2:58 p.m. - 2005-08-18

She said that yes, it was in fact a good morning, but she appreciated the question in my voice. Then she says "I've got something to tell you that only you can truly appreciate."

A little background here. This friend is someone I attended college with. I brought her home one weekend and introduced her to one of my best guy friends from my hometown, and they decided to get married. Or maybe he just decided to marry her, and she went along with it. Regardless, they now have 3 small children and a house in the suburbs. So, I am one of the few people in the WORLD who was actually friends with them both before they were a couple. It's important to note that my friend is a pretty classy lady, and her husband is pretty proud of being a country boy.

My friend continues to tell her tale. Seems she had some neighbors move out and some new neighbors move in. She was talking with some neighbors across the street about who was moving in. It's important to know that my friend and her family are all white, and the across the street neighbor (ATSN, because I'm lazy) and her family (husband and 3 kids also) are all black. The ATSN was telling that the new family was a black family, and seemed to be a nice couple, and she thought they might have a few kids around the same age as their kids.

One day, my friend was babysitting the ATSN's kids, so she had 6 small children in her house, 3 white, 3 black, and was trying to do laundry. She sees the moving van pull up. Thinking she should be a good neighbor, even though she was in her slummed out house cleaning clothes, she went out front to speak to them and welcome them to the neighborhood. She saw them look at her funny, and thought "Whoa, I must really look bad." So she apologized for her appearance, explaining she was cleaning and babysitting, and left them to their unpacking.

Fast forward to that night. Her husband comes home and she's telling him she met the new neighbors and what she had found out about them. He looks at her strangely, and says "Did you go over there looking like THAT?"

"Well, yeah, I just wanted to welcome them to the neighborhood. I apologized for looking so bad, but I was cleaning."

"Honey. You have on a redneck t-shirt and a CONFEDERATE FLAG BANDANNA ON YOUR HEAD. Those people probably thought you were threatening them!"

And the most amazing thing to me is that HE noticed before she did! I guess that just goes to show what 6 kids and laundry can turn your brain into!

Maybe my husband should reconsider the number of children he desires...and consider hiring me a maid!

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