Nothing is what it seems

LIGHT AFTER DARK
By S.Nivedya


Willy Stuart was the best video jockey in town. His speech was crisp, every word he spoke carried humor and he made his fans feel so good. The start of his career was rocky and he faced hard times. “No one wants a short black guy on the show.”

Its when Henry Jackson, the manager of ‘Talk Me Into a Song’ saw him making pedestrians laugh their heads out that he considered taking him into the show. Even after he was hired he suffered mockery and neglect from his co-workers. But Willy Stuart was focused on his work.

‘Talk Me Into a Song’ started out as a radio show which later earned its own place in a TV channel. Willy Stuart was the best RJ then and allured thousands with his voice. A man who never came out into the limelight, known to America as just a voice, his fans were dying to see how he looked. Now was their chance.

Henry Jackson had Willy to thank for that but he simply responded saying-“Nothing to it Jack, it is what I love to do and it’s what I do best”. Willy’s first few years at TMIS were tough. The other RJ’s used to tease him and pick on him for being short and black. He used to feel dejected but later he got used to it. When TMIS went on screen for the first time, his fans were disappointed because Willy Stuart’s crispy grave voice didn’t belong to a muscular, handsome, tall white body. His first caller’s response was “Oh! Willy, is that how you look?”, Willy’s constant smile faded. He walked up close to the camera, brought out that smile again and replied, “Yes honey! And I am loving every moment of it”. To another dejected caller he asked, “Why do you wear black for formal occasions?” She replied, “It makes me look sophisticated, calm and collected”. To this he exclaimed, “You wear black dear, but I am black!”

Though Willy handled things well before the camera, he felt bad, he didn’t feel himself, and he wished he could go back to being just the voice that America was fond of. Henry Jackson was very understanding and asked him to keep up the good work. “Its been years since the conflict between the whites and blacks took place but the discrimination still lives on. Why do people have to be so thoughtless? Its not that we chose to be black, we just are. But we’re humans too, we have our feelings and rights and place in this world.”
Henry placed his hand on Willy’s shoulder. Seeing the contrast of Henry’s white arm on his dark shoulder only made him feel worse. “Look Willy! I don’t care what size shirt you wear or what color you are. All I know is that you have talent that others failed to see in you. That’s why you are here. Others saw what you look like, I saw what you got and someday I am sure someone else will too. I suppose that’s when your biggest question will be answered…whatever it is”.

“Mommy! Why are you white and why am I black?”

“It’s because I married your father whom you look a lot like”.

“But why aren’t both of you the same color?”

“Because we didn’t care how we looked. All that mattered was that we had love in our hearts for each other and you”

“Then why are we living separately? Why do I have a tutor at home?”

“That is because nobody likes to see a white with a black.”

“Mommy”

“Yes dear?”

“Will I always be black and will you always be white?”

“Yes honey! Does that bother you?”

“Yes, because I can never look like you”.

“That’s not true at all”. Young Willy’s mother got up and turned out the lights. She sat beside him and held his hand, “When you turn out the lights, you can’t see I’m white and I can’t see you’re black. We are one with the darkness. You and I are just the same, we will always look the same when you close your eyes.

Willy Stuart was back on the show the very next day with his familiar smile, but this time, he had absolutely no regrets.

‘Once in a lifetime we are touched by an angel who turn our lives around not by granting a wish or holding our hand when we cross a busy street, but by showing us the light in the horizon when we see only the night'.

WE WANDER ‘ROUND IN THE DARKNESS BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN, A LITTLE LIGHT SHINES THROUGH!