At The End of The Spectrum

Chapter One

1989

"Alrighty children. It's time for playtime." Mrs. Grim announced to us after she was done telling the story Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. She closed the colorful covered book in her hand and laid it under her blue chair on the geographical rug that we were all sitting on. She then stood to her full height and flipped her long beautiful chestnut hair on her left shoulder before walking over to her desk. To me, she was like a black Rapunzel. No one in my family had hair like that and I hope that one day my own hair could grow to the same length.

A huge smile appeared on my face once her words had hit me. It was my favorite time of day where I could play with all the dolls that were inside Mrs. Grim's toy box. It was like doll heaven for me and basically the only reason why I liked getting up in the morning and coming to Harrison S. Preschool. If not for those dolls and the delicious snacks, I would have a fit.

My mommy couldn't buy me all the dolls that were here that I wanted for some reason. My guess was that it wasn't my birthday or Christmas yet, so there were no reason for mommy to give me any gifts. Though, why should I wait to get a gift on Christmas or my birthday? I'm a good girl and I think that I deserve at least one doll. Especially, a Barbie Doll. It was my dream to have my own pretty barbie doll, so that I could dress her in as many outfits that I could.

I pushed the thought away when I seen people in the semi circle begin to rise.

I got up on my small feet and raced alongside the other kids in my class to the toy box. There was only one, so you had to fight to get a good toy. Luckily for me, I was a bit faster than everyone else.

Oooo-weeeee!

You should have seen me in my little pink overalls. I was gone and the first person to arrive to the box. I reached inside to grab my favorite doll that laid on the very top. I lifted her up in my hands and wiped her silky long blonde hair off her face.

Just as I was about to turn around and go sit back down on the carpet to play, Nevaeh Browning snatched the doll out of my hands.

"What you do that for? Give it back!" I frowned at her.

She rolled her hazel eyes at me before stating, "I'm going to play with this doll. You can play with that ugly doll over there with the nappy hair." She smiled evilly before walking back towards the carpet to play with my doll.

One of my other classmates, Donnah, snickered at me because I had to play with the ugly doll that nobody liked. All of the other good toys had already been taken.

I sniffled as I walked back over to the doll and picked it up. It was nothing like the the other doll. This doll, didn't have any good hair that I could comb through. It was what Nevaeh called nappy and it felt really rough to touch. Sort of like how my hair gets before my mommy puts on that stinky white stuff to make it look better.

I hated that stuff. It made my head hurt and if I tried touching my hair, my mommy would pop me. She says that I'm the one that causes it to burn, but even if I don't touch my hair; it still burns. The only thing I hate more than that was that raggedy old hot comb she uses after she washes out the white stuff. She never failed to burn me and I have the scabs to prove it.

My daddy doesn't like it when she puts that stuff in my hair. He told my mommy that I was too young for it, but mommy argued that I wasn't too young. She says that taking care of both our heads was like having a side job separate from her real one. It was too much for her and making it straight made her life a lot easier. She could comb through it and give me the curls that I always ask her for.