{"id":59127,"date":"2025-05-16T08:12:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T08:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/?p=59127"},"modified":"2025-05-16T08:12:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T08:12:49","slug":"i-woke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/?p=59127","title":{"rendered":"I WOKE ."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t about the flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was about what it meant to me. I\u2019d hung it out front the day I moved in\u2014not to make a statement, just to feel a little more like home. New street, new neighbors, new everything. I was the outsider. Everyone knew it. Nobody said it, but you can feel that kind of thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when I stepped outside and saw the pole empty, just the little plastic clip swinging in the wind, I felt this weird knot in my chest. Anger, sure. But mostly just\u2026 disappointed. Like I\u2019d lost more than fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t even mention it to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the next morning, I found a piece of notebook paper under my doormat. Torn edges. Handwritten, kind of messy. It said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI SAW KIDS STEAL YOUR U.S. FLAG.
I KNOW YOU ARE THE ONLY WHITE GUY IN THIS AREA.
WE AREN\u2019T ALL THE SAME.
BUY A NEW FLAG WITH THIS.
\u2014NEIGHBORS\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And taped to the note?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A crisp twenty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat on the stoop for a long time with that paper in my hands, not even sure what to feel. Grateful. Humbled. Seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I finally walked to the corner store to get a replacement flag, the cashier handed me something with the receipt\u2014folded small, no name on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This one read:
\u201cDon\u2019t trust too quick. Not everyone is good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The handwriting was different from the first note\u2014tighter, almost angry. My stomach twisted as I stared at it. What did it mean? Was someone warning me or messing with me? I couldn\u2019t tell. But I decided to keep it to myself\u2014for now<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next few days passed quietly. I put up the new flag, feeling a mix of pride and unease. The neighborhood seemed normal enough during the day\u2014kids playing basketball down the block, folks walking their dogs\u2014but at night, things felt different. Shadows moved where they shouldn\u2019t, and car lights lingered longer than necessary outside my house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came Thursday evening. I was sitting by the window reading when I heard footsteps crunching through the gravel driveway. Peeking through the blinds, I saw an older man standing there, his silhouette outlined by the dim porch light. He carried a toolbox under one arm and wore a flannel shirt patched at the elbows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I opened the door cautiously. \u201cYeah, hi. Can I help you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cName\u2019s Walter. Just moved into 412. Thought I\u2019d introduce myself,\u201d he said, nodding at the flag. \u201cNice touch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We chatted briefly\u2014he mentioned being a carpenter and offered help if I needed it. As he left, he paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou hear much trouble \u2018round here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d I lied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shrugged. \u201cSome folks say kids cause trouble late at night. Vandalism, petty theft.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, while mowing the lawn, I noticed a boy watching. I offered him water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDarius,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m Ben.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He glanced at the flagpole. \u201cYou mad about the flag?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

also read…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It wasn\u2019t about the flag. It was about what it meant to me. I\u2019d hung it out front the day I moved in\u2014not to make a statement,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59127"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59127"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59134,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59127\/revisions\/59134"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/59133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=59127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=59127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}