Damn Fine Sentence #26

“The scent of their disapproval lay heavy in the air.”

Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash

I pay tribute to other authors by sharing their Damn Fine Sentences with you. Then I recount a personal memory the words bring up. It’s about how books connect with your life.

“The scent of their disapproval lay heavy in the air.”

———Toni Morrison

———Beloved

My white significant other and his buddies crowded the studio apartment, hours into yet another intense blues listening session. Beer, wine, and weed assaulted my nose. I was bored, ignorant of Delta Blues versus Chicago Blues versus Texas Blues. Besides, my friends looked depressed, sprawled on the floor half-conscious. Really, wouldn't they like to hear an upbeat white woman singer? I found the only album in the apartment without an ancient black man on the cover. They all had their eyes closed. They didn't see me switch albums. When they heard Linda Ronstadt instead of muddy waters, they erupted like I'd snatched the frankincense from baby Jesus.

What the hell? Get that shit out of there. Are you insane?

I was too white for those white boys.