We Were the Fire by Shelia P. Moses

Author:Shelia P. Moses [Moses, Shelia P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2022-09-06T00:00:00+00:00

13

“Good morning, Miss Boone—did you hear? Dr. King made it to Birmingham, just like he promised,” I said before she could speak to us.

“I know, child. I heard he came early to keep safe,” she said.

“Safe?”

“Yes—they often tell the press they are flying in on one flight and come on another. They get bomb threats all the time.”

“Bombs!” my little sister said.

“Don’t be scared, Georgia,” I told her. “It’s going to be okay. That’s why we’re marching. So we don’t have to be scared all the time.”

“We? Did your parents say you could march?” Miss Boone asked me.

“No, ma’am, not yet they didn’t. But I know I need to.”

“Well, that is mighty noble of you,” Miss Boone said.

“What does noble mean?” Georgia asked.

“It means to be honorable,” Miss Boone told us. “To be willing to do things even when they are difficult.”

I puffed my chest out and said, “I am noble, Miss Boone. I want to do what is right, and they are going to need us students.” I looked over at my sister. “Georgia is noble too.”

She smiled.

“I have another question.”

“What is it, Rufus?”

“I want to know if you are going to let the plant manager fire my folks if they march.”

She pulled into the drop-off circle and looked at me. “No, child! No one from the mill will be fired for marching. Not one person.”

“Well, you are noble too, Miss Boone,” I said as I got out of the car and we waved goodbye to her.

“Thank you, young man. I will see you both this afternoon,” Miss Boone said with a little laughter in her voice.

I wondered if all the folks at the mill knew their jobs were safe. This was good news because I know Daddy Paul wanted to march.

YouOut and a few students had already gathered in the shade of a tree, and YouOut was writing in his notebook.

“What are you writing?” Georgia asked when we got closer.

“I’m not writing! I’m drawing up the plans for us. Look! I made a map of the school. When we leave for Kelly Park, we can’t use the school’s front or back doors, or Principal Mack will see us. So we gotta use the side doors and maybe even the bathroom windows,” YouOut said.

Slide got off the bus and came over right as the bell began to ring. That’s another thing I didn’t miss about Bull Hill—it was eighteen miles from school, and the bus was almost always late. Sometimes it felt like we were always behind everyone.

“Maps! Side doors! Windows! What in the world are we getting into?” Georgia asked as we walked into school.

“Whatever we have to,” I said.

Still, all day long I thought about how much trouble we could be in if we got caught. Not to mention disappointing Mama.

I decided I’d talk to Daddy Paul about what was going on, but he didn’t come into the house after work. He dropped Mama off and kept on going.

Mama didn’t say where he was, but I could guess, and I tried to wait up for him again, but Mama shooed me to bed.

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