RAY POV
-24 years ago-
-Armenia-
My nanny and I sat in the bathroom for our regular morning routine. She finished flat ironing my hair then gave me a kiss on my cheek.
"Ray," she said.
"Yes Ms. Jones?"
"Don't get in the pool, okay?"
I wined, "But I'm having a swimming party for my birthday!"
"I know, Ray. But, I'll never hear the end of it from your father if your hair gets wet."
"But all of my friends will be in the pool!"
"Ray." Ms. Jones stated, giving me 'the look'.
"Okay," I whined. She smiled at me and flipped my long, straightened hair behind my shoulders.
"I love you," she sang.
"I love you too!" I hugged her then ran out of the bathroom, down to the pool.
"Happy 10th birthday Raheem Abdul!" Read a banner that stretched across the palace.
I smiled and ran outside to be met with hundreds of people that I don't know.
"Happy Birthday!" They all yelled.
"Thank you!!"
"Happy birthday Raheem Abdul!" Diana yelled as she hugged me.
"Ewww get off!" I yelled. All of the adults around me laughed.
I noticed everyone's children were in the pool splashing around. I looked at my father and he was at the bar, drinking wine with his friends. My mother was bragging about vacations she's been on to the crowd of women around her.
"Raheem Abdul! Come swim!" A kid yelled from the pool.
"I can't. Sorry!"
"Oh come on!" Diana yelled as she pulled my arms.
"Raheem Abdul cannot swim because he's a nigger!!" A kid yelled at me. All of the adults got quiet and looked at me.
"WILLIAM YOU WILL NOT SAY THAT WORD!" A woman yelled.
"Sorry!" The boy yelled as he dove back under the water.
That wasn't the first time someone has yelled that at me. I'm different than everyone else. I looked around me and everyone had white skin, and long black hair with big eyes. Here I am with my dark skin and small, squinted eyes.
The Omniscient Narrator POV
"Abdul Muhammad, why exactly did you and your wife decide to birth Raheem in America?" A family friend asked Raheem's father while at the bar.
"I told you, that is private," he answered.
The Amini family had never been to America, until word got around they they were pregnant. They went to America for the whole pregnancy then came back with Raheem, and mysterious woman named Bernice Jones. They said they had hired her as the nanny while in the states.
Abdul looked up into a window on the third floor and noticed Bernice looking down at Raheem. He sighed then looked back at Raheem and his friends playing by the pool.
"Just come swim Raheem!" Diana yelled. Three other kids snuck out of the pool and ran behind Raheem.
"I can't swim! I really can't!" Raheem yelled.
"No...No...No!" His father thought as he set down his wine glass.
"Where are you going?" His friend asked him.
Abdul quickly walked over to the pool, but he was too late.
Raheem's friends pushed him into the pool. The little boys cheering and laughing as Raheem popped back up from the water.
Raheem shook his hair around smiling, water spraying everywhere.
"That was fun!" He yelled as he giggled.
Then the whole courtyard grew quiet.
Raheem's hair was full of shinning curls. His once straight black locks, were now wet spirals, covering his face
"RAHEEM IS A NIGGER!" A boy yelled. All of the adults laughed and began to joke about Raheem's hair.
"What real Armenian boy has an Afro?!" Abdul's friend yelled. All of the men joined in laughing at the curly haired boy.
Raheem began to quietly cry and walk towards the stairs of the pool.
"With all of that hair, and dark skin?! There's no way he's a true Armenian!" A woman yelled.
"I am Armenian!" Raheem yelled as he walked out of the pool.
"He doesn't even know the Armenian language, nor does he speak English properly!" The women continued.
Raheem never spoke with an accent like the rest of his family.
Raheem turned to his mother hopefully to defend him, only for her to roll her eyes and turn her back to him.
"I'M ARMENIAN!! FATHER! TELL THEM THAT I'M A PURE ARMENIAN!"
"Go inside Raheem Abdul!" His father demanded. The tears began to pour from Raheem's eyes faster.
"You don't belong here!" A child yelled. "Go back to where you came from!"
"I'm from here!!!" Raheem argued.
"SON! INSIDE!" Raheem ran inside and slammed the door back.
"So you're not the father, I see!" Abdul's friend, Arev spoke behind him. Abdul spun around on his heels as he lit a cigar.
"I am his father."
"Your son is a nigger."
"My son is not a nigger, Arev." Arev laughed and turned to the other men.
"The boy is not one of us!" He yelled, "if he is not the true son of Abdul, how can he take over the business?!" All the men laughed.
"HE IS MY SON!" Abdul screamed, causing everyone to silence and look at him.
"Then why is he a ni-" Abdul grabbed Arev by his neck and squeezed.
"Call him that again, and I will have you murdered!" He grunted
"ABDUL MUHAMMAD!" Abdul's wife yelled as she ran over to him, "you let go of Arev right now!"
"Why?! So you can go fuck him behind my back again!!?" Everyone in the courtyard gasped. They all looked at Abdul's wife in disgust, judging her.
"Oh don't act so innocent!!" She yelled. Abdul shook his head at her and glared as he threw Arev down.
"I mean, THE ONLY BLACK PERSON AROUND HERE IS THE NANNY!" She screamed.
The glares of the people turned to Abdul.
"Raheem's mother is the nanny?!" Arev asked. Everyone began to whisper. Abdul ran into the house, throwing his cigar at his wife.
Meanwhile, a crying and humiliated Raheem had run into the kitchen, into Ms. Jones's arms.
"Don't cry, baby!" She whispered as she rocked him.
"They called me that word!" He yelled between sobs.
"Don't worry, some people are just ignorant."
"Why am I different?" He asked. Ms. Jones felt tears coming to her eyes and she quickly blinked them back.
"Come on," she said, "let's go straighten your hair."
Abdul stormed into the home, scaring Raheem and Bernice.
"Wait in the bathroom," she whispered into his ear. Raheem nodded and quickly ran upstairs to his bedroom.
"Bernice, why the hell di-"
"Listen!" She interrupted, walking up to Abdul's face fearlessly, "you will NOT let those people disrespect my baby!"
"I didn't know they would push him!" He argued.
"Then don't even try to blame this shit on me, Abdul!"
He sighed and reached for his cigar, then remembered he had thrown it at his wife.
"So what now?!" She asked.
"I will still say he is Armenian."
"YOU'RE CONFUSING HIM!" She screamed.
"STOP YELLING!" Abdul yelled.
Meanwhile Raheem sat in front of his mirror in his bathroom. Starring at his curls, feeling them.
"Wow," he whispered to himself.
He liked his curls, he had never really seen them before. He thought maybe being different wasn't so bad.
Back downstairs, Abdul and Bernice continued to argue.
"How the hell are you gonna convince him that he's Armenian once he's older?!" She yelled.
"I'll tell him he's cursed!"
"SERIOUSLY?!" She screamed.
"Yes!"
"WHY DID YOU EVEN KNOCK ME UP!" She began to cry and walked away from Abdul. She stood against the kitchen counter, thinking about her only son. Her poor son would have to grow up, confused about himself.
"I'm sorry baby," Abdul whispered as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck.
"Get your bipolar ass off of me!" She grunted.
"Fine!" He yelled, backing off of her, surrendering his hands.
"I'm stupid for loving you!" Bernice spat out.
"I'm stupid for...for.." Abdul stopped then grunted at himself.
"For getting me pregnant!" Bernice yelled, "just say it! I should've just stayed in Atlanta with Raheem!"
"TAKE THAT BACK!" Abdul yelled.
"I wish you had never flown to America, never saw me working, and never insisted on SLEEPING WITH ME!!" Bernice screamed.
"SHUT UP!" Abdul yelled as his hand rose and slapped Bernice on her face. She fell down holding her face, crying.
"Nicey, I'm so sorry!" He whispered as he kneeled next to her, caressing her face.
"I HATE YOU!" Bernice screamed as she began to run to the staircase. Abdul ran in front of her and raced to Raheem's room.
Abdul burst into the bathroom to find Raheem innocently playing with his curls between his fingers.
"YOU'RE CURSED!" Abdul yelled.
Raheem dropped his hair and looked at his father.
"What?" He asked.
"You are cursed. That's why your hair is how it is. You are CURSED and will NEVER be like us!"
"That's not true," Raheem replied softly as he hopelessly tried to hold back tears.
"IT IS!" Abdul screamed.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Bernice yelled demandingly as she ran into the bathroom and began to push Abdul out of the room.
"CURSED!" Abdul yelled as Bernice slammed the door in his face.
She looked at her young boy to find tears rolling down his face. She quickly wiped her face and smiled.
"I'm cursed?" Raheem asked.
"No, baby!" Bernice walked behind Raheem and grabbed the hot flat iron.
"Then why is my hair this way?" He asked, "why do I have to straighten it?"
"Shhhhh," Bernice whispered as she rubbed his shoulder. Raheem sighed and hung his head down then looked into the mirror.
"Happy Birthday To You," she sang as she pressed his curly hair between the iron pads. Tears slowly leaked from Raheem's small eyes.
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Ray...Happy birthday to you."
--
There's a lot of symbolism in this chapter. Comment when you find some similarities between Ray's past and the his current life.
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