1/
Car Wash
I was mindlessly scrolling though emails while my car finished up in the car wash. A giant flatscreen television perched on the wall of the waiting room blared out a news program.
Her: “Oh HELLS no.”
I glanced over at the woman beside me and then at the screen.
Car Wash
I was mindlessly scrolling though emails while my car finished up in the car wash. A giant flatscreen television perched on the wall of the waiting room blared out a news program.
Her: “Oh HELLS no.”
I glanced over at the woman beside me and then at the screen.
2/
It only took two seconds for me to register to what garnered that reaction. Scenes of children proudly flexing band-aided arms as happy parents looked on flashed before my eyes.
Her: *to no one in particular* “5-year-olds? Girl bye.”
She let out a laugh and shook her head.
It only took two seconds for me to register to what garnered that reaction. Scenes of children proudly flexing band-aided arms as happy parents looked on flashed before my eyes.
Her: *to no one in particular* “5-year-olds? Girl bye.”
She let out a laugh and shook her head.
3/
I decided to bite.
Me: “You talking about them giving little kids the vaccine?”
Her: “Girl, yeah. Ain’t no way in hell.”
She paused for a moment. Then she doubled down.
Her: *shaking her head* “Oh HELLS no.”
I gave a slow nod to acknowledge her position.
Me: “Hmm.”
I decided to bite.
Me: “You talking about them giving little kids the vaccine?”
Her: “Girl, yeah. Ain’t no way in hell.”
She paused for a moment. Then she doubled down.
Her: *shaking her head* “Oh HELLS no.”
I gave a slow nod to acknowledge her position.
Me: “Hmm.”
4/
Me: “You got little people at home?”
Her: “Girl. I got four of ‘em ranging from 7 all the way up to 16.”
Me: “Dang. And you manage to get away for a car wash?”
Her: “Chile! That’s WHY I need a car wash!”
*laughter*
Me: “What about you?”
Her: “Me what?”
Me: “You got little people at home?”
Her: “Girl. I got four of ‘em ranging from 7 all the way up to 16.”
Me: “Dang. And you manage to get away for a car wash?”
Her: “Chile! That’s WHY I need a car wash!”
*laughter*
Me: “What about you?”
Her: “Me what?”
5/
Me: “Oh, I meant, how do you feel about getting the vaccine yourself?”
Her: “Oh, I been done got it for me. Like back in March. But my kids is a different story.”
Me: *listening*
Her: “Like, me getting it is different than them.” *chuckles* “They still cooking.”
*laughter*
Me: “Oh, I meant, how do you feel about getting the vaccine yourself?”
Her: “Oh, I been done got it for me. Like back in March. But my kids is a different story.”
Me: *listening*
Her: “Like, me getting it is different than them.” *chuckles* “They still cooking.”
*laughter*
6/
Me: “I hear you, sis. I vaccinated both of mine.”
She swung her body to face me. She wrinkled her brow dramatically and pulled back her neck.
Her: “How old are your kids?”
Me: “Teenagers. But—“
Her: “But what?”
Me: “But I would’ve done if they were little.”
Me: “I hear you, sis. I vaccinated both of mine.”
She swung her body to face me. She wrinkled her brow dramatically and pulled back her neck.
Her: “How old are your kids?”
Me: “Teenagers. But—“
Her: “But what?”
Me: “But I would’ve done if they were little.”
7/
Her: “I’m too scared to do that to my kids.”
Me: “To do what?”
Her: “Too many loose ends on it, man. Plus kids don’t even get sick like that. So I feel like it ain’t even worth it.”
*silence*
Me: “I hear you. There have been some kids who got hella sick.”
Her: “I guess.”
Her: “I’m too scared to do that to my kids.”
Me: “To do what?”
Her: “Too many loose ends on it, man. Plus kids don’t even get sick like that. So I feel like it ain’t even worth it.”
*silence*
Me: “I hear you. There have been some kids who got hella sick.”
Her: “I guess.”
8/
Me: “No, for real. Like, it’s not as common as grown ups but it happens. But the other part is that they could get it and give to somebody. My mom is around them a lot so that pushed me, too.”
Her: “You wasn’t scared?”
Me: “I kind of was. But I did it anyway.”
*silence*
Me: “No, for real. Like, it’s not as common as grown ups but it happens. But the other part is that they could get it and give to somebody. My mom is around them a lot so that pushed me, too.”
Her: “You wasn’t scared?”
Me: “I kind of was. But I did it anyway.”
*silence*
9/
Her: “How did they handle it?”
Me: “I mean, my older one talked shit but other than that? Not much. The younger one slept for long time after. But that could’ve had nothing to do with a #COVIDvaccine.”
*laughter*
Me: “I felt pretty relieved after.”
Her: *listening*
Her: “How did they handle it?”
Me: “I mean, my older one talked shit but other than that? Not much. The younger one slept for long time after. But that could’ve had nothing to do with a #COVIDvaccine.”
*laughter*
Me: “I felt pretty relieved after.”
Her: *listening*
10/
I held my hand up and wanted to come clean.
Me: “Listen—I’m a doctor at Grady. So, you know, I’m thinking about this more than other folks.”
Her: “You work at Grady?”
Me: “Yup.”
Her: “Damn. I bet you see all kinds of stuff.”
Me: *shrug* “I meet some cool people.”
I held my hand up and wanted to come clean.
Me: “Listen—I’m a doctor at Grady. So, you know, I’m thinking about this more than other folks.”
Her: “You work at Grady?”
Me: “Yup.”
Her: “Damn. I bet you see all kinds of stuff.”
Me: *shrug* “I meet some cool people.”
11/
I heard then call out the make and model of my car. I ignored it.
Her: “So they made you vaccinate your kids?”
Me: “Oh definitely not. I did it on my own.”
Her: “What you mean when you say your oldest was talking shit?”
*laughter*
Me: “Real talk? He pushed back.”
I heard then call out the make and model of my car. I ignored it.
Her: “So they made you vaccinate your kids?”
Me: “Oh definitely not. I did it on my own.”
Her: “What you mean when you say your oldest was talking shit?”
*laughter*
Me: “Real talk? He pushed back.”
12/
Her: “Yeah?”
Me: “Yeah. Said it should be his choice. And I said, ‘You get 2 choices, son. Right arm or left arm.’”
I laughed. She did not.
Her: “I feel some type of way about that.”
Me: “I can see that. But he loves his grandma. So he turned around quick.”
Her: “Yeah?”
Me: “Yeah. Said it should be his choice. And I said, ‘You get 2 choices, son. Right arm or left arm.’”
I laughed. She did not.
Her: “I feel some type of way about that.”
Me: “I can see that. But he loves his grandma. So he turned around quick.”
13/
Now they were calling her car, too. We both stood and walked toward the door.
Her: “You the first person I met that gave that shot to their kids.”
Me: “Word? Yeah. I did it on the first day, sis.”
Her: “Damn.”
We both stepped outside and squinted at the bright sun.
Now they were calling her car, too. We both stood and walked toward the door.
Her: “You the first person I met that gave that shot to their kids.”
Me: “Word? Yeah. I did it on the first day, sis.”
Her: “Damn.”
We both stepped outside and squinted at the bright sun.
14/
Her: “Good talking to you, sis.”
Me: “Same.”
We both paused for a beat.
Me: “Hey—um. . .so if you decide you want to get your babies vaccinated, I can help you.”
Her: *nodding*
Me: “Like, you could come to Grady and I can get ‘em hooked up!”
Her: “You so funny!”
Her: “Good talking to you, sis.”
Me: “Same.”
We both paused for a beat.
Me: “Hey—um. . .so if you decide you want to get your babies vaccinated, I can help you.”
Her: *nodding*
Me: “Like, you could come to Grady and I can get ‘em hooked up!”
Her: “You so funny!”
15/
And so. I shared my name with her and how to find me at Grady.
And she put it in her phone and said she would really, really think about it. For real.
And I told her that really, really thinking about it is a helluva lot better than the ‘Oh HELLS no’ we started with.
And so. I shared my name with her and how to find me at Grady.
And she put it in her phone and said she would really, really think about it. For real.
And I told her that really, really thinking about it is a helluva lot better than the ‘Oh HELLS no’ we started with.
16/
And then I laughed. This time, she did, too.
I got into my car feeling so, so grateful that I bit on her comment. And also for the “new car smell” scent in my clean car.
Yeah.
#BlackWhysMatter
#NoJudgmentZone
And then I laughed. This time, she did, too.
I got into my car feeling so, so grateful that I bit on her comment. And also for the “new car smell” scent in my clean car.
Yeah.
#BlackWhysMatter
#NoJudgmentZone
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