Life As A Nigerian Kid (Short Story)

African Booty Scratcher

As I moved on in school as the rigid person I became, the name calling did not cease. In fact, It may have increased. The name I was frequently called was you guessed it ..."African Booty Scratcher." At this point in life I don't really care what people say, but back then that name was the worst nickname ever. It made you feel like walking joke, everywhere you turn laughter erupts. I had friends of course.. Well I can't really call them friends now. They never stood up for me. They laughed and I forced my self to laugh with them. But I was truly hurting inside. I truly felt like an African Booty Scratcher. Why couldn't I live a normal life ? In everything I was so different from my hair texture( btw I had locks, to make matters worse) to the way my house smelt. I never ate anything that normal Black families eat. No I ate Nigerian food, I smelt of stew everyday. My parents were not Normal black parents, they were strict about school, and they never let me hang out with friends. No I didn't have collard greens, or mashed potatoes for thanksgiving, I had things like jollof rice, pounded yam, efo, egusi, fried rice, beans and dodo(plaintain), porridge. No, I didn't only eat chicken wings like Normal black people, I ate deer meat, cow meat, cow foot, etc. I ate parts of an animal that didn't look normal to the average black person. Whenever black history came about, the name "African Booty Scratcher" became like my first name. I was being called a Slave's relative. I would say " you guys are from Africa too" but I was looked upon as stupid for making such assumptions. I used to always detest Black History Month for that very reason... Being called an African off the boat, an African Booty Scratcher. Etc. I hated life.