‘Mr Baylis, I’m a Chinaman.’ Mr Baylis, for once, fell silent. His eyes roved over Robin’s face, as if trying to detect the truth of this statement in his features. Then, to Robin’s great surprise, he burst out laughing. ‘No, you’re not.’ He leaned back and clasped his hands over his chest, still guffawing. ‘Good Lord. That’s hilarious. No, you’re not.’ Professor Lovell said nothing.
I don't even know how to articulate why but my heart just broke for Robin. This makes me think of when I go to visit my family in Zambia and people there call me white, not even as an insult but as if it's a good thing because we've been so conditioned to covet lighter skin, as if its a good thing to be disconnected from your culture against your will.
