Chiamaka111

Mom! La Toya who cried on your first day of kindergarten. She thought she wouldn’t, she was excited for you to go to school for the first time. Letting you help her make your lunch and pick out a small pair of pink and white overalls to wear. But as she watched your father walk you to the car, some tears did fall. After your father came back, he found La Toya sniffling quietly on the couch, while looking at a baby photo of you.

Mom! La Toya who brought you to the studio with her when recording her self titled album. Your uncle, Michael, who was producing the album, wasn’t expecting La Toya to bring her baby daughter along. But he didn’t mind one bit, caring for babies was one of his specialties. Between tracks, he would gently bounce you on his lap while showing you the soundboard. “And that’s the equalizer, and there’s the gain, and the pad switch.“ Michael pointing to each twist and knob while you chewed on his untied bow tie. “Are you listening Honey? This is very important business.” He said, in a playfully serious voice, which made you giggle.

Mom! La Toya who hated when you had to move into your own room as a baby. She knew you were gonna cry your first night away from mama and daddy, but she didn’t know it’d be this much. She sat up in her bed, looking at her door as you cried. Tears were welling up in her eyes as well, she couldn’t stand hearing you sad. “Damn it.” She thought as she stood up and walked towards your room, she didn’t care what the parenting books said, she wasn’t just going to let you cry all by yourself. So she held you for the entire night, which is how your father found the two of you fast asleep on the rocking chair.

Mom! La Toya who wouldn’t have assumed her little baby had favorite uncles and aunts. Sure, you loved playing with Michael, Janet and Rebbie loved taking you out on your birthday. But they weren’t your favorite, you loved all your aunts and uncles equally…except one.

It was at a family gathering, La Toya carried you through Hayvenhurst, letting you say hi to your uncles and aunts. Everything was going smoothly…until you got to Jermaine. “There she is! Hi Honey!” Jermaine exclaimed, extending his arms to give you a hug. You looked at him, looked at his arm, before gently pushing it away. The way La Toya laughed was like a dam bursting, shoulders shaking, tear producing laughs escaped her and your other aunts and uncles while you were trying to figure out what was funny.

Mom! La Toya who is also your voice teacher. The talent for music truly did run in the family. The two of you would practice in her study for two hours a day. Solfege, sight reading, music games. The two of you did it all together, the two of you sung show tunes, gospel, pop, almost everything.

Mom! La Toya who bought her first camcorder to record your big role in your school’s musical. Her and your father found their seats in the elementary school’s auditorium. Tonight, your school was putting on You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, with you as Lucy van Pelt. By the end of the night, La Toya had gone through 10 tapes recording every song you were in. But she didn’t care, memories were more expensive than the tapes.

Mom! La Toya who always started from the front when braiding your hair. She knew you didn’t like the parting or the tugging of styling your hair, you hadn’t since you were a baby. So she came up with a solution. Never start at the back when braiding, start at the front. Whenever you let out your inevitable “Mama, I’m tired”, or “Mama, I don’t wanna do it anymore,” you could still do a half up half down style and look adorable.

Mom! La Toya who loved crafting with you. Piles of paper, bottles of glue, and little safety scissors would cover the living room table. Cutting out little hearts and stars, and spelling your name with stickers. When your dad got home from work, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of the mess. “I guess I’m cleaning that up.” He said playfully, as you and La Toya nodded your heads in sync. Later, your parents swept the paper off the floor while you put away the supplies.

Mom! La Toya who baked with you every Friday. It was a different dessert or pastry every week. Chocolate chip cookies, pain au chocolat, croissants, macarons, etc. if it was in the cookbook, the two of you have made it. Of course La Toya had to supervise you to make sure there was no mess, but that didn’t mean you two didn’t have fun. Sometimes, when she wasn’t looking, you’d blow flour onto her hair, making her gasp in surprise. “Honey!” La Toya exclaimed, but there was no malice in her voice, just overwhelming laughter as she smudged a bit of frosting on your cheek. Which is how the plan to not make a mess…totally failed.