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1/
#WhatsYourWhy
At the curb market by Grady
Them: "Hey, Dr. Manning!"
Me: "Heeeey!"
*air fist bump*
Me: "You doing alright?"
Them: "I'm making it."
Me: "Guess that's all we can do right?"
Them: "Exactly."
*pause*
Them: "Hey, I'm glad to see you feeling better."
Huh?
#WhatsYourWhy
At the curb market by Grady
Them: "Hey, Dr. Manning!"
Me: "Heeeey!"
*air fist bump*
Me: "You doing alright?"
Them: "I'm making it."
Me: "Guess that's all we can do right?"
Them: "Exactly."
*pause*
Them: "Hey, I'm glad to see you feeling better."
Huh?
2/
Them: "Look like you was in a bad way this weekend from what I saw on social media."
Me: "Haaaa! Can't even front. . . I was, man."
In a bad way. A perfect descriptor.
In fact, I'd just used that very phrase with my teenaged son just an hour before.
Yup.
Them: "Look like you was in a bad way this weekend from what I saw on social media."
Me: "Haaaa! Can't even front. . . I was, man."
In a bad way. A perfect descriptor.
In fact, I'd just used that very phrase with my teenaged son just an hour before.
Yup.
3/
Son: *frantic* "Mom, I can't find my computer charger! Where's yours?!"
Me: *calm* "I took it to work."
Son: *frantic* "What I am supposed to do?"
Me: "Are you testing?"
Son: "No."
Me: "Use your phone. Otherwise you in a bad way until I get home."
Mmm hmm.
But I digress.
Son: *frantic* "Mom, I can't find my computer charger! Where's yours?!"
Me: *calm* "I took it to work."
Son: *frantic* "What I am supposed to do?"
Me: "Are you testing?"
Son: "No."
Me: "Use your phone. Otherwise you in a bad way until I get home."
Mmm hmm.
But I digress.
4/
The thing about being in a bad way is that it isn't usually life or death. Just . . .annoying.
Yeah. That.
So me feeling achy and yucky after getting my 2nd dose of the #COVIDVaccine absolutely fits that.
Me: "Yeah. My immune system was wildin' out."
*laughter*
The thing about being in a bad way is that it isn't usually life or death. Just . . .annoying.
Yeah. That.
So me feeling achy and yucky after getting my 2nd dose of the #COVIDVaccine absolutely fits that.
Me: "Yeah. My immune system was wildin' out."
*laughter*
5/
Them: "Yeah, that took me to the edge. I was like, 'If it got the energizer bunny Manning like that? Hell naw!'"
I reached for my order from the counter & raised a hand at the shop owner. She nodded & waved back.
Me: "I love this place."
Them: "Me, too."
Them: "Yeah, that took me to the edge. I was like, 'If it got the energizer bunny Manning like that? Hell naw!'"
I reached for my order from the counter & raised a hand at the shop owner. She nodded & waved back.
Me: "I love this place."
Them: "Me, too."
6/
We backed up to let another person order.
Me: "So what did you mean by 'the edge?'"
Them: *raising brows* "Huh?"
Me: "You said something took you to the edge."
Them: *shaking head* "You on your ass from that second shot, that's what."
*laughter*
We backed up to let another person order.
Me: "So what did you mean by 'the edge?'"
Them: *raising brows* "Huh?"
Me: "You said something took you to the edge."
Them: *shaking head* "You on your ass from that second shot, that's what."
*laughter*
7/
Them: "But I'm low key glad you shared it. 'Cause I needed to see that."
Me: *listening*
Them: "Like. . . . I don't know, man. How can a shot make you that sick when it's not giving you COVID?"
Me: "That's real. Honestly, I can see how people would think that."
Them: "But I'm low key glad you shared it. 'Cause I needed to see that."
Me: *listening*
Them: "Like. . . . I don't know, man. How can a shot make you that sick when it's not giving you COVID?"
Me: "That's real. Honestly, I can see how people would think that."
8/
And I said that because it was true. Like, if I was a layperson and not in medicine? I'd wonder that, too.
Me: "I don't want to insult you since you've probably heard a lot about this. Have you heard about the immune response?"
Them: "Yeah, from your video!"
*laughter*
And I said that because it was true. Like, if I was a layperson and not in medicine? I'd wonder that, too.
Me: "I don't want to insult you since you've probably heard a lot about this. Have you heard about the immune response?"
Them: "Yeah, from your video!"
*laughter*
9/
Me: "Good ol' social media."
Them: "Yeah, and I get feeling tired and stuff. But you shouldn't get no fever from just the antibodies getting made. A fever means infection."
Their food came up behind them.
I pointed.
Me: "Your food."
Them: *grabbing it* "Aah thanks."
Me: "Good ol' social media."
Them: "Yeah, and I get feeling tired and stuff. But you shouldn't get no fever from just the antibodies getting made. A fever means infection."
Their food came up behind them.
I pointed.
Me: "Your food."
Them: *grabbing it* "Aah thanks."
10/
It was clear from their body language that they wanted to talk some more. I was glad.
Me: "I usually think of infection when I see a fever, too. But it's some other stuff that can do it, too."
Them: *shaking head* "Not like THAT."
Me: "Uh huh!"
Them: "Nuh Unh!"
It was clear from their body language that they wanted to talk some more. I was glad.
Me: "I usually think of infection when I see a fever, too. But it's some other stuff that can do it, too."
Them: *shaking head* "Not like THAT."
Me: "Uh huh!"
Them: "Nuh Unh!"
11/
*laughter*
Me: "Yeah, the whole immune response can set a lot of stuff off. It's pretty common to feel a fever and feel run down with some vaccines. Especially this one."
Them: "And that's why I'm cool on it."
*silence*
Me: "You walking back?"
Them: *nods*
We walk.
*laughter*
Me: "Yeah, the whole immune response can set a lot of stuff off. It's pretty common to feel a fever and feel run down with some vaccines. Especially this one."
Them: "And that's why I'm cool on it."
*silence*
Me: "You walking back?"
Them: *nods*
We walk.
12/
Me: "So when you said you were on the edge--did that mean like at first you were thinking about it?"
Them: "I kinda was. But I keep hearing people feel bad from that second shot."
*walking*
Them: "Like you? You was on 10 on Friday. Freestyling, all that! But then . . ."
Me: "So when you said you were on the edge--did that mean like at first you were thinking about it?"
Them: "I kinda was. But I keep hearing people feel bad from that second shot."
*walking*
Them: "Like you? You was on 10 on Friday. Freestyling, all that! But then . . ."
13/
They stopped & looked at me.
Them: "Tell the truth. You felt real bad?"
Me: *thinking* "Hmm. Like, bad like what? Like laying on my stomach in a ICU intubated bad? Nah."
Them: *narrows eyes*
Me: *shrugs* "I'm sayin'."
*pause*
Me: "Was it fun? No. But I'd do it again."
They stopped & looked at me.
Them: "Tell the truth. You felt real bad?"
Me: *thinking* "Hmm. Like, bad like what? Like laying on my stomach in a ICU intubated bad? Nah."
Them: *narrows eyes*
Me: *shrugs* "I'm sayin'."
*pause*
Me: "Was it fun? No. But I'd do it again."
14/
Them: "You healthy. You'd probably be one of the ones who do fine. Or just give it everybody."
They laughed. I did not.
Me: "Some healthy folks have died. And got disabled. It's a crap shoot."
Them: "I hear you."
*pause*
Me: "You know what I'm MOST scared of?"
Them: "You healthy. You'd probably be one of the ones who do fine. Or just give it everybody."
They laughed. I did not.
Me: "Some healthy folks have died. And got disabled. It's a crap shoot."
Them: "I hear you."
*pause*
Me: "You know what I'm MOST scared of?"
15/
Them: "Leaving your kids?"
Me: "Partly that. But. . . ."
I felt my eyes prickle with tears.
Me: "I can't have my parents bury another child. Like. . . .watching my parents mourn my sister? That was the worst thing I've seen in my whole life."
Them: "Damn."
Yeah. Damn.
Them: "Leaving your kids?"
Me: "Partly that. But. . . ."
I felt my eyes prickle with tears.
Me: "I can't have my parents bury another child. Like. . . .watching my parents mourn my sister? That was the worst thing I've seen in my whole life."
Them: "Damn."
Yeah. Damn.
16/
I sighed and started walking again.
Them: "That's real."
Me: "Yeah. It is."
*walking*
Me: "I felt bad for most of Saturday. Tylenol helped."
Them: "That's good."
Me: "I went for a run Sunday."
Them: "I saw."
*laughter*
I stopped walking and trained my eyes on them.
I sighed and started walking again.
Them: "That's real."
Me: "Yeah. It is."
*walking*
Me: "I felt bad for most of Saturday. Tylenol helped."
Them: "That's good."
Me: "I went for a run Sunday."
Them: "I saw."
*laughter*
I stopped walking and trained my eyes on them.
17/
Me: "I hope you'll reconsider."
Them: *staring* "I might, Dr. Manning."
Me: "Okay. And listen--the fever isn't from infection. It's from your immune system going hard. That's it."
*pause*
Them: "I work on Saturdays and Sundays. I can't be down for no full day."
Me: "I hope you'll reconsider."
Them: *staring* "I might, Dr. Manning."
Me: "Okay. And listen--the fever isn't from infection. It's from your immune system going hard. That's it."
*pause*
Them: "I work on Saturdays and Sundays. I can't be down for no full day."
18/
I froze in place.
Shit.
Them: *chuckling* "Yeah. They need to come out with one for folks that ain't got back up at home."
I felt my face growing warm. Even though it was cold outside.
Shit.
Me: "Uggh. I . .I'm sorry."
They shrugged.
I froze in place.
Shit.
Them: *chuckling* "Yeah. They need to come out with one for folks that ain't got back up at home."
I felt my face growing warm. Even though it was cold outside.
Shit.
Me: "Uggh. I . .I'm sorry."
They shrugged.
19/
Them: "Look--I don't want #COVID neither. But it's crazy that the devil you feel like you know don't scare you as much as the one you don't."
*silence*
Me: "Sometimes I feel like we get our devils mixed up."
We parted ways shortly after that.
And that was it.
Them: "Look--I don't want #COVID neither. But it's crazy that the devil you feel like you know don't scare you as much as the one you don't."
*silence*
Me: "Sometimes I feel like we get our devils mixed up."
We parted ways shortly after that.
And that was it.
20/
Fear of the seemingly unknown.
No backup for the known chance of being "in a bad way"
and concern about how a vaccine can wreak such havoc.
These were their reasons.
Theirs.
And I have mine, too.
What we have in common?
Neither of us want #COVID.
#BlackWhysMatter
Fear of the seemingly unknown.
No backup for the known chance of being "in a bad way"
and concern about how a vaccine can wreak such havoc.
These were their reasons.
Theirs.
And I have mine, too.
What we have in common?
Neither of us want #COVID.
#BlackWhysMatter
