#55 Red Chair, Bunch of Knives and a Man Named Rocco

The kid won 1^st place in her chess section. She just moved up recently, and won first place in two separate tournaments. I’m sure the family is cheering for her tonight as she lifts her giant trophy over her petite body.

Tonight, I know that secretly they think their kid is smart, very smart.

I know it is true because of the way they cheer for their girl and push her to win. My guess is that she wants to win.

Others can duke it out over who wants to win more. Who will win??? Now, that’s a competition!

Isn’t this an interesting navel gazing exercise.

That is not a question it is a statement.

A man, in a red wheelchair, on the subway was screaming about black supremacy and I looked around at dark skinned people who were rolling their eyes and smirking at his rant. He was loud and scary. He kept yelling at us to recognize him and the triumphs of blacks. It was so aggressive that it made it hard to listen to his words and sympathize with his passionate message. I almost felt like stopping him from screaming, asking him to speak softer, so that I could listen. Maybe everyone would listen. He was threatening and even began his rant, “these are times of uncertain violence and danger!!” I wasn’t sure if he would set off a bomb, pull out a bunch of knives or attempt a spontaneous violent attack. So I kept my head down and read.

Next to me sat a man I will call Rocco. He was giant stranger and had a small hoop earring pierced in the center external fleshy part of the ear that connects to his cheek. I whispered to him without turning my head, “ I am in no mood to be screamed at today.” He just barely smiled and kept his eyes locked on his aging yellowing paperback. The pages were slightly ripped and his hands were so gigantic that they covered almost the entire page as he held his book. I guess I felt safe sitting next to this giant. He might protect me? I doubt it.

I was sitting in the first car of the train. The rant was escalating and I wanted to scream at him, beg him to shut up. I wished I had ear buds and was listing to music to block him out. But he kept going and going.

Finally, the conductor, a black woman, came out of her enclosed driver’s compartment, opened the door- almost hitting him. “Young man, will you please keep it down!”

She closed the door and proceeded to move the train along.

“I won’t keep it down! “ he screamed. “I will never keep it down! That is the problem, people want us to keep it down!”  His screams continued as he moved away from where the conductor spoke to him.  He moved through the train screaming, unrelenting.

He left the car.

I continued reading, but also thought about what he shared. A word trophy to consider.