L I B R A R Y

Joseph traversed across Ninth Street to look for his sister. Somehow he had the notion that she was at the new site of the school annex, but as he soon discovered, the new site had not yet been built. What made him think it so? He spied the announcement banner. “Coming Soon: New School Annex 974,” It read and he realized his mistake; he thought the number 974 was the street address instead of the year, that was supposed to read 1974, for the number one had been covered from the other numbers. There were tricksters in the ambient.
 
The season was mid September in 1973. Joseph was at Kindergarten grade level. Upon realizing he was in error, he proceeded to remedy his situation and reversed in his steps. He knew despite his youth, that it was important to correct his mistakes.
 
“Joseph?!” called out his older brother. “Where are you going? That’s not the way home! Cross the street, you stupid! Did you hear what I said? Cross the street and get over here so I can kick your ass!”
 
The light was red but his brother, Antoine, insisted that Joseph cross the street calling him, “stupid.” Joseph feigned to cross the street in order to keep his brother from bellowing, but halted in time to have a car speed past in front of him. Had he obeyed his brother and had then crossed the street; he would have been hit by the car. Antoine laughed at his younger brother’s predicament. Joseph learned not to obey his older brother for Antoine always misled Joseph at his pleasure. That was then, now he was much older:
 
“I loved her, Blanca.” Joseph spoke. He was outside his ex-girlfriend’s home. His high school life had come to a finale and with that finale came the dissolution of his relationship with Blanca’s sister, Susan.       Susan, reminiscent of every school girl’s focal point, was to establish a real bitchy reputation; a heartbreaker to be feared for the sake of popularity by ignoring young men’s responses. She hated Joseph because Joseph truly loved her, an aspect of a relationship she feared and would not care to understand.
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She feared true love and the more one loved her, the more she hated such love for the example her parents demonstrated in a vile divorce. Her whim was to take such emotional pain and retaliate it upon Joseph, the most loved person, at Belmont High School, proven by the whole student body when they attacked MS13 in retaliation for having had beat up Joseph. Now then, in her displaced anger, Susan called the police on Joseph. “Did you hear what you’ve just said, Joe?” Blanca asked.

“I loved her. I’ve used a past tense of the term love.” Joseph answered. “I don’t love her anymore.”

“Then what are you doing here? Are your tears even for real?” Blanca asked.

“I have to formally separate myself from her to prevent closure in the future. I don’t want to ever see her again.” Joseph explained. “I can’t continue in the service, thinking about her. It must come to an end now.”

“Then do it some other time, because she’s called the police on you, citing stalking charges.” Blanca warned. Joseph stood and stepped down the staircase. Susan charged out of her apartment to prevent Joseph from leaving before the police could arrive. She wanted to destroy him and sought to pursue such goal by tossing him into prison, a learned behavior she duplicated from watching the love between her parents; domestic violence. Joseph was blessed with immense intelligence and because of such blessing, many sought out his friendship, as he helped many who had suffered from problems. Joseph could not stand to see another human being suffer. He truly believed in the Golden Rule; “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And all stood amazed at his immense believe in God, in especially when he declared, “Love thy neighbor,” and proved it to all by enlisting in the Army. “There is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friends.” He loved them all.