Uchenna, Writer, Engineering Student

Sunday, June 16, 2019

First Lovely

"Dammit," I muttered, sighing as I walked into the house. Littered around, were bent and broken doll's limbs. Gora and Couro should've been home already, and I'd found myself nagging lately to get them to pick up after themselves. Exhausted, I headed to the kitchen to set my bag down. Huddled in the corner, Couro and a small barbie doll with an arm too big for it and a missing leg.
I took a quick breather then stooped down to where she played. Couro saw me and squealed, "Daddy!" She dropped her doll and wrapped her arms around my neck. I picked up her round, chubby body and carried her on my waist. As I balanced her, I realized how much she was growing and that I couldn't keep doing this. 
"Hi, Couro," I smiled. "What're you doing?" 
Excitedly, she flailed her arms and legs as words poured out of her, "I've been experimenting! I'm gonna make a doll that looks just like me!" Confused, I looked down at the doll she'd been playing with. Its pieces didn't match at all. Different sizes, shapes, colors--I couldn't figure out what she meant. With her on my waist, I went out into the hall and looked at the various pieces scattered, looking for some sort of trend. "Sorry for the mess," she added, "it's just a part of the process." 
Slowly, I nodded, not entirely understanding. A loud thud from the living room saved me from having to think on it much more. 
Rounding the corner, I saw a lanky teenage boy with scruffy, kinky black hair. Awkwardly, he stood on his poorly proportioned legs and stood up to greet me. "Hi, Dad." Recently, I'd noticed Gora's attempts to stop calling me 'Daddy,' something I noticed after catching a glimpse of a few other teenagers bugging him about the habit. Still, I put Couro down and pulled Gora into a hug. But, he pushed me away. "Watch Couro," he mumbled. "She keeps cutting up her dolls it's weird."
Frustrated, Couro jumped up, "You told me that the only way to get a doll that looks like me was to make one!"
"Yes." Gora turned his face down towards his sister and hissed, "I meant it ironically, fattie. Did you actually think you'd find a chubby doll?" My stomach turned in on itself. The words I should've said to reprimand him circled in my mind. But some kind of lock kept my mouth shut. 
Beside me, I felt Couro hug my leg and begin to tear up. She opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was sobs. I lifted her shaking body and gave Gora a harsh glare. He simply rolled his eyes and muttered, "It's true."

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