The Enemy

By Adam S. Toporek

Clinton, Mississippi. 1943. World War II.

 

Jesse, a young black boy, just received his first shoe shine box. Excited to grow up and become a "working man," he begins shining shoes in front of Mr. Carl's restaurant.

 

However, Jesse soon learns that working in the Jim Crow South is more complicated than he thought. When he is asked to give a free shine to one of the prisoners from Camp Clinton, Jesse discovers that the enemy is not necessarily who he thinks it is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adam S. Toporek
• Release date: Nov 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798986664224

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The Enemy

Copyright © 2022 El Arte Es Amor Productions, LLC.

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All rights reserved.

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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the copyright holder, except for the use of brief quotations in multimedia reviews or commentary. For more information, contact Adam S. Toporek at adamtoporek.com.

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ISBN: 979-8-9866642-2-4

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This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The details and symbols of your life have been deliberately constructed to make you believe what white people say about you. Please try to remember that what they believe, as well as what they do and cause you to endure, does not testify to your inferiority, but to their inhumanity and fear.

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James Baldwin, A Letter to My Nephew

Clinton, Mississippi | October 1943

Jesse’s young heart pounded as he ran down the dirt road, the dry dust stinging his eyes and scratching his throat as he gasped for breath. He cradled the wooden caddy tight to his chest, the handle too wide for his young hands.

When he saw his father in the field, he picked up the pace, the sharp wood corners banging against his hips as the contents rattled against the brown-stained walls.

Pops, Pops! Look what I got!

His father was unhooking Douglas the mule from the plow.

Uncle Pete… he gasped. Uncle Pete…

Damn boy. Settle down.

"Uncle Pete,