When I was a little kid growing up in Auburn, Maine, I was the only kid on my block who came from a French family. All the other families spoke English. You wouldn't think that was such a big deal, but then you'd be forgetting how cruel children can be to each other. Where I grew up, people didn't discriminate on the basis of color -- everyone was white, so it would have been kind of pointless. They discriminated based on language. My father knew this, which is why he moved us to an English-speaking neighborhood. He wanted me to grow up without a French accent so that people wouldn't discriminate against me. The accent part worked out the way he planned; the other not so much. Every time I left the house, kids taunted me. They all played together, because it's the nature of kids to play together. But when I came around they would send me away. All except Melissa. She would beat the holy daylights out of me and send me home crying. Nice.
