title: Something Peculiar About Austin Valentine
author: Terrell, Carla
description: Austin Valentine
  considered his situation. Being stuck in an elevator was no picnic! Ah, but it
  could
   be a picnic. Having just bought a few groceries to deliver to his baby sister, there was food and drink available. And, he wasn’t alone. His lone passenger was a beautiful, African-American woman. He hoped she was good company. After another argument with his fiancé, and a hectic day at the Valentine and Wright Development Company, he longed for a quiet weekend at home. He looked forward to starting his weekend after making his grocery delivery. Now that he was stuck, he hoped his fellow passenger was friendly.
  
  Austin smiled at the woman, and she returned a nervous grin.
  Simone Watson
  inwardly sighed her frustration. How many times had she been stuck in an elevator? Too many times! Had she not gone on an errand for her aunt Agatha, she would be home right now—stilettos off, bra removed, dressed in a lounging gown with warm socks on her tired feet. But looking at the brighter side, at least she was trapped with one person instead of three, like last time. And her fellow passenger was an attractive white man. He had a nice smile. But looks could be deceiving! Suddenly, every story about the Civil Rights era rushed to the forefront of her mind by way of her aunt Agatha’s accounts of the past, and current-day racial clashes and rallies.
  
  Was the man a
  racist?