“Please excuse Ann for being late this morning. She has morning sickness.”

One year in high school, I went to a salon and had my long straight locks cut into the 70s feathered look. And like most trips to the shop, the hairstyle looked perfect until I attempted it at home. After trying it on my own, I hated my new look. The old style was so much easier; just wash, condition, and let the mane dry on its own. Unfortunately, the new do meant I had to use a blow dryer and a curling iron; I quickly discovered that this gal did not have the qualities or the patience of a hairdresser.

Each morning, my poufy hair looked strange and awkward. So each morning, I would try to fix my strange hairdo woes, which often made me late for school. Mom tried helping, which didn’t really help at all because, yes, I was going through that whole 16-year-old girl thing, and nothing went as planned.

Finally, one morning, mom put her foot down and told me she would not write any more notes. “You will just have to get up earlier because I am through with all this nonsense. Every day, I have written a note, and I am done!” She warned me as I rushed out the door.

Well, the following day, my hairstyle looked wild and big. So I tried one more time, “Mama, please! Mom, just one more time! I look like a country western singer! I can’t go to school like this!”

Mama sighed and said, “Okay, but this is it. What should I tell them this time?”

“Just say I was sick this morning. Thanks, Mom!”

Mama wrote my note as I tamed my wild curls. As I rushed out of the house, I kissed her on the cheek and thanked her. After running down the stairs and crossing the street, I glanced at my note but froze in my tracks. I couldn’t believe what I was reading, and I had to read it twice to ensure it was correct. Guess I pushed mom to the limit, for the note read, “Please excuse Ann for being late this morning. She has morning sickness.” And that was that! Mama always had the perfect way of getting her point across when it came to taming her wild chicks!”

Allef Vinicius

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