White Privilege Tax | Part 1

Greta turned her 2000 Ford Saturn off and removed the key. She shoved the key in her pocket and pulled her heavy tote bag onto her lap. She took one huge breath and closed her eyes.

“You can do this.” She whispered, then she moaned.

“You can do this.” She said in a Swedish accent.

Greta tucked her bright blond hair behind her ears and grabbed her bag. She stepped out of the car and pushed the lock button before closing the door. She straightened her blue dress before striding through the parking lot. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she remembered what her mom always told her.
“Always hold your head high.”

Greta lifted her head. She stepped onto the sidewalk and looked vaguely at the store windows as she slid into the back of the line. A blond man in shorts and a T-shirt waved a hand over his face for some temporary relief from the heat. Sweat pooled on Greta’s forehead.

She pulled a book out of her bag, took off its book flap, and put the silky paperback in her purse. Greta flipped to the first page and began to read. The book sucked her in, and Greta forgot where she was until a couple stepped into line behind her.

The woman in a sari spit on the ground by Greta’s feet, and the man glared at her. Greta took another deep breath as she focused on the next line of the book. As the line crawled forward, she read. She was halfway through her book when she stepped into the driver’s license office. The cool…