EXODUS (EXCERPT)

EXODUS!


CHAPTER 1: Why?

Jamille!? Jeremiah!? Hey – I need somebody to go to the store – we are out of eggs and OJ for breakfast tomorrow. Jeremiah answers “Mom – which one of has to go?” I don’t care which of you goes – as a matter of fact – why don’t you both go? That way you will stay out of trouble! Sarah looks at her twin boys and smiles as she remembers the day she brought them home. Doctors told her that she and Thomas wouldn’t be able to have any children. In her younger years, Sarah had developed endometriosis and had a lot of scar tissue, which resulted in her becoming infertile. So everyone thought! One year and exactly two months after becoming husband and wife, Sarah was pregnant – WITH TWINS!!! She and Thomas were ecstatic!!!

When the twins were born, all the nurses on the floor said that the boys were sooo good and that they didn’t cry much. I remember the head nurse coming into my room saying “Mr. and Mrs. Harris have you come up with names for your twins yet?” Thomas and I were so surprised and happy about the pregnancy that we didn’t really think of names like most parents do when they are pregnant. We both poured over books and listened to suggestions from family and friends but nothing hit home with us. We knew that we didn’t want the average “twin” names – whatever they were. Thomas wanted them to have their own identity, and he wanted them to have strong names. We finally came up with Jamille (we liked the spelling) and Jeremiah (a Biblical name). Thomas was so proud holding his two boys. He just kept looking at them and smiling as if to say “these are my boys”!!! I DID THIS!!! Hahahaha yeah while I laid there exhausted as all get out! Of course – I had nothing to do with it!

Sarah is a freelance accountant and works out of their home. She home schooled both her children for the first 5 years of their school life. She did not want anyone other than herself or her husband to have an influence over their lives until they reached a certain age. An age where they would be able to ask questions about things they did not understand.
Sarah came from a family where both parents were present in the home. She had always felt a certain pride about that. The fact that her mom and dad had been married for 45 years was a testimony to how she wanted her own marriage to be. Sarah’s mom was a stay at home mom, and her dad was an educator. Before Sarah became a Harris, she was Sarah Ann Myers.
 
Her dad, Edwin Myers was the first black professor at the prestigious Austell Hall University in Arbor Michigan. It is no wonder that Sarah decided to go to an HBCU and chose Spellman in Atlanta, Georgia. At first, her parents were dead set against her going to school so far away from home, but Sarah was a determined woman (a trait she certainly inherited from her dad) and finally convinced her parents that it was where she wanted to go – and was going. That is where she met her future husband. Thomas was a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

Sarah and Thomas met at a rally that was being held on Spellman’s campus. The rally was focused on immigration and how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was being compromised. The two were chosen to be on a debate team, and they have been inseparable ever since. Upon graduation, Sarah and Thomas remained in Atlanta and lived together for one year (against both parents’ wishes) before solidifying their union. Their marriage in May of 1999 was everything that Sarah wanted it to be. Here she was, marrying the perfect man for her – only she did not feel she was perfect for him because she was told that she would not be able to have any children. Even though Thomas constantly reassured her that he loved her, and that they could adopt, Sarah felt like she had let Thomas down as a wife, as a woman. Well, the doctors’ prognosis was proved wrong when in July of 2000, Sarah found herself to be pregnant with twin boys!

Jamille sauntered over toward his mother “aww mom I was in the middle of a great battle – haaaa yah!!!” Jamille does a roundhouse kick over Jeremiah’s head. Jeremiah ducks, grabs Jamille’s leg and almost knocks over a lamp. Now see – I know your dad should have never bought you guys that doggone game. The twins have been studying martial arts since they were 5 years old and now they are both black belts. They both enjoy games that have to do with technique and skill with regard to martial arts. One game in particular was Samurai Warrior. The twins loved the competition type battles that the game had to offer. Some of the techniques used in the game were very similar to what they had been taught. I always thought those games were much too violent for 14 year olds. Although, I must admit – you both are doing great in your martial arts classes. Just remember what your teacher told you about discipline and behavior – remember what he said – NOT IN THE HOUSE!!!! Both boys yell out “sorry mom”.
 
Sarah gives Jamille the money. Now here’s a 20 – it should be more than enough for eggs and OJ. Jamille – do not spend my change on candy! I don’t know what I’m gonna do about that sweet tooth you have! On second thought – Jeremiah you hold the money. I know you won’t spend your mommas change. Now go on before it gets too late – your father will be home soon and . . . . here he is now. As Thomas comes through the door, the boys are running past him. Hi pop – hey pop!! Whoaaa where are yall going? Babe they are going to the store to get some eggs and OJ for our breakfast tomorrow. Thomas drops his briefcase and rubs his hands together saying “boy do I look forward to our weekends - ohhhh yeah – breakfast and then PJ’s all day! Movie weekend!!! Thomas walks over to Sarah and gives her a big kiss.

Thomas Harris, Morehouse grad, is an investment broker for a prestigious real-estate consulting firm. He is one of four people of color on his job. He works hard and loves spending time with his family on the weekends. He makes sure that he is available for them, as his own father was not around when he was growing up. Thomas is a very proud man who, with the help of his mother, put himself through college and made sure that he positioned himself to obtain a well-paying job. Thomas did not know his own father, and had no one but his mom to teach him the things that he should know about being a man. His mother made sure that he acquired a thirst for learning, was neat, and mannerable. She told him that those three things would take him far in this cold world. Hey babe! I’m starving – what’s for dinner tonight?

Jeremiah stop playin! Man if you lose that money mom gave you we are gonna be in a lot of trouble! Hiyahhh!!!! - Jeremiah kicks out at Jamille and then grabs him from behind. Jamille starts to laugh and does a move that gets him out of his brother's grip. Wow nice Jamille!! I can never seem to get out of that hold easily - you have got to show me how to do that. Once inside the store, the boys continue to roughhouse a little more as they shop around for the items they came for.

The store is huge and carries everything from food to furniture. Jamille, let's go see if the new pieces are in for the Samurai game!!! Ok but we better hurry up and get back. You go check it out while I get the juice and eggs! Jeremiah finds the display and is mesmerized by the pieces that are offered. One of the pieces was a beautiful makeshift sword that looked very authentic.
 
Jeremiah picks up the sword and starts to do his martial arts movements. An elderly white woman notices Jeremiah with the sword and appears to be frightened. She looks around for a salesperson but does not see one so she gets on her cell phone and dials 911 telling the police that there is a black male in the store wielding a sword. The police show up right away.

As Jamille is picking up the juice, he sees two officers running past him. Jamille says to himself - what in the world is going on now!? He comes out of the juice aisle and heads toward the toy department when he hears 5 or 6 shots. People are screaming and running everywhere. Jamille sees his brother laying on the floor in a pool of blood still holding the toy sword. Jamille drops the items in his hands and runs to his brother. The police try to stop him but he is too quick. An officer grabs him from behind and Jamille uses the move that he used on his brother and gets out of the officer's grip. He runs to his brother crying why!? What happened??! He was crying and holding his brother. Jeremiah looked at Jamille one last time and slowly closes his eyes.

The elderly woman starts apologizing saying she didn't know it was a toy - she didn't know it was a child - she seemed to be in a demented state. Jamille screams “why did you have to kill him”!!!??? The officers keep trying to get him away from his brother but Jamille would not budge. Someone says “can't you see that they are twins”!!? Leave them alone!!! One of the customers recognizes the twins and makes a call. Oh my God - yes Tom - you and Sarah need to get here right away!!!!!

When Tom and Sarah arrive at the store there are people all around - news reporters are there and begin to stick microphones in their faces shouting "are you the parents"? "How do you feel about your sons’ death?" Sarah begins to scream "death!? What do you mean ohhhh nooooo - they both begin to run in the store - people shouting let them through - these are the parents let them through!!! When Tom and Sarah get to the scene Sarah begins to scream and cry shaking uncontrollably all the time running towards the twins she begins holding her two children. Blood is all over them all. Tom stands there looking around with tears streaming down his face shouting WHO DID THIS!!? WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!!? The police begin to reach for their guns - Tom says OH YOU'RE GONNA SHOOT ME NOW TOO!!?
 
The chief of police tells Tom to calm down and that this shooting was an accident. Tom screams an accident? An accident!? My baby is laying here in a pool of blood and you tell me it was an accident!!? The EMS worker is trying to talk to Thomas as the police chief whispers in Tom's ear that if he doesn't calm down, this situation could turn into a riot. Tom screams at the chief saying now you want some order!? Shoot first ask questions later? GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE!!!! Tom is trying to hold his entire family in his arms but the coroner is there and they have to allow them to remove the body. Tom says Sarah - baby please - Jamille please - I need you to be strong and help me get your mom out of here!

The store manager has gotten a chair for the elderly woman that made the call. They ask her to please sit down and calm herself as she is crying uncontrollably and apologizing saying over and over that she didn't know it was a child - she didn't know it was a toy!

People were yelling obscenities and saying Trayvon Martin all over again - when is this gonna stop - Eric Garner - they've done it again - these kids live in the community they never did nothing to nobody - these kids come from a good family - oh my God they've done it again - we are not gonna stand for this anymore - he was holding a toy - he is just a kid - that's his twin brother - wow he was only 14 - these kids never caused any trouble - I used to see them playing around here all the time - they were very close!

Jamille looks at his brother, and kisses him on the forehead. He then looks at his dad, who is trying desperately to tie his dead son's shoestrings that have come loose in the altercation. Jamille wipes away the tears that are streaming down his face and gently pulls his moms hands away from Jeremiah. She is rocking her child in her arms, crying and praying. Come on mom - they are here to take Jeremiah away and we have to go. The coroner is waiting patiently - telling Tom that he understands and for the family to take their time. Dad we have to go. Tom looks at his family - feeling helpless he starts to heave and sob heavily. Jamille seems to have doubled his age in the short time that all this has happened. For him - time has slowed down and people appear to be moving as if they are all in a movie with no sound.

The friend that called Tom and Sarah has offered to drive the family home - telling them not to worry about their car and that she will get help and come back for it later. Tom, Sarah, and Jamille follow the friend to her car with no objections. News media is all around trying to get statements from the family and any witnesses. The family says nothing - they get into the friends car and is slowly driven back to their home.
 
Sheila and her husband Greg Carter have been living next door to Sarah and Thomas for over 10 years. As she is driving them home, she reflects on their first meeting, and how her husband was so upset about “those” people moving in next to them. Greg is Georgia bred with deep old boy klan associations - compliments of grandpa and other male relatives. Greg grew up listening to stories about the “old South” and how it used to be when “blacks knew their place”. Sheila is a city girl, being born and raised in Hollis Queens, New York. Greg had just graduated from Columbia University School of Law – at the top of his class when he first met Sheila. His parents wondered why he wanted to go to school so far up north. Greg replied that he wanted to go to one of the best, and in his eyes, Columbia was it!

While attending a graduation celebration at a nearby club with some of his friends, Greg noticed this very pretty girl sitting alone having a drink. Instead of walking over to introduce himself, he just sat there and stared at her. Feeling a little uncomfortable after noticing this strange man staring at her, Sheila started gathering her things to leave. As she fished in her pocketbook to pay her bill, she heard someone saying to the bartender “this is on me”. Sheila said no – no please – you don’t have to do this – I have money. Greg smiled at her saying “no one said you couldn’t pay – I just want to pay it for you”. Please – let me do this. After 8 years of school, don’t make me have to use my law degree to convince you and the bartender to let me pay! I’m good and you will never win. They both start to laugh. That was the beginning of their love affair.

Sheila was an RN at City Hospital in Queens, but was in the city visiting a friend when she decided to stop and have a drink before she headed home on the subway. Greg would be in New York for about a month before he headed back to Georgia, and he spent most of that time with Sheila. Sheila fell in love with Greg’s southern charm rather quickly despite their cultural differences – and when it was time for him to leave she was heartbroken.

Greg made many trips back to New York to see Sheila, and it was during one of those trips when he proposed marriage. Greg told Sheila that he had joined a law firm in Georgia and that he intended to raise his family there. He did not want to put any pressure on her but she had to know that Georgia is where he wanted to live. Sheila did not have to think too hard about Greg’s proposal. She was basically living, alone as she had lost her mom when she was 15, and her dad when she was 21. Sheila also knew that with her being an RN, she would not have a problem getting a job.
 
That was 17 years ago. In that time, Sheila and Greg had a son, who is now 14 years old – same age as Sarah and Tom’s two boys. Phillip was 3 years old when the Harris’ moved in next door with their 3 year old twins. She hates remembering how Greg behaved. All he kept saying was “nigger this and nigger that” and “why do they have to live here?” Sheila felt as if they had went back into time. A time that she did not want to be a part of. Sheila had grown up in Queens, NY! She went to school with all types of people from many different nationalities. She found out that Greg’s experience with diversity was very limited, and if it wasn’t for him going to school in New York, he probably wouldn’t have intermingled with other races at all. It is hard to believe, but up until the Harris’ moving in, she hadn’t come in contact with this side of Greg and she did not like it at all.

As the years went by, and the boys started school, Sheila would see Sarah at PTA meetings, and they would exchange friendly nods. Sometimes, they would discuss issues that pertained to the school and how the children were impacted by what was going on. Sheila also knew that their sons had become friends. The kids could not understand why they couldn’t visit each other. Sheila explained the situation to Sarah and Greg, apologizing for her husband explaining it on his upbringing.

Around the time when the children were about 10 years old, Sheila found out that their son Phillip was being bullied in school. He would come home crying and scared not wanting her to tell his dad. Phillip did not want to disappoint his dad. He was a very timid young man – more like his mom. He wasn’t much of a fighter. Phillip felt that his dad would be embarrassed that his son could not fight.

One day, Sheila and Greg both were summoned to come to the school, but when they got there, Sarah and Thomas were there also. Greg started yelling and demanding to know what had happened. He immediately thought that the twins had done something to their son! The boys were sitting in the principles’ office, along with another child that was holding his arm as if it was broken, and the police were there also. Phillip had blood all over his shirt due to his nose bleeding. The police were there and had to calm Greg down because he kept yelling obscenities at the twins. Thomas started yelling back and threatening to do bodily harm to Greg.
 
It seems that the same bully had started a fight with Phillip – punching him in the nose. The twins came to Phillips rescue. No one at the school knew that the twins were taking martial arts lessons – it was part of their disciplinary training. They were to be humble about their knowledge of the arts, but when they saw what was happening to their friend, they attacked the bully and wound up breaking his arm.

When Greg heard that story – his whole demeanor toward the Harris’ changed. The parents of the bully came in and demanded that the twins be taken to jail. Greg stepped in and said “I am the attorney for the twins” – let’s talk about this and see if we can get this resolved without anybody going to jail. Greg informed the parents that it was their son that assaulted his son, and that he had been bullying him for quite some time. Greg also informed them that he could press charges and have their son sent to a detention facility (exaggerating a little).

From that point on, Greg and Thomas became the best of friends. Sheila and Greg knew that their son was a little different from the other children, and was very thankful that the twins had befriended him. They loved their son immensely. Sheila made a sigh of relief as she could now be open about her friendship with Sarah, and the boys’ friendship (as well as their parents) blossomed into a brotherly love for each other.

As Sheila pulled up to Tom and Sarah’s home no one moved. Sheila noticed that Greg and Phillip were home - she had called Greg from the store and told him what happened. When she pulled up they both came running to the car. Greg opened the door on Sarah’s side and tried to help her out of the car. Thomas got out and tried to help also – Sarah was still crying uncontrollably. Both men helped Sarah into the house with Sheila following. When Jamille got out of the car - Phillip was standing there. Jamille noticed that Phillip had something in his hand. With tears streaming down his face Phillip held up a picture of himself with the twins. Jamille started crying and sat down on the curb, and Phillip sat next to him not saying a word.

The next few days were like a blur to the Harris family as they prepared for their son’s funeral. They were receiving all kinds of correspondence from people they did not know – some were condolences, and some were regarding police brutality and how they should sue the police department. Civil rights leaders were calling and asking if the family wanted to seek justice for the senseless murder of their son. News reporters camped outside of their home for days. Jeremiah’s schoolmates held a candlelight vigil on the lawn of the Harris’ home the night before the funeral. The family also received a phone call from the President giving his condolences.
 
The day of the funeral it poured down raining. Jamille watched as his mom was trying desperately to get a pin on the lapel of her jacket – her hands were trembling so much that she could not do it. Jamille said mom let me do that for you. As he fixed the pin on his mom’s jacket he told her that he read somewhere that when someone dies, and it rains, the rain is washing their footprints from the earth. Jamille said mom – Jeremiah’s footprints may be washed away but I will never forget him! Sarah looked at Jeremiah and said that’s right baby – we will never forget our love. Sarah looked at her child and hugged him until Thomas told them it was time to go.

The funeral was beautiful. Brian Kennedy, a well-known Black activist flew in from New York to give the eulogy. As Brian spoke, Jamille wondered how somebody that didn’t even know his brother could give the eulogy.

The days and months following Jeremiah’s death were long and sorrowful. The activist from New York assisted Thomas and Sarah with filing a lawsuit against the police department. Greg asked if he could head up the legal team to help put the police officer behind bars – or, at the least, get him fired from the police department. As with most of the wrongful death cases involving police and citizens, the police officer did not lose his job, and he did not go to prison. The police officer was found to have acted appropriately, and that his actions were in line with the duties of his job. He was suspended – with pay for the entire time of the trial. Once the verdict was in, he went right back to work.

For Sarah – she was glad that it was over because nothing could bring her son back, and for her, everything else was just a waste of time. Jamille noticed that his mother, who at one time, was up and full of energy - lately, seemed to be a little out of it. What Jamille did not know was that his mother was battling depression. Thomas was angry most of the time – coming home yelling at Sarah for not doing something around the house. Jamille did not know what was going on with his family but he knew that whatever was wrong had to do with Jeremiah’s death. He longed for the days when they were all a family. Jamille found himself being angry also and losing respect for authority figures. Jamille prayed that his mother and father would not give up and separate. He was so fearful of those thoughts, but he would not dare voice it to anybody. Those thoughts stayed bottled up inside of him for fear if he said them out loud it just might happen.
 
One day, while sitting outside, Phillip came over to see if Jamille wanted to go over some martial art moves. Before Jeremiah’s death, the twins had begun to show Phillip some moves to help protect against bullies like the one that attacked him in school a few years ago. Jamille told Phillip that he really didn’t feel like it right now and to maybe come back later. Phillip sat down next to Jamille and said “I know that you are missing your brother, I miss him too. I want you to know that you still have a brother Jamille – I will always be here for you!” Jamille looked at Phillip, and through his tears said “thank you man”. Phillip said “I know you don’t want me to hug you but we hug at my house so get ready – here it comes – I’m gonna hug you!” With that Phillip reached out to hug Jamille and they both started laughing – Jamille said “no man - get out of here” playfully pushing Phillip away - but he allowed the hug anyway while the both of them kept laughing. Phillip said “I love you man” – Jamille said “I love you too brother”.