‘Good morning, Mrs Chamber.’
She ignores me. Always has. At first, I put it down to my unfamiliar face. After six months of meeting most mornings when I leave for work and she walks her obese Yorkie, I’m not an unfamiliar face.
She talks to other neighbours. I’ve heard her greet the bloke from upstairs – the one with the wife who left him after he’d beaten her one time too many.
No, it wasn’t that my face was unfamiliar. It’s that my face is brown. Bigoted old biddy.
Wishing my next-door neighbour a good morning, it’s an act of defiance.
Advertisements
Good for your narrator! There’s probably more of this behaviour still around than we’d like to think.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have, to my shame, one or two people in my family who come out with the most outrageously racist crap. When I point out that they are racist, they will have a massive go at me. No idea why it was on my mind today, I haven’t talked to any of them in a while…
Thanks, Lynn 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Every family has them, I’m afraid.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I suppose so, yes. Well, can’t choose your family, can you?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No – though it would be nice to be able to divorce some of them. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
True, you can’t choose your family, but at least you don’t have to be like them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good point – thanks, Jessie!
LikeLike
Such a great thought-provoking piece of writing to dwell on. A great piece. Wishing you a creative 2015!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your lovely words, Donna!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Sonya 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very sad there are still bigots. I like the defiance of the narrator to wish her a good morning anyway!
LikeLike
A friend once told me to ‘kill them with kindness’…we can’t control what other’s say do, only how we respond…greeting the bigot is a great idea as it demonstrates that you are standing your ground…I think the speaker is wise.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, she is. Much wiser as I’d be… Thank you 🙂
LikeLike