"That must be tough. As the only Negro in Madison County I know what it's like to not be accepted."

Sarah's mind slips wistful into the past, to that One Hot Summer in 1957 in Madison County...

"Miss Sarah, have you noticed anything funny about Jeb lately?"

"Funny?"

"Yeah. I went into town to buy some mouse traps and Jeb at the counter was all dressed up like a Woman. He even was wearing stockings."

"Yeah, my Mandingo, I have noticed. Everyone in town has noticed, but we all pretend not to notice. Sometimes it is best left to pretend not to notice things."

"So does he think he is a woman now?"

"I think so. He tried to join the Ladies Gardening Committee, but he was rejected, of course. We tried to be polite, like you are with Retards and the like, but it obviously hurt his feelings."

"That must be tough. As the only Negro in Madison County I know what it's like to not be accepted."

"Well, my Mandingo, Jeb is still White, so he is still accepted some. We just don't let him near the Children. After that barn incident with Jeffrey and the little Clancy boy we have to be real careful of the weird ones."

"What does Jeb's wife think about all this?"

"She sure has been reading her Bible more. And rumor has it that she is having relations with the Chink who runs the Laundry, but we pretend not to notice."

"It seems like you have to pretend not to notice a lot to live in this world, Miss Sarah."

"It makes it easier for everyone."

"What would happen if I pretended to be White?"

"My silly Mandingo, you might as well ask a Retard to Teach School. Besides, the town folk would lynch you for even trying."

"Couldn't the town folk pretend not to notice?"

"Oh, Mandingo: you can't not pay attention to Negroes -- you take your eye off them even for a moment and then they go raping the white women."

"I'd never rape a white woman, Miss Sarah."

"I know you wouldn't, my Love: you being the docile kind of Negro only makes me love you more..."


I am Laslo.


http://althouse.blogspot.com/2015/12/but-she-still-suffered-from-what-one.html