In the spring of 1996, Dan and I attend his cousin’s wedding in the Florida Keys. The rehearsal dinner is at a restaurant with lovely views of the ocean and Dan and I walk down the boardwalk toward it hand in hand. We pass people at outdoor restaurants drinking and laughing in their tropical shirts and white pants. A white man seated at a corner table catches sight of us and begins to stare. I squeeze Dan’s hand tight, which is now my cue to him that something is going on. Dan looks in the direction of my gaze and sees it too. We keep walking ahead with purposeful confidence, though feigned. I look back once and see the man continuing to stare at us as we walk.
Dan had learned about the white racist sneer. Life with me was beginning to teach him.