when i was about 7 years old, my mom introduced her friend DIANE to the family. she was a striking tall and slender woman, light skinned and fresh from BARBADOS. none of that was as interesting to me as her son SEKOU who was in 3rd grade…curly haired and adorable. i was in 1st grade at the time and we were smitten with each other – what can i say? i liked older men from an early age.

i remember we had a private and simple wedding ceremony at his apartment. to “seal the deal” he grabbed DIMETAP from his medicine cabinet and told me we should take a shot to end our vows (i know, it’s frightening to know what kids do unattended). i did it. that would also be the first time i had “name brand” cough syrup. it was so good and it tasted like candy! not like the imitation brands i was forced to chug in sickness, which more resembled the taste of jagermeister.

he even had a little brother named OMAR who was so cute. i remember he sucked his fore-finger and would simultaneously finger the same exact curl over and over again, to the point that when my mom baby-sat him she couldn’t comb through that one curl.

*SEKOU next to his mom. peep how far apart we are…we definitely needed to be separated, especially at a public event.
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after a couple of years living in ALBANY, he and his mom and little brother moved to LONG ISLAND QUEENS. it wasn’t until his mom re-married 3 years later that i would see him again…as i would be the flower girl next to SEKOU during the ceremony. it seemed his fascination with me fled and i was slightly heart-broken. it was fine though, because i had a bevy of other things going on in my life…a fantastic sticker collection, music video making with my home cam-corder, and continuing my title as spelling bee champ at my middle school.