Marguerite Annie Johnson, a young woman in her early twenties, was living in California and working two jobs. In her later life, she would go on to become the legendary Maya Angelou — writer, poet, filmmaker, civil rights activist, and so much more — but for now, she was struggling to make ends meet.
In the two hours she had between jobs, she’d often visit Melrose Record Store; music was her refuge, and the records she bought here offered her welcome company in her small and lonely room. During one such visit, a short, blonde woman in cashmere, whom Maya recognized as part-owner of the store, walked up to her and said, “Hi, I’m Louise. What’s your name?” Maya did not know what to make of this — the last white woman to have a proper conversation with her was her high-school teacher! Louise went on to tell Maya that she had saved a couple of records for her. Maya liked them, but could not afford to buy them, so she said she would come back for them next week. To her surprise, though, Louise packed the records and said she would start an account for her.
As soon as she set foot outside the store, Maya tried to make sense of what had just happened. What did Louise want? Why did she behave this way? Was she seeking friendship? — No, that sounded ridiculous. Maya rushed home, withdrew money from her emergency funds, and came back to pay Louise at once.
“You didn’t have to make a special trip,” said Louise. “I trust you.”
“Why? You don’t know me,” remarked Maya.
“Because I like you.”
“But you don’t know me. How can you like someone you don’t know?”
“Because my heart tells me and I trust my heart,” smiled Louise.
For weeks, Maya pondered over this strange behavior. The only explanation that she could come up with was that Louise felt sorry for her. The very thought was unacceptable, so Maya decided to go back and show Louise that she was not to be pitied. That’s when Louise did yet another thing Maya did not expect: she offered her a position as a salesgirl at the store, with a salary high enough that Maya would be able to quit both her jobs. Louise’s face was open, her smile was simple, and her eyes betrayed no hidden meaning. There was nothing to indicate that she felt sorry for Maya.
For two months after taking the new job, Maya kept a close eye on Louise. None of her actions went unheeded, no conversation went unrecorded. She waited for Louise to divulge her true beliefs and intentions. “I waited for one smirk, one roll of her eyes to the besieged heavens and I would have my evidence that she thought her whiteness was a superior quality which she and God had contrived for their own convenience,” Maya later wrote. But after two months of constant vigilance, she found no thread of prejudice. She began to relax, and in her own words, “enjoy the wealth of a world of music.” This was Maya’s first introduction to an amiable Black-White relationship. It would not have happened if Maya had not opened herself up to examining the full set of facts, letting her beliefs be challenged, and allowing trust to be built, step by step. (From Hitendra Wadhwa)