Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Benita and the Golden Bowl
Benita would spend long afternoons watching her cat play and nap in the sunny window. When the cat awoke he would groom its soft shiny coat and go to Benita for attention. The softness of the cat's coat in Benita's fingers was nothing like she'd ever felt.
"I wish I had had hair just like yours"
she would say every time she rubbed her cat. Each year, Benita's hair grew longer and more coarse, but her mother refused to straighten it. All the other girls had short bobs; their hair straight, black and shiny in the sunlight, just like her cat. But Benita's hair was too thick to be petted, and too long to be in bob. She wore two braided plaits on either side of her head and all the girls teased her.
Every Sunday, Benita would sit still for hours as her mother took down her braids and washed her delicate hair. Her mother would look at her and say it was "fine as silk," but Benita felt ugly and wanted to have hair like her cat. Her mother would pull down a golden bowl from the top of the cabinet and a small cup that sat beside it. She would unwind Benita's braids and lay her head into the bowl and pour a liquid over her head. Benita would have to sit with her hair in the bowl for a long while as her mother rubbed her hands through her hair and massaged her head. Sometimes Benita would cry from sitting so long, but her mother never said anything during those times, she would only hum to herself.
After her mother finished, she would kiss Benita on the forehead and say to her
"do not let anyone take down your braids except me - you hear? One day I will teach you how, and on that day you will know the art of making silk."
Benita would nod her head and go, and her mother would wash the bowl and place it and the cup back in the top of the cabinet. She would lock the cabinet and put the key in her dress pocket.
Each year, Benita and the girls got older, Benita seemed to look the same and the other girls changed. Their hair still shined in the sun, just like her cat, and it bounced in the wind, but it was always in a bob cut. They teased Benita because her two plaits grew longer, and Benita began to wonder why her mother never let her wear a bob like the other girls.
That Sunday, Benita tried to get the golden bowl from the top of the cabinet. She climbed up on a chair and shook the cabinet but could not open it. When it was time to get her hair washed, she stayed outside and would not come home. When she came home she found that her mother did not say anything to her and pretended like she did not see her hair. Benita's hair was dirty. There were leaves and twigs in her hair and it smelled not like sunshine, but like dirt. On Monday, she asked her mother to wash her hair and her mother said
"only on Sunday"
"But I can not wait until Sunday, everyone will tease me"
Her mother did not speak further and walked away humming to herself. Each day Benita found her hair getting hard. The two plaits were stiff, they did not jump happily when she ran, and they did not sway back and forth when she walked.
As Benita was walking home Thursday, an old lady sitting on her porch called out to her
"Hey gal, wat's wrong wit yor head dere?"
"My momma won't wash it"
"Well den, come over ere and I do for yer - make you real pretty"
Benita remembered what her mother said but wanted to be pretty, so she went to the old lady house.
When she got inside she asked the lady if it were going to take long because she had to get home before dark.
"Oh no chile, it won't take long at-tal, you jus sit tight"
The old lady went into a dark room and came back with a bag full of things Benita had never seen before.
"Where is your golden bowl?"
"What you say gal - gold bowl, you talk foolishness. Dis here are the tools of a master, ain't no golden bowl gawn make you beautiful."
When the old lady reached for her braids, Benita hesitated and thought of going home.
"Oh whata cotton pickin mess dis is here" - the old lady pulled out her scissors and cut the plaits.
"Tell me gal, how you want it?"
"I want it like my cat"
"Your cat huh, why in d-world would you want it lak dat - a cat?"
The old lady reached in her bag and pulled out a wooden bowl. She mixed a smelly concoction and rubbed into Benita's head. Benita began to cry, but the old lady didn't say anything, just hum to herself.
When the old lady finished Benita's hair, it smelled funny but it was soft just her cat's hair. She left the lady's house and walked outside, the sun shone in her hair and it fluffed up every time the wind blew. The other girls didn't say anything to Benita and she was proud.
That night, Benita's mother saw her hair. Benita smiled and asked her mother to feel how soft it was, just like her cat. Her mother reluctantly touched her hair and her hand came away with a small clump of hair in her hand.
"What's that momma?"
"Its your hair baby. You said you wanted hair like your cat didn't cha?"
"I wish I had had hair just like yours"
she would say every time she rubbed her cat. Each year, Benita's hair grew longer and more coarse, but her mother refused to straighten it. All the other girls had short bobs; their hair straight, black and shiny in the sunlight, just like her cat. But Benita's hair was too thick to be petted, and too long to be in bob. She wore two braided plaits on either side of her head and all the girls teased her.
Every Sunday, Benita would sit still for hours as her mother took down her braids and washed her delicate hair. Her mother would look at her and say it was "fine as silk," but Benita felt ugly and wanted to have hair like her cat. Her mother would pull down a golden bowl from the top of the cabinet and a small cup that sat beside it. She would unwind Benita's braids and lay her head into the bowl and pour a liquid over her head. Benita would have to sit with her hair in the bowl for a long while as her mother rubbed her hands through her hair and massaged her head. Sometimes Benita would cry from sitting so long, but her mother never said anything during those times, she would only hum to herself.
After her mother finished, she would kiss Benita on the forehead and say to her
"do not let anyone take down your braids except me - you hear? One day I will teach you how, and on that day you will know the art of making silk."
Benita would nod her head and go, and her mother would wash the bowl and place it and the cup back in the top of the cabinet. She would lock the cabinet and put the key in her dress pocket.
Each year, Benita and the girls got older, Benita seemed to look the same and the other girls changed. Their hair still shined in the sun, just like her cat, and it bounced in the wind, but it was always in a bob cut. They teased Benita because her two plaits grew longer, and Benita began to wonder why her mother never let her wear a bob like the other girls.
That Sunday, Benita tried to get the golden bowl from the top of the cabinet. She climbed up on a chair and shook the cabinet but could not open it. When it was time to get her hair washed, she stayed outside and would not come home. When she came home she found that her mother did not say anything to her and pretended like she did not see her hair. Benita's hair was dirty. There were leaves and twigs in her hair and it smelled not like sunshine, but like dirt. On Monday, she asked her mother to wash her hair and her mother said
"only on Sunday"
"But I can not wait until Sunday, everyone will tease me"
Her mother did not speak further and walked away humming to herself. Each day Benita found her hair getting hard. The two plaits were stiff, they did not jump happily when she ran, and they did not sway back and forth when she walked.
As Benita was walking home Thursday, an old lady sitting on her porch called out to her
"Hey gal, wat's wrong wit yor head dere?"
"My momma won't wash it"
"Well den, come over ere and I do for yer - make you real pretty"
Benita remembered what her mother said but wanted to be pretty, so she went to the old lady house.
When she got inside she asked the lady if it were going to take long because she had to get home before dark.
"Oh no chile, it won't take long at-tal, you jus sit tight"
The old lady went into a dark room and came back with a bag full of things Benita had never seen before.
"Where is your golden bowl?"
"What you say gal - gold bowl, you talk foolishness. Dis here are the tools of a master, ain't no golden bowl gawn make you beautiful."
When the old lady reached for her braids, Benita hesitated and thought of going home.
"Oh whata cotton pickin mess dis is here" - the old lady pulled out her scissors and cut the plaits.
"Tell me gal, how you want it?"
"I want it like my cat"
"Your cat huh, why in d-world would you want it lak dat - a cat?"
The old lady reached in her bag and pulled out a wooden bowl. She mixed a smelly concoction and rubbed into Benita's head. Benita began to cry, but the old lady didn't say anything, just hum to herself.
When the old lady finished Benita's hair, it smelled funny but it was soft just her cat's hair. She left the lady's house and walked outside, the sun shone in her hair and it fluffed up every time the wind blew. The other girls didn't say anything to Benita and she was proud.
That night, Benita's mother saw her hair. Benita smiled and asked her mother to feel how soft it was, just like her cat. Her mother reluctantly touched her hair and her hand came away with a small clump of hair in her hand.
"What's that momma?"
"Its your hair baby. You said you wanted hair like your cat didn't cha?"
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