𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐧 - #𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤

#5 - BEING BLACK: ACID BATH & STEP OUT.

ACID BATH.

Chidinma drew her liner till she had tears in her eyes. It was a normal thing for her to make her eyes beg for mercy each and every single morning before she went to school.

She pulled her curly hair with her hot hair comb and then tied the almost burnt hair into a tight and neat ponytail. Looking in her mirror, she looked like she was almost done.

Then came the hardest part of her day, the acid bath. Chidinma poured the acid from her head to toe. It stung like a bitch but she needed it; more like she was desperate for it.

Her mom obviously had complained a few times but Chidinma didnt look like she was going to be stopping anytime soon so her mother let her be.

Once the acid had done its job, Chidinma looked in the mirror. Her once black, ebony skin was now a pale vampire white and Chidinma smiled at the outcome.

Sure, the effect of the acid would wear off at the end of the day; hence her regular acid baths. The stench that came from the acid was putrid but Chidinma was ready to do anything; even if it meant dying and being reborn. Of course, her acid didn't get every single spot. Thats why she had bought a carving knife.

She picked her carving knife and gently peeled off the rest of her black skin to reveal more of her vampire pale skin.

When she was done and satisfied, she got ready and put on her barbie makeup and outfit. She looked nice no doubt but her mother seemed to think differently.

"Wouldn't you just like to skip a day of your acid bath, Chidinma?" Her mother smiled and gestured to Chidinma's outfit and skin. What she was really saying was for Chidinma to just accept that she was black.

"Its Adriana, mother!" Chidinma sighed, rolling her eyes in frustration as she bit into her apple. She was pissed that her mother kept calling her by her native name.

Chidinma's mother had some nasty things to say to her daughter but she held her tongue. She knew how hard it was to have a nice life being their true selves but she had pulled it off and she believed Chidinma could too; if she would give it a try.

Nkem smiled at her daughter. It couldn't be any more obvious that her smile was fake; she couldn't slap Chidinma across the face and set her thinking faculty straight so she would talk to her daughter like any "civilized" mother would.

"Adriana dear. Im sorry. Like I was saying, wouldn't you like to just let your body rest from all the toxins and all just for a day? It could do wonders to your skin." Nkem slid her daughters packed lunch across the counter top.

"Ill think about it. Bye, mother! See you later!" Chidinma kissed her mother on the cheeks, took her lunch and was out the door.

Nkem stood in the kitchen and let out a heavy sigh. She wasn't sure where she had gone wrong or if she was even the one that had gone wrong in this case.

* * * *

STEP OUT.

Mondays were one of those important days for high school students. Those days when one had tons of reasons to attend school or lectures. The nerds stuck to their books like caterpillars stick to leaves. While it could be one of those times to use one's twenty-four hours for something reasonable, it could be frustrating for some, especially me.

I preferred weekends, and would often sulk on weekdays, especially on Mondays, which sometimes turned into my worst nightmare.

That Monday morning, I struggled with combing my hair as I looked at myself in the mirror only feeling frustrated within. I looked again at the mirror and could not help but wonder why my hair was coarse, brown and tangled at the slightest touch. I was black. The thought hit me harder and I suddenly felt down by just staring back at my reflection.