CHAPTER ELEVEN,
narrative ( saturday )
3 hours earlier...
"... in gods name we pray, amen" the family broke the circle created around the table as they let go of each other's hands. to say the least they were a very traditional and religious family, giving grace before every meal was a must.
vinnie poked his silver fork around the plate which held macaroni salad and meatloaf. after he started dating zara he realized his mothers cooking wasn't anything special and lacked a lot of seasoning. but of course he wouldn't be honest and tell her that because he could tell she took pride in her cooking.
his mother, father, and little brother engaged in conversation with one another while vinnie stayed quiet, his eyes fixed to the plate of food.
"how is school going son?" vinnies father asked, causing his head to pop up quickly to look at him. "it's good" vinnie responded with a slight smile.
his mother took notice to his strange demeanor and attitude. she had notice a change in his behavior throughout the last couple of weeks but she never bothered to ask him about it. "are you okay honey" she finally questioned, "is the food okay?"
vinnie nodded, "the foods... great mom but there is something i need to tell you guys". both of his parents stopped eating and gave their eldest son their full attention.
"i have a girlfriend" he blurted, as if he had been holding it in for years. "aww that's great sweetie" his mother smiled from across the table, "who's the lucky girl?"
vinnie bit his lip as he looked at his brother, the only family member he had trusted his secret with. he gave him a 'good luck' look before excusing himself from the table. he didn't want to have to witness his family get teared apart during dinner.
"her name is zara" vinnie gulped, "we've been together for 9 months". he felt his whole body heat up as his palms became sweaty and sticky.
"zara?" his father questioned as he raised a brow, "sounds... african". his mom, carolina, gasped as she hit his arm, "honey stop it that's so rude! i think our son knows better to date an african girl... maybe she's one of those white south africans or something" she shrugged
vinnie tried his best to keep his cool. he didn't want to go off on them just yet, knowing things would only get messier. he cleared his throat, adjusting his posture, "um no... she's actually... jamaican"
joseph, his father, laughed whilst his wife choked on her water, spitting it all over the table. "what's funny" vinnie questioned, leaning back into his seat.
"so you're telling me you have a black girlfriend?" joseph asked as he caught his breath.
vinnie was used to his parents antics but nonetheless their reaction shocked him. he knew how it went. play it off as a joke, shock, confusion, in denial, anger. the same thing happened when they found out vinnie wasn't a republican.
his family took politics more serious than they needed. their house was basically a trump shrine, and that isn't even over exaggeration. there was at least one trump 2020 flag or poster plastered in each room, as well as a vote trump sign stuck into the soil of their front lawn. now that was the least of it, both of his parents wardrobes contained several pieces of trump 2020 merchandise which vinnie found hideous.
"yes she's black but i don't see why that matters" vinnie answered. his parents exchanged a confused look. "so this isn't a joke" his father asked once again as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"i really don't see why it would be" the teen went on, causing his mother to scold him on giving attitude to his father. "so my son is dating a negro?" he asked once more, unable to comprehend what was going on
vinnie clenched his jaw, "don't use that word". he truly loved his parents to death but one thing he couldn't handle was the blatant racism. he had gotten in fights with them many times before when it came to race but it hurt him 100% more when he knew now the dialect was being used against his girlfriend.
"is n*gger a more appropriate word for you?" his father pressed. vinnie wasn't trying his hardest to keep his cool. he gripped onto his fork tightly as he twirled his butterknife in between the long slender fingers of his left hand. he was a fidgeter. it was the easiest way for him to handle his anger issues.
"what? that n*gger of a girlfriend got your mind all twisted up vincent?! you think it's okay to be running around with these darkies that ruined our country? huh?! she's probably gonna end up using you for money like ever other negro in this country. living off our tax money as they run around like monkeys" that was stage five. his father could get just as intense as vinnie could, which led to weary and long arguments and fights. it was like fighting fire with fire.
"you're a fucking disgusting racist!" vinnie yelled as he stood up from the table quickly, "you don't even know her!" he protested
"i don't need to know her. all these n*ggers are the same. bringing crime, drugs, and crime into MY country!" his dad yelled back as he also stood up from the table.
"honey calm down" his mother said to his father as she held onto his arm, "he's just confused... nothing the power of the good lord can't fix".
vinnie laughed as he rubbed his temples, "i'm done. you guys are being so ridiculous".
"what's ridiculous is you choosing to ruin this family with your democratic ways" joseph continued to argue as vinnie picked his bag up from the ground. "our family line does not need any black blood in it. it needs to stay pure!"
vinnie didn't say anything else. he knew it was not worth his time or energy. his parents would never understand, even if he shoved all the facts into their faces. he threw his book bag over his shoulder as he headed for the door.
"if you walk out of here vincent you're not allowed back". his fathers hands gripped tightly to the side of the table as he threatened his son. vinnie turned around, glaring straight into his fathers eyes. "that's 100% fine by me" he said while pulling his hoodie over his head of curls.
and as that was said vinnie turned back around and out the front door into the pouring rain. he felt lost, confused and ultimately frustrated and upset. but he knew that what he did was right, and it had to be done. not only from zara's sake, but for his own.
nothing is worse than a racist,
white, intitled catholic.
𝐣𝐨𝐭𝐬
trump supporters are so
fucking stupid i just can't
wrap my head around the
fact that people like this
actually exist...
n e ways #justiceforahmaud
