Like You, Momma? ( Through the Eyes of A Child )

My Girl


My daughter had a very bad case of head lice that I have just finish getting rid off. Between the 5 millions different remedies ( many bottles of RID, Sulfur 8, spring and fall cleaning together and rubbing alcohol) , I went the old school route: RID and a hair dryer. I was drying her hair ( which she took with stoicism ) and let it down. Her hair had turn reddish brown, pretty much like mine after it dies out. The only difference is that she doesn't have nappy hair like mine ( lucky her ). She was asking me to do her hair like mine ( ¿?) .

When my parents got divorced ( I was three years old ), my mom started seeing this guy that later on will turn to be my stepdad. He is what we call back home a 14 karat gold filled brother ( negro enchapa'o ). To a three year old, that is a light skin puertorrican or as we call them "white people". My dad also married a "white woman". In my understanding, that was the right thing to do. For those who may not understand my culture and the quotation marks, a puertorrican is composed by three races: the native Taino that was genocide by the Spanish Conqueror that brought along the African for slaves. Every Puertorrican has a bit of three in them. So there's no one in the island, really, that can call themselves "white". So in my little brown eyes I will see as my stepdad and my stepmom as "white".

I was always attracted to the lighter side of the house. While my friends were drooling over Nubian Princes, me, I wanted my man whiter than sour cream. Thanks to that, my family mocked me. When I started to bring my dates over, I remember my mom pulling me to the side asking me if I was gonna hook up with the guy for real. She had her opinions because the guy's hand and feet where small. (¡¿?!) For me is completely natural to see a mixed couple ( for those politically correct interracial ) .

Through the eyes of a child everything is acceptable, no matter what color or race you are. That's why for my child I am equal to her, even with my nappy hair and the darkness of my hair.

Her hair came out really shinny and soft. I wanted to play "where's your grandma?" a really old tune regarding the saying we have back home: el que no tiene dinga, tiene mandinga ( the one that doesn't have indian, have african )

¡ Negro Enchapa'o !