Months ago, on the way to find a new trail, I overheard over the car radio the latter half of an inspiring story, which I relayed to my daughter when she was home.
A black mom, in raising her black girl, has been telling her to always keep her head up but her mouth shut.
Sitting in the classroom one normal school day, she was facing the questions from her teacher.
“What does your mom do?”
Remembering her mom’s word, the little girl answered timidly that she did not know.
Then the topic somehow switched to the shoes the girl was going to wear to school. The girl told the teacher that she had ten pairs of shoes, describing each in details the colors and styles.
One day, the girl wore a pair of shoes that was not in her list. The teacher saw it, looked into the girl’s eyes, and said coldly: “You didn’t tell me that you have this.”
The girl was intimidated and lowered her head, as if she was doing something wrong.
Back at home, she told her mom what happened that day at school. The mom was enraged. "That’s ridiculous!”burst out the mom. The girl looked at her mom, not sure if it was her that her mom was mad at.
“It’s none of her business!” Holding her little girl’s hand by one side, and with a handbag in another, the mom stormed out the door. Not knowing where her mom was taking her, or if it’s the school they were going to, the girl followed her mom fearfully. They came to the bustling main street, and stopped in front of Saks 5th Avenue. The mom went straight into the shoe department and picked a pair of yellow-colored shoes that cost almost $100.
The next morning, the mom asked the little girl to put on the new shoes, and told her:
“You go and tell the teacher that you actually have a dozen pairs of shoes.”
The girl did accordingly. She walked up to the teacher and showed her her 12th pair of shoes. The teacher, stone-faced, looked at the shiny bright new shoes, said nothing but: "Go and sit down.”
Of course, the mom knew that soon the little girl's feet would outgrow all the shoes she had, but this $100 is a silent defiance, fighting for her little girl’s dignity in face of an authority. Many years later, the little girl, now grown up to be a self-esteemed lady, was telling her story over the radio, reminiscent of her proud mom and her 12 pairs of shoes.
回复 '7grizzly' 的评论 : Hi, my friend. Thanks for your comment and thinking. True, dignity is endowed to each of us by God, not given by someone. But when people are mercenary, dignity can sometimes be earned:)). The mom fought in her own way and she is a character in my eyes. Thanks again, my friend!
南山松 发表评论于
母亲的行为出人意料，为了女儿的尊严，这100元也是值了。谢谢暖暖的好分享：）
7grizzly 发表评论于
Interesting story. I applaud the black mom but I tend to believe that dignity can never be taken away unless one gives it. Nor can it be bought. "Keep your head up and mouth shut" is good enough.
暖冬cool夏 发表评论于
回复 'Once-always' 的评论 : Oncemm说的是，Very wild imaginations in the dream,and I was caught off guard by your visit. But meanwhile it reflects sth, like untidiness, 马大哈:)) 还记得梦里站在三楼show你们风景，a complete new and strange scene, some castle-like neighbood. Oncemm梦见我在车里，不会是私奔吧:)) 谢谢你的再次到访留言！
刚刚文学城好像crashed了，后来手机又信号不好。
This reminds me the book 《The Color of Water》- autobiography and memoir of James McBride。 暖冬的女儿has a big heart.:)
BeijingGirl1 发表评论于
Nice article, interesting story. Like it!
Once-always 发表评论于
暖mm，刚刚早餐时，跟他讲了这个故事。我问： what’s your takeaway of the story? 他说：a girl needs 12 pairs of shoes, one for each month. :))) 这人就没正经。不过仔细想想，我觉得这个故事里强调的$100其实还是想说sometimes money can buy self-esteem and dignity. 当然还有一层意思是说你没说出来的才是最好的，比如小女孩没说出她妈妈是干什么的。。。哈哈，I think we’re all over analyzing now. To that little girl, it’s just one of the many things her mom had done for her during her childhood.
Once-always 发表评论于
What an inspiring story! The little girl was lucky that she had a wise mom, but I would say that any pair of shoes would serve the purpose. ：） 不过这位妈妈的这$100花得值，买来女儿一生的自尊自强。
