The Twenty Eighth Day...

...the day you had your first fight. why?

I think my first REAL fight was within my family. My cousin Tisha who is three years older than me, ALWAYS tried to boss me around. She'd hug me like I was some stuffed animal against my will until I broke free. Or she'd drag me around like I was a rag doll, bellowing my name in her southern accent. Sheesh, it was like nails on a chalkboard.  I'm sure our fight started stupidly because well...we were kids. lol

Now, mind you...Tisha was always a tad jealous of me. I don't know why...well, that's not entirely true. I do know why. My uncles were 7 and 8 years older than me and were like big brothers for most of my childhood. They would throw me in a Tonka truck and vrooom me around the room while I giggled. I was their baby. Tisha on the other hand was a pain and they didn't like her that much. That always resulted in her vying for their attentions and she ended up losing.

For whatever reason this particular day...she'd plucked my last nerve with her bossy ways. She and I ended up fighting and all I can remember is her pulling on my hair to the point that it was loosening from the two twists it was in. Y'all remember that hairstyle that all little girls had? A twist on each side of the head parted down the middle...or the side if you were fancy. lol

Well, she tugged my hair so hard...it was like she was trying to pull it from the roots. The oldest of my two uncles could be heard yelling between his teeth, "LET GO OF HER HAIR!" Once she finally let go, he kept saying that he didn't know WHAT was wrong with her and why she'd try to "pull out that baby's hair". lol

For years to come, she'd compete with me and struggle back and forth with wanting to hate me and love me. For the longest she'd say, "Everybody thinks Kali is so smart...", "Everybody loves Kali...", "Kali this...Kali that...". I just wanted to know who in the hell EVERYBODY was. I wanted to meet them. lol She would talk about me like a DOG to anyone who'd listen, then turn around and beg my mom for me to stay the night with her.

It's bananas...because, this kind of behavior became the norm for me. Eventually, throughout school...most chicks would feel this way about me while calling me a friend. I guess not much has changed...well, except for the fact that I've found friends who love me and don't hate me for who I am.

Gotta love that "growing up" thing, huh? :)