“What? Are you planning on living there?”
Emelie chuckled and looked over at Linn who shrugged her shoulders
“We don’t know yet, at least over the summer, but the girls like it a lot so I guess we’ll find out,” she said cheerfully.
“Oh yes, the girls, but whose are they?”
Ah, it was that kind of old lady, Emelie knew them all too well. Of course, she couldn’t fathom that blonde and blue-eyed Emilie could be the mother of three girls with brown skin and dark hair. It wasn’t the first time that Emily had to explain it, and to be honest she was getting quite tired of it.
“They’re my girls, all three of them” she said, smiling.
Liv came over with a can of olives and put it in the basket.
“This is my youngest, Linnea, and this is Linn, the oldest girl. And over there is the middle one, Liv.”
The lady stared at Emilie with distrust and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
“All right, but where are theyfrom?”
“I’m from Växjö” Liv said, smiling “Mum, do we need anything else?”
“Yes, you can fetch some mushrooms and tomatoes, we are all out”, Emelie said, turning towards the lady again.
“As Liv said, we’re all from Växjö”, she said calmly.
She knew for a fact, that her answer wouldn’t satisfy the old lady, but she felt like teasing her a little. And just so, the lady was unable to let go of the subject. She again in a harsh voice:
“I didn’t mean where you used tolive, but where you COME from?”
Now Emilie had had enough. She had no reason whatsoever to stand here explaining where her children were born or where their parents came from.
“They are all born in the maternity ward in Växjö, dept. 10. Is it that difficult to understand? Perhaps your hearing isn’t the best?”
The old lady stared and her and Emilie stared back. Linn sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, stepping in:
“My dad is from Gambia, okay? Are you happy now?”
A small group of people had started to gather around the three of them standing in the middle of the store.
“Oh I dare say, so we have gotten three Africans in the village! Goodness me”, the old lady said, pushing the people that were standing closest to the side.
“Coming through!”, she shrieked to the by-standers making her way through the store.
Emily tiredly shook her head at her and smiled at the people around her.
“Show’s over, ladies and gentlemen,” she said, giving Linnea’s shoulder a little squeeze.
“Mum, what did the old lady say?” Linnea asked.
“Oh, you know, some people have no idea what it is they want, and when they get their answers, they aren’t happy with those either. Where’s Liv? Let’s go towards the till and we’ll probably find her on the way.”
There was a queue and Emilie waited patiently. She felt the stares of the people in the shop. She had already understood that her family was an exotic phenomenon on this island, but perhaps she hadn’t quite understood how bad it was. Suddenly Linn shoved up next to her with a big smile on her face.
“Where have you been?”
Her daughter was bursting with excitement and could hardly stand still.
“I’ve gotten a summer job!”
