When Harker was young, he didn't look like the delinquent he was today.
His looks matched his true personality. He was a nerd through and through. He loved science and books, and he wore large nerdy glasses and braces on his teeth. He was also lighter back then, as he had tanned more now, in order for people to not easily misjudge him as white.
He went to an elementary school that was predominantly black, and they lived in 'the hood'. The inner slums where crime was prevalent and more dangerous.
Back then, fellow black children would bully Harker every single day.
"Ain't no way the lady bringin' you over is yo Momma! You must 'ave been yer dad and a white baby mama's kid, and she just take your ass to not be the daily gossip!"
"There ain't no black nerds!"
"You so white you should be called 'Milk Choco'!"
"Kinda black on the outside, white on the inside. Like Oleo cookies!"
Harker could not fight back as his body was weak back then. He would often get beat up in the playground, and transfer from small school to school because of it. The teachers insisted that he take an acceleration in the guise that it was about his high intelligence…..
But in truth, it was actually to stop having kids bully him.
"I ain't puttin' my kid in college when he's only 8 years old." His mom told the principal for the nth time. "As for those little rascals, let him face 'em! Let him build up some spirit as this ain't the worst the world could offer him! I ain't gonna raise my kid like some spoiled, sheltered kid who thinks the world is kind and revolves around 'em."
Mrs. Josephine Jones was truly a headstrong woman. A force to be reckoned with. She was tall and curvaceous, and always dressed in that yellow chiffon skirt or something similar.
But if someone dared to catcall her or whistle, they'd get a 3-inch heel to the face. That was the kind of woman she was.
Everyone was a little scared of Mrs. Jones, but also admired her. She was a pre-school English teacher, and after that she would be cooking food for the homeless and needy. She was everyone's reliable source of advice and information. She may be one of the toughest, but she was also one of the kindest women in their community.
"Listen 'ere, Harker. I could easily punch those tiny hoodlums for ya. But you gotta stand up for yourself! Else they gonna call you a momma's boy!"
She combed Harker's hair before he went to school. It would always bring him to tears as she had a heavy hand and combed too roughly.
"Remember what the Bard said? 'Bout courage?"
She may speak very informally to people, but she knew Shakespeare at heart and was very efficient in teaching English writing, grammar and classic literature.
Harker sighed as he recalled Shakespeare's quote from Julius Caesar, Act 2. "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once."
Mrs. Jones nodded in approval. "The death of the spirit is much worse than the death of the body. Have some spirit, son. Take courage and push through."
Harker was never really able to take these words to heart until he met a certain someone. It was him who showed his Mom's words about the true meaning of courage. That the body may die but never the spirit of the valiant.
On the playground, that was when most bullying happened. But Harker loved the playground as he could read his Biology books under the shade of the tree.
Ants crawl on a nearby anthill and he could observe them in their natural habitat. The sky shines clear, revealing the gossamer of a spider's web. He would often watch it weave and wonder how it feels to make the web himself.
He was a curious soul that always questioned existence, and the structure of existence. Sometimes he would also question why reality was structured in this manner.
As he was pondering over these questions while being close to nature, he saw a flash of gold approach him.
"Hello there. May I ask where the Jones residence is?"
It was….
A blond boy on a wheelchair. He looked pasty and sickly, and there was a saline IV bag attached to him. There were many puncture marks on his arms, no doubt from needles of syringes.
And yet he still smiled brightly at Harker, who was dumbfounded to see someone like him here.
"I-I'm Jones. Harker Jones." He said, feeling a little nervous from this new child. "Why are you looking for our family?"
"Oh, you must be Mr. Howard Jones' son." The blond boy extended his hand, thin as bones as they were. "My name is Roland Faust. Your father drives me to school. I'm here for his birthday."
Harker was surprised at that time to see the Faust actually visiting them. He had heard from his father tales of how rich and opulent the family were, that they were unreachable like the stars. He also often heard stories about how wealthy children were, and how hard it was to get along with them.
Back then, he didn't follow his father's saying of 'Don't get it twisted'. And every child he encountered either hated him or found him a weirdo.
So he stiffened, and answered coldly. "What do you want from my father? You shouldn't be here. This isn't a place for rich kids like you."
"Is that so?" Roland only tilted his head to the side. "I thought this was a community public playground. And most of the time, everyone could use public spaces. So why can't I be here?"
Harker just walked away from him, acting like his tough, thuggish peers. "Just get outta here, white boy. Before you get hurt."
Still, Roland followed after him. A bodyguard tried to accompany him, but he raised a hand and shook his head.
"It's alright. Give me the gift, I want to deliver it myself."
Harker's eyebrow raised. "A gift?"
Roland smiled as he wheeled himself. "I want to take a walk with you in this place 'where I shouldn't be'. I'll only go away once I deliver this gift to your Dad. If you want to stop me, you can certainly try. I may not look much, but I know jujitsu, taekwondo and several martial arts."
Harker blinked. "A… Are you serious? You?"
"Yes. I'll try to go easy on you though. Don't want to hurt Mr. Jones' son too much. Haha!"
No one would have expected that was the moment Harker knew. This boy was special.
The outcasted boy and the golden boy walked back home together, instantly becoming friends.
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