Me, My Hair, and I

by Shawneda

  Uncle Corey turned in his chair. “What happened at practice?”

  “So, I know wearing my hair silkened every day isn’t right for me. I’m an athlete.” I sighed. “No matter what the person I might like prefers, I have to do what works best for my life. For me.”

  Uncle Corey turned back toward the camera.

  “My Uncle Corey told me why. Now he’s gonna tell you.

  Uncle Corey wiped the sweat from his hands. “That is nerve wrecking.”

  “Tell me about it.” I put the remote back on Aunt Tanya’s desk. “I know you hate being on camera even more than I do. Thank you, Uncle Corey.”

  Uncle Corey stood and gave me a squeeze. “You know I’m going to have to do like three of these with your Aunt. She’s been asking me to come on here for years.”

  “I know.” I gave him a faint smile. “You did say it better than me.”

  Uncle Corey cleared his throat. “So, Breyonna told you to talk to me?”

  “Yep.”

  Uncle Corey sniffed. “And you appreciate me more. Like a father?”

  “Yep.”

  Uncle Corey held his fist out. “I’m honored. Raising you girls with Aunt Tanya has been the highlight of my adult life.”

  “Really?” I bumped my fist with his. “Even more important than your work? I mean, you help people get a second chance. Men name their sons after you.”

  Uncle Corey chuckled. “Yes, my work is important. Helping people is important. You’re a person, JeShaun. Tanya is my most important person. You and Keylisa are only second to her. Nothing I do for any of those men matters if I don’t take care of home.”

  “Oh,” I fought back the tears trying to fall from my eyes. “I… You… Thank you, Uncle Corey.”

  Uncle Corey stood into a stretch. He gave me a quick peck on the forehead. “Thank you for making it a pleasure to do.”

  I smiled to keep from crying.

  “Now I’m going to finish my game. We good?”

  I nodded. Words and tears were mingled together in my throat. My heart filled with gratitude and regret. Aunt Tanya sacrificed a lot to take care of me and my sister. Even when we didn’t get along. Even when I acted like a jerk. Next time I have a question about something important, I’m going to ask Uncle C.

  I sighed as I plopped down into Brielle’s styling chair. The hum of the machines in the salon created a familiar comfort. All the years of after hours appointments left me spoiled. What do you do in a shop when there are other clients? I’m used to being the only person getting my hair done.

  Brielle picked up a comb to take my cornrows down. “So, you have a better week?”

  “Omigosh, YES! I gave the coach a scare. Her words,” I chuckled, “when my hair was down. Not because of how it looked, because of how I played. All week the team has been giving me compliments on my braided look. Never happens.”

  Brielle’s hand paused. “Never?”

  “Maybe once or twice. Nothing like almost half of the school telling me how beautiful I looked while my hair was hanging down my back.” I sighed. “Truth be told, I need to be free to run, jump, and sweat without giving a thought to my hair to excel in my athletics. My studies suffered because I kept replaying my bad practices in my mind.”

  Brielle began taking the next braid down. “Good news is your grade didn’t suffer. You’re gonna love the next two weeks because we’re keeping it up in cornrows.”

  “Really?” I paused. “Those other styles we talked about before we silkened it look better than cornrows to me. I can still perform in those. Nothing to shrink up.”

  Brielle positioned my head to unravel the braids on the crown of my head. Her bracelets jangled in my ear. “True. But you weren’t oiling your hair each day before practice. Tanya gave you the steps and oil, but you forgot that part. Your hair dried out more than normal with wearing it down so we have to restore the moisture level for you. You’ve trained your hair to be a certain way. Changing and keeping it healthy takes time.”

  “I guess.” My shoulders slumped. “So I’ll wear it up in braids so I can have it down for the dance, right?”

  Brielle turned the chair to start taking a new braid down. “Right.”

  “If I don’t?”

  Brielle cleared her throat. “You can wear a wig or weave to get the look you want for the dance in case your hair starts breaking off.”

  “My head sweats.” I fought the urge to squirm around in my seat. “Those things are too hot. Any athlete who can wear a wig and play well has my utmost respect. I’d melt or burst into flames.”

  Brielle harrumphed. “Guess we’ll be finding a way to keep the girl your braids are cute compliments coming then, huh?”

  “I guess.” Questions about the protein treatments and texturizers as a longer term college solution filled my head. Being silkened felt nice for a moment, but I hated the maintenance part.

  Brielle tilted my head. “You’ve never cared about what other people say about you or your style. Something you need to tell your godmother?”

  “No, I mean, I still don’t care for the most part. The compliments were a nice surprise. Not why I want to make it easier to care for my hair.” I sighed. “Seems like I’m gonna need to make a decision before Christmas break. Because if I don’t straighten my hair, I have to learn how to do it for myself.”

  Brielle laughed. “We have done you a grave disservice. Yes, let’s make the choice about what to do after your homecoming and winter formal dance. I’ll teach you how to shampoo and condition your hair. Tanya is the G.O.A.T. You need to ask her to teach you how to style.”

  “If you…”

  Brielle stopped taking down the braid, “No. Your silly argument will end.”

  “But--”

  Brielle started taking the braid down again. “No, buts, ifs, or anything else. The routine she has had your hair on is perfect for you. We’re being over cautious by doing protective styles the next two weeks to restore the moisture.”

  “Really?”

  Brielle sucked her teeth. “Yes, really. You’ve been blessed to have someone who took such good care of your hair. Did we teach you enough? No, but your hair has never been unkempt or unruly. People don’t whisper about you behind your back.”

  “Who did that happen to… You?”

  Brielle sniffed. “Having an assumed to be easy to manage hair texture doesn’t mean my hair always looked good when I rolled out of bed.”

  “Since when?”

  Brielle gave an exaggerated pause until I looked at her so she could roll her eyes at me. “You’re kidding, right?”

  I shrugged. Despite my best efforts, I began to pout.

  “Look. Having a head full of hair your parent doesn’t know how to do is no better than having no hair at all. Tanya set you up with a simple hair care routine. It works. We’ll keep doing it until you make a decision.” Brielle said. “Deal?”

  “Deal.” I stopped pouting. “You’re right. I’ll stop being a brat. I’m not very good at it.”

  Brielle laughed. “You’re too modest. Trust us, JeShaun. We overlooked the need to teach you how to take care of your hair, but we won’t leave you hanging for college.”

  “I know.” I gave her a sincere smile. “Let’s pick some cute protective styles so I can keep my hair healthy for whatever I decide to do.”

  Brielle swiveled me around so I didn’t see the mirror. “Good, I have you covered for this week. So look through Pinterest or Insta for next week. Giving your hair a break will get you back on track and moisturized. One thing you need to remember while you make your decision is the importance of keeping your hair moisturized. Dry hair doesn’t care. It will dry up and break off.”

  The car smelled like vanilla, patchouli, and another essential oil I can never pronounce. Aunt Tanya circled the parking lot, waiting for her favorite spot. The leaves on some trees planted around the mall had begun to turn. The gold tips and the orange sides on some leaves make the tree look like it has highlights
.

  “We’ll take the first one closer to the front if they’re not gone.” Aunt Tanya said.

  Hiding my smirk took some effort, “Okay.”

  “So, any ideas on what you want to wear to the Winter Formal since we already got your homecoming dress?” Aunt Tanya’s eyes lit up.

  A young couple strolled toward her space, holding hands. Old people get excited over the weirdest things. “No, I’m just trying to see my options. You know me. I’m happy as long as I can dance.”

  “True.” Aunt Tanya laughed as she whipped her car into the spot before a second car pretending not to hover tried to inch forward. “See, I told you, this is my spot.”

  I lost the fight to contain myself and laughed out loud. “Yes, and circling three times didn’t help at all.”

  “Patience is a virtue. When you want something, you have to be willing to work for it and wait.” Aunt Tanya said.

  Work for it and wait? I can do one or the other, but I don’t like doing both. “Got it. So does that apply to everything in life or just parking spaces?”

  “Only God is absolute, JeShaun. Applies to most things and some relationships.” Aunt Tanya checked her makeup and purse for postcards for the shop.

  “So like when you decided to lock your hair? You had to work and wait for it?”

  “That’s a good example.” Aunt Tanya refreshed her lip gloss. “Applies to some relationships, but not to people. Food or fashion first?”

  The thought of telling her about my crush danced around my mind. “How did you know Uncle Corey wouldn’t leave?”

  “Huh?”

  I cleared my throat, buying time, trying to decide if I should tell her about my crush and my hair. My stomach rumbled.

  “Food.” Aunt Tanya said as she picked up her key fob from the small tray beneath the armrest.

  The smell of pretzels, fresh baked cinnamon buns, and pizza mingled in the air as we approached the door to the food court. Aunt Tanya loved this parking space because it gave the best options for which mall entrance to use. She discovered it while dating Corey when he worked here as a teenager. I opened my mouth to make a joke when I saw them.

  The latest and most obnoxious of all the girls he dated. She swore the sun rose and fell based on what she liked. Breyonna said she’s as close to a mean girl as our high school allowed. We had too many circles of people to have one group dominate anything. Everyone hung with who they liked and kept to themselves.

  “You seem to be enjoying the takeovers a bit more. The response from the audience has been great and sales increased more than twenty percent.” Aunt Tanya said as she paused to place her fob in her purse.

  I nodded. “Un hun.”

  Ms. ‘I Want to Be Her’ turned and did some weird shimmy, then flung her hair over her shoulder. Someone else made a weird shape around their head. Then his girlfriend twirled around, looked me in the eye, and laughed. She laughed so hard I heard her snort. Two of her other friends laughed as well. A girl on the team with me, I’d known since kindergarten, avoided eye contact and sighed.

  They all gathered around the wanna be mean girl for an usie. I felt disgust fill every inch of me. “So you didn’t worry that Uncle Corey might break up with you?”

  Aunt Tanya cleared her throat. “Your Uncle Corey and I weren’t married yet. We weren’t even discussing marriage. I wanted locs, had always wanted locs, so I locked my hair. Never crossed my mind to care if he’d like my locs.”

  “What if he didn’t like it?” My disgust waned as the girls walked into the mall entrance. Aunt Tanya and I entered the food court.

  Aunt Tanya laughed. “I’d be married to a smarter, finer man.”

  “What?” I turned to look at Aunt Tanya. “You’d date someone else?”

  She laughed again. “I dated plenty of someones before I committed to him. That is how I knew he was special. My hair is my business. I’d never be with a guy who only wanted to date me if I wore my hair a certain way.”

  “This guy I’ve had a crush on since middle school only dates girls with long straight hair.” JeShaun sighed.

  Aunt Tanya’s eyes lit up. “Honey, I wouldn’t change my hair for anyone. One of the perks of being a stylist is being able to do whatever I want to my hair for work. You remember what happened to my client, Maya Hatton?”

  I nodded.

  “I don’t let anyone dictate how I wear my hair. Especially not some silly, fickle boy. I didn’t do it in high school and never as an adult. To be honest, I didn’t give Corey a second thought when I started my locs.” Aunt Tanya rolled her eyes.

  My curiosity crushed any embarrassment. “What happened in high school?”

  “Boys thought they knew how to tell how good your hair texture is from your baby hair. So girls wore their baby hair out, plastered to their forehead. Nevermind, some good gel, and a toothbrush. I think I bought my first set of rims from the money I made doing girls’ baby hair in the bathroom at lunch and after gym.”

  I ignored the rumbling from my stomach. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I wish I were kidding. Don’t let anyone tell you how to wear your hair. As long as you like it and it’s healthy, you’ll attract the right guy. The kind who likes you for you. Every generation has trends that come and go. But being you never goes out of style. Don’t fall for your generation’s baby hair bull.”

  6

  I gave my outline for the talking points for my last takeover a final look before emailing it to Aunt Tanya for approval. Doing a simulcast livestream to YouTube, Instagram, and Ask Tanya B website made the most sense. Once Aunt Tanya explained how it all worked, I was impressed. All this time I just thought she liked hearing herself talk. She’s smart and has been helping people all over the world love their hair. Uncle Corey, Keylisa, Brielle, and Breyonna are even gonna join in the fun.

  Keylisa strolled into the room. She wore the most popular hairstyle from Aunt Tanya’s most recent hair tutorial bundle with accessories by a local mompreneur Aunt Tanya posted about all the time. A mother and daughter duo who created barrettes, headbands, ribbon sets, beaded and jeweled comb sets that matched jewelry for real special occasions, and hair scarves.

  “I’m so excited about being in the last takeover with you. Once you and Aunt Tanya make up, we can get back to being models… Before you leave me.” Keylisa gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m going to miss you when you go to college.”

  My heart stopped in my chest. All this time I thought Keylisa enjoyed the attention from Aunt Tanya during our hair modeling sessions. My mind played back all the jokes, tickling, and hugs we share each and every time we do the photoshoots. I’d been an idiot.

  Mom told me to look out for Keylisa. She said I’d be stronger and have to teach her how to be careful with her big open heart. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought through the last few months before Mom died. Her ability to make every thing we did special. I wished Keylisa knew our Mom better. I wished I’d been better at making our time together special on purpose, instead of her loving me because of her big open heart. Keylisa deserved better.

  “Aunt Tanya has to approve the topics I talk about ahead of schedule. If she didn’t, I’d ask you to do today’s take over with me, too.” I opened my arms with a smile.

  The biggest smile I’d seen in weeks covered Keylisa’s face. She ran into my arms. Her small hands clasped around my waist. I felt her cheeks still lifted in a smile. “No, we have to follow the rules. Aunt Tanya works very hard on her brand. We’ll have fun together for the last one.”

  “Wright sister, style,” I kissed her forehead and gave her a squeeze.

  Keylisa squeezed me back before letting go of my waist. “Always.”

  “I’m sorry I dragged you into the middle of all this and interrupted our modeling time.” JeShaun said. “Once this is over, I’ll be sure to make it up to you. Maybe you can come with me to tour my school. We can make it a family trip so you know where I’ll be when I’m at college.�
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  Keylisa hopped up and down. “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Keylisa ran to give me another quick squeeze. “I forgive you. We all make mistakes.”

  I felt like a fool. All this time I’d been wrong about why Keylisa beamed during the modeling sessions. My little sister looked up to me. Looked up to me so much she liked hanging out with me to take pictures of our hair. Memories of laughing, giggling, and listening to Aunt Tanya tell stories about her and our Mom flooded my mind. Refusing to do the new campaign took those moments away from Keylisa.

  Much as I wished she knew our mom, I missed out on how Aunt Tanya and I helped her know her every day. I’d been so focused on moving on to college to help support Keylisa, I overlooked how much being together meant to her. She’d been getting to know our mom the entire time. Keylisa enjoyed being a hair model because we did it together, as a family. I’d been working so hard trying to be a good example for Keylisa to look up to when I graduated from high school I missed an important lesson. Most little sisters want to grow up to be like their big sisters, but today I kinda want to be more like K.

  I flopped down on Breyonna’s bed. The smell of fresh vanilla and jasmine rose from the comforter and pillows. “Did I send you the link to that stretched hair video?”

  “No,” Breyonna draped her legs over the side of the oversized chair in the corner next to her bookcase.

  The blood drained from my face. “We have to find that video.”

  “Okay. Don’t get your volleyball shorts in a bunch.” Breyonna pulled her tablet from her backpack. “We’ll find it. Did you see what your boy was wearing at lunch today?”

  I tsked. “What boy?”

  “Oh, you gonna pretend like we not looking for this stretch video to impress your wish-boo?” Breyonna’s eyebrow raised.

  My head dropped. Not this crap again. I’d moved beyond wanting to fix my hair for some boy who didn’t like me because I don’t wear my hair straight. Right? “Did you find the video? I remember it said something about non heat stretching or something.”