Their Hidden Love
Dane Bright- a young African American from a lower class family; still in high school; does landscaping for the school to make any extra money he can; in and out of juvenile jail for various reasons, mostly drug related.
Jean Lee- a young woman from a Chinese family; extremely wealthy; family moved from China for her father’s job; attending high school in Chicago; 85% of the high school is black- she’s Chinese-talk about standing out and being the minority.
The first day of school was a nightmare. Besides being late because she was unable to find the school, Jean’s schedule was messed up and she attended classes she wasn’t supposed to. Then there was the obvious reason- Jean was the black sheep, except in this case it would make more sense for all the sheep to be thought of as black, and Jean was the only white one. Either way she stood out from everyone. She was the total opposite of everyone else in school.
English had always been Jean’s strongest subject, yet the first few weeks of class were terrifying. As much as she knew about the various reading assignments and books the class read, there was this guy, Dane, who had to try and prove her wrong every day, or start some kind of argument. She thought nothing of him other than he was such a jerk.
Eventually Jean made a few friends, none of them white or Chinese, but she had tons of fun with them. It turns out Dane was one of Jean’s best friends’ cousin, her friend Jamie…what a coincidence. He even lived with Jamie’s family for a few months at a time while his mom traveled for work. Jean couldn’t stand going over there when Dane was around. Yet Jean wasn’t all that comfortable bringing her friends to her family’s home either. Her parents mostly spoke Chinese, still only made Chinese dishes for meals, and were just sort of outcasts in the United States. Jean loved her parents but she wished they were more accepting to customs other than their own as well. Her father was a bit more understanding when it came to various activities she liked to do and new types of foods and clothing Jean liked. Since he did work in the business world in the U.S. now, he went through many changes as well. Yet her mother was less understanding and less lenient when it came to going out with friends. As wealthy as her family was, they lived simply and still strongly practiced their Chinese traditions. Jean felt embarrassed when her friends came over.
A few months passed and it just so happened that Jean became Dane’s tutor. She volunteered at the school and he signed up for one of her sessions. Surprisingly their conversation wasn’t that bad and they made it through most of the hour with only minimal arguments. He continued to show for the session once a week. Whatever it was that changed Jean’s opinion about him, no one will know. Yet she fell in love. Dane took her to many places in and around Chicago-the best restaurants, the best sites, movies, parties, plays, and he even got her to go clubbing with him. Jean had never done anything like it in her life! Dane opened her eyes to a whole new world! She was amazed, but also scared her parents would find out. She knew they would not approve of her seeing a black man and going out on the town.
When Jean’s family left China, their plan was to live in the U.S. for two years and then head back to their country. Jean was to marry a Chinese man from another wealthy family when they got back, a man her parents had approved. Yet little did they know that Jean had no intention whatsoever to do as they wanted. She would run away if she were forced to marry this man back in China.
As in-love as they were, Jean and Dane hit some rough spots in their relationship. It was hard to hide their affection for one another and school was no place to show off either. Pretty much they had to act like they weren’t together, like they were just good friends. Both knew differently though. When the year of high school was over, they planned to get out and travel together and go places where no one would care seeing them together. How they would work around their parents was still a mystery. Yet they didn’t worry much about that because they were so infatuated with one another that nothing else mattered.
The following week Jean’s mom informed her that their family would be leaving earlier than planned. Her father’s job would be over sooner than was expected. Jean had come home from school, anxiously anticipating her Friday night out with Dane. He had a surprise planned for her. Now her happiness was crushed after what her mom told her. She talked to Dane that night and tried not to let her feelings ruin the night, yet there was always the sadness in the back of her mind. Dane and she had two months left to be together. They would have to make the most of it.
Both Dane and Jean reached the conclusion that they would not be apart. They would go someplace where no one would look at them weird, question their relationship, or try to forbid them to see one another. They wanted to be free and independent from criticism. The two came up with a plan for sneaking out and meeting one another the night before Jean was supposed to leave. Their plan seemed efficient and well organized. Now it was just a matter of waiting.
As Jean ran to the hiding spot in the dark alleyway where she and Dane were supposed to meet, something caught her eye. There was a man standing to one side near a garbage can, just watching her. Adrenaline began running through her veins, but Jean kept on walking at a steady pace. She had experience in the city so she wasn’t too worried. Sooner than she expected the man began to follow her. And here we know no more about what happened to Jean. Most likely she was kidnapped and killed. As for Dane, all he found was a trail of blood and clumps of hair. Upon realizing he would never see Jean again until death, Dane committed suicide.
So many questions were left unanswered and both families of Dane and Jean were fairly clueless as to how serious the young couple had actually been. Their lives had revolved around one another and the strong bonds they shared. Their hidden love led to both of their deaths. Love is such a strong, uncontrollable, and unpredictable force. It moves through each and every one of us like an ocean- at times calm and peaceful, the next day angry, forceful, and vicious. This is a continuous cycle that can never be broken. Love is something that no one can live without.
