Chapter Three: Tinned Beans And Fires

We soon got to a village of small shanty houses and half knocked down buildings, built closely together. The place was lit by a large fire, surrounded by people. Black people.

Ulysses guided me through the crowed onto what I presumed was a seat.

It was actually the log of a tree cut in half and put upside down, but I decided that if it was good enough for Ulysses, it was good enough for me.

We sat down and I gaped at the fire in front of me. I had never been this close to one before. The heat touched my skin as I inhaled the scent of the fire.

While I was gazing at the fire Ulysses handed me a can of beans and a small plastic spoon.

"I know it ain't what youse used to but it's somethin' to fill ya up after the long walk 'ere."

"Thank you." I replied, smiling at him.

He smiled back, and then started eating his own can of beans.

I scooped up some beans with my spoon and sniffed it. It wasn't the most appetising smell. Definitely nothing like what I had at the restaurant.

I decided to ignore the smell and put the spoonful in my mouth. I chewed cautiously, to the foreign taste.

It wasn't too bad, I guessed. But it would definitely take some time to get use to.

Once we had both finished Ulysses brought me to a small hut, dimly lit by a few candles. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by a smiling face.

"Ulysses Benson! Good to see ya, as always!" The man said.

"You too, Griffin." Ulysses exclaimed.

"Oy! Whose this you got here then? Ules, you sly thing. You got yourself a girl." Griffin said smirking.

I was very worried now. Ulysses was one thing, but I had no idea how Griffin would react to my colour skin. For all I knew he may hate my type.

"Oh! She's just a friend. She cut herself on somethin' when coming 'ere."

"Yeah. Friend. Whatever you say Ules." Griffin said smirking. "Now let's get this cut sorted 'ey."

Griffin passed me a stool to sit on, and then got one for himself. I sat down slowly, while Ulysses gave me a reassuring smile.

"Come on then. Where's the cut?" Griffin asked.

I lifted my right leg out of the cloak and watched Griffin quickly get up and walk backwards a bit.

"Ugh. No Ulysses. Just no."

"Oh, come on Griff!" Ulysses said, desperately.

"No way am I getting involved in these white uppies!"

Again with the "uppies" what on earth did that mean!

"Please."

"No Ulysses. The fact that I've already been in the same room as a white uppie means certain death."

"Your exaggerating Griff. No one's actually been killed. No one that we personally know anyway..."

"Remember what happened to Evelyn! And that was only a boy uppie think about a girl! I'm already thinking of the headline, 'black man contacts innocent white girl and is rightly punished'." Griffin ranted.

"She could even lead all her friends here and then... BOOM. We're all goners." Griffin said dramatically.

Ulysses looked uncomfortable at the name 'Evelyn' but then his expression changed to an exasperated sigh.

He looks over at me and rolls his eyes and I laugh to myself. Classic Ulysses.

Griffin was still ranting on about how I'll get Ulysses killed and I couldn't help but feel a bit self conscious. Was this really what every black person thought when they see a white person?

"I promise I won't say anything or tell anyone." I said in a small voice.

Griffin looked at me suspiciously.

"Honestly, girlie, ya promises don't mean nada to me." He sighed deeply and pulled his hand through his hair. "You owe me big time Ules."

"Thanks Griff! She really means a lot to me." Ulysses said, beaming like a small child.

"Yeah. Yeah." Griffin muttered, while sitting back down on the stool.

+++

Griffin soon finished cleaning my wound and stitched it up. When Griffin left the room to wash his hands I decided to finally communicate with Ulysses, who hadn't moved from where he first stood.

"How're ya feeling, Mar?"

"Alright" I said. "But did he know what he was doing, I mean not to judge but you don't exactly have the same... you know- "

"Yeah. I get what ya mean. No need to feel embarrassed, it's true, isn't it? Oh and yeah he does know what he's doing. You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff thrown at us in the streets. You've got to know how to fix ya self otherwise infections and all that stuff." Ulysses replied.

I nodded, thankful.

A new face walked through the same door Griffin had gone out of into the room we were in.

He took one look at me with disgust.

"Ugh. Why on earth did ya bring an uppie 'ere?" He said.

"Come on Tom. Don't be like that." Ulysses said.

"Nah. I'm not 'aving this! Not where I live. Scram ya uppie! Ya don't belong 'ere and ya never will!" Tom said, looking at me with pure hatred.

"Oy! Back off, okay? She's a friend."

"I don't care who's friend she is, but she'll 'ave the KKK on us. Bet ya."

"Oh, shut up Tom."

"A friend? Ha! Ulysses you're forgetting what they did to ya sister and ya pa."

At that moment Griffin came through the door.

"Dammit Tom. I thought I told ya not to come in 'ere!" Griffin said.

"It's a jolly good thing I did. Having an uppie in our house! What on earth were ya thinking?!" Tom shouted.

"Oh, just get rid of the girl, Ules, I'll deal with this one." Griffin said, shifting his head towards Tom.

"Alright Griff and thanks." Ulysses said opening the door.

"And remember, you owe me big time." Griffin said sternly.

"Yeah. Yeah." Ulysses said, waving his hand.

Ulysses guided me out as I wrapped the cloak around me once again.

We then walked back to the chain link fence. I went back over the fence, successfully this time, without any cuts.

"Ulysses?"

"Yeah."

"What did Tom mean when he said the KKK?" I questioned.

"You really are clueless, aren't ya. The KKK, also known as the Ku Klux Klan." He said.

"Oh. Yeah I know them, they go round getting rid of all the black crimina- " I stopped myself before saying anymore.

"Is that what they tell you?!"

I nodded. I knew I shouldn't have brought it up.

"What they do is, they go round killing innocent black people. Wearing bed sheets over their heads for God knows why. They don't exactly need to hide themselves! They've got so many connections, that they won't ever been sentenced." Ulysses sighed angrily.

"I'm sorry I brought it up." I said quietly.

"Nah. It ain't ya fault. It's theirs for telling you complete utter lies." He said. "But believe when I say that I don't see you as someone I should hate. I see you as someone who was mislead."

"Me too." I said back. "Bye Ulysses. I had an amazing time tonight, even after what happened earlier."

"Same 'ere Mar and what was it I said when I first saw ya? Pleasure to meet ya." He said.

"Yeah. Something like that." I said, grinning.

I then took the long walk back home.

+++

A few months later, I continued to secretly see Ulysses, while my mother continued to make wedding plans for me, with Kathleen.

I would usually see Ulysses at night, but it meant that I would be rather sleepy in the morning, falling asleep in my breakfast.

"Marcia. Marcia." My dad said waving his hand in front of my face.

"What?" I said surprised.

"Are you okay? You've been really sleepy this past few months." He said, with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah. Just a few sleepless nights." I said, lying through my teeth.

"Well, this might open your eyes." My father said, smiling.

In his hands was a book.

"This reminded me of you and how you would always day dream while me and your mother had conversations." He said laughing.

I laughed.

"Yeah. I guess I did have a tendency to let my mind wonder." I said. "Thanks father."

I hugged him to show my appreciation and took the book to my room to read.

"Alice in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll." I looked at the book's cover.

The cover had a small blonde girl sitting on... a mushroom? Next to her was a man with a playing card attached to his top hat and a white rabbit in a waistcoat.

How peculiar...

I opened the book up and started reading immediately.

"Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversations?'"

+++

Within a few hours I had finished the book.

I put it on my dressing table and fell onto my bed, letting my thoughts consume me.

I had read many books ever since my father had taught me to read. But this book was something else. It made me question everything I ever thought I knew. I absolutely loved it.

It was something completely out of my comfort zone and unexpected.

Alice, the protagonist, connected with me. She reminded me of myself when I was little. When I was innocent questioning things I didn't know.

I sat up from my bed. I couldn't just keep this book to myself. I wanted to tell everyone about it.

How Alice fell down the rabbit hole. How she met the Mad Hatter. Everything.

I knew I couldn't tell everyone but I knew one person I could.

Ulysses Benson.

+++

I found myself at the chain link fence waiting for Ulysses.

"Mar! Nice ta see ya again."

"You too Ulysses." I said with a grin.

"So any particular reason you decided to bless me with ya presence?"

"Oh!" I took the book from behind my back and showed him. "This amazing book is something you have to read!"

"Err Mar. Ya do realise I can't read." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

"What? What do you mean- "

"As you've said before, I don't 'ave a good school like you. Ha. I didn't even have a school." He said.

"Oh. I could teach you if you would like?" I asked, hopefully.

"Wow! Ya really want me ta read that book don't ya."

"Well it's a good book believe me."

I spent the next few hours teaching Ulysses how to read. I first started with the alphabet, just like how my father taught me. Luckily, he already knew how to speak so it was just a case of matching words in the book with the words he spoke.

Soon he had read the first chapter of the book.

"Really? The girl thought she could hear a talking rabbit. That girl was definitely on some sort a drugs. You know? Like the kind the Beatles sing about?"

"I don't listen to the Beatles. But it's a boy band right?" I asked.

"Yeah, ya not wrong there. You should though. Despite all the words about drugs I can't afford, they got some pretty good tunes."

I laughed. He was so straight up, just like when I first met him.

"Okay. I'll try my best to listen to one of their songs."

"Damn Right ya will."

"Well, I better be going. See you soon Ulysses." I said.

"Wait, before ya go can I 'ave that book." Ulysses said.

"I told you, you would like the book!"

"Okay. Okay. So what if the girl's on drugs. It's a good book. So far anyway."

"I will agree with you on that one." I replied, smiling.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Mar." He said, giving me a little bow.

"I bid you adieu, Mr Benson." I said, nodding my head at him.

"What! No curtsy?" He said, with fake shock.

"Goodbye Ulysses." I said, smiling.

"See ya, Mar!" Ulysses grinned.

I took one look at him before I turned my back on the chain link fence.