𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 | MJJ

KC 18 | 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐙𝐘

MICHAEL J.
JAN 06, 2021

Beauty begged and begged Michael to let her dress herself this morning. He usually did it, picking out the cutest outfits for his baby girl, but she insisted that she do it now. It sucked to see her growing up, but Michael allowed it, hoping the last time he dressed her wouldn't truly be the last time. Together they picked out an outfit as he didn't want her looking crazy, but he still allowed her to get a lot of creative control of her own fashion, and she went into the bathroom to get herself together.

For the first ten minutes or so, he didn't think anything of the amount of time she was taking to get ready, but after fifteen had passed and he realized it was too quiet, he grew suspicious. For about a minute and a half, he stood by the door listening for signs of delinquency before letting himself inside. When he opened the door, he saw that she was cutting large chunks of her curls off and letting them drop to the floor and inside the sink.

His gasp startled her, causing her to jump.

"What the fuck is you doin', yo?!" he shouted, looking around the floor and seeing her thick curls scattered messily around the room. With a dropped jaw, he looked back at Beauty who was about to cry, already knowing she was in trouble. He held his fist over his mouth for a moment before speaking again. "Beauty, what are you doin'?"

He grabbed the scissors from her, accidentally snatching them, and sat her on the sink. He took a long look at her hair, poorly cut and completely uneven. Michael had to turn around and reassess himself because he was mad, and he'd already yelled at her once. She was sensitive and everything that she did, there was always a reason to answer for it.

He ran his hands down the side of his face before looking back at her. "Jus'..." he stammered a bit and shook his head. "Why?"

"'Cuz he said my hair is ugly," she expressed with a pout and glossy eyes. He backed into the wall, looking at his daughter as she tried to suppress her emotions with a trembling lip. The back of his head touched the wall, and he shook it.

"Who, Beauty?" He bit his lip to hide his anger.

"The boy in my class. He be bein' mean."

"So, you thought cuttin' your hair would be a good solution?" She thought about his question for a moment before nodding her head. He shook his. "Wrong answer. It wasn't. At all... Your hair is so pretty, mama, why you listen ta' him? I always tell you how pretty it is."

"'Ion like it." She bowed her head bashfully. Michael exhaled sharply and had a seat on the toilet, looking at the side of her face.

"Why not?"

"'Cuz I want my hair like the other girls in my class."

He smacked his teeth, accidentally, but knowing that the White population individually outnumbered the other ethnic groups attending the school was a bit agitating. He didn't like to hear that his daughter wanted to resemble the White girls when her own features and assets that brought so much pride to their culture were already beautiful.

Michael rubbed his face before standing again. He checked under the sink before closing the doors again. "Don't move, Beauty, I'll be back." She nodded and he went into his bedroom to get the clippers. He didn't really use them because he preferred a more natural look for himself, and his grain wasn't as thick as it used to be when he was teenager.

He returned to the bathroom and let Beauty know he was going to have to cut the rest off, which she wasn't at all mad about. He was just hoping he would do a good job because, if not, she wouldn't be going to school, and he would be scheduling her an appointment at the nearest hair salon with the best ratings.