Sometimes, the things that Suzie said reminded him of his older sister.
One day, Suzie and Tim were reading their books in the library. Suzie told him that she had a secret to tell him. When Tim leaned over to hear the secret, Suzie gave him a kiss on the cheek. She said, "I like you."
Tim felt his cheeks turn red. He couldn't think of anything to say. He finally said, "I like you too."
The two of them walked back to class, and Tim held Suzie's hand. One of Tim's friends saw them, and said, "Tim has a new girlfriend!"
Tim and Suzie both blushed!
When Tim got home, he told his family about Suzie. His father made a joke about Suzie being black. It wasn't a mean joke, but it made Tim feel upset.
At school the next day, Tim heard more teasing about him and Suzie. The teasing bothered him a lot.
After school, he found Suzie getting ready to go home. "Suzie, I don't like you," Tim told her.
Suzie began to cry. She hurried away with her hands covering her face so that others would not see her tears.
"What have I done?" Tim asked himself. He felt like he had just lost the most important friend he had ever had.
Later that day, Tim's mom and dad could see that he was upset. They asked him what was wrong. "I told Suzie that I don't like her," he said.
Tim's father felt that he was partly to blame. He said, "Tim, I am so sorry for what I said about Suzie. I made a big mistake. In my heart, I love and respect all people. I am happy for you, and will try hard to never let that happen again."
Tim looked at his father and said, "Thanks for saying that Dad. There is a boy at school who is teasing me also. It hurt so badly, I thought that by telling Suzie that I didn't like her, I could stop the way he was treating me."
"Son," Tim's father said as he put his hand on Tim's shoulder. "You are a very likable person, and Suzie is lucky to have a friend like you."
Tim's father asked, "Do you like Suzie?"
"Yes," Tim answered. "Very much."
Tim's thoughts went back to the library the day before. He had never had a friend who listened to him the way that Suzie did. Her way of seeing things made Tim feel hopeful about life.
"Let her know that you care about her Tim," his father told him.
Tim ran to use the telephone in his parent's bedroom. There he could have privacy. He called Suzie.
"Suzie, it's Tim, can we talk?"
"What do you want?" Suzie asked.
"I made a mistake," Tim said.
"You really hurt my feelings, Tim," Suzie said. "Why did you say that to me?"
"You are so nice to me Suzie, and I want to be your friend. The teasing is so hard to hear. Will you please give me another chance?" Tim asked.
Suzie sniffed like she had been crying. She said, "I am really happy that you called me."
She took a deep breath. "I felt so lonely after you said that you no longer wanted to be my friend. You are a special person to me Tim. Every time I see you with the other kids, I am grateful that I have a friend like you."
Suzie went on. "The teasing is hard to hear, but you must learn to ignore it. My brother and I are the only black kids in this whole school! Don't you think that we have had some bad things said to us?
If you act confidently, then people will learn to respect you," Suzie said with a firm voice. "Are you confident Tim?"
"I think so." Tim answered. "I haven't really thought about that before."
"Do you believe in yourself?" Suzie asked.
"Yes, I believe in myself," Tim answered, "And I promise that I will do my best to ignore the teasing."
"Tim, I forgive you. Now show me that you believe in yourself."
"Thank you Suzie, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," she said softly, as she hung up the phone.
"Woo-hoo," Tim yelled excitedly, as he ran to say goodnight to his parents.
10
Ready for Life
The next day at school, Tim and Suzie heard more teasing. It was from the same boy. Tim felt embarrassed and wanted to run away.
"Is he really my friend?" he wondered.
Tim closed his eyes, and pictured his father telling him, "Son, you are likeable."
He thought about his mother teaching him the reasons that some people make fun of other people.
He heard Suzie saying, "Believe in yourself."
Tim was ready!
He walked up to the teasing boy, and said, "It's true that I like Suzie, but that does not mean that I can't be friends with you too."
Tim held out his hand.
A few seconds passed.
The boy reached out and shook Tim's hand.
"Do you want to kick the soccer ball around at lunch?" the boy asked.
"Sure," Tim said, "See you then."
The boy turned to Suzie and said, "Suzie, would you like to play too?"
"That sounds like fun," she said with a smile. "See you then."
11
Beautiful People
All people have heritages. Your heritage is passed down to you from your ancestors.
Your heritage includes the way you look and the things your family believes in. It may also include the way you treat others.
Your ancestors are all the people in your family that lived before you.
People with an American Indian heritage believe that before you say something about someone else, you must walk a mile in their moccasins.
In other words, put yourself in their place and get to know someone well before saying anything about them. This beautiful heritage is an Indian style Tim will always remember.
Chapter Questions
Ch. 1) What are the things about you and your family that make you proud of who you are?
Ch. 2) What are your earliest childhood memories?
Ch. 3) Is there a good time to take care of someone other than yourself? When? Why?
Ch. 4) How can things that are said in fun, harm others?
Ch. 5) Have you made fun of someone? How did that make you feel? Were you made fun of? How did that make you feel?
Ch. 6) Do you know someone with a disability? In what ways are they different from you? In what ways are they the same?
Ch. 7) In what ways are you healthy? Name something that makes life easier for you. Name something that makes your life more difficult.
Ch. 8) What do you do for yourself that is positive? Can you see a connection between yourself and other living things?
Ch. 9) In what way has someone teased you, and hurt your feelings? Have you forgiven someone for doing something to you that hurt your feelings? In what ways are you confident?
Ch. 10) Name ways that you can stand up for yourself without using harmful words or actions. Do you look for ways to include others, when possible?
Ch. 11) How has your heritage been passed down to you? How can you get to know someone else, even if you are not close to them?
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