Shades of Black

Chapter 6

After everyone was done introducing themselves, my blood samples were taken, I was then taken for measuring. My gut feeling always said 'no' to measurements because different people had different opinions about me.
I went to the measurements room, there, an old lady who looked to be in her seventies was waiting for me.
"Take your shirt and pants off, young lady." She exclaimed. I hesitated because I don't want to say I was insecure but something like that. Many questions ran in my head, was she going to complain about my hips or ass...or! 
"Are you deaf?" She waved in my face as I snapped back to reality.

I serenely took my clothes off and remained in scrunch shorts and my sports bra.
She started taking my measurements, "An hourglass you've got here. By the way, I'm Minerva." Oh, she didn't say anything judgemental as I had thought. The others who measured me always told me to reduce my ass and boobs.

She called my mum after everything. " The measurements are not that different from yours. Remember I measured you when you were her age." She smiled and continued, "Waist is twenty four inches, hips and peaches, forty. Height, 5'5 feet, weight fifty eight kilograms." She added, "Does she have any health issues?" Mum replied, "She has ummm, asthma but it's super rare, it's dormant, only comes when there's smoke or when she has a panic attack...uhhh an eating disorder, and her knee on the right foot once got a dislocation. Don't worry she has a brace." The old lady wrote all the details down. They didn't want people with an kind of health issue, I didn't know why they kept me three.
In short, we normally took measurements in order to make body suits, which I never wore, and to also know our health and capabilities.

I thanked the old lady and left with mum but she was far ahead. I had forgotten my airpods , I went back to pick.
As I was getting out, someone was stood in my path. Celine.
I ignored her, and started to walk away. She yelled, "Looks like someone has to workout more in order to reduce their butt."
I sighed angrily, "Fitness is a personal choice, Celine."
I turned away only to bump in to Amandla. Celine immediately walked away.
"Ignore whatever she says or does." Amandla smiled reassuringly, I pouted back and nodded.

                         ***
I was so tired when we went back home. My body had already started shaking, "Let me help you out." Mum offered her hand and I took it, we were averagely the same height. So I put my hand over her shoulder. She sat me in the dining room, I felt hungry but I didn't feel like eating anything.
She got me a glass of cold orange juice. "Should I make you anything?" I nodded with a simple no.
She poked my shoulder, "Should I do it the African way? Pilau, chapati, vetkoek, fufu, anything!"
She knew she would get me with any of those meals. We both laughed when I made a face.

She made pilau instead, it was really nice, then we sat in the living room watching a movie. Rush hour. Which I had already watched. Mum had also baked nice chocolate chip cookies for me, she was being weirdly nice and gave unusual attention.
As we were watching, I received a video call from Micah.

We both screamed, " Hey, chocolate!" She laughed, "Hi bumblebee!" Those where just common phrases our father used when we were younger, till now.
"How's Cape Verde? Is Paps there?" I asked looking in the background for dad.
"Actually, we left Cape Verde. We're now in South Africa, in Cape Verde." Interesting!

"Say hi to mum!" I tilted the camera towards mum. She smiled and they were both excited to see each other. In fact they looked alike. I looked more like our father. Mum exclaimed, "Vipi mtoto wangu?" Meaning, "How's my child?" in Kiswahili
Micah ventured, "kubwa mama!"
For "Great, mother!"
They were having a great time till dad joined, "Paps!" I exclaimed happily, "How's my bumblebee doing?" Before I could say anything, I noticed the tension between our parents.
Mum left and went to her room, I dismissed the whole issue when Micah inquired and we continued talking about horses, urging about cookies and potato chips, bikes and cares, clothes. Micah and I were complete opposite.

She started urging about height, "Guess what, I'm turning thirteen and I'm 5'1 feet, you're seventeen and you're 5'5 feet. Wait till I fulfill my WNBA dreams." I just laughed at her, "Relax baby girl, we're both taking mum's height."
She grabbed a ball and spun it around her finger. "Dancers can't do this." I put the phone on the sofa and prepared myself for some contemporary stunts.
I did some pirouettes, turns, bow and arrow and the needle.

"Oh please ballerina show off, I can also dance."
I rolled my eyes at her and laughed, "It's not ballet, it contemporary."
She made a stupid face as expected. Micah honestly made me happy, we talked about school and she told me she was getting a boyfriend soon. She had to whisper since paps was in the background. After a whole, conversation for about two and a half, talking about school, sports, street food and many other things, Micah finally got tired.
"I guess I'll see you next time, I have quite a lot on my schedule, bye." She hang up, I sighed with a smile. "Bye chocolate."