Adventures of a White Girl in North O

Every city has 'that part' of town where the white middle class and upper crust dare not tread, especially after dark. In my town, that's North O.

Up until getting a part time job at a community college in North O a few years ago, the most I'd been was a few trips during high school. One was for a classmate's mother's funeral (during the day time and at a Church: no problems), to get some corn rows put in by a classmate for prom (I got hopelessly lost and had to wait in my car at a gas station for her to come drive and find me) and I believe for that same friend's graduation party (where my car-companion insisted we lock the doors and roll up the windows, which made me roll my eyes).

Truthfully, anytime I have to drive through North O, or be outside of my car, say at a gas station, it's accompanied by the false bravado and swagger that is supposed to ward off unwanted interactions with people that could kick my butt with merely a glance. My body language is trying to say "Yeah, I may look like a chickenshit little white girl, but don't you mess with me cuz I'm hood, yo, and I don't take crap from no one!"

Actually this shirt would be great! ;)

I know I'm not fooling anyone (especially not in my VW) and I might as well wear a shirt that says, "I know I don't belong here, but I won't be here for long!" And I generally am not there for long. The community college at which I work is two blocks off the Interstate so I usually get in and get out without much problem.

Sure there was one time early Saturday morning when I had to take a detour on my way to work because somebody shot someone else from their car at a red light. Seriously? Nothing better to do at 6:30 a.m on a Saturday? Like sleeping?! That was a sucky start to someone's Saturday!

And I sometimes have to take a long drive down 30th street to get to Downtown or Dundee for whatever reason. So, I usually just drive the speed limit and be like 'What'.

That is NOT me. This is her But we both be like 'What.'

So yesterday, minutes before I would get off the Interstate to work in North O, my gas light buzzed at me. Aw, shit. And I had thought I'd have enough juice to make it to work and home. Well, I sure as hell was NOT gonna wait till after work and try to pump gas in North O at night! I may walk with false bravado during the day but I'm not stupid enough to set foot outside of my car at night! (This actually applies to any part of town... I try to not go to grocery stores or anywhere at night anymore. Let's pretend it's because of vampires more-so than the aimless gun-toting youth of the world.)

Okay, I knew where a gas station close to campus is and I've filled up there before. I ended up having to wait for someone else to move before I could back my car into the spot, all professional like. Damn, they changed it to pre-pay inside the store only? I guess even the people in North O don't trust each other. I grab my purse and start to head into the store, but dammit it's 5 people deep at the register. Shit, I don't have time for this. (1- I gotta be at work and 2-The more time I spend in North O, the longer I have to keep up my false bravado and pray no one hassles me... true story.)

So I drive around the block, hoping to find a gas station that isn't pre-pay. I end up at the gas station across the street from the first one and of course, it's pre-pay. Truth be told, the pre-pay thing scares me just as much as being in North O because I've never had to pre-pay. Foreign concept.

So I decide, fine, I'll just put $10 in the tank which is only 2 gallons, but a) I don't have so much time and b) it would look presumptuous/bad strategy of me to be like "Forty dollars on Pump #4. Oh yes, I have plenty of money. You want some?"

Yes, just take what you need. Actually I don't carry cash in my wallet much, unless you count the 100 Rupees, which is like $2 USD. True story.

So, yet again, I grab my stuff. As I go inside, a big black guy (with boobs slightly larger than mine) gets out of his suburban parked in front of the door and we make eye contact. I don't remember who said hi first, but he let me get to the door first and I held it open for him. I went to the register at the left and he wandered elsewhere in the store saying "That girl has some manners." I laughed and replied, "I try." Then he said something about coming around to see him if I'm ever in the area. Great, do I have 'tease the whitey' tattooed on my forehead?! (Actually, I think I might. This kinda stuff happens a lot.)

I laughed nervously and tried to make it closer to the counter where the cashier was helping someone. He looked up at me and laughed at the guy. The patron being helped looked at me funny for standing right next to him. He left and I got to the counter and ordered $10 for pump four and gave my card to Mr Cashier with the long Coke Nails. Eeeks!

Not the actual cashier, nor an accurate representation of the nails, but you have no idea how hard (or disturbing) it is to Google image search this! Most of the images are for some nail polish named 'Cracked'. Sigh.

Now, Cokey the Cashier looked like he swiped my card twice and I'm praying that it was because the first swipe didn't go through, not because he decided to use a card reader on me. (right before I left the house, my mom had just had a fraud-scare with my grandma's card, but it was just my uncle accidentally using it, so I had fraud on the brain) Cokey gave me a copy to sign and another receipt to keep. The copy I signed seemed thick, so I wasn't sure if it was a carbon copy, but no, so I mumbled something about it and figured it out and left. Yeah, acting crazy is usually a good way to avoid conflict.

So, back to my car to fill up until I reached my $10 limit and I was on my way to work. I successfully made it through my first gas station pre-pay transaction in a 'scary' part of town and interacted with coke-heads and big-breasted black men who liked my good manners.

Is this too much? ;0)

I'm sorry to disappoint if you were hoping for a bigger North O adventure, but my frail little heart can only take so much. I do hope that's as exciting as I get to experience. And I hope my new friends are having a good day, crack not included.

Nuff said.

*Disclaimer: If any of you are offended that I didn't show North O in a more positive light... uh, I didn't show it in a negative light either. I just told what happened... which honestly wasn't much beyond a semi-scared little white girl in a place she's not used to. Same would happen here:

No joke. Wall Street scares me shitless. My 401k is doing what?! I don't get it!