Racism Awakes!!

I was working as a bartender in a bar/restaurant in the suburbs of Buffalo. This was the type of bar with $1 draughts which attracted daily barflys. Men would come in after work and sit there until we closed at 12:30 every day. They made me sick.

One night a mixed race couple came in and ordered food to go. They sat at one of the bar tables waiting. Barfly #1 started to make pointed comments about negroes and oreos. I told him quietly to shut up, but I didn't stand up for them while they were there. They came to me and told me to forget the food and left and the Barfly sat there with a smug smile on his face. I started to yell at him. How dare he make comments about other human beings? How dare he be openly racist to guests doing nothing to him but waiting for food. I smoldered all night, but mostly I was mad at myself because I didn't say what I wanted to while they were there.

The next day when I got to work, the owner told me I was being let go. Perhaps I'd be happier *downtown* where my beliefs would be better served. I couldn't believe that the owner would side with a guy who spent $8 every night and was openly rude to other guests. I couldn't believe he preferred racism himself. I burst into tears when I left.

I did get some satisfaction when I won $900 on the football pool and came in to collect my money. It was just in time to get new tires on my car and buy books for school. But I still regret to this day not intervening earlier and showing that not all the suburban fools were racist fucks. If I was going to get fired anyway, I really should have let him have it.