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African American Creative Nonfiction Teens & Young Adult

​A child was born on October 2nd, 1998. She was named Monay. She had a pretty good childhood, I must say. She loved to draw and she loved to play. She loved taking trips and sightseeing on beautiful days.

​In her teens, Monay went to many places and saw many things. She had many childhood friends and good childhood memories. She kept in touch with her buddies for a while, but her interests began to drift. She wanted so much to live in the past, but the tables had started to shift. In Monay's eyes, her friends grew up too fast; they got married and had children, so the friendships didn’t last.

​Monay’s focus was always on the things from 1970’s time. She loved to rap, and she loved to rhyme. There were so many activities that Monay liked, but she mainly loved school, art and open-mic. Also, traveling, babysitting and taking hikes. She especially enjoyed chatting with the elderly, one to one. She found their stories from the ‘70s to be exhilarating and fun. She also loved to watch TV shows from the past, she would watch them for hours, and laugh and laugh.

​Monay loved listening to Bob Proctor’s motivational speeches, and talking one-to-one with her schoolteachers. She said they were wise. They opened her eyes and gave her a new perspective on life. She believed that her birth year must have been an error, because she related more to the 1970 year. She wanted to change her atmosphere, for a 1970’s feel.

​So, one day Monay said to me, “Mom, I got an epiphany today!” ​

​I said to her, “Really?, so what are you going to do?” She said, “Mom, I'm gonna Feng Shui.”

​Monay went to the store before it got too late, and purchased items needed to redecorate. She put on some oldies-but-goodies songs, and she worked and sang, all day long. The elements of nature she wanted to enhance, so she placed flowers around the house as she sang and danced. She put vintage tiles onto the floors, and painted the walls, and she draped beaded curtains from the boarders over doors. She worked very hard from sun to sun; day after day, until the job was done. But, she wasn’t finished yet!

​She looked at me a little confused and said, “Mom, where can I find some old-fashioned clothes and shoes?” I said, “Baby-girl, you can wear some if mine.” But Monay thought my style was too hip, and I told her she was right! Then she looked as if she had seen a light! A switch had gone off in her mind. She exclaimed, “I’ll buy the clothes used, and then I’ll redesign!”

​Monay went off to the thrift store and got some oversized clothes that were used; old grandfather shirts, and old grandma shoes. When she returned home, she took out her scissors and started cutting away. She got so excited, she yelled loud and hearty, “I'm ready to go to a 1970’s party!” She was all set, and ready to go, but then looked in the mirror and said, “Oh No! What will I do with my hair?”

​She opened up my old photo album and searched for an old-fashioned hairdo. She saw updos, and wide-dos, Jheri curls and Shirley-Temple curls, flips, bangs and all kinds of stuff. She decided on a natural style, and to put her hair into two Afro-puffs. With a large fluffy puff on both sides of her head, she rushed into her overalls previously laid out on her bed. She slipped into her marshmallow shoes, and then asked, “Mom, do you have old-fashioned Jewelry that I can use?”

​I gave Monay my big, old, gold earrings shaped like bamboo. She put them on and practiced her dance moves. From the kitchen, she got a toothpick and put it in her mouth, and said, “Mom can you dig it? Now, do I look cool?” I chuckled and said, “No child, you look like a fool.” I took that toothpick out of her mouth, shook my head and said, “Baby girl, now you got swag.”  She said, “Nah Mom, you need to chill, because I look ill.”

​The two Afro-puffs she continued to pick while adding a ton of hair spray, making it stay nice and thick.

​Monay then asked, “Mom, do you have any bright-red lipstick that I can put on?” When I supplied her with a stick, she said, “Gee, thanks Mom! So, now, what do you think about my groovy attire?” I said, “Baby girl, you look the bomb, and that lipstick is fire!”

​Monay found a 1970’s party online, and chimed, “Don’t worry Mom, everything will be fine. I'll be back at the crib before it gets too late, but before I go, I must find a date!”  She called an old friend who loved to dance, she told him, “Dig out an Afro-wig and bell bottomed pants!”

​They both went to the party, and had a good time. They danced all night, they did the bus stop the bump, the hustle, and the wop, they danced and danced and danced non-stop. After nailing the funky chicken, their legs went to splitting. The robot and the twist ended their night in utter bliss.

​Monay finally returned home at 1 o’clock in the morning. I said, “Child, you look twisted, are you intoxicated?” She said, “No way, but my body does feels a bit wasted.”

​“So then, how was your Blast to the Past? Was it lit, king and popping?”  Monay replied, “Mom, the party was def, dope, and hopping!”

​Monay took a shower, then went straight to bed, woke up in the morning, then came to me and said, “Please, what do you have for a pounding head?” I waved her over to come and cover in my comfy bed. I suggested rest, quiet and a glass of water. I kissed her forehead then went to make breakfast for my daughter.

​She said she had the wildest dream, like a rocket- she took off! She had blasted to the past and felt very lost. She landed in a place called Dyn-na-Moe, where everything was grey, and dull, and slow. She was shocked that the past didn’t have any color. She said, “Mom, they had gigantic phones, with just one ringtone! It had a long curly cord; I thought I was in a psych-ward! There was no internet, no SUV’s, no downloads or CDs. Some kid was yelling, ‘get your newspaper here!’ and a man was yelling, ‘Out of site!’ Mom, I’m telling you it just wasn’t right.”

​Monay continued, “When I saw people walking around carrying jukeboxes on their shoulders, I woke up, and knew right away – I am in the correct era!”

​“Mom, I want you to know that I’m still fond of the past. But to want to be a teen in the 70’s, Nah, I change my mind. For sure, I prefer to stay in this present time.”

October 01, 2020 12:02

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Dr. Katherine
20:24 Oct 06, 2020

Hilarious! Especially, when Monay talked about the phones with the long curly cords!

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