The Pat Down

When I was around six I received a toy blow dryer that I absolutely loved. I only had one issue, I didn’t have anyone’s hair to do.  My mom kept my hair in French braids and my little sister was just a baby.  Though I tried over and over again I couldn’t convince my older brother to let me blow out his hair.

Now let me explain, my toy blow dryer worked.  It took batteries and when I turned it on it blew air, just like a real blow dryer. I just needed a client, but try as I might I couldn’t convince my brother to let me at his afro. Fortunately for me our Dad also had his eye on my brother’s hair and whenever it got too big for his liking he’d take my brother to the barber and snip, snip, chop, chop he would go from a big afro to a teeny weeny one. 

One day after one of their trips to the barbershop my brother came home upset about his new cut and because he was smart enough not to complain to our father, he complained to me.  I knew this was an opportunity for me so I somehow convinced him to let me blow out his hair.  I don’t know what I said. Whatever it was it worked and he sat down and let me at his hair.

Drawing of me doing my brother’s hair with my toy blow dryer.

When I tell you that blow dryer was the truth. It was the truth. His freshly cut little fro doubled to almost the height it was before his hair cut. Once I was done, I proudly looked at my work and said, “All done, go look in the mirror.” He got up slowly and walked to the bathroom with me right behind him.  When his eyes hit the mirror at first they lit up when he saw the results. Just as quickly a panicked look followed and he looked towards my parents room where my Dad had gone after they’d gotten home.  “Quick help me pat it down,” he said as he frantically started patting his hair.

“What?’ I was stunned because he was messing up all my work.

“Help me pat it down, before Dad sees it and makes me get it cut again.”  He leans down so I can help him pat it down and we both patted like two maniacs only for his afro to bounce back in place. When he realized it wasn’t working he had the nerve to get mad at me and storm off to his room to hide from our Dad. 

Lucky for him he ran into our mother first and she knew that water and blow outs don’t mix and back to the tiny afro he went.

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