This is part of a series I'm working on reflecting on growing up in Mississippi and being fast falling in love.
I should have known at age 7 that my love life was destined to be less the stuff that teen movies were made of and more a series of jubilant John Hughes-style bursts of romance, sandwiched in between dull, passive lulls of reality.
Perhaps I should have picked a better role-model for my romantic interests. I mean, I wanted to be like Lisa Turtle from “Saved By The Bell” The black, sassy, fashionable friend who never has a boyfriend, even though she’s hotter than some of her co-stars. Her only love interests were the geek, who seemed to grow dumber every year, and for one episode, her hottie best friend since grade school.
But that’s who I wanted to be, Crimped hair, neon tights, hot pink lipstick and all.
So naturally at age 7, when my I found out my best friend, Latericka Daniel Lockett, and I liked the same guy — the only other black kid in school — we settled on letting the best girl win and singing the chorus to Candyman’s Knockin’ Boots in my bedroom mirror while jumping on my bed.
Of course, Latericka, who’s mom taught her beauty secrets and bought her socks with ruffles, had a strategy that involved more than batting her eyelashes and sighing longingly from across the room — After Lisa Turtle, Minnie Mouse was pretty much the coolest girl in the world. I mean, the eyelash move won Mickey over.
I just wish someone had told me then that my combined Lisa Turtle, Minnie Mouse Game, would get me stuck with losers and rats.
I should have known at age 7 that my love life was destined to be less the stuff that teen movies were made of and more a series of jubilant John Hughes-style bursts of romance, sandwiched in between dull, passive lulls of reality.
Perhaps I should have picked a better role-model for my romantic interests. I mean, I wanted to be like Lisa Turtle from “Saved By The Bell” The black, sassy, fashionable friend who never has a boyfriend, even though she’s hotter than some of her co-stars. Her only love interests were the geek, who seemed to grow dumber every year, and for one episode, her hottie best friend since grade school.
But that’s who I wanted to be, Crimped hair, neon tights, hot pink lipstick and all.
So naturally at age 7, when my I found out my best friend, Latericka Daniel Lockett, and I liked the same guy — the only other black kid in school — we settled on letting the best girl win and singing the chorus to Candyman’s Knockin’ Boots in my bedroom mirror while jumping on my bed.
Of course, Latericka, who’s mom taught her beauty secrets and bought her socks with ruffles, had a strategy that involved more than batting her eyelashes and sighing longingly from across the room — After Lisa Turtle, Minnie Mouse was pretty much the coolest girl in the world. I mean, the eyelash move won Mickey over.
I just wish someone had told me then that my combined Lisa Turtle, Minnie Mouse Game, would get me stuck with losers and rats.
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