Thursday, December 29, 2005
I was out front with my kids this afternoon, trying to corral them into the house. Srulik and Chaya were dancing around the lamp post, and Rivky was running up and down the sidewalk. I had been cajoling them for about 5 minutes when they finally turned to go inside.
Then I heard a voice say, "look how she be runnin' with those kids cause she sees us coming." Then a laugh. "Yeah, soon as she saw us, she ran right for the house." Don't turn around, I thought to myself, DON'T. You don't owe anybody anything. But I was mad. I turned around.
"Excuse me, but don't you think I heard you?" Two black guys walking along with cleaning supplies, maybe they were offering a service, I don't know what. "I was trying to get my kids into the house before you were even on my block. It's not right to say I was running into the house because of you."
"Yeah, but it happens to us about a hundred times a day," one said. "Fine," I answered, "but it's not right to make comments like that." "Maybe, but that's how we feel."
I should have just kept my mouth shut.
Love, Maven @ 
2 Comments:
At 6:17 PM,
Anonymous said…
The persecuted meeting the persecuted.
Sad. You would think there would be a little more empathy on both sides.
At 8:06 PM,
Genendy said…
By opening your mouth, maybe you opened their eyes to the possibility that not every time someone happens to enter their house when they're walking down the street is it because of them.
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