luncheon

The Ozark sun was high in the sky when Meredith decided to sit on a park bench in the center of town, and nurse her baby. The baby settled in quickly and she sat back to enjoy the peaceful spring weather. But a young woman, clearly agitated, walked over to her and almost immediately told her she should not do this in a public place like this. Couldn’t she go home or go to some restroom somewhere?
Meredith immediately began to tense up and this, of course, was noticed by the baby, who began fussing and inexplicably being unable to find the target. It was like the baby immediately tasted nervousness and didn’t even want to eat until it had passed. Meredith, herself, was somewhat tongue-tied. She knew all the arguments: why should she go use a bathroom, which was unsanitary and isolated? Breastfeeding was legal, healthy, wholesome, and proper, so what was the problem? The woman, however, was adamant; her veins seemed to show in her neck as she got wide-eyed and confrontational. She took the stand of someone who was protecting the public sense of decency and modesty, and was not going to let this young girl undress even partway, in public.

Suddenly Meredith got an idea, though, and took a deep breath. In her mind she decided to focus entirely on the baby, and tell the baby that everything was going to be ok, and she started her plan immediately. She simply repeated to the baby, silently, “everything will be ok, you just eat and relax, you’ll be fine.” In her mind she focused on the baby and soon, quite easily, the baby was back on track.

But to the woman, what she said was more like this: “You sound like that man from the Tally-ban. That man wanted me to cover up completely, head, neck, cheek, mouth, everything.” She drawled it out, and slowed way down; she knew how to pronounce “Taliban,” having served in Afghanistan; but, using a more Ozarky twang helped her slow down, concentrate, and keep talking silently to the baby. The woman’s jaw dropped in shock. Nearby Meredith could see another woman, also young, also dressed up, approaching them, as if to help her friend in this confrontation.

“That man seemed to feel that all women should be covered up in all ways, at all times, and that it was a man’s job to make sure everyone followed that way...”

“I am not the Taliban,” the woman said, “and there’s a difference between your cheek and your...your...” By now, the friend had joined her, but she was unable to finish the sentence, since it involved a word she was clearly uncomfortable with.

“I told that man he could do as he wanted with his country,” continued Meredith, “since I was going back to mine anyway.” By now the baby was asleep, and making a huge light-hearted sigh of pure contentment. The morning sun shone through the trees. She thought of other things to say, but stopped; she’d said enough. She gazed peacefully at the women, unflinching, and, eventually, they left.