The Monkeybars of Life

From the Prologue

February 1971

The flight from New York to Chicago was Nate LaChae's second flight. Eleven years before, when he was sixteen, he won a Navy award at the school science fair and was flown up to Boston. That flight was on a noisy prop-plane. Now he was gliding along at 530 mph over Pennsylvania. He wished he had the seat by the window, but even from the middle seat, he could see the clouds reflecting the setting sun. He removed his mother's letter from his briefcase and read it again.

841 Eastern Parkway

Brooklyn, New York 11213

My dear son,

I frequently, just get in my car and take, what I term, theraputic drives. I call them theraputic because they seem to do me - a world-of-good. One of my favorites is driving from Brooklyn to Harlem. He Passed the playground in Mt. Morris Park - off Madison Ave. - and went immediately on a nostalgia trip. I saw a little four or five year old boy (you) climbing to the top of the ?monkey bars?, while Mom and I watched and prayed somewhat uncomfortably, until you reached the top. A little boy or little girl might have gotten into you path, your way, but you would go around them, sometimes over them and would always reach out and make it. Little did I realize then [I had not studied - Child Psychology & Development at that time] that you were setting your pattern for life.

Now my son, Mom and I still watch and pray (we never stopped) for you, while you deal with, while you climb those ?giant monkey bars? of life. I'm keenly aware of many things, huge things, incidents that have gotten in your way, in your path. I have watched you rise above them all. Gee! Those 'giant monkey bars' must seem almost insurmountable at times, but ?you make it? on those bars at Mt. Morris Park, and you were only four or five years of age.

Love you-

Motherdear

Nate idly rotated the gold ring Beatrice had given him, remembering her saying, with her Caribbean accent, "This was supposed to be your birthday gift, but now I don't know if I'll ever see you again."
"Don't worry", he told her, "I'll be back. I'm just going to meet my father's side of my family."
After the stewardess served drinks, Nate's thoughts turned to his best friend. Henry will never have this kind of opportunity, of being plucked out of the ghetto and flown to another city where his father will be waiting for him."

From Chapter Three

Just then, Etta called down the stairs, “Alright you guys, I got sandwiches and French fries on the table.” Etta joined them and Nate related an incident that happened a few weeks before.
"Some friends came over and they brought an African student with them. I asked him whether he felt there would ever be an African space program. When he said he didn’t think so, I asked him why not. Then I went OFF when he said he felt the White Man had something special in his head that allowed him to invent things and go to the moon!
The reason I was so upset is that I believe the greatness of our race will not come from the USA. It will be from Africa one day. And to hear an African student say what he said just set me off. I told him, anybody that fills a thirty-five story rocket with liquid oxygen and hydrogen can go to the moon. I explained that the laws of physics work the same for everybody. Then I told him not to ever think or say what he said again. Even I was surprised at how I reacted. But we’ll never even try things with the kind of thinking he had. I just want to show that God doesn’t play favorites.”