Lucky? In what sense?

Meeting new people I must admit is one of my favourite things. But getting to know them beyond the surface is one of the most annoying phases of a new friendship, I must admit. I remember meeting people and getting to know them. Then they realize that my hair is a beautiful mix of brown and gold, as opposed to their ordinary black hair. They first thing they blurt out is ‘you know you escaped being an albino right’? *And so, does that make me less human*. ‘Your colour is so different’,* duh, I have been asleep for the past 20 something years of my life that I dint notice, thanks for bringing it to my attention Einstein*.  And my personal favourite ‘mehn, you are so lucky, you escaped albinism’ *really? Why? I didn’t get the memo on them not being human*. These are my mental reaction to them. My physical reaction to them is just to smile and say nothing, let’s just say if I were to go into it, they would curse the day we crossed paths.

But really, who are the lucky ones, the albinos or these ‘normal’ coloured idiots? In my opinion, the albinos are the lucky ones; they were spared of this stupidity the ‘normal’ coloured folks seem to keep passing down from generation to generation. Really so what makes you, Mr ‘normal’ colour, more human than Mr Albino huh? What makes you better than him, ehnnn? What gives you the right to call him unlucky?

Funny how when I was young I used to let their stupidity get to me. I remember putting a lot of my dad’s youth hair in my hair once, just so I could have ‘normal’ coloured hair. When my mum found out, I thought I was in for it, I silently said my last prayers. Funny enough all she said to me was ‘you are beautiful the way you are, I remember getting you ready for school each morning, combing you golden hair was my favourite part, so never try to change it’. I was still in high school at this point. Fast forward a few years, I am in uni and my hair colour seems to be the rage. Everyone is trying to get their hair to look like mine; they keep asking where I get my colours done. ‘hehehehe’ I laugh to myself secretly  and simply say to them ‘from the chief stylist Himself’, they walk away confused.

In recent years, I have come to see what my Mama saw years ago when she gave me that advice. I have come to embrace my ‘lucky’ colour just the way it is and I love it just like that. I remember one of my uni friend used to tell me I always look tanned, ‘really’ I think to myself, ‘this is what these oyinbo people shell out money for and am like this naturally’. That’s a good thing right, lol. I love me just the way I am and I wouldn’t have me any other way.

The fact is, I would meet a lot of smart ass ‘normal’ coloured people in the years to come. But their comments would no longer get to me anymore. I would also meet a lot of normal ‘normal’ coloured people in the years to come, that see beyond my ‘lucky’ colour. But I wouldn’t let the stupidity of the smart assed ‘normal’ coloured people cloud my judgement. I love me the way I am, and I am not going to doing anything about the way I look, if you don’t like it, you can take it out with the Big Guy himself.