How is this Coming Out of The Closet?

A brief article about what happened in the breakroom at work today.

by Thomas E Krawford Jr.

The Boss was sick today and had to call off work.

I was o.k. with that, even though, my hopes that nothing weird would happen today had long since been dashed by then. The kitchenette in the dormitory where I work had been trashed; and by trashed, I mean party balloons, confetti; slightly used and mostly stale chocolate chip cookies; crap everywhere; but, on a positive note, very few male residents had peed all over the walls in the nearby men’s room, with which I was pleasantly surprised at that time. The white condoms that were brown, I found elsewhere on the floor, are the stuff for another story, so I won’t mention them here. The thing that sticks out most in my mind right now (6:30 p.m., March 8, 2022), is what happened in the breakroom, at lunchtime.

That was something I am still trying to understand. So of course, I have to write about it.

There’s been a lot of misery in the news of late about Ukraine versus Russia Situation, but we don’t have to focus on Ukraine for the tribulation of conflict. As the saying goes, generally, trouble starts here at home.

So, let’s talk about the breakroom today at lunchtime.

Like the day before, I was sitting in the breakroom attempting to mind my own business. I say attempt because it did not turn out that way. Not today at least.

Unfortunately.

There were several of my co-workers in the room at that time; and, again, I thought, that was o.k. We were all just listening to the T.V; Steve Harvey and Family Feud reruns were clapping and applauding.

The Co-worker of which I speak kept on talking; on their cell phone; to another co-worker of the same ethnicity; just talking in general at the start, but louder, and louder and louder, as the moments progressed; to the point where I nor anyone else in the room at the time could distinguish “I’m your Man Steve Harvey!” from “Thank you, folks, see you next time!”

When I asked my fellow employee to please keep their volume down, they took umbrage; proudly, defiantly declaring that this was the break room and that they had a right to speak in, however, a way they saw fit; and that’s when all Hell broke loose.

My fellow employee became upset, they left the room; as did everyone else, because by this time, I had raised my voice, and no one wants to be part of any trouble if they can help it. Especially, not in the workplace.

Then, over the next remaining hours of the day or so; hours that bring this writer to the 7:00 p.m. range of the real-time writing of this narrative, I began to wonder, just what did take place in that breakroom at lunch today at work today.

Although there is no way of knowing for sure what took place, I think it is safe to assume that my fellow employee, at that moment, did not see me as an educated person, not just with a brain, but a heart as well. They felt attacked and responded; accordingly, which, in retrospect is most unfortunate because we are both Black People.

Like I said earlier, you don’t have to look at Ukraine for war, there is still a war right here in the United States, and it is a war of intraracial division that has been going on for far too long in my opinion.

Yet, even as I write these words, I am left wondering: “What does this have to do with my Coming Out of Then Closet?

That’s all for now. See you next time.

Peace!

Thomas E Krawford Jr.