Chapter 1

Zulu

I am the only son of Sean and Barb O’Shea. I was born after my parents had finished veterinary school and had opened their clinic in town. I was a surprise! Not that I was not planned, but because I was born as black as a piece of coal. Remember my mother is half black so I must have gotten my color from the guy who got Grandma Amy pregnant, then left town.

I grew up in a loving family. No one, and I mean no one, in the family treated me any differently than any of my white cousins. I loved my mother and father. I spent a lot of time with my grandfather, Captain Jack, and I love and admire that man. I spent as much of my youth as I could learning from him and wanting to be just like him when I grew up.

I was raised on the cattle farm and learned how to ride and work cattle at a young age. I always said that when I grew up, I was going to be a Marine, just like my Grandpa. And grow up I did! The day I entered high school I was 6’3” tall and weighed almost 200 lbs. the football coach was drooling as he talked me into going out for the team. I was a star on the freshman team and made first string on the varsity team my sophomore year. My junior and senior years I was all- county. I played defense, middle linebacker, I called all the defensive signals. Anytime I intercepted a pass or maybe blitzed the quarterback the fans started a chant. ZULU, ZULU, ZULU would echo around the stadium. That did wonders for my ego. And you would think for my love life. But not so much. I was a black man in a white family. Everyone in town knew my history but nobody wanted their white daughter going with “that black kid”. Dating a tall, skinny, blonde, white girl was not happening. I did have a couple of black girlfriends, and I made myself happy with that.