“American” Pride and a Shudder

by jenkapotente

I was pulling in to get gas tonight and saw an old, dark blue pickup truck driving into the same lane from the opposite side. I figured he’d just stop at the pump closest to him, letting me park at the pump closest to ME. But he kept driving forward. So I had to stop. In 5 seconds, I felt an eternity pass. I was shocked by his rudeness. I closed my agape maw and attempted to reverse. I looked over and saw him reverse back to the first pump. I pulled back in and got out of my car: “I appreciate that,” I said genuinely, but his response left me in shock: “I only did that because I thought you might be American. I have been dealing with people from other countries all day…”

My pulse was racing, my breaths shallow, I felt terribly close to being in an altercation merely because of the gene pool from which I sprang. But instead of being angry with him for being presumptuous and attempting to act on his prejudice, I was thankful. I was thankful he stopped to think about his decision and actions against me, an entity he deemed his opposition for whatever fragment of time, and sought what unified us instead. I wanted to speak with him. I wanted to sit down with him and his truckload of familial beings and discuss what happened and the implications of it all, but instead I smiled, filled my tank, and wished them a good night hoping he continues to second guess his nature.