That morning when I got to school, I told Chun jo about everything. Chun jo had been my friend since I was an infant and later graduated to being my best friend over the years, she knows about my first dream although at first I didn't plan on telling a soul until she came to my room one afternoon, saw the picture and pressed me until I explain how a black girl picture found it way to my room.
"You have been thinking much about her" she said "She is just dreams, nothing else"
"I didn't remember thinking about her before going to bed last night"
"I see"
"But I'm seriously curious about her, as in there are somethings bothering me, like why does she loves white and black and so on like that"
"That is what I'm telling you, you are the one making the dreams up" she said but I didn't argue with her because I knew I could never win such an argument and when I got home that afternoon I drew what I saw in the grocery" store.
Two months before my eleventh birthday I was in the class trying my new pencil on my drawing book when Kim, the greatest bully in our class flung my drawing book across the class all of a sudden. It wasn't like I could take him but I'm not a coward when it comes to my drawing book so I stood up and threw a punch at him but realized it was a mistake because he hit me hard, hard and hand until I couldn't defend my self any longer.
After been helped home by Chun jo, My mom gave me the first aid treatment with the assurance that she will come down to my school the next day. Although I didn't like the idea but I wasn't in good shape to argue with her.
Before leaving my room that night my mom asked me if I was feeling OK and I said yes by nearly shaking of my head. I was in so much pain I wanted to cry but didn't have enough energy so I cursed Kim instead.
I rolled and rolled for hours before falling asleep and then I saw myself in my dream, I was back in the class. I knew it was my class with the arrangement of everything but the paint on the wall gave me a pause because it was white and black.
Then I saw myself drawing the same thing I drew that afternoon, then I saw Kim whispering to one of his bully mate, pointing at me, before coming to me to fling my drawing book.
Everything exactly the way it was that afternoon, it was as if it was recorded then I saw myself stood up angrily and punched Kim in the face and Kim punched back so many times I fell on my kneels groaning but Kim persisted.
"Stop it" I heard a female voice said although it was softly spoken, the voice held some respect and Kim stopped immediately to look at the interrupter but didn't challenge.
I looked up to see a girl my age or younger than me I can't say, coming toward me from the class back door. She wore exactly the same gown that was in my room, her twisted white and black hair backed in a pony tail. She was black but the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. She was coming toward me and I scanned the class and saw all of them with their eyes wildly opened and some of them were covering their mouths with their hands.
"Oh" I heard some says and I knew they were as shocked as I was and when I looked toward the girl's direction, she was already in front of me, her right hand stretched toward me as if she wanted to help me up
"Are you alright" she said, blinking her barbie doll eye lashes
"I-mm o-k-a-y" I stammered and put my hand in her's, although i was in a dream, it was a moment I will never trade for anything, a moment for me alone.
"You should be more careful next time"
"Tao seo! Tao seo! aren't you going to school today, you are going to be late" it was my mom voice that was breaking through my dream, patting me gently on my thigh. "Tao seo! Tao seo!"
"Uhn uhn uhn mom, good morning" I said irritatedly
"You are going to be late"
"Mom, I don't think I will be going to school today"
"Why? we have to see your teacher"
"Mom let us do that tomorrow, I need to regain my strength"
"Okay, I will see you in the afternoon" and with that she pecked me and left.
I was just getting out of bed to check my battered face in the mirror when I heard my dad says "What do you mean he is not going to school? he have to go to school, he is a man, he have to be strong, why couldn't he hit back when that boy was hitting him?, I remember when I was a kid, i..."
"Baby you have to give him sometime, he his still young and as time goes on, he too will be strong enough to defend himself"
"But he still have to go"
"Spare him today, let him rest and I assure that if something like this happens again he will go" she said quietly.
When I brushed my teeth that morning it was so painful I had to stop after two minutes because of the pain each brush was sending into my brain, which makes my head ached five folds more than it normal aching accuracy and even though I wasn't all that healthy I was the happiest boy on earth. Because, at last I saw her face and after taking few spoons out of my cereal, I brought out my drawing book and pencils and drew out what I saw at the class back door in my dream, even though my hand protested movement.