2 little girls
They sat facing each other; two little brown girls with chubby legs and kinky hair. Both, only two years old, each eying the other suspiciously while their mothers laughed easily with one another at their babies’ seriousness. One only understood English, the other; French and Creole in a country that spoke Amhara.
And that was the beginning. The beginning of the next five years braiding each other’s hair, singing together, laughing together, skipping together, running together, hiding from mama together. Trying the Mamite’s* patience, making mud pies, tormenting baby sisters, learning ABC’s, 1, 2, 3s, watching “The Sound of Music” 1000 times, I think we even tried to build a pool once…
And then, one day, one little girl had to leave. One little girl had to go back “home”. And the two little girls were awfully confused because as far as they knew, they were both “home”, what they didn’t know, is that neither of them were. Two little girls, with skinny legs, grazed knees and kinky hair, sitting side by side at the airport clutching each other. Fat tears rolling down their cheeks, two little girls, getting their first taste of heart break.
Ten years later, two brown women, with curved hips and kinky hair embrace in a bus terminal. So much to say, so many memories to conjure. They laugh, they talk, they stare, shaking their heads in disbelief. A lifetime of shared secrets, of inside jokes; a shared magical childhood of made up languages and imaginary friends come to life once more in a bus terminal in New York City.
They sit, facing each other; two brown women, crying, laughing, remembering. Each, seeing in the other, those two little brown girls with the chubby legs and kinky hair.
fin.
*Mamite - Housekeeper
uhm, let's see...born in botswana, lived in ethiopia til i was 8, repatriatede to botswana, hated it. moved to swaziland for high school (uwc! woohoo!) finished in 1995 (yes, i did IB), went back to botswana ofr about 8 months, then to the states (virginia) for the next 4 years of college, earned my BA in theatre arts, went on tour with the oldest classical touring company in the usa for 9 months, played in over 25 states, the lived in DC for about 6 months. went back to botswan (AGAIN!) was there for 5 years. half the time i was either in south africa or traveling. been to, i don't know, i lot of countries. so i am an actor/writer/director/all around thespian who just discovered she's also tck. awesome!
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10 Comments to “2 little girls”
November 15th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I love it how all the memories and inside jokes just come alive when you meet your old childhood friends, it’s as if you never left!
How did you two meet at the bus terminal? Was it a chance encounter?
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November 15th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
nah, we planned it. it was still insane and wierd though….
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November 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Hey Warona! It’s cool to see you here. You still haven’t told me if you were in Harar or Addis?? What’s your favorite Ethiopian food by the way? I love injera lol
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November 15th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
addis.
mmm, injera be doro wat!
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December 1st, 2007 at 2:32 pm
[…] 2 little girls +20 rating […]
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February 11th, 2008 at 8:05 am
hey Warona, I’m browsing through the old posts (that were here before I joined and got addicted). Your story is very beautiful, full of emotions. I really liked it.
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April 11th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Warona,
I particularly liked the elaboration of the story from “chubby” to “skinny” brown girls and at the airport was “fat” tears (which makes a contrast between your extended body and the weight of sorrow). I thought that was neat.
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April 11th, 2008 at 9:33 am
It is incredibly surreal meeting people from your childhood.
I left luxembourg when I was 9 years old and only just last year I found someone who knew alot of the people who I knew as a child.
When I was ‘reintroduced’ for lack of a better term, it was probably the most surreal moment of my life. I had so many people going ‘OMG! I CAN’T BELIVE IT’S YOU!’
It is a very unique experience. I’m still in shock from it over a year later!
Beautifully written!
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April 11th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Haha Cattt,
my case is not as extreme but you reminded me when two people from my 1st grade recognized me when I transfered over to their school in 5th grade. I barely had memories of them but apparently they remembered me because my first impression to them was this kid from Japan who was dressed up in a black hat and a black fancy lacy skirt.
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May 5th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
This made me cry. It was beautiful….my body still have shivers.
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