Quick Silver
(continued)
We walked over to a sink and I laid back in the chair, resting up next
to it. The warm water rinsing over my scalp felt g-o-o-d! I was feelin'
good too, until I looked up at Mr. Ed. His eyes were popped open like
he'd seen a ghost.
"Uh son, hold still." He kept rinsing. After a moment, he stopped and wrapped a warm, itchy towel over my head. Then, he walked me over to a mirror. "Okay son, stay calm now. You're not a woman. Your life isn't tied up in your hair. And, I got this toxin that can cure anything."
"Cure what?" He pulled off the towel. I had no hair! Red, seeping blisters covered my scalp. I looked like a fuckin' burn victim. "Oh my God! What have you done!"
"Now calm down, son! Calm down. If you put the toxins on your head regular, like, it'll cure the situation."
"Mr. Ed, I got a date tonight! What am I gonna do! I can't walk around like this!" I began pacing the floor of the shop. Every time I touched my scalp, I flinched. "Just give me the toxins so I can leave!"
"Okay, son. Okay." Mr. Ed reached into a drawer next to his chair and pulled out a bottle and handed it to me. I, in turn, stomped out of the shop. I was home in two seconds flat.
As soon as I opened the door, my brother began laughing."Ha-ha-ha. You look crazy! Man, what happened to your hair?"
"Shut up, Rick! Mr. Ed fucked me up!"
He followed me down the hall to the room we shared.
"D-a-m-n, what you gonna do now?"
"I got some stuff to put on my hair. I'll be okay." I pushed him away and slammed the door. Then, I looked in the small mirror I kept on my night stand. I sat looking in it for at least thirty minutes. I was in shock! Then, I spotted my latest Full Force record. Girls always told me I looked as good as the guys on the cover. Soon, tears began to fill my eyes. My life was over! No more dances, no more parties, no more chicks! I'd probably end up like my cousin Jermaine, spending money to get some dude's hair done. Shit! I heard a knock at the door.
"Richard, it's your mother. Let me in. Your brother told me what happened." I got up and unlocked the door. I didn't say anything. "Ah baby, come here. Let momma see." She looked me over and shook her head. "Richard, this is why Momma always told you to stick with what God gave you. He didn't mean for us to start putting chemicals on our head, tryin' to change his original design." She patted me on my cheek. "Baby, let me see what you got to treat your scalp." I pulled out a bottle and gave it to her. "M-m-m, African Cure, guaranteed to heal burns, lesions and psoriasis. Well, it's worth a try."
"Yeah, I guess." That night, Momma made me a special dinner. We ate smoked turkey legs with greens and corn bread. Afterwards, I showered and looked at the time. It was a quarter to nine. I didn't know what to do. Just thinking about Levita made my nuts hurt. But, she'd never want me now. I put on some after shave lotion anyway. Then, I put on a nice shirt, tight jeans and my Members Only jacket. As I walked to Levita's house, I began thinking. I came up with something just as I knocked on her apartment door.
"Hey Levita."
"O-o-h, Quick!" She jumped back a little. "What happened to you?"
"Baby, you won't believe it." I walked in. "After I saw you today, I ran to the other side of town to help out with this clothes drive for church. And on the way, I saw these guys tryin' to rob this old lady." I pushed my chest out. "I got upset. That old lady looked just like my sweet big momma. So, I had to do something." I danced around doing short jabs like Mohammad Ali. "I started fighting them and hitting them, but for a second they got the best of me. One of them pulled out a knife and the other two held me down while the guy with the knife cut off my hair. Finally, I pushed the two guys off and punched the guy with the knife. They ran away, but it was too late. They got me. And, now, I don't have any hair." I dropped my head and looked down. Then, I looked up at her with two big puppy dog eyes.
"Quick, that's terrible! Did you call the police?"
"Baby, you know the police don't care about Black folks. Naw, I didn't call them."
"Come here." She wrapped her arms around me and held me tight. She rubbed her fingers over my head. It stung a little. "Quick, I'm gonna make you feel better tonight. Come on." She dragged me back into a bedroom. Hey, the rest is history.
After that, I never got a curl again. Mainly, because my hair never grew
back. I put that African Cure on my head for a whole year. It did heal
my burns, but I found out too late that it caused permanent hair loss.
But, that's c-o-o-l. The bald look is in now anyway and the chicks s-t-i-l-l
love me.
