an earthworm. Wanda was going to be done with shame and turn herself right back into a shameless hussy. Just as soon as she told Janya Kapur she was sorry about the pie.
Who was she kidding? Truth be told, she was sorry about more than using lard and Jell-O. She’d thought Janya’s question was silly and hadn’t bothered to think it through. Just maybe she was the teeniest bit sorry for some other things she’d said and done, too.
She’d never thought she was prejudiced. She had preferences about things, but she hadn’t considered that maybe those attitudes made the strangers who came to these shores feel even more like strangers, made it even less likely they would care if they melted into the old melting pot.
All morning she’d remembered how she had felt as a teenager when her family moved into a nicer house in a different school district. Her mother had been so proud, but Wanda had spent the first months of the school year without friends. She hadn’t known anybody, and nobody made an effort to know her. The other girls made fun of her breasts, and the boys hooted whenever she walked by. She felt alone, and yes, alien. And after she finally began to fit in, she’d always made a point of befriending new girls, so nobody else had to go through exactly what she had.
It was funny, how those lessons just got trampled all over when the new girl had a name that wasn’t easy to pronounce, had darker skin, or worshiped differently. Wanda had a bad feeling the God she worshiped was not all that pleased with her today. She was back to making amends. If there was a group called Foot in the Mouth Anonymous, she would have to start attending meetings.
At home after a shower and a slice of the infamous grapefruit pie, she was ready to put things behind her. If she felt this bad, Janya must feel a whole lot worse. And Wanda had realized during a long, sleepless night that she liked Janya Kapur and didn’t want to lose her friendship. Or Tracy’s, for that matter, although she was still waiting to see if that Handy Hubby fellow showed up today for one last session.
She looked around for something to take to Janya’s house, some sort of peace offering. The woman liked plants, but none of Wanda’s had ever seen dirt, unless she counted dust. She remembered that she’d bought a handful of new magazines the last time she’d gone to the grocery store, and she hadn’t even opened them yet.
“Lordy, the things I make myself do.” Wanda tucked the magazines under her arm and started down the street. Janya was coming out of her house. The other woman froze, which was a little better than running back inside and slamming the door.
Wanda reached her before Janya recovered and did just that.
“I came to speak my piece,” Wanda said, “and apologize for last night.”
Janya didn’t respond. Wanda could tell she didn’t know what to say.
“So here’s what I’m sorry for. I’m sorry I didn’t think about the lard. But honest, I never thought about what Jell-O was, so I’m kind of blameless there. Who knew it was from cows? Anyway, I didn’t pay enough attention. I didn’t really think hard enough when you asked me.”
Janya nodded. Wanda could almost see the wheels turning in her head.
“And I guess that’s not all I’m sorry for,” Wanda went on. “I’m sorry for things I’ve said. I keep pointing out that you’re not just like me, only sometimes, you know, that can be a good thing. Because I don’t like everything about myself. So maybe you’re different from the parts of me I don’t like. Does that make sense?”
“No.”
“Well, I don’t even go to church anymore. So if you’re worshiping a bunch of gods, that’s a bunch more than I’m worshiping. So that could be good.”
“I see.”
“And being a vegetarian, that’s got to be good for your blood pressure. Mine’s creeping up there. It’s all that pie, more than likely. Could even be the lard in the crust, so I’m going to find me a different recipe, one you can eat.” She turned up her hands. “So see what I’m saying?”
“You are saying that you made a mistake judging me, when maybe there is some value in who I am.”
“I’d go so far as to say a whole lot of value. But there’s not much value in ragging on people just because