I was getting the car fixed, and I looked down at the carwash part of the auto garage, and there was a beautiful black panther with a handler and a trainer. I thought to myself, “what is a panther doing here?” I’m not sure what the handler (a man) and the trainer (a woman) were trying to accomplish, but suddenly the panther got upset, and fast as a bolt of lightening, she went for the trainer. The trainer couldn’t get out of the way in time, and got a major scratch on her leg (she was wearing shorts). Finally the cat started to calm down a little, but not completely, and the handler and trainer tried again to do whatever it was they were trying to do (it involved one of those squeegie things you clean a windshield with, which they were applying to her face. I’d have bit them too.) She freaked again, and lashed out to no avail. Finally I went down to check them out - I wanted to see that cat up close. She was still upset, but didn’t go for me, and while I was down there, the trainer and handler finished whatever it was they were doing.
Then I was at home (sort of our house in Monroe) and the doorbell rang. At the door was a very cute black kid. His father was right behind him hanging out the car window. The kid was collecting money for a politician. I asked what the politician’s platform was, and the kid handed me a well worn cassette tape with a piece of paper on it. The paper listed the politician’s stance on issues, and as I started to read the points, I thought about the 20 dollar bills I have in my wallet. But the points didn’t make any sense. They were valid issues, but so not important compared to the things going on in the world today that they seemed rediculous. I looked up at the dad, and suddenly understood that he didn’t expect me to donate money because I wasn’t black, and obviously wouldn’t understand or support the candidate. The boy didn’t seem too disappointed when I told him “no thanks.”
I came home to the Dilworth house. I hadn’t seen Bev in a long time, and I spied her in the kitchen, and ran in to say hello. Too late I realized that the kitchen was full of people. Anyway, whatever was going on in there stopped, and Bev politely greeted me. It was clear they (Bev and Dad) wanted me to stay for whatever meeting it was they were having. The meeting was so weird. It was supposedly some kind of tea based on a mother goose rhyme. I found it disturbing that Dad and Bev would participate in this, much less have it in their house. I thought I would escape to my room, but when I got up there I discovered that part of their evening’s entertainment was in my room. It was some kind of giant game house that you went through. Somehow it involved the panther from the carwash - and I didn’t think it was fair to her.