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His hand wrapped around hers. “I’m sorry for the way I acted.”
“You mean….”
“Before today. I apologize. About the eggs. And, you know.”
She studied him, wondering what was on his mind.
His fingers laced through hers and tightened. “And I’m sorry for the way my mother was in there.”
“Ah. You mean bigoted?”
“I think I’d call it pretentiousness.”
“You count that as better?”
“Not better, just different.”
“So you think.” She took her hand back.
He frowned. “You disagree?”
“Let me tell you something. The number of times a bigot admits they’re a bigot? Exactly zero.”
“I think I know my mother pretty well.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Paula…”
“Bastian, please do not attempt to tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. Everything she slammed me with? All that snobbery? Come on.”
“Why can’t it just be snobbery?”
Paula turned to him. “You want to know why? Okay, I’ll tell you. It’s because I didn’t get an autopass from that woman.”
“What autopass? What are you talking about?”
“Automatic eligibility,” she said impatiently. “If I were Georgette? Autopass from mom. Instant acceptance. Maybe some condescension, some cattiness. But she’d still welcome her. She’d probably invite her back.”
This only got her more confusion. Bastian wasn’t getting it.
Normally at this point she’d drop it.
But something made her try again.
“The people who benefit from an autopass receive it by default, so it’s low on their radar. If you’re in, you’re in, and you take it for granted. If you’re not, though, it’s obvious…like my friend Pris.”
“Pris? Where does she live?”
“She’s in Seattle. For her it’s about being a large woman. It’s really bad at her gym. Everybody gets to talking in the locker room and when the talk turns to dating, she’s excluded, she’s left out. That means when they all go for drinks, she doesn’t get invited along. If she wants to get a chance to socialize, she has to push her way in and people look at her askance. While the thin people? They just show up. They’re welcomed just likethat.” She snapped. “So do the math. Who gets to meet more eligible men? Not Pris. Autopass, it’s a thing.”
“I hear you,” he said doubtfully.
“But…..”
“People aren’t always included in everything, it’s a fact of life.”
“Of course. Bastian, it’s not about the people who don’t always get an autopass. It’s about the people who never do.”
