.

“Why were ya there? Ya know ya need no trouble.”, his father said firmly.

“Granny asked me to buy some flour. But dad!!!”, Jamal vainly tried to insist.

“Ya could have gone to Mr. Brown’s store instead. Ya must be among ya own kind… ya people. Learn this: not everybody loves everybody.”, the father lectured the naive boy.

“Ain’t we God’s children, dad?”, Jamal reflected wisely that time.

“Yes, we are… But some don’t respect God’s commands. So, ya ain’t have no brothas ‘n’ sistas than ya family.”, Jamal’s father added sadly.

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Ya’d betta…”

Some lessons, that are more difficult to assimilate, take time; fortunately, as time passes, it is possible to obtain some new juicy fruit from them.

*  *  *

“What the hell are you doing? Why are you with this…? John told his son who was playing ball with Jamal. Then he turned his face to talk to Jamal, who was a young man by then, and said: “I don’t want to see your ugly face in my house, UNDERSTOOD? Never come back. Get LOST.”

“I didn’t know this was your house, sir.”, said Jamal and left.

That was the second time John and Jamal met.

Then John preached to his son: “Don’t you know who and WHAT you are? Remember your inheritance!”

John’s son said nothing, head down. He was in deep thought, trying to comprehend what has just happened. Then he noticed there was something wrong with his father.

“Dad?! Are you all right?”, John’s son asked.

“Now that you mentioned it, I’m not feeling OK. My arm…”, said John while rubbing his left arm.

“Mom, please come. There’s something wrong with dad…”

John White was taken to the hospital where doctors found out his heart wasn’t working well. It has been working extra emotions its entire existence!

“Ma’am, your husband needs a heart transplant operation. We’ll keep him here for a couple of days, you know, for observation. Then, he’ll be sent home… We need to pray to God for a new heart for him. I’m sure there will be a good donor soon, you’ll see.”, the doctor explained.

Because all John White’s KKK colleagues came to cheer him up at the hospital those 2 long days, he seemed to be happy, to recover his mood a bit.

Once those 2 days passed, John was able to not only return home but also continue with his normal life at home.

“Oh, Lord, please send me a healthy heart soon.”, he prayed.

That night, to celebrate his health recovery, the local KKK members invited John to join them to frighten and beat some negroes. He agreed with great pleasure.

And so, they did. Those white-hood gangsters planted the Jesus’ cross in a family’s front yard just to burn it down. They also started to throw stones inside that house. They were having fun. On the other hand, the family members were deeply terrified. Their father ordered them to stay inside the house no matter what. However, Jamal Black decided to face his offenders. He came out of hiding, but a stub wound stopped his act of bravery. Jamal fell on his knees, there was blood all over, he collapsed.

“Now you’ve learned the lesson… I told you to stay away from my life, from us. To learn your place!”, John White said while holding a dagger. That was the third time John and Jamal met. John was extremely excited about his return with his mates on that wonderful night.

John thought it was time for him to cheer his buddies up, therefore, he began to shout “white power” while raising his left-hand fist.

“White power”, his KKK friends echoed many times.

Then John dropped his dagger, put his right hand to his chest, fell on his knees, and fainted.

John White woke up. He was a little dizzy and confused. “Where am I?”, he thought.

“I’m glad you are still with us, welcome back to the kingdom of the living!”, the doctor said. Then the physician added: “I have great news for you… yeah, you got the heart you were undoubtedly needing. We have already done a successful surgery.”

His family showed up in his hospital room (they seemed to be nervous) but his war comrades didn’t, which was a bitter surprise for John. After a couple of weeks, he went back home but received no visitors that time… except for the one who knocked at John White’s front door the day John shot himself in the head to say the point directly: “Did you know the heart that is beating in your chest was once my son’s, my Jamal’s?”