Thread by @gradydoctor

1/
Grady Hospital Lobby

We had just finished up at the #NoJudgmentZone table. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and began heading out.

"Ma'am. . .scuse me."

I turned in the direction of the voice. 2 young women stood side by side in the information line.

*details changed

2/
One was tall and slender with thick locs piled on top of her head. She wore a t-shirt with a faded screen of the words "Black Girl Magic" on the front. The other had on a sweatsuit and had a network of tiny braids that fell nearly to the small of her back.

Me: "Hey there."

3/
The taller one spoke first.

Locs: "We was looking at your hair. It's so pretty."
Sweats: "We saw you and said, 'Werk sis!'"

*laughter*

Me: "That's kind. Thanks!
Sweats: *looking close* "Is it a color process?"
Me: "A color process? Girl. Courtesy of mother nature."

4/
Locs: "Wait. That ain't color?"
Me: "Nope. Just grey."
Locs: *leaning closer* "Grey with what, though?"
Me: "Uhhh. . with . . . my regular hair color."
Sweats: *squinting* "You got a track in it?"
Me: "You mean weave? Girl nah."
Sweats: "I mean, no shade."

*laughter*

5/
Me: "None felt. Y'all do hair or something?"
Locs: "Nah. We was just looking at your hair and I bet her that it was a color process and she bet ME that you had a sew-in."
Sweats: "See? And we was BOTH wrong."

*laughter*

Me: "Dang. I should get whatever the wager was."

6/
We laughed again. The long line eked forward a tiny bit.

Me: "What y'all in this line for?"
Locs: "Trying to figure out where the lab is."
Me: "Oh. I can help with that. Is that it?"

Both nodded.

Me: *waving* "I can walk y'all over there. I'm just leaving."
Locs: "Bet."

7/
They stepped out of the line and began to walk beside me.

*walking*

I hunched up my shoulder to secure my backpack strap and broke the silence.

Me: "So. . .have y'all been vaccinated?"

The answer came quickly without much pause.

Locs: "Nope. We not taking that shot."

8/
I gave a slow nod as we kept walking.

Me: "Both of you?"
Sweats: "Yeah. Hard pass."

I gripped both of my backpack straps.

Me: "You mind me asking you why?"
Locs: "Something in my spirit is just telling me it's bad for me. And I listen to my spirit."
Me: *listening*

9/
Sweats: "And for me, I just feel like it's something they ain't saying. Or that they don't know. 'Cause every day it's something else."

Before I knew it, we were at the door leading the lab. I turned to face them.

Me: *pointing* "Here's the lab."

10/
Locs: "Thanks."

*pause*

Locs: "So you was at that table trying to get people to take the vaccine?"
Me: *thinking* "I mean. Kinda sorta but not really. Mostly it is just to answer questions."
Locs: *nods*
Me: "But real talk, I am hoping people get vaccinated."

11/
Sweats: "Do anybody actually come over there?"
Me: "Yeah, actually. I mean sometimes it's slow but even one person is good."

Sweats folded her arms and seemed like she was sifting her thoughts through her head. She gave a half shrug and a nod.

Sweats: "That's good shit."

12/
I wasn't sure what to do with that statement. So I didn't say anything.

Sweats: "If you give that much of a damn if people take that shot that you doing that? You real serious about yours."
Me: "I guess I am."

Locs was staring at her sneakers. But she was listening.

13/
Me: "Just out of curiosity. . .do either of you have anything you've been wondering about?"
Locs: "About them shots?"
Me: "Yeah."

*silence*

Locs: "I got a question."
Me: *listening*
Locs: "If you was pregnant, would you take it?"

I opened my mouth to answer but paused.

14/
I closed my eyes and remembered back to that day in 2004 when I stood next to my commode staring in awe at the two lines on the pregnancy test.

Positive.

I asked that woman--that first-time pregnant woman--what she would do. Then I answered.

Me: "Yes. I would."

15/
Locs: "It look like you had to think about it."
Me: "I don't think there's anything wrong with thinking on stuff."

*silence*

Me: "Do you feel like you are still thinking on the vaccine sometimes?"
Sweats: "I kind of do. But then . . . " *sigh*

Locs looked down again.

16/
Me: "Then what?"
Sweats: "I don't know. Then I just feel like, nah."

I twisted my mouth under my mask. It was such an unsatisfying reply. My eyes shifted back to Locs.

Me: "What about you, sis?"
Locs: "I want babies."

That was it. That was her answer.

I want babies.

17/
I tried to think of what to say next. Like, should I talk about the fact that pregnant women are more likely to die or have complications? Or launch into a soliloquoy about how the vaccines don't impact fertility or unborn children?

I decided on neither.

Me: "Yeah."

18/
Me: "Having kids is awesome. If that's what you want, I want that for you, too."

*silence*

Locs: "You really would take that shot if you was pregnant?"
Me: "Yup."
Locs: "Even with the side effects?"
Me: "Tell me what you mean."
Locs: "I don't know. It just does stuff."

19/
Another unsatisfying answer. I watched the queue in the lab begin to swell.

Me: "Okay. Let me not hold y'all up any further."

Sweats looked over at the lab and then back at me.

Sweats: "I'mma come back to talk to you at that table."
Me: "I'd love that."

*silence*

20/
Locs: "What if it was at the beginning of you being pregnant?"
Me: "You know? I would be nervous. But I would still do it. Because I would think that's best for my baby."
Locs: "Hmm."

*silence*

Me: "Alright then. Come by and talk to me if you see me or if you thinking."

21/
They both nodded in unison.

Sweats: "Thanks." *waving hands around* "For everything."
Locs: "Yeah. Thanks."

We exchanged waves and started to part ways.

Me: *snaps finger* "Oh! I forgot to tell y'all about one of the vaccine side effects."

22/
Them: *furrowed brows listening*

I pointed to my hair.

Me: "This is all #COVIDVaccine."

*laughter*

And that was it.

Nope. It doesn't always end in a person having a change of heart. But I like to think a listening ear counts for something.

Yeah.

#BlackWhysMatter