Grease brought me a realization

Teyonna's middle school got the rights to the musical Grease and are putting on a dinner theater production of it in April. Well Tey tried out and was cast as a preppy girl and chorus member. So tonight we had the kick off meeting for the cast of Grease. I do not consider myself poor or disadvantaged but I sometimes forget that we live in a pretty rich area and my daughter attends a well moneyed school. I live smack dab in the middle of million dollar plus homes. I lucked up on a new apartment development (which has since gone condo) in the area when the X and I split up. So the rent while still on the high side was affordable and the area is very safe plus it has taken off since then. Well I got kind of reminded tonight that we are so not one of the privileged. To pull into the parking lot of her school in my Hyundai and there is a fleet of Jags, BMWs, Mercedez, Range Rovers, Hummers, etc. Was on thing then to go in and see the women just dripping with bling wearing Prada shoes and carrying $1000 purses etc ( LOL - I was cracking up). Well they took one look at me in my Payless shoes, Lane Bryant outfit and turned their collective surgically enhanced noses up at me. I actually found it amusing, which seemed to piss them off even more.

They went out of their way to let me know I was not welcome. We had to get in line to pick up informational papers and the other parents acted like I did not exist, they stepped right in front of me, cut me in line, ignored me when I said anything etc. Not one parent would respond when I said hello. They just do not realize that growing up as a black female in a small town on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, I have dealt with all kinds of ignorance and discrimination and in the summer all the "rich" people came to town, opened up their 14 room summer "cottages" and treated us local like crap. I know I sound jealous and jaded but I'm not. I had to work for enough of those people and became privy enough to their lives to know that while they had a whole hell of a lot more money than my family did...they had the same problems and then some. Now I won't lie and say it would not have been nice to have some of that money but when they forgot to appear carefree and happy, they really seemed actually kind of lonely and sad.

Well back to the school. There was a mother who was sitting at my table and I wondered why she did not go get an info packet and when I offered her to share mine, she smiled and said that she was deaf. I was able to communicate to her that she needed a packet then I spent the rest of the 1.5 hour info session, writing down the main points she needed to know so she would not miss anything that was not already in the packet. This seemed to make me sink even lower in the other parent's eyes. I heard a mother in front of me turn around look at us and say to her friend in a loud whisper, "why is she bothering with her?" and nudge her head at us. Now since we were at the back of the room with no one behind us....I whispered in an equally loud whisper "Why do you care?" She huffed and turned red and turned around and proceeded to make comments about "her kind" and "don't get me started on that other one".

Now I don't know if there was history between her and the other mother I was helping or not but damn, can you grow the hell up and get some manners? It was in that second that I realized something....they may have more money than I will ever see in my life but I have something that they most likely will never have - a good heart. I may be a bitch on wheels a good portion of the time but I have never been one to walk away from anyone needing help and the other parents proved that money doesn't buy you everything....well at least not the things that count.

Peace, Love and Hairgrease
~CC