He stood there in solidarity

I was screaming at the top of my voice and not waiting for them to respond.

"What did you just say?"

"Say that again?"

"No, not that. The thing you just said to me?"

"Huh? What? Say it out loud. "

"You had the AUDACITY to call me by that name, with all the shit going on in the world?"

I paused for a breath and then screamed from the top of my lungs.

"IN 20-FUCKING-20!?"

"With all the talks, news debates, social media campaigns, protests, and whatever shit is going on to teach you, fucking ignorant bastards, about racism."

Another Pause.

"You have the balls to call me by that name?'

"Say that again."

"Why can't you say it now?"

"You just said it so why not now?"

"You think you're some martial race. You!!"

I paused one more time and tried to come up with equally offensive word but I could only bring myself to say 

"Fuckin assholes! Calling me Brownie?"

I felt a tap on my shoulder, David was assuring me that he was going to kick them out. David is the owner of the hookah bar where I was sitting in, this Sunday afternoon when this group showed up and someone from them whispered as they crossed the table where I was sitting.

"Get out of my way Brownie!" Followed by giggles from all of them.

"Yes please take them out of here." I said to David. 

My eyes were red, my body was shaking, I felt as hot as the coals in my hookah. I suddenly felt an intense pain in a nerve which I could only see on my bald head when I workout too hard. I couldn't speak for a while. I was crying from inside but there were no tears in my eyes.

And then I saw him, standing there, a tall black man. He was looking at me with his wide eyes and nostrils flaring in anger. His eyes wanted to talk to me but he didn't say anything . He just stood there, in silence. Whole restaurant was silent and he was looking  down at me where I was sitting. His eyes started widening even more and I could see small lines forming in his eyes as blood started rushing in, and in no time his eyes resembled the color of coals in my hookah. I looked at them looking at me in anger. That anger then slowly started melting in his eyes. I saw a glass layer start forming around the blood veins dissolving all the redness in his eyes. They were still wide open but there was no anger in them anymore. I felt my cries from inside were also following through my eyes now. 

He a black man just stood there, tall and strong, in silence, with tears in his eyes and love in his heart.

He was looking at me, a brown man, sitting tired in my chair, face in my hand but salt in our eyes was same.

I guess that's what love for another human feels like.