Confessions of a Hair Strand, Yours Sincerely

Let me tell you a tale about my hair strands.

The sun is burning, and I am lying in the middle of the road. There's a stranger with kind eyes looking at me with worry. I wonder why I'm cold because it's so hot, and the asphalt I'm lying on burns. Oh, I get it! They put water on me to wake me up. I look at my shirt and realize it's wet, and so is my hair.

I think my hair tells tales. It doesn't have anything special, but it acts up whenever I am having an emotional season. Always getting it straightened, I don't recall it staying natural for many years. I like it, but I don't care for it much. Ah, humans and their negligence.

First, it was lice. I freaked out. I'd never had it. Why would I get lice? And when my world is turned upside down, when I’m mourning the loss of my dad, whom I've known my whole life? It was my grandma who told me to forget my grief; she said heartbreak causes lice. I didn't believe her, but I learned how to forget the good and bad memories to escape the sadness. I think I made it through because here I am, with my hair, lice-free.

The second time it was my hair falling out. This time I was not mourning. Instead, I was losing myself, piece by piece, just like the chunk of hair I used to find on the pillow. Little by little, I was disappearing and then...

I am lying on the ground. The hot asphalt burns, yet I am quivering with cold. The stranger prays for me with a prayer book over me. In Ge?ez. '??? ??? ??? ???!' He cared. He really cared. He helped me sit up and began removing the dirt from my hair. My sad, sad hair. When he touches my hair, I flinch because I know it will fall out even more when touched. But his words are warming and comforting. I think, 'I'm okay, my hair is okay.' '?? ???? ??? ????? ???? ??? ????; ???? ???? ?????? ??? ???????' I nod.

Neither am I a believer, nor do I believe a prayer book could've protected me from what I was going through then, but I kept it. Not because it can protect me, but because every time I look at it, I am reminded of kindness, pure kindness from a stranger. Now my hair is better, healthier. So am I. I think time and rosemary water take the credit. But I also think it is the prayer book, the kindness behind it.