Chapter 5
My Aint Nadine cut my hair today and it’s all the way awful. She said that Mama told her it was okay. Mama must really hate me. All my curls laid on the floor, piled up like dead snakes. When she was finished I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror and I got plumb sick with sadness. I look like I have a hat on my head.
I asked Mama why and she said she is sick and tired of havin’ to fool with brushin’ the knots outta my hair so it’s better to just get rid of it. It’s all the way awful. I could have all the Christmas bows in the world stuck up and down my head and I’d never look pretty now.
I wish Aint Lyn could make me some toddy for my body. It always makes me feel better. I know she wouldn’t mind makin’ it but I ain’t allowed to have it no more.
You see, whenever I felt bad, like my face was warm or my nose dripped, Aint Lyn would tell me that she had just the thing to make me feel better. I would smile and say, what is it? She would say, just a little toddy for your body, and smile back at me.
I’m not sure what toddy for your body is. I know that she uses that kind of clear colored candy that’s made outta rocks because I was with her at the drug store one time when she bought it, but I don’t know what else goes in it. All I do know is that it feels so good when it slides down my throat all warm and cozy feelin’.
Sometimes though, even when I really felt okay, I would still say I didn’t feel good just so she would make me some because it is so tasty good. I know that’s wrong because I was lyin’. Aint Lyn said she didn’t mind makin’ it for me but I still got in trouble.
That day I told Aint Lyn I had a throat ache so she got the pot outta the kitchen cabinet and was all ready to make me some toddy when Mama came in, askin’ her what she was doin’. She told Mama that I didn’t feel so good and wanted some toddy for my body.
Mama felt my head and told me to open my mouth so she could look at my throat, only she didn’t say anything funny, like I can see all the way to Bigmama’s house. That’s what Aint Lyn had said when she looked in. Mama said, oh so you don’t feel so good, huh? I saw that look was in her eyes and then I really didn’t feel so good. She told Aint Lyn to not make me any toddy because she had something much better for a lyin’ little girl like me.
She got out a big people’s spoon and a bottle of big people’s medicine. It’s called castor oil and take my word for it, don’t never tell a lie because that is the nastiest stuff in the world. I don’t know how big people can stand it. I thought I was gonna throw up but Mama said one of her all time favorite sayin’s; drink it or wear it! Her eyes wasn’t blinkin’ and I started to cry but I closed tight my eyes and swallowed it up real fast.
I never wanna do that again. My tummy hurt real bad and I had to sleep on the toilet for a long time that night.
