NINETEEN SEVENTY NINE
Author
"Change is inevitable, change is inevitable, change
is inevitable." Michael continued to repeat those same three words as he clenched his eyes so tight that he could feel a potential headache. Every fiber in Michael's being was consumed with nerves for reasons anyone would be deemed anxious of—a haircut.
Michael was getting the afro that he wore with
much black power and pride chopped down.
His right-hand gal, Abhaya, inspired this idea.
About a week ago, Michael and Abhaya were sauntering around their local neighborhood as he dropped off newspapers to different doors, which happened to be his part-time job. The two of them disclosed how excited they were for graduation and the party taking place on graduation night.
During the course of the conversation, Michael mentioned how he wanted to do something different for himself that indicated his transition to adulthood.
Being the eccentric woman she was, Abhaya suggested that he get a nose piercing or a tattoo. All suggestions that Michael heavily disagreed with. He didn't want his mother to have a heart attack which he was sure would happen if she saw him with a tattoo of a red dragon on his back or a silver hoop hanging through the septum of his nose.
So, with those ideas being completely thrown out
the mix, Abhaya thought of something she considered less exaggerated. Getting rid of his Afro.
Michael was against that as well at first.
He was completely baffled that she even suggested such a thing since she knew how much his hair meant to him and how much she helped him maintain it. He wore his Afro with extreme pride and dignity. His afro stood for what he represented, black empowerment.
Michael learned about the Black Panther movement from his extreme radical father at just eleven.
From there on, Michael began to look up to certain black activists like Huey P Newton, Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, etc. One thing he recognized about them was their hair and how they wore it with much pride.
It inspired Michael to grow his own hair out.
At the age of thirteen, Michael had the biggest afro in school, which he was proud of due to the efforts it to grow it. At the age of fifteen, Michael affiliated himself with many black empowerment movements and even took the initiative to organize his own. At such a young age, Michael was well respected for his activism.
He even got a nickname around town, Lil Malcolm X.
Michael's hair was like his shield.
When he wore his afro unapologetically, he showed how proud he was of his roots both hair and lineage wise. He didn't dare think about chopping his hair off.
Not only did it take forever to grow, not only did it represent his black empowerment, but it also took
a lot of work that he got accustomed to.
All the money he spent on Afro products, all the
times he would wake up in the morning and be late
for school because he was combing his hair out.
All the times, he would randomly show up at Abhaya's home to help him comb his hair out or let her tame it.
All of that became a part of Michael's life, and he felt as if he wouldn't be used to the change.
But as they say change is inevitable.
Michael suddenly heard the sound from the clippers cease, indicating that he had to finally face his fears and see if he would be wearing a hat for the remainder of the Summer.
"Alright, Lil Malcolm, open dem eyes." Said his barber, Rodney.
Michael took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and hoped to the heavens above that he didn't make a big mistake by getting his hair cut short. After what felt like an eternity, Michael finally opened his eyes to be met back with his reflection.
He couldn't help but gasp at what he saw.
His eyes shifted towards his barber, who had a
proud grin on his face, "Told you not to doubt my skills, young blood. I'm a pro at this; if there were a professional game for hair cutting, Nigga I'd win."
Michael laughed a little while looking back at
his reflection, "Man, I thought we talked about using such a degrading word."
"Oh right right! Sorry bout that young blood.
Power to the people." He held his fist up, which represented the symbol of black power.
Michael mirrored his image, "Right on!"
"So what you think, Lil Malcolm?" Michael stared
at himself with intent. His head turned from one side to another as he analyzed every angle of his head. Michael's afro was now chopped down to short curls; it suited him. "I think I look damn good." He cockily smiled, surprisingly liking what he saw.
"Ya damn right cha' look good. Cause I did it."
Michael playfully rolled his deep brown eyes, "You're one cocky man; ya know that, right?"
A hearty laugh erupted from the barber, "When you as good as me, ya gotta be."
Michael nodded in agreement; he couldn't deny
his barber's talent. If he weren't good, Michael would have never let him cut his hair off.
Also, he could relate to the cockiness his barber displayed most of the time. He was the valedictorian of his class; after all, he had every right to be arrogant, but he wasn't. Michael always displayed humbleness even in his most triumphant occasions, which was quite a few.
"Let's getcha cleaned up, man. We can't have you lookin' a fool on your graduation day."
The barber grabbed a pure badger brush and
began to wipe off the excess hair on Michael's black graduation gown. In just a few hours, Michael would graduate from Sandy Woods High. He couldn't be happier that all his hard work paid off; he would be graduating with the title of valedictorian.
Not only was Michael proud, but the community
was proud as well.
A young black male graduating as valedictorian in a predominantly white school was a great achievement.
He was the first black male to become a valedictorian at Sandy Woods high.
Michael was making history within his community.
"I'm proud of ya young blood. You are really making something of ya self, unlike a lot of these knuckleheads out chea." Michael stood up from the barber chair and turned towards Rodney.
"That means a lot to me, ole head. I'm not just
doing this for me; I'm doing it for us all." Rodney,
his barber, smiled before embracing Michael into a prideful hug. The moment between the two was significant. Rodney knew how much Michael worked for this moment, how much bullshit he had to go through to get what he rightfully deserved.
Rodney knew.
The two pulled away from the hug, "Rodney, you
know you're like an uncle to me," Michael said while reaching into his back pocket to grab his wallet.
Rodney smiled, "That's means a lot to me nephew,
it really does." He noticed Michael grabbing his wallet out and immediately waved his hands, indicating that he had put it away.
"This one on the house, young blood, put that wallet away. I know ya only got bout five dollars in there."
He and Michael shared a laugh.
"Five dollars? I got something much better than
that." Michael opened up his wallet and pulled out graduation ticket before handing it to Rodney.
"This is for me?" Rodney was a bit surprised.
He and Michael were close, but he didn't think Michael would give him a ticket to his graduation.
"Of course! You're family, man." Rodney smiled as
he took the ticket.
This meant a lot to Rodney. Michael reminded
Rodney of his late son, who died three years prior from gang affiliation. His son had a promising future, but his life came to a tragic end with a few bad decisions.
Rodney couldn't help but celebrate Michael's achievement with lingering thoughts of his son.
Michael was doing what he was doing for people like Rodney's son, young black men whose lives were taken away before they could even get a chance to start.
"You know imma be in there acting a damn fool, right? Hollin' and all" He took the ticket from Michael, who began to chuckle, "I know, shit, I'm gonna be acting a fool too. All the hell I went through to get my rightfully deserved title, hell, I might hit a backflip on the stage."
Rodney chuckled, "I'm looking forward to that flip nephew. I would do one as well, but my knees ain't like how they used to be."
"I can tell; I see it in your walk." Michael began to walk around as if he was an older man.
"Laugh now; you'll be just like me in the next 30years." Michael grinned at Rodney, "That's a long time from now." He stated.
Rodney waved his hand at Michael before placing
it against his hip. "Long time, my ass. 30 years will be here before ya know it. " His eyes shifted towards the clock on the wall, "Don't you have graduation practice at 2?" Rodney questioned.
Michael nodded, "Yeah, why?"
"It's almost three" Michael's eyes widened; he
didn't realize how long he had been there."Three!?
Oh god. Everyone's probably looking for me. I gotta bounce before they give my title to that damn racist
ass white boy."
Rodney chuckled, "Yeah, you best hurry before they
try that and make me have to cut the hell up. Now get, I'll see ya walk across that stage in a few hours."
"Alright, Rodney! I'll see you soon. Love ya, man!" Michael said as he ran out of the barbershop.
Rodney's heart swelled with a sensation of warmth. "Love ya too, nephew, love ya too."
-
Michael, who was approximately an hour and
twenty minutes late for the last graduation practice, finally made it to Sandy Woods High. With his cap tucked between his armpit, Michael pushed through the double doors that lead inside the big gymnasium where graduation practice was being held. He quickly walked inside to see all his class members standing
up as they recited the school song.
As Michael walked towards his post in the front, everyone looked at him with sudden shock. He knew
it was because of his hair and felt a bit shy about it.
His eyes scanned around the gymnasium, coyly biting the bottom of his lip.
"Glad you could finally join us, Valedictorian. I like
the new hair." Ms. Lester, one of his favorite teachers, spoke. She was very down-to-earth and relatable, which is why most of the students liked her.
She also made calculus look like a piece of cake,
which students greatly appreciated because she made a tough subject more understandable. "Thank you, Ms. Lester, and sorry about uhh my lateness. It won't happen again, I promise." A plethora of laughs erupted from the class of Seventy Nine.
Michael could be a real jokester at times.
"I'm sure it won't, Mr. Jackson. You will be
graduating today, after all. No more I'm late because
of my hair excuses from you any longer." Ms. Lester clapped her hands together, which echoed throughout the gymnasium. "Alright, class of Seventy Nine! Since Michael decided to do us all a favor and show up, we can finally get some real practice in. Now let's take it from the top, everyone!"
—
After a two-hour-long practice, Ms. Lester decided
to give the class of Seventy-Nine a break that everyone was grateful for. Michael turned towards the bleachers and looked for Abhaya, ready to hear her opinion on his new hairstyle.
He quickly spotted her sitting with Angel and Ricky; the four of them were a close-knit group.
You would never see one without the other.
Michael finally made it towards his group of friends with a few excuse me's and thank you's to people who complemented his hair. "So, what do guys think?" He did a 360 spin so that they could see every angle of his head. He mainly wanted to know what Abhaya thought of his new hairstyle since she suggested he get it.
"I told you he was going to get it! Now give me
my money Slick Rick." Abhaya said while holding her hand out to Ricky, who rolled his eyes before reaching into his pocket to get the money he owed.
"Here! Broke ass." Ricky slapped the money into Abhaya's palm. In response, she stuck her tongue out at him like a child. He mirrored her image; the two of them always had a playful relationship.
It was cute at times, but it could also get annoying
as they would argue each other to death.
"Could you guys not today! It's literally graduation day. Literally!" Ricky and Abhaya blankly looked at Angel before simultaneously mocking her high voice.
"Could you guys not today!" She rolled her eyes at them before turning her attention back to Michael.
"Michael, it looks amazing on you! You really pulled
it off."
He smiled at Angel, the only sensible one in the group besides himself.
"Thank you so much, Angel, not gonna lie; I
was nervous about getting this new hairstyle, but I'm glad I did. I feel like a new man." He leaned down and engulfed Angel into a warm hug.
"Yeah, man, it suits you really well. I honestly
thought your head would look like a peanut without the Afro. Thank god it doesn't, or else I would've been slappin' that noggin of yours throughout graduation practice." Michael cut his eyes at Ricky before rolling them. Ricky's way of complimenting a person would always end with an insult.
Michael leaned back up from Angel and focused
his attention on Ricky, whose hair was also uniquely different. Instead of his usually curly fro, Ricky's now pressed hair was bone straight.
This wasn't the first time Ricky did that to his hair, so it didn't shock Michael.
"Well, well well. I see you decided to look like a lady again. A very ugly lady if I do say so myself."
Abhaya and Angel started to laugh.
"Very funny. Are you mad that I have more hair
than your girlfriend?" Abhaya ooohed with a giggle.
"First of all, that's my ex-girlfriend. Secondly, her
hair is beautiful, unlike yours, that's filled with dandruff and split ass ends." Ricky smiled tauntingly at Michael, "At least I don't need to use activator to show off my curls. You be walking around looking like ya damn scalp cryin' when it's really just clear curl activator getting sweated out. My shit natural."
"You a damn lie! Nig-, knucklehead, these are natural curls." Ricky obnoxiously laughed.
He knew he ticked Michael off whenever he almost said the N-word, which he was completely against.
"Natural curls these nuts. I've been in your bathroom plenty of times, Michael. I see them twelve bottles of soul glo sitting on the sink." Ricky used two fingers to point at his eyes before he directed them towards Michael's.
Michael decided to stop going back and forth
with Ricky. It would never end between them, plus Ricky knew good, and well, Michael didn't have any soul glo sitting in his bathroom sink.
Michael turned to look at Abhaya, his best friend in
the entire world, who looked very beautiful with her straightened hair and make-up nicely done.
"Last opinion is your sweetness." He winked
at Abhaya, who rolled her eyes before standing up from the bleachers. She circled Michael around to check out his hair; she even went as far as sniffing it, which Michael thought was funny. He was used to her doing off-the-wall types of things.
That was just her personality.
After analyzing Michael's hair, she stood before
him and smiled. "I love it!" She happily stated as she snaked her arms around his waist and squeezed him like a snake. Michael laughed as he hugged her back. "If it weren't for you, I would've never gotten my hair like this. Thanks, Abs."
She smiled at the little nickname he'd been calling her since she could remember.
"What would you do without me, right?" Michael rolled his eyes before a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "I ask myself that every day."
Abhaya stood before Michael and snaked her arms around the middle of his back, hugging him in a tight embrace. Michael, taller than Abhaya, rested the top of his chin over her head and squeezed Abhaya equally.
After a few seconds, the two pulled away from one another. Abhaya, who still stood close to Michael, poked his chest through the black graduation gown.
"I did something different as well," She said; Michael began to analyze her intently. He didn't recognize any differences, so his eyebrows scrunched up a bit in confusion. "What did you do?" He asked.
Abhaya grabbed a piece of her hair and began to
twirl it between her fingers, " Well, two nights ago, I was out with my sister, and we happened to pass by a piercing shop! I got my nipples pierced!" Michael should've known it would be something crazy as that; Abhaya never failed to surprise him.
"Did it hurt?" He grimaced at the thought of a needle going through someone's nipples.
That just seemed so painful, in his opinion.
"Yes, it did, but the pain is temporary. These nipples piercing are forever! Ya wanna see?" Before Michael could give her an answer, she unzipped her gown and began to pull the straps of her dress.
Michael immediately stopped her. "Are you crazy?"
He asked, already knowing the answer to it. It was a solidified yes.
"Michael, we're all the way in the back. Plus, no one is looking at us." She reasoned.
"Still, it's not appropriate. I don't think I should be looking at my best friend's breast. It's weird."
"But I already showed Angel and Ricky! I have to show you as well since you're a part of this group."
Michael narrowed his eyes at Ricky; Angel was a girl, so he didn't see a problem with Abhaya showing her breast to another woman. With Ricky, it was different. He was about to ridicule him until he spoke up first.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't even
ask to see them. She literally flashed me! We were in my car, and she was like Ricky, look, and I looked. Her breast was on full display like a playboy magazine which looked really good, by the way. I think she should be a playboy model."
Michael rolled his eyes before protectively pulling Abhaya towards him, "She will never be on some damn magazine of such!" He looked back at her, "Promise me you won't end up on a playboy magazine." He held his pinky out for Abhaya to link hers with.
"Michael wha-" He interrupted her, "I said promise me." She sighed before wrapping her pinky around his.
"I promise, being on playboy isn't something I personally want to do anyways."
Michael smiled at her response, "Good! Because if
I ever saw you on that; I would be heartbroken. All those perverted men looking at you like a piece of meat? I couldn't fathom it."
"God, you are like the most extra ass muthafucka I know." Michael ignored Ricky's snide comment.
"Michaelllll, someone's looking at you," Angel teased. He followed her eyes until they landed on his ex Penny Tinker. She was smiling at him, and he winked at her as discreetly as he possibly could.
Somehow, Ricky was still able to see the wink.
"Hey, I saw that! I know you two still fuckin." Ricky shouted, causing Michael to snap his head back to him quickly. "You don't know shit! Shut up."
"I know y'all still fuckin." Michael rolled his eyes for what seemed like the millionth time today.
"Fuck off, Ricky. Michael didn't want to admit it to
his friends, but he was, in fact, still sleeping with his ex-girlfriend. Abhaya knew this even though Michael didn't come clean yet. She just knew her friend, and friends know friends.
Abhaya didn't really like them together because Penny was a bitch and always seemed to hurt Michael's feelings, but he always ran back to her like a lost pup.
Puppy love is what they called it.
The deafening voice of Ms. Lester boomed through
the auditorium, which caught everyone's attention. "Alright, class of 79'! Get back in place, and let's run this back a few more times. Graduation is around the corner guys, let's make it one to remember!"
Michael flicked Abhaya's nose and told everyone bye before walking back towards the front. He was ready
to get practice over with and finally graduate as the first black valedictorian of Sandy Woods High.
That would be one of his biggest accomplishments throughout his eighteen years of life.
Sighing happily, Michael patted himself on the back.
"You did it, Michael." He whispered to himself, "You did it."
—
Abhaya is pronounced as "Ab-Hey-Yuh." Just in case you were having a hard time pronouncing it.
Thanks for reading.