The boy, Matthew, first noticed the girl  at a rehearsal of the play, “A Taste Of Honey”.  In the play the girl, Josephine, who is white, falls in love with a Black sailor, Jimmy.

Matthew, who was white, often dropped in, when his college schedule would permit, to these theatrical rehearsals, as he hoped to build up the courage to be a performer himself, one day.

Matthew had never really thought about an interracial romance before, much less become involved in one.

Then the director, a college student, stepped into the scene to guide the performers in a very sensitive scene.

She was smart, energetic, and comely. Her name was Tabi Chandler.

She also happened to be Black.

Following the rehearsal, Matthew saw his chance to begin a conversation with her.

He congratulated her on her ingenuity and discernment in her interpretation of the scene.

She smiled.

Tabi had never conceived in her life that she would have any kind of relationship with a male, particularly a white one, but was intrigued by his manner and his words.

As they walked outside, Matthew summed up the courage to invite her to McGowan’s, the local college hangout.

On the way, there was no lack of things to say, as two souls began to know one another.

When they sat at a table, suddenly there was silence.

Matthew apologized. “Sometimes…well, it’s hard for me…to make small talk.”

“Well, you were doing good on the way over!”

“I was?”

“You were! We don’t have to play games or impress one another. Let’s just talk!”

“You’re right,” said Matthew, “I never liked stringing people around, anyhow.”

“So.” Tabi smiled. “You were telling me what a great director I am…”

“Then, let me continue! Tabi, you are so talented! You knew just when to…”

He was interrupted by a tall Black man in a cutoff tee.

“Tabi!” he shouted, “Get home right away!”

He shot an angry glance at Matthew.

“My brother Michael,” she said, rising.

They left. Michael gave him one more of those stares.

At home, Tabi and her brother sat around a dinner table with their mother and father.

Michael lit up in a wide smile. “Mom, Dad, I got news for you!”

Tabi looked at him, pleadingly.

Disregarding her, Michael, still grinning, said, “Tabi was with her sweetie today!”

“Well, that’s your decision, Tabi,” said her mom, but you know why you need to be so careful…’

Michael interrupted, “-And he’s a whitey!”

Tabi pushed away her plate and ran to her room.

The following day, at rehearsal, Tabi looked for Matthew, to no avail.

About half-way through, she breathed a sigh of relief as Matthew came rushing in.

When rehearsal ended, she ran over to him.

“I’m so sorry, Tabi,” he said, “I got delayed at Psychology!”

“That’s okay, Matt! I’m just glad you’re here. Anyhow, why do they make us take those courses? Even if you do well, all you can do is be a psychologist, or try to teach it to someone else!”

Matthew laughed.

“Well, Matt, tomorrow’s the big night! The show must go on!”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” said Matthew. “We’ll have to do us some celebrating afterward!”

Remembering her family would be attending, Tabi said, “Matt, let’s leave the celebrating for the following afternoon. I’ll be dog tired!”

When Matthew met her that afternoon following the play, he broke out in a grin, laughing and saying, “Tabi! Have I got a surprise for you!”

“Oh! I love surprises! So where are you taking me?”

“To my room. To the dorm. C’mon!”

“You’re not going to try to take advantage of me, are you?” she giggled.

“No way!” he giggled back. “You’re a keeper!”

The dorm was not far away. Matthew nervously unlocked his door.

“Sorry for the mess,” he said.

Tabi replied, “I see you need a woman’s touch around here!”

“Now you just wait here!” said Matthew, skipping into the kitchen.

He came out holding a large cake with the inscription, World’s Greatest Director.

Matthew offered Tabi a generous slice.

“Mmmm!” she said, “How did you know marshmallow filling is my favorite?”

Matthew gazed into her eyes and answered, “Oh, you just seemed to me to be a marshmallowy type of person!” He took out a party horn and blew it.

When they finished the cake, Matthew went to his collection and pulled out an LP.

Mantovani.

“No Quincy Jones?” Tabi joked.

“Nah. I never figured you for a Quincy Jones type of person!”

The two slow danced. Matthew wrapped his arms around Tabi.

They kissed.

That night, at home, Tabi’s mother came to her room. “We need to talk,” she said, “in private.”

“Yes, mama.”

“Babe, you know, growing up, you always have been able to speak to me.”

“I want you to know I appreciate that, mama.”

“Babe, this talk will be our little secret.”

“Our secret, mama.”

“You’ve been with that white fella, haven’t you?”

“Matthew, Yeah, mama…I have…”

“Babe, The Lord help you if your pa finds out.”

“But, Mama, he’s been so nice to me…I…I never felt for anyone the way I do for him!”

“My dear babe, you know this goes beyond color! You know why you must be so careful…”

“Oh, Mama!” she cried, burying her head in her mother’s bosom. “Oh, Mama! I want so much to love him!”

Her mom brushed her hair. “If this thing is to be, babe, then it is to be. But this Matthew fella, you know you’ve got to tell him…”

“Oh, mama. What will I do? What will I do?”

“Mama will support you. Always! But remember, in your father’s eyes, he will always be forbidden fruit!”

The day following, Matthew located Tabi in the college union.

“Tabi! Tabi! There’s something…something I need to say!”

“No, please, Matt! I have something more important you need to know!”

“What, Tabi? What could be more important than, these last few days I’ve known you…I now know…know for certain!...I want to spend my life with you!...”

She interrupted, “But, there’s something I have to tell you…”

“Say it’s that you feel the same way, honey.”

“I do! Oh… I do, Matt, but our love can never fully bloom…”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m so afraid to get close…I mean really close…to you, to anyone, Matt!”

“Why, Tabi? Why?”

“Because my fruit is forbidden!”

“Why? We-We’re so good together…”

“Too good!” answered Tabi. “It’s not you. You have nothing to do with it. It’s me!”

“You’re talking craziness, Tabi!”

“No! I’m talking…sickle cell anemia! My genes have a mutation.”

“Tabi, there’s nothing my love for you can’t overcome!”

“You do not carry the gene, that’s for certain. But I do! Should our love come to fruition, our child would have a fifty per cent chance of carrying the sickle cell trait.”

“What would that mean to our child?”

“It’s a terrible blood disorder. It damages the heart, lungs, and kidneys. I can’t doom a child to that!”

“Is the disease fatal?”

“It can be. A child may even live to be fifty or so. But I don’t want it on my conscience I doomed a child to lifelong pain!”

Matthew kissed her on the forehead. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it! All I know is I love you so deeply!”

Tabi began to tear. “And all I know is our life together may amount to nothing but pouring water into wine.”

Tabi headed for the door. As she opened it, Matthew could see the sun beginning to set.

“Please, Tabi!” He cried to her. “I’m certain we can face anything together!”

Matthew watched until she seemed to dissolve, a fading breeze out of season, reclaimed by the onset of night.