Defending Principle

Intelligence in a black child, especially in school, can isolate her from her kind.  As time went on, she saw more like white and less like black.

It was Reading class, and kids tended to have certain seats they always sat in.  She was no different.

One particular day, one of the "preppies" (whites whose parents were well-to-do) decided to put his ass in her seat.  She checked to see if his seat was occupied.  If it was, she would let it pass, but to her surprise, his usual seat was free.

But the reader of this tale may inquire, "Why not sit in his seat?"

Simple--it's the principle.  Why choose this day?  Why choose her seat when his was available?

She said, "Excuse me, but you are in my seat."

He replied, "Funny, I don't see your name on it."

She countered, "But you know, I sit there all the time..."

He lashed, "My seat is free; take taht one!"

She explained, "That is not the point.  I like that seat; it's the seat I've walways had since the start of the school year..."

He yelled, "Get another seat, nigger!"

The heat that rushed to her face and behind her eyes summoned me. 

This event could go one of two ways.  One would be her normal m.o.--to bite her tongue and take his seat, to stew on it for the rest of the day.  But I was no longer content to let her have any say over the second, which would have been to tell the teacher and let her deal with it.  Ignorant pricks like him needed a more forceful wake up call.  So I used the heat of her anger to become part of her.  The point where she would concede I forced her to stand.

He yelled again, this time attracting attention, "I guess you're deaf.  I told you to find another seat, n-----"

And before he could get it out, I froze her hesitation, transplanted my adrenalin, clutched his throat and flung him out of the chair and against the concrete wall.  His face quickly turned red as all conversation ceased.

Her mouth moved to form the words, "Call me nigger again or sit in my seat, you will be very sorry."

My intensity activated his fear and accelerated him to his seat.  The teacher entered, aware something had happened but no one stepped up to offer any information. 

As she sat at her desk, I took flight.

Side Note:  He never sat in her seat again, nor called her the n word.

I smirked in satisfaction but knew I had to be careful.   I could not take her out of her normal behaviors or attract too much unwanted attention.  She hadn't noticed anything different until one of her classmates that had Art and Reading with her said, "I didn't know you were that strong, but he shouldn't have been in your seat.  I guess it is the quiet ones you've gotta watch."

Before she could investigate further, the bell rung and the informer had vanished.