Forbidden Friendships and Pyromaniacs

We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us.

~Francois Rabelais

***

I just saw my former high school on the news. It appears that someone set a fire in one of the secluded stairwells. I'm sure the lil' turkey who set that fire wasn't the first to feel heat in those things.

I sure did.

Ahhh, memories.

I don't remember as much as I should about my not so glorious teenage years. I'll blame my age. I do have my diary that details tales of things that I rarely admit to doing.

Yes, I'm gonna burn that thing, eventually.

But I do remember a friend who used to meet me in the oddest of places (hidden stairwells, under the bleachers, empty hallways, and various nooks and crannies around the school).

His name was Curtis.  Curtis was hot, adorable, and black. He put me in mind of Alexander O'Neal and I was smitten from the start. The only thing I really remember is he the way he jumped when he saw me and tried to act all suave as I approached.

I enjoyed his company. He made me laugh. He was handsome, thoughtful, and fun. He was like a boyfriend should be, interesting with an intriguing body.

My relatives were incredibly racist and my Step-Father threatened to have him killed. In my 15 year old mind, that threat was credible. His family was just as un-supportive, they didn't want him with a white girlfriend either. I'm not even going to mention what some of our friends said.

We had many reasons to keep things under wraps and hidden which, over time, gave us ample opportunity to explore the school's less used spaces.

We couldn't tell our friends that we were seeing each other. That led to hurt feelings and, well, the end of our relationship - before it really ever began.

The human toll of racism in the form of lost friendships, lost ideas, lost opportunities,

and lost potentials is incalculable.

To tell the truth, when I toured my high school last year I lingered in the stairwells and remembered the ebony hottie that helped me heat them up.

Okay, he wasn't the only handsome guy I thought about but I'll keep that one to myself. I'll just say that, sometimes, the fires that burn the hottest are those we never fully explore.

Anyhow, if one is going to set fire to a building, don't use matches or a lighter. There are much better ways of setting things aflame.


Disclaimer for High School Kids: I guess I should state that as fun as romance is, uh, it is best to refrain from such activities at public schools given the current environment of surveillance and zero tolerance polices. It's a different world now.