California Women

I wound up at some unemployment office in Long Beach a few days ago. It's kind of a long story how that happened, but not particularly interesting. Suffice it to say that it is directly related to the fact that I'm unemployed.

So there I was in a long line with a lot of people who are the sort you'd expect to see at the DMV. I couldn't help but notice that the guy behind me in line kept creeping closer and closer. I think it's particularly annoying when I'm standing in line with the person behind me practically plastered up against my back. Some of my cousins and I have discussed this, because it happens a lot at Disneyland. One of my cousins like to lean backwards until she's all but leaning on the person behind her. Another cousin likes to let the line in front move ahead while she holds things up and lets the person behind her go crazy with anxiety. My tactic is to turn around and face the person. It usually makes the person violating my space very uncomfortable and they take a step back. If not, I just inch a little closer, eventually they will retreat.

Anyway, I turned to face this guy behind me at the unemployment office, and predictably he looked really embarrassed and took a step backwards, but immediately apologized and told me he was trying to see my watch. From there we started chatting. He told me he had been "laid off" from his job as a security officer. His employer told him they were going to let him go because they felt he was overbearing, and then leaned forward and all but shouted at me "I am not overbearing, that's ridiculous! They'll just say anything to get rid of you these days!" It took everything I had to keep a straight face and appear sympathetic. He told me all about his life. He's from Compton, he's been married for 30 years, but is having serious marital problems that have been exacerbated by his recent unemployment. It's his second marriage. His first was when he was 18 and lasted 4 months. He has 3 kids. Two daughters and a son. The son is a drug addict. The older daughter has a son with severe respiratory problems. His parents live in Vegas, his wife's parents live in Mississippi...etc. I mean, I got the whole story. When he finally ran out of personal material to divulge he leaned over and actually thanked me for listening and for "not being stuck up like all the other white women in California." What's wrong with all you other white women that don't want to hear these stories?