I told this story at least a million times.
Yes, I am aware of what’s going on around me: Black Lives Matter protests, Presidential Debate,
The tragedy that is my last year of undergrad.
But you don’t realize how close to home situations can get until it’s literally right in your face. And believe me, the situation that hit me was definitely a weird one.
It was Thursday evening and I walked to meet my friends at the nail salon across the street from my dorm room. I was only getting a polish change while I had a friend that was getting a fill in. After five minutes of sitting down I’m called to a desk beside a white woman, probably in her forties, I wasn’t sure. I remember feeling her gaze on me as soon as I sat down. I guess she didn’t think I noticed but prior to me taking a seat, I overheard her speaking to the nail tech about how she paid a visit to a Trump Rally.
My initial reaction was: “Jesus, don’t let me go off on this woman, because I really like getting my nails done here."
I also had to stop and think: A Trump supporter wouldn’t be bold enough to come in an Asian-owned business and cause a scene over Trump while getting a French tip would she?
I was a firm believer that I was about to have an encounter with a pure racist.
She was staring at me as I was explaining to the woman repainting my nails that I wanted a matte white (which is absolutely everything right now!) I finally made eye contact, smile and look away. As I turn away I hear
“How long does it take for you to do your hair like that?”
“Oh,” I was shocked she wanted to know but I was also prepared for the worst case scenario. “Three to four hours, it depends on how thick I want them.”
“I couldn’t sit that long for my hair,”
We sat there in our chairs and we talked about our hair and she got on the subject of celebrities that lived in Brevard and asked me if I knew any of them. Of course, she brought up Steve Martin, everyone at the college learns in the first two weeks of school that Steve Martin lives here in his retirement and rocks out in his own bluegrass band.
But that’s not what bothered me.
What bothered me was that she felt she had to inform me of anyone who was a black celebrity. I had no reaction however, because some people just have to describe people that way. But the Trump rally thing was getting to me and everything she said after that became irrelevant.
Then she asked me the question:
Do you ever feel any racial tensions here?
All I can hear in my head is lady don’t you dare!
Honestly, the answer is sometimes. It’s only when something happens in the news that is race related that this town’s air gets thick, then the tension subsides, at least until the next breaking story. But what small town isn’t that way. Instead, I told her “I try not to think about it, everyone I’ve ever encountered treated me fair here.”
She replies, “Good, because it’s not fair that people aren’t feeling safe at home or to walk out of their house because of the color of their skin.”
PUT THE BRAKES ON!
I had to fight the urge to do a double take. Am I still talking to a Trump supporter?
"I would hate to know if you felt uncomfortable in this town because there’s not a lot of African Americans or Hispanics or Asians."
Ya’ll I was so lost.
“At the end of the day we’re all people and it’s not the outside but the inside that counts.”
The lady repainting my nails finally finished and I had to move to the drying table. As I get up I hear the women say to me “Nice talking to you, I really love your hair and you are a very beautiful girl.”
Confused I say to her “Thank you, it was nice speaking to you.”
I’m glad I was on my way to see a movie that night, because I just could not end my day off of that note.
I wasn’t sure if I should’ve been offended or flattered by the conversation we had. It was the most confusing twenty minutes of my life.
