Unbelievable

Andy and I were at a winemaker's dinner recently and I was randomly seated next to a couple who had moved to the Tri-Cities last summer. They moved here from the other side of the country for the wife's science-related job at the Hanford site.

The wife seemed just fine. I was next to the man. He was from the south, maybe about 60, retired from a government job. And he greeted me by commenting about how refreshing it is to live in such a Republican area.

Sigh. I'm a moderate and proud of it. I also happen to be friends with two of the bluest-of-blue Democrats in the Tri-Cities. We have a lot of "closet Democrats" here I replied, noting that his wife was shushing him.

The seven-course dinner starts. Wine is poured. Not an excessive amount of wine ... or so I thought.

Somewhere around the fifth course, my tablemate leans over to tell me something in confidence. Nope, not that his meatloaf is fabulous and I really should come over for dinner.

"You know what I like about living here?" he said. "There aren't a lot of black people."

I am not joking. He really said that. I could NOT believe it.

Now, I know that being raised a middle-class white Lutheran girl in a predominantly white neighborhood means that I was not personally exposed to the racism that is rampant in some areas of the country. However, this bigotry does not belong in my back yard. Nearly 20 years in the Tri-Cities, including almost 10 years as a reporter, and I've never had an encounter like this.

My reply? "It's a shame, too, because I believe a community is strengthened by its diversity."

Yes! I really did say that! And I really do believe it.

I did not show him Niranjana's photo. It wasn't worth it at this stage. Instead I went to the other end of the table to vent to a girlfriend who would have ripped this southern "gentleman" a new one if he'd been unlucky enough to sit next to her.

As the dessert course ended, my neighbor asked for my business card so he could invite us over for meatloaf.

Andy says that if he calls, Andy is going to ask if he can bring his boss, the newspaper publisher and an amazing man in all respects, to supper. Rufus is black. And he's Republican. And he doesn't drink. Wonder how that dinner party would turn out.