Fighting For You

NINETEEN

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Harlow | Phoenix | Other people

"I'm thinking about dying my hair."

"Oh yeah? What color?"

"I'm trying to decide between dark red, dark purple, and dark blue."

"Why dark?"

"I don't know. I'm just . . . feeling dark."

"What about dark orange?"

"Like Fall?"

"Um, sure. Yeah."

"Maybe I will. I seen a few pictures of Fall coloring and I liked them."

"Will you send me a picture?"

"Of course I'll send my boyfriend a picture."

"The fact that I smile like a middle schooler everytime you call me your boyfriend makes me feel a little -

"Silly?"

"Yeah."

"The feeling is mutual. I think my Papa is trying to figure out a way to throw you a party. I know, I know it sounds weird but they want to I guess thank you for fighting for our freedom and . . . dating me? I don't know."

"Firstly, tell Mr. Papa that he doesn't need to throw me a party. I will continue to willingly date his daughter without one."

"Phoenix!"

"I'm just joking babe but in all honesty if your Papa wants to cook me up some of his famous honey beer bar-b-que chicken and waffles, I will not argue with him. The way you talked about them last week was torture to my stomach as I ate their sorry excuse for sweet potatoes."

"They made you guys pie?"

"No. What are you talking about?"

"You just said sweet potato like sweet potato pie, right?"

"No, like sweet potatoes that you eat with turkey and greens and mashed potatoes."

"You mean yams?"

"What?"

"Yams."

"What is that?"

"I'm ninety-nine percent sure we're talking about the same thing. I guess only people of color only say yams."

"I've never heard someone call it yams in my life."

"You're also not black Phoenix."

"Ethnicity has nothing to do with it . . . Hey Whitworth. Do you say sweet potatoes or yams? . . . Goff? Do you say sweet potatoes or yams? Thank you . . . What about you Jackson? . . . What about you Santos? . . . You've never had them? Nevermind then. What about you Woods? Hm."

"What did they say?"

" . . . . "

"Phoenix?"

"I still don't think it's a color thing. Maybe it's where you grew up."

"But you grew up in Indiana too so . . ."

"Sweet potato, roasted potatoes, Mr. Potato, yams. It's all in the same family and you know what I mean so let's just change the subject."

"Fine fine. So, how are you liking your new shift?"