I never gave it a second thought. For the most part, Agatha has got her own thang going on, but I’ve carried her around since the day I was born. I a part of her and her a part of me. We’ve been through our fair share of highs and lows as well as all the twists and turns that were bestowed upon us by the good Lord himself.
Depending on the weather, you could always tell if she was gonna have a good day or a bad one. When she was on a good one, she was so full of life, mesmerizing people with her voluptuous body and defined curves. Always wanting to be the center of attention, she would purposefully waft her essence to anyone who comes into contact with her. But when she’s on a bad one, she has a total meltdown, unable to hold herself together, and becomes unruly and hard to deal with. Not trying to be mean, but on those days, I tell myself, “if she doesn’t get out of my face, I’m going to lose it!” And again, not to be mean, when I have lost it, I squeeze her as tight as I can, sometimes I flip her and tie her, and I place her up high somewhere, anywhere, as long as she’s not in my face. Eventually, I wanted no part of her.
As days turned into months, and months turned into years, Agatha disappeared further and further back into my head. There were PTA meetings, science projects, field trips galore. There were conference calls, financial reports, meet and greets to last a lifetime. There were family reunions, weekend Barbecues, and dinner dates with the mister that I didn’t even realize Agatha had gone.
One day as I was getting ready to attend a formal gala on a cruise ship, I saw glimpse her. She was thin, botched, and almost unrecognizable. I reached for her, and I could feel how fragile she was. I tried to hold back my emotions as I remember her as she once was. I cringe as I realize all the abuse I have caused her from the flat irons to chemical relaxers from the permanent straightening treatments to the weaves, and I asked myself, what have I done??
From that moment, I vowed to treat Agatha with the dignity and respect she deserves. Also, at that moment, I chose to love the curls that are us.