a very first
Brian woke up late today, so I drove him to the bus station. As I returned home and got out of my car, a man approached me. Here is my story.
man: (amicably) You drive real good.
me: (still sleepy and unsure of the world) Thanks.
man: I’m trying to catch the bus. Do you have fifty cents?
me: Sorry, no thanks. (strangely, as of late, that is my automatic response when spare-changed.)
man: Okay.
me: (walking up to my house) ….
man: (smiling at me) You should be in Ebony magazine.
me: (now even more unsure of the world) Thanks….Have a good day.
man: You have a really good day, now.
One day in class, we were talking about Asian cultures and I made some comment about “my yellow people.” One of my African-American students blurted out, “You’re not yellow, Miss. You black!” That was a kind of sweet honor that made sense in the context of being able to relate and build trusting interracial relationships, but today is the very first time someone has told me I should be in Ebony magazine. I believe it will be the last time.
Only at 6:30 in the morning, when everything possesses a distinct surreal quality, can something like this occur.
