KAKUYA POV
"When I grow older, I will be there at your side to remind you, that I still love you...."
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.A. - circa August 1982
"Hi! My name is Kakuya Olivier Mandrake. I'm 12 years old...." I kept rehearsing this in the car as I sat in the back of my parents' station, anxious about my first day at Charlotte Middle School. My father laughed at me.
Dad: Frauline, why are you so nervous?
Me: Because daddy, this is the first day of school. American school.
Mom: She be right Walter. Dis is America, and dem kids be a rude bunch!
My mom high-fived me. It's hard being in a new country, you don't know what to expect. I didn't introduce myself! How rude of me, haha. My name is Kakuya, and I'm 12 years old. I was born in St. Andrew, Barbados. I was born on February 6, 1970 as the second of five children. My father, Walter is German and my mother Carol is Barbadian. My other siblings are Anita (b. 1968). Rhonda (b. 1973), Theodore (b.1974) and Kaiz (b.1976). We moved to the United States when I was about five when my dad got a job as a construction worker. My mother homeschooled us for a while but she decided that we should go to public school like everyone else. I was somewhat excited to be in public school because that meant I could see my best friend, Donald.
DONALD POV
Hi! My name is Donald DeGrate Jr. I'm 12 years old. I'm the oldest of three kids. I was born September 29, 1969 in Charlotte, North Carolina. My mother is a housewife and my dad is a preacher. I have two younger brothers: Dalvin, born July 23, 1971, and Derek, born August 15, 1974. We're a close-knit family. I don't really like school, but I love music! Music....and girls! Wait a minute, speaking of girls, where's Kakuya? She's supposed to be here.
Kakuya is my best friend in the whole wide world. Her mom and my mom were roomates living on some island called Barbados, when they met her dad and my dad (who were traveling salesmen back then). We used to visit them, where Kakuya and I would play on the beach and go swimming together. Now that they are permanently staying in the U.S., I'm happy I get to see her more because we made a pact that no matter what, we would be best friends....forever.