1000 series: Kinney Garden
The suspect looking little girl you see not-so-slickly trynna sulk across the stage is me. It is my kindergarten graduation and I am late.
Before I explain why I am late, lemme describe my kindergarten experience.
The year is 1984. UTFO's "Roxanne, Roxanne" is on the radio (no comments from the Peanut Gallery!), beads are the hair accessory of choice and Skips are making many a kids' "feet feel fine." I remember being neither scared nor anxious first day of kindergarten, just chill.
I quickly became friends with a girl named Malika (not seen in the pic). We used to call each other "sis" some time towards the end of the school year.
I remember the great chicken pox outbreak. One kid came to class with bumps on his back. We had him bent over with his shirt up examining him as if he were some chemistry experiment. One of the other kids told us he got the bumps from an alien. I was slightly cautious, so I didn't touch him (hadn't had my cootie shots), but that didn't stop me from getting it. Soon a lot of kids stop coming to class and I didn't understand until I was playing at home with my cousin Desiree who popped a bump on my neck. The next thing I knew I was laid out buck naked with calamine lotion from head to toe.
A had somewhat of a "nemesis." His name was Scott (I think...). I remember his rockhead VERY well though. To this day I'm not sure why that boy hated me so much. I tried killing him with kindness, being mean back to him, ignoring him, none of it worked.
Aside from "Scott" (pretty sure that's not his name at the moment, but I have no better guesses) kindergarten was smooth. My only other "concern" was the kid I have my back to in the front row. His name was Pierre. One day while waiting for our mothers to come pick us up he kissed me on the cheek. I sat there with my mouth open for like 30 seconds. lol I think he might have felt I was offended, but I was so shocked that I couldn't figure out what to say or do. So our puppy love never went beyond that moment.
As for why I was late. There is no fantastic story about it. My birth mother spent entirely too much time on my hair (and seeing how it turned out, it wasn't even worth it) and there was some mix-up regarding the dress I wore.
I had a on bubblegum corsage. One of my oldest friends, Shavon, remembers snatching it off of me and running because she was jealous, but I don't remember that at all. Her mother remembers as well, though. I'm sure we must've made up the next second, so that may be what is blocking the memory. Things were definitely more simple then.