The Adventures of Two City Girls

For all the bloggers that follow my crazy life you will be happy to know that Black 007 has found an apartment of his own and we have settled in to a comfortable routine of being friends. So much so that I dragged him out on Wednesday night for dinner with my brother TQ and his girlfriend Robin (not their real names) both of whom I have not seen in over 6-8 months. TQ and Robin have been dating for over a year and when I first met her I immediately liked her because she had this shy yet endearing quality about her. She had a sweet if not bordering on naive nature that made you want to look after her. I soon got to know her better and found her to be someone I could go to movies, the club, museums, fashion shows basically anywhere and have a really good time with because she was always enjoying the moment. The last time I saw her, she was coming out the hairdressers her long shiny black hair curled and coiffed to have this effortless farrah fawcett-esque like hairdo. Her hair framed her usual make up free face and I could see her tiny diamond studs twinkling at me. She was wearing a purple jersey dress that accentuated her ample hips and tiny waist, black stockings, black boots and purple tote bag with a gold medallion chain hanging from her neck. Now months later I had been hearing from a few sources that she had gone "GHETTO FAB" on my brother who was just as confused as everyone else.

On Wednesday night I got the confusion. Before me sat a very tanned, slightly slimmer girl her gorgeous black hair tamed into cornrows with extensions. As I leaned over the table to kiss her hello I could see up close the thick layer of matte foundation, kohl eyeliner and mascara encircling her green eyes as if caged. Her gold plated bangle like hoop earrings clanged as we kissed french style. Or I thought it was the earrings could have been the 2 neck chains or the 5 bracelets encasing each wrist. As I noticed all the jewelery her tongue ring and the extra ear piercings taunted me to comment. To top it off as she said hi to black007 she popped a piece of gum and then said "sorry homie, I am trying to quit smoking so you know how it be, gotta be on this gum shit". My mouth literally dropped open at the use of the word homie and you know how it be, the fact she had taken up smoking and that she now swore this from a girl who took classical music lessons, ballerina classes, french classes and had a degree in Arts/English Literature.

As we ate and caught up I realised she had changed a whole lot. Robin by the way had decided to shorten her name to Ro (insert rolling of the eyes here please). She was a lot louder and as she relayed her club stories, her recent fights waving her long french manicured nails with diamante in my face I cringed at the total destruction of her vocabulary. Imagine Katie Holmes suddenly dressing like Foxy Brown and speaking like one of those chicks on Maury Povich (No offense but this chick is Australian for goodness sake!). I sat back in my chair and surveyed the scene. I looked at my brother in his immaculate suit and her in mini black dress with very low back and stripper like shoes and wondered if he could see what I could see. By the way he was so focused on his plate of food and refusing to look at me and his one word answers to my questions he obviously knew what I was thinking. To top off our bizarre dinner at the end I had been eating honey and sesame prawns and she had been eating ribs I asked the waitress for two finger bowls with lemon and Robin turns to me and says "damn girl, you is soooo white, asking for finger bowls and speaking all correct with it...you know how we do. Keep it real and use napkins". I kid you not bloggers my eyes widened, my heart beat quickened and I semi attempted to rise when I felt Black007 quickly clamp his hand on my hand to drag me right back down. I was too shocked to speak. Did this girl think that my good behaviour, my parents expensive investment in top education and my cultural experiences = WHITE?? And implied her trashy get up, her tacky jewelery, make up and her language was what being black was about?? I didn't even know who to be angrier at my brother for allowing her to go this far or myself for not correcting her there and then?

Now I should add here that I love my black people. We come in different shades, from different places with different values and attitudes. We live in ghettos,in mansions, in middle class neighbour hoods, in council flats, in huts and on the street. Watching BET entertainment will never convey who we really are nor can watching Soulja Boy Crank That define what we strive to be in life. How someone thinks that by speaking a certain way, wear certain clothes, walk with a certain swagger, sleep with the black men of the hour can make them black just lets me understand that Talib Kweli was right...they just know the name they dont know the pain.

As it turns out I didn't have to give her a dressing down Black007 was the one who took her back to school. We walked to our cars and Black007 walked towards his car a black Audi to open the passenger door for me and then Robin says.."Dang...Niggas is rollin...whaaaaaaaaaaat!!". My brother stepped in front of that girl so quickly because he knew that was like the word that made it the last straw. Black007 paused, I could see the vein in his neck throbbing. He turned slowly and walked right up to the couple. All he said was " Ro, Robin whatever you call yourself... I am not a Nigga, I do not speak the way you speak, my beautiful black sisters dress sexy and modestly and are always leading fashion where it should be not where it has been. You.... you are a lost child. Find your way home before you get so lost everyone forgets who you were and what you looked like.... you are you mothers daughter act like it".....

Ah that man.....always says it so well... so what are your opinions people, did she deserve the dressing down?? until next time bloggers....