A few nights ago a few friends and I headed to Waffle House to grab a bite to eat. As we neared the end of our time there, I realized 5 customers (3 middle-aged males and 2 females) walked in and sat down--two of whom were decked in their finest "Make America Great Again" attire. I thought nothing of it.
My three friends stood up to pay their bills while I scurried around gathering up my leather jacket and my purse, trying to pre-bus the table for our waiter. As I stood up, I felt their eyes on me, but I ignored them. One of the men reached for my side, but I dodged him quickly and marched up to the line. I reached for my phone and pretended to be busy while my friends carried on a conversation about something else. I listened closely to the men behind me as they talked about my appearance...
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Man #1: "D**n that's a nice a**..."
Man #2: "Ain't that right."
Man #1: "Girl, I'd rape you just to get a piece of that a**....or at least grab your p***y"
*laughing from the whole table*
Man #1: "Girl, can I please get some of that?"
I continued to ignore them, but heard his other friend chime in...
Man #3: "Let it go, man. If you wanna get that, you gotta make her owe you. Buy her meal"
Man #1: "Sh*t I'd buy her whole table's meal for that a**."
Woman #1: "What about mine?"
Man #1: "You've got a nice one too, but, I mean, look at hers. Hey, girl. I'm serious. Speak when you're spoken to. Let me get that. Please."
More laughter ensued, and I instantly felt some sort of rush in me to get out. I paid my tab and dashed out just as he and his friends headed outside for a cigarette. As I crawled in the car, all I could think was "I probably should have re-evaluated what I wore tonight."
My friends, this is no horror story. This is no call for pity. This is no ploy to point fingers at certain groups of people and rant.
This is a call to action. Whether their justification rested within the words of Donald Trump or not was out of the question for me at that point. What mattered to me was the lack of respect. To me, to their waiter, and to the audience around them. Granted, Waffle House shouldn't hold the highest expectations when it comes to customer auras... (I understand that.) But the idea that we can't even seem to enjoy ourselves in public without some sort of dispute or discourse occurring within feet of us seems to bother me more than anything.
We are living in a world of hate--in a world where mouths say what hearts should not--where minds think what souls should not. I want my children and my children's children to live in a world where building foundations, creating the utmost positive environments, and lending the strongest of supports are easily accessible. I want to work toward a place where we can all live with and understand each other. We are far from this. We have so much work to do. But if we work together, and we stand together there is absolutely nothing we cannot do.
And to the men and women from that night....to the men and women everywhere with heavy hearts and heavy minds,
I hope you rest easy at night. I hope your mornings are bright and your days are full. I hope the best for you, and I hope you see the good in the world. Your days are dark for now, and you do not realize this. There will come a time when hate and cynicism will knock at your door, and I pray that you have the will to respond with grace and courage, with kindness and understanding, with elegance and respect. Until that day, continue to improve yourselves. And I will do the same.
