Many years ago in high school, I got stranded after tennis practice. A super friendly Indian teammate offered me a ride home but mentioned, “just a heads up our car smells like dog.”

Coming from a sheltered and pretty racist household, I cluelessly replied, “It’s okay! I don’t mind the smell of Indian food!”

He gave me a look of quiet disappointment and said, “I meant our dog. She sheds a lot.”

The ride home was painfully silent. I still cringe thinking about it.