← Shannon Cason's Homemade
Shannon Cason's Homemade
Not Invisible | Everyday is a Story
00:07:11
No one likes being treated invisible.
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I don't like being invisible. Every day is a story. I'm Shannon Cason. I had back to back days taking my uncle to doctor's appointments Monday and Tuesday. When I got him in the car, he said, you must be sick and tired, old Unc. I told him, yeah, but I love you. We gotta do what we gotta do. That's life. And we laughed about it. While we were driving down the block, he saw one of his old friends. And he told me to pull over. And I rolled the window down, and he yelled out the window to the guy. I mean, he usually don't yell like this. He like a, zeke, hang in there, man. I see you. And it was funny because I could feel the demeanor change. It was quick. It was the tone. It was in the demeanor. Like, Zeke had a level of respect for my uncle, too. Like, my uncle was either a little older than him or he owed him some money or something. I could feel the little shift. So after the doctor's appointment, I had to go on the food tour. I have to go on these food tours for my uncle. Cause his weight is low and his appetite is low. He don't really want to eat. So to get him to eat, we gotta get him something that he likes. The doctor said to eat as much protein as possible, but just eat. So we get him what he wants to eat. And the first stop that we went to was Sunny's Fish Market in Dearborn. He had never been before, but he heard that they had pretty decent fish and that they cook it really well, where they don't cook it too hard, where it's hard for him to eat. So we went there, and I went in, and since he had never been there before, I wanted to make sure we was at the right spot. And I asked the guy at the counter, like, how long they had been in business. He said, they've been in business about 40 years. I knew the guy, he was younger behind the counter. He wasn't even 40 years old, but I figured it was a family business and there were older people who were coming in and out of the shop. And I talked to him a little bit. You know, he was a younger guy. I asked him about the fish, and he said that his favorite on the menu was the pickerel. And I told him my uncle wanted the lake perchmeal. But next time I come, I'll try the pickerel. So when it was done, I brought the food out, and my uncle tasted a little bit. He said it was pretty good. The next stop, we had was nun's barbecue on the east side. And this is on the whole other side of the city. But whatever unc needs to eat, you know. So I drove over there. Now. Now my uncle had a specific order. He wanted to treat himself and his sisters, my mom and auntie, to a meal. So he wanted three rib snack meals, double fries and extra sauce on everything, the meat and the fries. So he wanted. But he wanted four large end bones in one of the boxes in three large hand bones in the other two. So I go in and I asked for the order exact way he wanted it. You know, the lady who was working there, she was behind the counter and they got plexiglass in all these places. So I'm telling her that I want four in one and three in the other. And she tells me we only do three bones in. In the rib snacks. And I tell her I pay whatever, you know, it's for my uncle, old dude, he wants it. Like he wants it. And she says, nope, only three bones in the rib snacks. Kind of mean to me. Kind of. Kind of cut and dry to me. She's talking to me like. Like I'm not even there. Like I'm an amorphous character or customer in her eyes. Like. Like I'm invisible. I don't like being invisible. So I shift the energy a little bit. I tell her, well, if. Hey, if that's the way it is, that's the way it is. You know, these old dudes, they just want things the way they want it. They want things they way. It's okay. I don't. I don't want to get cussed out by you and him. I'm already go get cussed out by him because I'm bringing him something that he don't really want. So just give it to me the way you give it to me. And she laughs a little bit, she smiles a little bit. And I finally catch her eye. Finally, I'm not invisible. I just want to be seen. So I pay for the three rib snacks and I leave a generous tip. And she tells me It'll be about 15 minutes. So I go to the car, wait with my uncle and. And I tell him the circumstances so he know in advance he's only go get three bones with his meal, so he's not upset about it. But we get into this conversation about people not making slight changes, even if you'll pay the difference. He'll tell me. He told me this story about when he was at the golf course and he bought these hot dog meals. At the golf course, it was like $5 for a hot dog and a pop. And they wouldn't give him a large pop. He wanted the large pop. And he told her, I paid a difference. But they wouldn't give him a large pop. And they was like real rude about it. And then he just never ate hot dogs there again. And he went to that golf course or that golf thing a lot less than he would have, you know. And I tell him about this T shirt shop that I go to or that I was going to, and the guy kind of. Kind of big time me or something about the T shirts. Now, I was going to the T shirt shop just to support his business. I wasn't going there because I need more T shirts. I got so many T shirts it's ridiculous. But hey, you treat me regular. I ain't regular. I might not be back, you know. So I go in to get the meals and I talked to a couple that's in the shop while they wait in Michigan 1, the basketball championship. So I. We talk about the. The game a little bit. And then the lady calls my name for the pickup. And I can see a hint of smile when she passes it through the plexiglass turntable, you know, she gave me a hint of a smile and I told her, I'll be back soon. I'll be back to see you soon. And I take the food to the car. Unc checks the meals to make sure that everything is right. And one of the containers has four bones. I'm not invisible. Sometimes you have to shift the energy. You're not invisible. When was the last time you felt invisible? And how do you handle it when you don't feel seen? What's your story?