...I thought they were pimples. I layed on my stomach, on top of a bed cover with a floral duvet. the unseen doctor began to exam my back. Hmm, he said. This one here is a worm. I felt him tugging, I felt discomfort, it felt small but long. i felt the snap when the worm was detached from my skin. the doctor placed it on the bed and I could see a thin white string but as I tried to touch it with my pointing finger, it moved and wriggled around. the doctor pulled out another but this one was shorter. the third was tinier. just as I was pushing off the bed, because the exam was done, my daughter crawled across the bed, her feet too close to the area where the worms were placed. immediately, I searched for the long worm. I picked it up with a tweezer and as it got to eye level, it tried to get in my mouth. I closed my lips immediately and blocked it. my husband than disposed of it. the second worm was tossed but the tiniest one was not found. I feared it attached itself to my daughter. I felt small relief that she was wearing a pair of dark colored socks that could protect her feet. if it did attach itself, it would be spotted.
This is the second time I see you and you are no longer a little boy. You're much taller, your hair, you've let grow. You are a young man with a crown of cornrows. We meet in the city, with your dad, at a sidewalk cafe. You walk away from my view. Maybe to pick up our drinks. Your dad speaks to me this time. He's no longer the brooding man on the couch. Y our dads much older since I last saw you. His eyes are droopy but they rise when he speaks of you and when he smiles. His freckles show more; on his nose bridge, on the high part of his cheeks. His dreds are thicker but the color is lighter, like brown, smoky, dusk. His glasses are the same thin metal frames from always. He t ells me how well you're doing. How well your both doing. How everything is well. I mention your grandmother- I heard about your mom. I reach out and place my hand over his- I'm really sorry. Your dad's bottom lip quivers and he gives me a nod. You come...
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