1/
#WhatsYourWhy: Day 5 of 7

Neighborhood Pizza Spot

Them: “Hey doc. . . gon' be a few more minutes.”
Me: *pinching down nose of my mask* “No prob.”
Them: “Sorry ‘bout that. You doing okay?”
Me: “Yup—you?”
Them: “Hangin' in.”

I nodded and stepped over to the side to wait.

2/
Them: *calling to back* “Y’all almost got that Brooklyn Style XL ready?”

Someone yelled back that it was coming out now. They looked over at me and gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture.

Them: “Bet y’all super busy. This pandemic is still bad!”
Me: *sigh* “Yeah.”

3/
A man walked in with a fluffy salt and pepper beard peaking around his mask. Without getting a name, they handed him two pizzas.

Man: “Be safe!”
Them: “You, too!”

Be safe.
You, too.

Me: “I love how you know everyone.”
Them: “I do know y’all!”

That made me smile.

4/
Them: “I mean, some of y’all order the EXACT same thing on the same day--EVERY time.”
Me: “Yeah? What about us?”
Them: “Brooklyn Style XL pepperoni. On Fridays.”
Me: “Wow.”
Them: “Although y’all did go through that pineapple phase.”

*laughter*

Me: “Dang, you good.”

5/
Them: *looking over shoulder* “They slicing you up now, doc.”
Me: *thumbs up*

*silence*

Me: “Hey. . . what's your thoughts on taking a #COVIDVaccine when you can?”
Them: “Oh. I think everyone should take if. F'sho.”
Me: “That’s what’s up.”

Yay. That's what's up.

6/
Them: “I mean, I don’t have to take it since I had #COVID in May. But I been telling everybody they need to get it.”

Skrrrrrrrt.

Me: *looking up from phone* “Wait. Repeat that?”
Them: “Oh. I had it already. I mean, thank God, I didn’t get hella sick. But yeah, I had it.”

7/
Them: "I ain't tell you that?"
Me: “No. . .but I’m glad you're OK.”
Them: “You ain’t kiddin’. I was shook.”
Me: “Dag. I bet you were.”

Shook.
How apropos.

Whew.

Me: “But. . .hey listen. You know that even if you had #COVID infection, you still need to get the vaccine.”

8/
Them: “Waymint. Say what now?”
Me: “Yeah, fam. Even folks who had #COVID still need to get the vaccine.”
Them: *squinting* “That don’t even make sense.”

Fair. It kind of doesn't follow logic.

Them: *shaking head* “Nah. The infection naturally does what the vaccine does.”

9/
Me: “Well . . . kinda sorta. But not really. It’s crazy but you know how when you get infected, your body fights it, right?”
Them: “Right. . .”
Me: “Like, you make antibodies and stuff and your body remembers it to fight later.”
Them: "Exactly."

10/
Me: “Yeah, so what’s bugged out about #COVID is that some people get infected and make good antibodies and some don’t. And the ones they DO make, we not even sure how well they work.”
Them: “For real?”
Me: “Yup. It’s like a crap shoot. You might be protected, you might not.”

11/
Them: “Daaaaag. All this time I been thinking I don't need it. Do I really?”
Me: “I mean. . are you good at craps?”

*laughter*

Them: “Terrible.”
Me: "Then yeah."

We both laughed again.

Me: “Yeah you need to get it. To make sure you roll that 7 11 for antibodies."

12/
Them: “Okay! I see you knowing about craps, doc.”

*laughter*

They reached over to grab the box with our pizza.

Them: “Piping hot.”
Me: “Thanks. Okay, so what’s up with you and this vaccine?”
Them: “Wheeew. You headcracked me with that info. I gotta think on it, doc.”

13/
Me: “We can talk about any questions you have next week.”
Them: “Yeah, at the Friday pizza appointment.”

*laughter*

Me: *balancing box and pushing through door* “Alright then, fam.”
Them: “Alright then. See you next time, doc.”

Be safe.
You, too.

And that was that.

14/

A belief that they didn’t need it.
Unsure after learning otherwise.

And a doctor that they see every Friday who orders the same thing.

These were their whys.

Theirs.

I’m not sure if pineapple on pizza engenders trust. But relationships do.

Yup.

#BlackWhysMatter