Ailantha
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Occurance At Cici's Pizza

4/3/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Books by Patti Liszkay
Available on Amazon
​
"Equal and Opposite Reactions" http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
and the sequel, "Hail Mary" https://www.amzn.com/1684334888

​
​OCCURANCE AT CICI'S PIZZA

Picture
     
​      One of my Facebook friends, Chris Sprague,
Picture
...posted a comment on my previous post in which my online girl group, known as the Zoom Posse,
Picture
​...weighed in on the Will Smith/Chris Rock night at the Oscars. Here's Chris's comment:

​     Hello Zoom Posse,
     I agree with you about the wrongness of Will Smith's assault. I like Patty's idea that he could have showed his support for his wife in other ways, such as calling a press conference!
     I just have to add that I would like the rude, even hateful, and hurtful remarks that people throw out about physically different people STOPPED.
   I have worked at a camp for physically different teenagers, I also worked as a special education teacher. You would not believe the things people say to them or about people with physical differences. This happens in stores, on media, subways, buses, etc. They are wonderful people who did not choose their condition. When you get to know them, they are just like everyone else.
    I hope this discussion on alopecia creates a ripple of understanding and kindness.


    My friend made a worthy point, and quite an elegant metaphor in her wish for a ripple of understanding and kindness in what can sometimes seem like an expanse of ignorance and meanness, probably especially to those kind and understanding people such as Chris Sprague whose vocation has been to work with those among us who need extra patience, care and acceptance.
    Chris must know, perhaps more so than those of us who've never worked in her field, of what she speaks when she calls out people who say rude, hateful, hurtful things to or about those whose physical or mental presentation don't fit some prescribed artificial stereotype. 
     In fact her quote reminds me of an encounter I had years ago.
    There used to be in my neighborhood an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet called Cici's,
Picture
 ...which, before the franchise went belly up in Columbus, used to be my favorite nosheteria.
      One day I was in Cici's having lunch when into the restaurant trundled a group of about a dozen developmentally disabled adults being shepherded by a couple of young workers. It was quite a production, with one of the caregivers helping the clients procure their pizza and drinks while the other stood in the middle of the restaurant like a traffic cop directing the people to their seats while helping them balance their plates and cups. 
       The worker who was helping the clients negotiate their way to their seats was a girl who appeared to be in her twenties dressed in overalls over a striped tee shirt. She was small in stature, had a nice face and wore her her dark blonde hair in a long braid. She reminded me of my daughter Claire.
       At that time Claire had just returned home to Columbus after having spent her first year out of college as a Mercy Corps volunteer living in Queens and dong this very type of work with developmentally disabled adults in New York City, including taking them on group outings via subway to restaurants and  ball games.
      Claire and I in a park in her Queens neighborhood during her  Mercy Corps year.
Picture
     Though it was obvious that the girl in Cici's had her hands more than full, still I truly wanted to say something to her.
​       I walked up behind her and said, "Excuse me."
      The girl turned around and gave me a look.  It was a look that said, Do you have a problem, Lady?
​      It hit me that the girl thought that I was going to complain to her about her charges, and she looked so prepared to take me on and call me out that I thought, she must be used to people making remarks and today she is definitely not in the mood. Or maybe she just was up to her elbows and at that moment didn’t need anybody else jockeying for her attention.
         In any case that look made me feel sheepish and embarrassed and I wished I’d stayed in my seat. I half considered saying, “Um, never mind,”
          But instead I began apologetically babbling about how she reminded me of my daughter who used to do the same work as she and her colleague were doing, and I thanked her for her work and, for good measure, asked if there was anything I could do to assist her.
          As I spoke the girl’s face relaxed into a friendly smile. She thanked me and assured me - to my relief - that she and her partner had this covered. Then she asked me if my daughter would be interested in a job in their organization, as they currently needed more help.
         I thanked the girl but told her that my daughter would soon be leaving for Nicaragua where she would be doing a year of service working in a jungle community.
​        One of the houses in the village of Chacradeseca where Claire worked.
Picture
     Claire in the marketplace.
Picture
     Then I went back to my seat and enjoyed my lunch along with the rest of the customers, who likewise appeared to be enjoying theirs.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    "Equal And Opposite Reactions"
     by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    http://amzn.to/2xvcgRa
    Picture
    ​"Hail Mary"
    by Patti Liszkay
    Buy it on Amazon:

    https://www.amzn.com/1684334888
    Picture
    "Tropical Depression" 
    by Patti Liszkay
    ​Buy it on Amazon:   
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTPN7NYY

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

    I am a traveler just visiting this planet and reporting various and sundry observations,
    hopefully of interest to my fellow travelers.

    Categories

    All


























































































  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact