The Nigger and the Dyke

The Snapshot Series —  #6
​(Snapshots of life, 150-word photographs of human encounters.)

“Dark Alley B/W” by godkill. Via DeviantArt.

We walk out of the nightclub. They are five, walking in a bulk, blocking the street; their street. “You dykes?” one of them asks. Instinctively, our hands part. ​

The bulk becomes circle. They feel entitled; in a way, they are. They make physical contact. I turn to the tallest. I feel danger. I feel that all that stands between us and tomorrow’s headlines is my big mouth. Words. Fists clenched, I gather infamy in my mouth.

“You nigger?” I exclaim.

The street, the circle and my wife all freeze. “What did you call me?” he splutters. “What did you call me?” I echo.

It dawns on him. We start talking. Suddenly, between us, decades of human injustice; decades of denied human rights. We have made human contact. ​

​In the end, he says sorry. He wishes us a good night. He says take care. The circle becomes bulk. They walk away.

C.I.D

Liked it? Read:
Snapshot #1
Snapshot #2
Snapshot #3
Snapshot #4
Snapshot #5

Human Beings Are Not Topics