"Not for White People"
Wow, Sometimes you forget. Sometimes you live your life in a bubble you make yourself. I have been doing this for some time it seems. I forgot how East Texas can be sometimes. I forget how I used to be myself.
I live and work in a multicultural world. Texas is now a white minority state. Yesterday, Nat and I were in a small grill somewhere in East Texas. We were sitting and enjoying a moment as a family. Then another family comes in. They sat down and began to order. I would have never noticed them, except they were the only other customers in the place. There was no way to avoid hearing their conversation. The family knew the wait staff pretty well because they spoke with a familiar tone. One of the kids was playing around and wouldn't sit down. The staff member said to the father in a joking manor "Got a rope?" The father without missing a beat said "Yes, but it isn't for white people."
I remember just coming to a halt. It was one of those moments where you are stunned. I'm glad I was facing away from the family. I am glad they could not see the look on my face. Nat kept her composure. She mentioned the incident later, we spoke about it briefly. We live in a world where you cannot afford to be prejudice anymore. We all depend on each other too much for it. It is too easy to hurt one another now. I still feel strange after that. I hadn't felt that feeling of reality vs what should be in a while. Yet, I had no intention of correcting anyone. I would not do it now. I choose to live my life a bit better than I did yesterday. That is my contribution.