Finding Us (Interracial Romance)

It Runs In the Family

Cecilia

I was just a little girl from Marina Del Rey playing with my Barbie dolls when I remember seeing my Cousin Stella along with her four best friends and group members; Giovanna, Beverly, Alena, and Rhiannon appearing to be frozen in their seats before their eyes broaden as their grins expanded while the audience around them gave them a roar of applause, cheered, and some wolf whistles from the guys around them around the same time one of their songs played in the background. The five women stood up from their seats before they made their way down the aisle, leading them up to the stairs as well as the stage simultaneously the presenter greeted them with a polite smile and handed them their Moonman award. I looked around to take a gander at my family creating all of the hoopla, especially my Aunt Glenda and Uncle Rafael as well as my Cousin Scott. Accompanying Rhiannon was her two and a half year old daughter, Riley Blu being held onto Rhiannon's hip.

Their song faded as the audience continued to cheer while there were a couple of wolf whistles thrown at them. My Cousin Stella was wearing this metallic bronze bodycon maxi-length dress with spaghetti straps and a cowl neckline that was the same color scheme as her eye-shadow while her lips were outlined with a brown lip pencil while her hearty lips were shaded in hazelnut. Her straightened mid-back length honey blonde hair was put in a half up half down hairstyle with bangs swooped side, covering her left eye. The ends of her hair was feathered, thanks to the flat iron, which without a doubt complimented her golden bronze complexion. All five of them looked like they were going to the prom despite the fact that they already did in addition to graduating from Duarte High School just four months prior. I wanted to dress like them when I grow up-- classy, modest, glamorous, beautiful, and cool.

These women looked glamorous like the Muses in Hercules that I've watched seven times at the movies with my parents or my brothers and sisters.

"First and foremost, we want to thank God for blessing us with this award because all things are possible." Cousin Stella began.

"Amen!" The four of them concurred.

"This is actually our first MTV award at the VMA's!" Alena exclaimed cheerfully, followed by a thunderous applause.

"Even though we won for Best Breakout Group, we want to give a round of applause to the nominees because y'all are winners, too. My munchkin loves your music-- Spice Girls, we see you." A wide smile stretched on Rhiannon's face as Riley Blu made a wide-eye goggle expression. "Spice Girls are here?!" Riley Blu exclaimed enthusiastically, causing the people in their seats guffawing in amusement. "Hi, Spice Girls!" She waved her hand gleefully. The camera cued at the five members of Spice Girls grinning and waving back and I immediately squealed eagerly. I turned my head to face my family.

"Mommy! Daddy! Look, Spice Girls are on!"

"I know, sweetie. They look just like your dolls." Mommy beamed radiantly. I peered at the four dolls and I have one more left; Ginger. I looked at the TV screen to watch Giovanna speak, "And we also want to thank our parents, our record label, and mostly our fans because it took us four years to earn this award on MTV and we are so glad to achieve it. For the future dreamers, always put God first, don't listen to the nay-sayers that would try to bring you down. You may stumble along the way, but as long as you are optimistic and passionate of reaching your goals; you can do it!"

"I want to give thanks to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ along with our fans, MTV, Ethan for presenting our award, our families, friends, and to the nominees as well. God bless you all. Good night." Beverly pressed her lips with her middle and index finger to give the viewers a kiss before holding up a peace sign just as the crowd was hollering in enjoyment while the women walked off the stage with the presenter-- I almost forgot to mention that my Cousin Stella was in a girl group called Chemistry. My whole entire family and I cheered contently for my Cousin Stella and the girls as they received their award on MTV and they really deserved it. When they were starting out, they were wearing Jerseys, baggy pants with the waistband snugging to show the briefs a little bit or dungarees to cover their sports bras, a pair of Timberlands, and baseball caps as well as a pair of shades, which were ridiculed by other rappers and their former manager, who was only six-seven years older than them who really didn't have any experience as a manager at all. In the mid-90's, some female groups were shedding the tomboy image and showing some skin, looking glammed up with their hair and makeup as they look like the girls-next-door. They had released their second album last year, which showcased Rhiannon's singing vocals for the first time in addition to being the rapper of the group. We're proud of them for reaching their dreams.

Two years after my Cousin Stella and her group won a VMA, I was at my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Patrick's house in Van Nuys when I came across a display of various trophies that was shielded with glass to keep someone from touching it. There were four Aademy Awards and three awards that look like a gramophone for Producer of the Year, Best Song Written and/or Recording Created for a Film and Best Song Written and/or Recorded for Television between 1981 and 1982. My eyes roamed at the pictures of both my aunt and uncle with people like Elton John, Celine Dion, the Bee Gees, Olivia Newton John, and the one picture that left speechless was a photo of Aunt Sharon and Uncle Patrick having a huge grin on their faces with Michael Jackson who also had a dazzling smile expanding on his face. And I believed it was taken in the early eighties because he was wearing the same red jacket he wore in his "Beat It" music video. Both my aunt and uncle know Michael Jackson?

Fast forward to seven years later, I was in my room listening to "Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy while I was researching on my computer for my Black History Month project on a TV show, Soul Train. I clicked on a thumbnail and the video faded in to see a man with beige skin and ebony shoulder length hair with volume beaming. "All right, boys and girls. We have a dancer from Encino that would like to show off her funky moves. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mariam Perez."

I sat in my seat as my eyes broaden while my brows drew together and my mouth parted. Did he just say my mom's name?

I observed my mom who was a teenager in the video moving and grooving to "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson Five, especially when she nailed the robot. Once she finished her performance, most bystanders applauded with such profound interest on their faces and I also noticed them having gorgeous various complexions consisting of beige, tan, sarcoline, and khaki brown as my mom's rich ochre skin stood out so beautifully in the crowd. Following her performance was her interview. She introduced herself as a freshman at Gothvale High School of Arts and Music from the Encino area as well as joining the show because she enjoyed watching it after school in addition to learning her Latinx roots since my grandma is African American while grandpa was Dominican.

My mom spoke a joke in Spanish with a bubbly laugh along with the interviewer.

"We want to welcome you aboard, Mariam and we would love to see more of what is yet to come. Ms. Mariam Perez, everybody!"

The crowd applauded and whistled as she beamed and walked off the podium before the video faded to black. What show was that? I know for one it wasn't Soul Train. I didn't know my mom was a dancer on TV! Then, I started getting into the show, I saw my dad, Aunt Sharon, Aunt Marcia, Uncle Rafael, and Uncle Nick in the later seasons. And top it all off; I found out my Aunt Glenda not only appeared on the show as one of the cast-- she was also the show's choreographer! She and her family moved from the South Bronx to sunshiny Los Angeles to show and demonstrate her gift to the cast after their original choreographer lost her life in a horrible car crash.

Looking back from my Cousin Stella winning a VMA with her friends, my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Patrick's achievements behind the lyrics and behind the scenes to my parents as well as my aunts and uncles dancing on TV, which was like Soul Train for teenagers gave me an epiphany. Oh, shit!

I'm a nepotism baby.