Tony would say “Yes,” but then again he answers yes to everything. And he isn’t kidding.

However, I wasn’t with Tony when the question was asked. He had some occasion to attend this afternoon. This allowed me to visit with friends.

Friends and I were having lunch at the local large university. Friends all attend the university. I attend to have lunch with them from time to time. On the way to lunch I passed a man with black hat, black coat, long beard, and brightly colored bag which read “Happy Hannakah!” He smiled and I mirrored his smile.

Inside, there was a smaller version of the man with no beard. He, too, had a bag. “Why, they must be passing out Jewish treats,” I thought to myself. I mentioned this to friends. We ate lunch.

After lunch, friends and I thought we might see if there were any treats we could have. Kim, a friend, approached the smaller version of the man with no beard and asked him if he was handing out Hannakah pamphlets. “Are you handing out Hannakah pamphlets?” she asked.

Pause action: it should now be revealed that I am not a black woman. However, Kim is a black woman. On the other hand, Kim is not a skinny white man with dark brown hair. I am. We both have brown eyes.

Unpause: “Are you handing out Hannakah pamphlets?” Standing close to Kim, I attempted to peer into the bag while we both anticipated his response and our treats. Not missing a beat, and surely well-trained, the boy turns away from the question and looks at me with an echo of the smile his larger partner had earlier. “Are you jewish?” he asked. “No,” I replied. (a further example of why I am not Tony.)

Did Kim disappear you might ask? Was she wearing her invisibility cloak? No, and no. Then what? “That little boy is a 10-year old bigot.” said Kim.

This last comment was not a question. It was a statement. It could be turned into a question, though. Is he really 10-years old? I would need a birth certificate and a calculator to be sure.