THERE'S HOPE FOR US YET

By Harris Bloom

While paying for groceries at Gristede's, a black woman around 65-70 years old was waiting with her groceries at the foot of the checkout table. I assumed she was waiting for the manager for some reason. After glancing at my merchandise, she smiled at me, exaggerating the wrinkles around her mouth, and said, "Those are some nice looking apples."

"Thanks," I replied, and pointed to the front of the fruit section."I got them over there."

She looked over and said, "I see them. I'm here every day. I'll get some tomorrow."

We stood silently as the cashier continued to ring up my purchases. When she was about finished, I took an apple out of my bag and put it in the old lady's bag.
"Here, this should tide you over till tomorrow," I said with a wink.

"Why thank you," she responded with her grandmother-like face, "It's people like you who give me hope for this world."

I nodded, and couldn't help but feel good about my good deed. As I signed the credit card slip, the lady said something to me I couldn't hear.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking back up at her.

"I said, 'look over there,'" she responded. I turned around and tried to spot something unusual. Nothing seemed odd to me. Before I could ask her what she was referring to, she walked past me towards an Asian woman on the line next to ours. Two seconds later she was yelling.

"Who fuckin' brings a dog into a supermarket! I dunno what country you from, but here we dont allow no fuckin' dogs in the supermarket! God damn fucking foreigners...come here with their dogs and shit.""

I started walking out in the middle of her rant. Just when I got to the door I heard her voice from behind me, soft and sweet as can be.

"Thanks again for the apple."

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