I had no idea.

I know people worried about minor things like trespassing, but I didn’t know she did.

Problems like race seem so removed from our everyday life.  I mean, I don’t ever think about the fact that she’s black and I’m white.  And I don’t know how many walks we’ve gone on, talking about our husbands and kids, life, faith, work, whatever.  And always trying to stay out of the sun because she burns so badly.  If one of us should burn, it should be me, not her.  We laughed about that all the time.

Now that I think about it, she always stood on the sidewalk while I crossed into yards to smell the flowers. I never paid much attention to it, though.  She’s quirky.  This was just another of her quirks, you know?

But really?  Is she honestly thinking about that each time we take a walk?  I mean, it’s just smelling some flowers.  No one’s going to have someone arrested or worse for smelling their flowers.

If the act of smelling flowers on a beautiful day sparks fear in her, how does she even go through a whole day without being terrified?  What goes through her mind each time we take a walk?  Plus, we take our walks in places I feel perfectly safe.  I can’t wrap my mind around it – that she doesn’t feel as safe as I do.

Does she honestly believe she might die just for walking through someone’s yard to smell some flowers?

And that someone who looks just like me might kill her and get off for doing it?