A disclaimer: This post is less funny than usual.
I used to think that the extent of the stupidity of our neighbor's children was their penchant for sledding down our hill and toward oncoming traffic. Sure their endless fund raisers for 4-H and Brownies and schools were annoying but generally, we put up with them, especially when they sold us Scouts cookies. Then last week, Father discovered a BB gun crack through our guest room window and they got a whole lot less cute and a whole lot more stupid. I oscillate between trying to shrug the event off and thinking what could have happened had it cracked through both window layers, what if someone was there, what if he shoots at us again, what if, what if, what if. It is, after all, right next to the guest room bed. I'm not even sure how old the boy is this year; he must be in middle school now. I can't figure why he'd want to shoot our house except for the fact that, like Everest, we're here. We've always been nice to him, but he seems to have a little bigot streak in him. Years ago, he and some little friend got in trouble for repeatedly ringing our doorbell then running away screaming something about the Chinese. I called up his mother today and tried to let her have it. But she was so apologetic and soft spoken that it really took the fun out of it. And of course, it wasn't she I wanted to passive aggressively yell at. I didn't even get to say my line about "we'd like to believe that this wasn't racially motivated but we don't know that for sure." Beside me wanting to say that for the guilt factor, this is what sucks about being on the receiving end of something so senseless. I never know if someone hates me for me, for my skin color, or if that person is just plain stupid. Is it my fault or his? What's not to like about me? Would he have done it to another family? And suddenly, this pellet out of a stupid toy gun is making me completely self conscious instead of letting me direct my anger at him. But that's just what happens when your skin is a different color.
I used to think that the extent of the stupidity of our neighbor's children was their penchant for sledding down our hill and toward oncoming traffic. Sure their endless fund raisers for 4-H and Brownies and schools were annoying but generally, we put up with them, especially when they sold us Scouts cookies. Then last week, Father discovered a BB gun crack through our guest room window and they got a whole lot less cute and a whole lot more stupid. I oscillate between trying to shrug the event off and thinking what could have happened had it cracked through both window layers, what if someone was there, what if he shoots at us again, what if, what if, what if. It is, after all, right next to the guest room bed. I'm not even sure how old the boy is this year; he must be in middle school now. I can't figure why he'd want to shoot our house except for the fact that, like Everest, we're here. We've always been nice to him, but he seems to have a little bigot streak in him. Years ago, he and some little friend got in trouble for repeatedly ringing our doorbell then running away screaming something about the Chinese. I called up his mother today and tried to let her have it. But she was so apologetic and soft spoken that it really took the fun out of it. And of course, it wasn't she I wanted to passive aggressively yell at. I didn't even get to say my line about "we'd like to believe that this wasn't racially motivated but we don't know that for sure." Beside me wanting to say that for the guilt factor, this is what sucks about being on the receiving end of something so senseless. I never know if someone hates me for me, for my skin color, or if that person is just plain stupid. Is it my fault or his? What's not to like about me? Would he have done it to another family? And suddenly, this pellet out of a stupid toy gun is making me completely self conscious instead of letting me direct my anger at him. But that's just what happens when your skin is a different color.
Not the window that was shot, but a view of my family's gourd collection.
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