The Cutest Racism (story)

Two Chinese girls are boarding at an American private school. It's 4:30 pm, and they are in their dorm having a conversation while they do their homework together.

Translated into English


"Hu? Why are you hanging out with that Japanese boy?"


"Masaya? Why not?"


"Japanese, Koreans, horrible people. Almost not human. History teaches us that."


"Yi, your roommate is Korean. Mine is too"


"Ugh I hate her. She's so messy, I have to clean up after her."


"Sounds like me and my roommate"


"So your roommate is filthy too?"


"No. I'm the messy one. I make her clean up after me."


"You shouldn't do that! You can't just make other people clean up after you!"


"You just said Koreans are hardly even people so why do you care?"


A long pause. Yi has a look somewhere between annoyed, angry, and confused. The 2nd girl looks bored out of her mind. Then Yi says:


"You still haven't said why you're hanging out with Masaya."

"Yi, just cause your parents wouldn't even let you watch a TV show if it was made in Japan doesn't mean you have to be as bigoted as they are."

"My parents gave me proper values and a sense of-"

"Sounds like we'd hate each other. Anyway I like Maseya. He isn't -quite- as much of an idiot as most other people in this school."


"You think he's cute don't you? People say he's cute but he isn't. Japanese aren't cute. They're ugly."


"Who says he's cute?"


"People"


"By people do you mean you?"


"No, no-I think he's-"


"Gorgeous?"


"Stop it. I really hate you sometimes"


"Well you're free to leave me alone, rather than enduring my company"


Yi gets up to leave. Hu says


"Wait. I have something I was supposed to give you."


She reaches into her pocket, takes a piece of paper with Chinese writing on it, and hands it to her scowling companion.


"What is this?"


"Read it."


A pause.


"It's a love note to me..."


"Uh huh"


"But who's it from?"


"Masaya of course."


"But it's in Mandarin."


"Yeah, he's taught it to himself to impress you. I helped him a bit. Not much else to do in a place this boring. "

There is a long, awkward pause. Then Yi starts to cry. She goes to her room. Hu watches her go impassively. Then she smiles despite herself. She'd never admit it, but she likes this kind of sappy romance.