Yes, I speak English

I was just out a few minutes ago, buying books, of course! Only seven of them this time, I promise.

I don't know where 30 minutes went! I guess I tried to find good titles.

Well, I was at the store waiting in line to check out, books in my hands, heavy, too. There is this white lady trying to cut me off, because apparently I don't seem to be in a straight line, in line!

As I'm trying to thinking of a way to get this white lady off my toes, the cashier, who was white, too, begins to stare at this little girl, who was happily playing with a pony. The pony was big, about 3 feet tall, and the girl also wanted to ride it, I'm sure. The mother of this girl was standing right next to her, looking at a few items.

When the girl seems happy enough, the cashier says in a loud voice, "SENORITA!" And the mom quickly takes notice and looks her way. I don't know what to think, what is she speaking Spanish? Does she know Spanish? Does the woman understand? What!?

The cashier then tells her a word in English and a word in Spanish. All I* understood was that the little girl "Couldn't be doing that."

I looked at the mom, she seemed taken aback. So she calls after her daughter, but the daughter doesn't hear her at once. The girl's name is something that sounds Italian. No lie. The cashier stares at the mom, her eyes piecing. The mom feels the cuts and walks to her daughter, yanking her, and drawing her away from the pony.

The cashier smiles, I guess she feels good about herself.

And this is playing nicely in my mind. Until I realize that the woman DOES NOT SPEAK SPANISH. I mean, she MIGHT look like she is from the Americas, or from a part of the Old World where they MIGHT speak Spanish. After all, her skin is bronze, average height, etc.

Right then, I roll my eyes.

Racist! I think.

A black woman, in her early twenties, who also works there walks by the isle where the woman and the girl are and asks her if she speaks English.

This strikes me as VERY ODD.

What question is that?

I hear the mom say, "Yes, I speak English." And smiles.

The black girl walks over to the cashier and tells her she shouldn't do that.

The white girl asks what. And the black girl tells her that she spoke to her in SPANISH, but the woman knows English, and whatever other language.

The cashier then does a strange movement with her head as is saying "I don't care," and then says..."Well, I didn't know."

I narrowed my eyes so tight that when the black girl asked if I was next in line and that she could help me, I ran.

Then the white lady who tried to cut chased me, but a man with many things cut her and she was now ONE more person behind. Stupid.

The point of this post is that, no matter who it is, we are in a country where English is spoken. JUST because someone MIGHT look like they are from another country, doesn't mean we should try to speak to them in ANOTHER language, unless we know what language they speak, and if they want to speak in that language to us.

I hope this helps someone out there!

I'm going to read now.