Y twenties. Somehow she managed to push herself in with a baby on her right arm and a big suitcase in her left hand. Two children, a boy and a girl about three and five years old trailed after her.

Anyway, at Nevins Street I saw her preparing to get off at the next station, Atlantic Avenue. That’s where I was getting off too. It was going to be a problem for her to get off; two small children, a baby in her arm, and a suitcase in her hand. And there I was also preparing to get off at Atlantic Avenue. I couldn’t help but imagine the steep, long concrete stairs going down to the Long Island Railroad and up to the street. Should I offer my help? Should I take care of the girl and the boy, take them by their hands until they reach the end of that steep long concrete stairs?

Courtesy2 is important to us Puerto Ricans. And here I was, hours past midnight, and the white lady with the baby in her arm, a suitcase and two white children badly needing someone to help her.

I remember thinking; I’m a Negro3 and a Puerto Rican. Suppose I approach this white lady in this deserted subway station late at night? What would she say? What would be the first reaction of this white American woman? Would she say: 'Yes, of course you may help me,' or would she think I was trying to get too familiar or would she think worse? What do I do if she screamed when I went to offer my help? I hesitated. And then I pushed by her like I saw nothing as if I were insensitive to her needs. I was like a rude animal walking on two legs just moving on, half running along the long the subway platform, leaving the children and the suitcase and the woman with the baby in her arms. I ran up the steps of that long concrete stairs in twos and when I reached the street, the cold air slapped my warm face.

[5]Perhaps the lady was not prejudiced4 after all. If you were not that prejudiced, I failed you, dear lady. If you were not that prejudiced I failed you; I failed you too, children. I failed myself. I buried my courtesy early on Memorial Day morning.

So, here is the promise I made to myself back then: if I am ever faced with an occasion like that again, I am going to offer my help regardless of how the offer is going to be received. Then I will have my courtesy with me again.

“Little Things Are Big” by Jesús Colón. Copyright © 1961 by International Publishers. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved.

Notes

All Definitions Footnotes

1. West Side IRT is another name for the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line, one of the many subway routes in New York City.

2. Courtesy (noun) : polite and kind behavior

3. The word “Negro” was used up to the mid-20th century to refer to African Americans and people of African heritage. It is no longer commonly used.

4. Prejudice (noun) :
an unfair feeling of dislike for a person or group

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ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

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PART A: Which statement best expresses a central idea of the passage?

APeople need to remain guarded in unfamiliar or scary situations in order to protect themselves.

BPuerto Rican culture stresses that people should be kind and friendly towards one another.

CIt is important not to lose sight of one's values in an uncertain situation, even when one is afraid of the outcome.

DLittle events can have big impacts on people but they rarely change how people act in the moment.