Excerpts from Chapter 18
“Ok you two don’t let me have to go get my paddle.” The threat of their childhood disciplinary tool brought a slight smile to Dayana, and caused Kaamil to roll her eyes. They knew that 30-years ago my bark was bigger than my bite. Now, not only has that proverbial bite been weakened by all the years, my literal bite is weakened by my dentures.
“My point is that our having larger/fuller extremities is the view from a recessive perspective. They got to determine that their characteristics are the way things should be; so, in comparison we have a big whatever. For the most part a bigger anything is a condition of more dominant characteristics. The further you go from the dark end of the spectrum to the light end, the more recessive the characteristics become.”
“So, it’s not that we (those with dominate characteristics) have big lips or noses, it’s that theirs (those with recessive characteristics) have been recessed to a minimum. Our hair is thicker and tends be curly and kinky, theirs is thinner and tends to be straighter and grows longer. Our eye color tends to be rich with dark color, while theirs tend to have different shades of light colors. In fact, the quintessential concept of beauty in this country is blond hair and blue eyes. Again, that’s when not only have your eyes been recessed in color, but also your hair.”
“But guess what’s happened in the last half century or so?” Not allowing the girls an opportunity to answer, I quickly continued. “The concept of beauty has come full circle; dominant features are vogue.”
Now, purposely gazing around the pool, I noted, “They have always known the beauty of having color in their skin, but now they would like to add to their figures. So breast implants have egged on butt implants, and even lip injections, for those who can afford the cosmetic procedure. Or, to give the illusion of having fuller hips or bigger bottoms, they wear their pants below their waistlines.” Watching a couple of ladies walking past our lawn chairs, “Look, if their bottoms are exposed, they are wearing hi-riding thongs, again to also give that appearance.”
I can tell that I surprised Kaamil. She could follow along with all the biology talk, but that wasn’t her cup of tea. On the other hand, she makes a good living in the fashion industry. And, the fact that I knew how women wear their clothes can create illusions had her speechless. I briefly took my eyes off the passers by to wink at her, which broke her silence. “You better watch out daddy. I heard tales of these trees in the south that bore a strange fruit with blood at the roots.”
...to be continued...
(C) 2007 The Centennial 2029 by Larry Smoot
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