Dividing Dog and Wolf 2; Brian's word

Brian was a big, intimidatin', angry, black, quarterback sackin', three yards and a cloud of dust fullbackin', heavy duty reboundin', i'll do my work but you ain't my boss, don't even think about callin' on me, sittin in the last seat of the row closest to the window, lookin' up at the clock, best cursive handwritin' in the class, livin' with his ont in the sticks during the week, chillin' in the hood on the weekends kinda dude.

I cut Brian some slack.

I dug him and vicey versey.

I though he was cool. I knew he had soul.

We nodded at each other when we passed in the hallway. I didn't even want to try to turn him into anyone that he didn't want to be.

He knew who he was and what he wanted.

Mainly, he wanted to get out of school but he also wanted to be carrying a diploma and a ticket to college when he split so he put up with what he must have considered  must have struck him as total white weirdness.

Including, I perceived, this discussion on dogs, wolves and whatever.

Ya see Brian was like Big John the miner in that he was kinda quiet and shy so if you spoke at all, ya just said 'hi" to both Big John and Brian.

Brian hadn't spoken a word in class nor had he given the slightest indication other than the nods that he was remotely intersted in any part of any lesson that had occurred in the class so far...and it was May.

I was all set to end the dog/wolf discussion. Less than ninety seconds remanined in class when to my amazement Brian raised a ham like fist into the air.

I responded immediately although I suspected he had lost track of time and was going to ask to go the john.

"Yeah, Brian, what's up?"

At that point Brian started to rise upfrom his desk. I hadn't seen a student stand up next to their desk while in a discussion for many years.

Brian stood up.

Total silence in the room.

Brian spoke the first, last and only four words that he spoke all year long.

"He a wolf, man"

Brian sat down.

I remember thinking to myself while Brian was speaking; during that perfect hesitation between "wolf" and "man" that I had never heard a comma that loud.

I remeber the five seconds of total silent, stunned unanimous agreement as Brian hit his seat. The bell rang. The day was over. The class emptied. Brian nodded as he walked towards me. I nodded back. I held up my plamd. Brian slaooed it. He walked out the door into the weekend.

I, we, all of us had a definitive answer.

Almost like a math class.

So if, dear reader, that wolf/dog/Pluto/Goofy argument ever comes up in your life; recall this tale and remember.

"He a wolf, man"

Word