Smitten, I returned home humming a little tune. My eyes were nearly closed and my mind was up in the clouds. Quickly, I unlocked the door, eager to give my children a little treat. Walking in, I noticed the unusually quiet atmosphere of the hallway. I rounded into the kitchen, practically singing at this point and unpacked the food. I took out the lo mien I'd bought for myself and started dancing to the song in my head.
As ridiculous as I probably looked, my polka dot socks slid across the floor with pride as a noodle dangled out of my mouth. I grabbed a broom and did a little sashay with it around the living room. Excited, I pulled up the song on the television. I'd forgotten the name and had to look up the lyric I remembered, but after a few minutes, I found it. Blasting it, I took hold of my broom partner and waltzed around with it in my arms. Lost in my thoughts, it took me a moment to hear the slow claps coming from the door frame.
Gora stood there, munching on some of my lo mien.
"Meet someone?" he asked, chuckling to himself.
Putting the broom back, I felt my face flush. I coughed, "Where's your sister?"
He groaned, "While you were out flirting, Couro's decided she needs straight hair."
My heart sank. My poor baby girl already had body issues rooted deep in her. I thought she loved her hair, and now she was going to change it. Glancing up at Gora, I caught sight of his smug, accomplished look.
"Gora, you did this," I accused. The boy looked at me, barely stifling a laugh. "What did you do to Couro?"
"Nothing," he singsonged. "Just tested her self-confidence, is all." My eyes widened and he couldn't handle it, he bent over and started laughing. Through it, he couldn't hear any of my angry murmurings. Once he calmed himself, he looked at me and shrugged, "Guess she failed." Oh, so satisfied, the mischievous child made his way up to his room. I tailed him as Couro's room was right next to his.
I opened the door to a small, carpeted room. There were stains on it from instances when Couro was younger, and everything was fuzzy, pink, or both. Dozens of stuffed animals filled the room and cutesy dresses littered the floor. I saw everything, posters, book, her cradle--except Couro.
Swallowing, I could feel my breathing quicken into short gasps. My heart raced thinking about all the possibilities. What if she ruined her hair? What if she got relaxer or an iron and burned herself? Or a razor or scissors and cuts herself?
Frantically, I burst into Couro and Gora's bathroom--nothing. Then all the guest bathrooms--nothing. Lastly, mine. To my relief, there she sat, attempting to comb her hair.
Staring at the unused pair of scissors that were stationed beside some pink oil, I wheezed, "Couro, what are you doing?"
"Trying to fix my hair," she replied, her eyes unwavering from her reflection. "If the dolls can't look like me, then I'll just look like them."
I sighed, "Couro..."
Just a young turtle, hatching out of her shell.
Saturday, June 29, 2019
Second Lovely
The next day, I was buzzing around the mall. I made Gora babysit his sister as punishment while I went out to shop for a small present for her. As focused as I was, I wasn't too proud of my position. While I had no problem taking Couro doll-shopping, searching for them alone was slightly humiliating. I could feel and see judgmental eyes watching me as I cluelessly inspected dolls for little girls. Still, Couro needed it and I reminded myself that the strangers watching me would never be relevant in my life. So, I fought on and carefully judged each doll, trying to find the chubbiest one I could find.
Two hours into my journey, I struggled to find a doll with skin that even matched hers. I was getting somewhat frustrated, and I heard a small, faint laughter behind me. Pausing, I waited for the source of the laughter to walk up to me.
"Are you alright?" A tall, thinly-framed woman chimed. Relatively attractive with glowing blue eyes and thin pink lips. She was dressed relatively casually but with certain accents such as an infinity scarf or statement hoop earrings. A strand of long black hair reached down to her upper thigh while the rest was bunched together loosely behind her head. "Excuse me, sir?" she called, helping me realize I'd gotten distracted staring. Shaking my head, I scoffed and blinked. She smiled, "I asked if you're alright."
Nodding, I put the doll down. "Yeah, just...yeah." For a minute, neither of us said anything, before I suddenly became worried of the impression I'd made on her. "I don't play with dolls though. It's for a girl. A child girl...yeah."
Looking over at the doll I put down, she asked, "A niece? Younger sister?"
"Um...my daughter." Again, she said nothing and a mini fit of paranoia fizzled inside of me. "I-I'm not married. Technically. We don't live together. Actually, we kinda do? No, that's not right. She...I mean, she's not like that. I'm--"
"Single?"
I opened my mouth, considering telling her about Kutu, before just murmuring, "...Yeah."
"Good to know." Searching her face, I desperately looked for a sign of interest or irritation. Both came up empty. "You've been going back and forth in this section for a while. Are you looking for something specific?"
"Uh, yeah. I need a chubby, African American doll."
Her lips curved into a frown, "Well...you won't find that here. Unless you'll settle for curvy." My shoulders dropped, somewhat defeated. "I used to collect dolls however," she piped in, "and I should own one just like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah," she nodded and we drifted out the store as she continued, "I know I sound like a sales clerk, I just...really know my dolls. A little something I pick up in grade school and I held onto it much longer than anyone really expected."
"Sounds interesting." Beside the store, I saw a Chinese place and headed towards it, "I need to pick up food."
Simply, she nodded and tailed, "Still, to this day, I could talk for hours about dolls."
"...Why don't you? I could listen," I blurted out. The woman beside me stopped, waiting for what I'd say next. "...But, I'd need a way to contact you later on. I really should get back to Couro and Gora."
To my surprise, she pulls out her phone and asks, "Your children?"
"A sixteen-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl." I showed her a picture of the two at a town festival a year earlier. "Couro's who the doll's for."
"Are you trying to make it look like her?"
"Couro has certain issues with her body," I sighed as we reached the front of the line. Quickly, I made my order before turning to her and continuing, "She really likes dolls so I'm hoping this will help make a special connection for her." Watching her face, I saw it morph into something that looked like amazement.
"...You're so kind to them," she gasped. "I couldn't do that, not for something that needs so much."
"It's not hard, really," I shrugged. "Especially when you realize that you probably caused their issues."
"How could you cause something so serious?" On instinct, I almost told her. But then I bit my tongue and stared at a near by wall. "Elaborate."
"Well," I trickled out, "ever since she was four, Couro had always just naturally put on more weight than Gora and I. Worried, I had completely ignored the possible effects it would have on her and I took her to the doctor."
She shook her head, "That's a completely healthy thing to do."
"Not the way I handled it," I muttered, ashamed as I recalled my terrible in-moment decisions. "I must've put it in her head that...that fat was bad. And she's not fat, really. Couro's of a healthy weight she just has baby fat. But I had to go and try and be rid of it on the basis that Gora grew up different." Embarrassed to look up, I kept my head down and picked up my food.
"...That's a stretch. I get you feel guilty but, calm down. No one's blaming you." A small hand placed itself on my upper arm. "Whenever you're free, I'll come over with the doll and Couro will be more than okay."
I looked up at her, she smiled and handed me my phone. "Thank you." I looked at the contact and only saw 'doll date' as the name. "Also, I never got your name," I said, fighting a laugh.
"Nicki," she sang. "Nicolette Rouselle."
"Samba Miske." Planning to shake her hand, I lifted my arm. But before I could reach for her hands, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. As though nothing had happened, she let go, excitedly waved at me and then skipped away. Flustered, I called after her, "I'll text you, Nicki!"
Two hours into my journey, I struggled to find a doll with skin that even matched hers. I was getting somewhat frustrated, and I heard a small, faint laughter behind me. Pausing, I waited for the source of the laughter to walk up to me.
"Are you alright?" A tall, thinly-framed woman chimed. Relatively attractive with glowing blue eyes and thin pink lips. She was dressed relatively casually but with certain accents such as an infinity scarf or statement hoop earrings. A strand of long black hair reached down to her upper thigh while the rest was bunched together loosely behind her head. "Excuse me, sir?" she called, helping me realize I'd gotten distracted staring. Shaking my head, I scoffed and blinked. She smiled, "I asked if you're alright."
Nodding, I put the doll down. "Yeah, just...yeah." For a minute, neither of us said anything, before I suddenly became worried of the impression I'd made on her. "I don't play with dolls though. It's for a girl. A child girl...yeah."
Looking over at the doll I put down, she asked, "A niece? Younger sister?"
"Um...my daughter." Again, she said nothing and a mini fit of paranoia fizzled inside of me. "I-I'm not married. Technically. We don't live together. Actually, we kinda do? No, that's not right. She...I mean, she's not like that. I'm--"
"Single?"
I opened my mouth, considering telling her about Kutu, before just murmuring, "...Yeah."
"Good to know." Searching her face, I desperately looked for a sign of interest or irritation. Both came up empty. "You've been going back and forth in this section for a while. Are you looking for something specific?"
"Uh, yeah. I need a chubby, African American doll."
Her lips curved into a frown, "Well...you won't find that here. Unless you'll settle for curvy." My shoulders dropped, somewhat defeated. "I used to collect dolls however," she piped in, "and I should own one just like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah," she nodded and we drifted out the store as she continued, "I know I sound like a sales clerk, I just...really know my dolls. A little something I pick up in grade school and I held onto it much longer than anyone really expected."
"Sounds interesting." Beside the store, I saw a Chinese place and headed towards it, "I need to pick up food."
Simply, she nodded and tailed, "Still, to this day, I could talk for hours about dolls."
"...Why don't you? I could listen," I blurted out. The woman beside me stopped, waiting for what I'd say next. "...But, I'd need a way to contact you later on. I really should get back to Couro and Gora."
To my surprise, she pulls out her phone and asks, "Your children?"
"A sixteen-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl." I showed her a picture of the two at a town festival a year earlier. "Couro's who the doll's for."
"Are you trying to make it look like her?"
"Couro has certain issues with her body," I sighed as we reached the front of the line. Quickly, I made my order before turning to her and continuing, "She really likes dolls so I'm hoping this will help make a special connection for her." Watching her face, I saw it morph into something that looked like amazement.
"...You're so kind to them," she gasped. "I couldn't do that, not for something that needs so much."
"It's not hard, really," I shrugged. "Especially when you realize that you probably caused their issues."
"How could you cause something so serious?" On instinct, I almost told her. But then I bit my tongue and stared at a near by wall. "Elaborate."
"Well," I trickled out, "ever since she was four, Couro had always just naturally put on more weight than Gora and I. Worried, I had completely ignored the possible effects it would have on her and I took her to the doctor."
She shook her head, "That's a completely healthy thing to do."
"Not the way I handled it," I muttered, ashamed as I recalled my terrible in-moment decisions. "I must've put it in her head that...that fat was bad. And she's not fat, really. Couro's of a healthy weight she just has baby fat. But I had to go and try and be rid of it on the basis that Gora grew up different." Embarrassed to look up, I kept my head down and picked up my food.
"...That's a stretch. I get you feel guilty but, calm down. No one's blaming you." A small hand placed itself on my upper arm. "Whenever you're free, I'll come over with the doll and Couro will be more than okay."
I looked up at her, she smiled and handed me my phone. "Thank you." I looked at the contact and only saw 'doll date' as the name. "Also, I never got your name," I said, fighting a laugh.
"Nicki," she sang. "Nicolette Rouselle."
"Samba Miske." Planning to shake her hand, I lifted my arm. But before I could reach for her hands, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. As though nothing had happened, she let go, excitedly waved at me and then skipped away. Flustered, I called after her, "I'll text you, Nicki!"
Friday, June 28, 2019
10 Facts About The Amazon River
Residing in northern South America and cutting through the countries of Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana and Bolivia, the Amazon River is one of the longest, mightiest, and deadliest rivers in the entire world.
- Despite debate over it, most people believe the Amazon's source to be in Peru's Andean Mountains.
- Up until around fifteen million years ago, the Amazon river flowed out into the pacific. The Andean Mountains were then created and it took the Amazon another five million years before it finally started trickling into the Atlantic.
- 20% of the world's freshwater ends up in the Atlantic through the Amazon.
- The Amazon doesn't form a delta due to the unusually turbulent nature of the Atlantic.
- Though nearly suffering a heart attack, Martin Strel swam the whole 3,274 miles of the Amazon River in 66 days on April 8th, 2007.
- In some studies, the Amazon River is considered to actually be 4,225 miles long, making it longer than the Nile, which is stretches 4,160 miles.
- Certain parts of the river are too wide for a person to stand on the banks and see the other side. Its width varies among varying parts of the river and during different times of the year. During the drier seasons, it's between one and six miles, but during the wet season it can reach up to thirty.
- The Amazon river inhabits the most diverse ecosystem than any other river in the world.
- The forests surrounding the Amazon spreads across 1.4 billion acres of land, containing over half of the world's remaining tropical forests.
- The Amazon Basin is about 2.6 square miles, 40% of South America.
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