This time last year, I got our mail lady's attention while my husband and I were on the front porch and asked her if she was getting off for Martin Luther King Day. I said I remembered in the past that our city had two holidays for MLK. I was wondering if we still did. I just couldn't remember. She gave me a startled look, and I said that I figured she'd know. My meaning was that she'd know because she delivered the mail and would know beforehand if she'd be working. She got offended and said she didn't know what I was talking about. Me? I was clueless that I'd set her on edge.
After she walked away, my husband said he couldn't believe that I'd asked her that. I was still clueless. He said that she probably was offended because I was asking her about MLK Day because she was black. Like she was supposed to know all the black trivia?!?? That hadn't even entered my mind. I was wondering if the mail would run.
I ran her down and apologized, and told her that as far as I knew, there was a second holiday here in honor of MLK. She shrugged and said that she wasn't aware of it.
We live in Memphis. Tomorrow, the third of April, is MLK Memorial Day here---paying tribute to the day he died on April 4th. The libraries are closed, the trash won't be collected, and I believe the City offices will be shut down. Even the public schools are closed.
The thing is, I'm full of righteous indignation. Last year I was right, but she either wasn't aware of the holiday (which I find difficult to believe) or walks around with a chip on her shoulder. I vote for number two. She was offended, and we both ended up getting upset. I'm just a year late. Living in this city, I get so tired of the constant reminders of racism. We're a mess. But to make an innocent remark that's immediately misunderstood just gets my goat. And here it is, a year later and I'm freshly hacked off. My problem, sure, but it just gets so old.
