''A Pink One''

To this day I still can't believe that this story is true but my mother swears by it! 

The madre and I moved to Ireland when I was about 2 years old to a small village in Wicklow where we were literately the only black people.

I went to the village crèche from Monday-Friday where I would play and interact with other kids/teachers who had extremely strong Irish accents which I ended up picking up. 

This story starts on a Friday evening when my mother put me in the tub where I begin to tell her what my friend Becky had said to me. 

It was so long ago but I can tell you now that I can still remember Becky, we played hair-dresser-hair-dresser and I used Fanta as pretend water to wash her hair and got into trouble. She was such a snake uno, 'cause she's the one who said I should do it even though I told her that it was a bad idea she insisted and then she started crying out of nowhere saying I did it and she never said that I could do it. kmt. Anyway back to the story: 

''Becky called me nigger'' my mother stopped and looked at me for a second,

 ''she said what?'' 

''mum Becky called me nigger'' my mother was mortified! 

''a nigger Erica?'' 

''yes mum''

''are you sure?''

''yes'' she couldn't believe it!

''don't say that word again okay?''

''okay''

''was there anyone around when she said it?'' 

''yah Caroline' (one of the adults) was there''

''did she say anything?''

 ''no she just laughed'' my mum was ready to F-I-G-H-T! Over the course of the weekend she kept asking me over and over again ''did she call you nigger?'' and I would tell her over and over again ''yes mum''

NB: please, I beg you please! don't say anything that may offend a black kid (or Italians they are even worse)their mother will COME FOR YOU! you will NEVER win an argument with a black woman about her child even if she's wrong she will make herself right,don't even waste your time. 

She was going APE! ready to sue and everything all she was waiting for was Monday morning that's when it was gonna go down. 

So let's fast forward to Sunday night as I'm getting in the bath she asks me one more time

 ''Erica what did Becky say?'' 

''She called me nigger'' 

''Erica are you sure she said that?''

''yah mum,it was a pink one'' 

my mum was confused ''a pink one?'' 

''yah a pink one'' 

''what do you mean?'' So I got out of the bath and waddled to the laundry basket and placed it in her hands ''it's a pink one'' and gave her the knickers I was wearing that day. ''Knickers Erica?''

''yes nigger'' ''Becky said 'my knickers' ''

Because of my Irish accent 'knickers' sounded like 'nigger' to my mother, which is completely understandable seeing as they sound identical if you have an Irish accent, All she could do was laugh it off. 

My mother was ready to sue because a girl said she could see ''my (k)niggers''.  

~ Wangari x