Some Fiction

Emily Benedict Morgan, age 17, just moved into a tiny apartment with her mother, Catherine. They were new to the block, in fact, new to the urban space where they were referred to as the "The Lily White Duo."

The projects is a tough place for anyone with a shred of morality. To their new occupants, it was a war zone. Was this the best they could do? Yes, as the father, a Mr. J. Peter Morgan, banker, had jet off with his new girlfriend to a country far from the reach of an American lawyer, it was definitely out of reach for the alleyway dreg of a litigant Catherine could afford.

So, broke as they were, they made the best of the space. Catherine's family wasn't exactly the portrait of sustainable function. They were full of glee when she married into money. Devastated when it went away. Emily, a teen now, was always quiet. A reader. Never cared for her father. Was the one who caught him on many an occasion grabbing at the female caterers during annual parties at the mansion in Amberley Village. She liked to think her mother was perceptive to these terrible indiscretions, but it's hard to pay attention when she was enamored with the bartender.

So the Jaguar is now a Toyota and the jewelry is now metal bracelets. Funny how the shine of expensive items go dull under sodium vapor light. Equally difficult are the friends they left behind. But for some reason, there was a freedom to poverty. To Emily, she could excuse herself from events she thought too dull by simply claiming they didn't have the gas money. Or that she'd feel awful if she didn't arrive with a present. She discovered most of her friends had a very empathetic nature, whether it be honest of not. She'd take advantage of this by NOT taking advantage and remaining at home to make sure Catherine didn't have to watch "Moonlighting" alone.

During the day, however, Emily still had to go to school. Public school. The type of school people write about decades later that would seem more like prison. Except, in Emily's case, it wouldn't be too far off.

James A. Garfield High was a free for all. The population was predominantly African-American, why shouldn't the school? When one-half the Lily White Duo showed for school, mid-semester, this caused a ripple. Now when a blonde-haired blue eyed uppity snob of a girl entered, it was a tsunami...

Stay tuned...