True Story

True story

When in A&E the other day for five hours with my son's climbing fall, there was a drunk slob drinking cider out of a White Lightening bottle, 3 Asian ladies and an elderly Asian man, a white guy who kept looking at the ladies and harrumphing because they were speaking in Urdu. A young white couple who kept playing sweary hip hop videos on their phone full blast even though there were kids around. Two of the Asian ladies and the man with them were waiting for an elderly lady, who was brought out by her granddaughter, I gave up my seat so the elderly lady could sit. The elderly gentleman moved over so the granddaughter could sit down. I was supposed to pick up my eldest son at 3.00 from his trip with School, he was coming back from Spain. I had 1% on my phone and was desperately trying to marshal someone to collect Brian. I was explaining this to Frank and May when one of the Asian ladies, produced a charger from her bag, she said ‘ere yar luv, thees a plug ower theer (this is my phonetics for Yorkshire, from whence I come). If yu can’t get enibody to answer’ she said: ‘why don’t you order him a taxi’ I said he hasn’t got a key for the house, she said: ‘get the taxi to drop him down here.’ Genius I said, why didn’t I think about that, ‘cos you’re panicking love’ she said. Have you got any business advice as well I said, they all laughed. Then just as it flicked on to 2% the phone rang, and I managed to get someone to pick up Brian. While I was on the phone two of the Asian ladies started a game of eye spy with Frank and May and made sure that on their goes, they made May think in detail about what she was eye spying. They continued to amuse and talk to May and teach her little bits and bobs for half an hour before one of the ladies got her turn with the docs, the Asian ladies and one man were two families. The family with the elderly lady departed and said thank you and smiled. The other two ladies were sisters; sister had come to keep her sister company, then she had to go and the other lady’s son turned up to take his shift, dressed a bit like a hip hop or possibly grime crooner (I have all the lingo) he turned out to be studying to be a doctor and I knew some of his teachers at the University and the department he was in. His mum it turns out worked in community outreach and widening participation from further education so at some point our paths would have crossed in my knowledge transfer roles. She left her charger with me while she and her son went back in to see the doctors. She said if you go before I get back, leave the charger with the reception. Trust, for me the stranger, more likely care for me, the one in need.
A few days before May had been selling comics at the car boot sale. 75% of her clients were of Asian descent I would say. Every single Asian person she spoke to bought something from her, one Asian gentleman (and I use the word with purpose) taught her to negotiate and then paid full price for her comics anyway. I love living in a multi-racial culture. I don’t like hateful, harmful, violent twats, who behave the very same way that they accuse, who make up their own world histories, take out the bits that don't suit them, rearrange and twists facts and cause trouble for everyone. Don’t choose hateful stories. Choose ladies and gentlemen, choose Sikh taxi drivers in Manchester, choose people making sure the children in need total goes up every year, every time a parent went without so their child could have Christmas presents or went without food so the kids could eat, every time a fire fighter runs into a building, every time someone held up the traffic to let the person waiting at the junction out, every time someone picked up the litter put it in the bin, every time someone carried a bag to help someone in need, every time someone stood up to be counted…had the courage of their convictions, every time you said that is not the right way to behave, stood up against racism, homophobia, radicalisation, bullying, hate crime or just a lack of care for others, the banality of everyday heroism over the banality of evil. Choose love.