No Sign of Wigs
The siblings in our family consisted of 4 brothers and 8 sisters.
The boys were right at home in keeping our hair washed and combed.
On the other hand, the 8 girls wore pony tails, braids, and on
rare occasions, curls.
At the time of our father's demise, he was 58, mother was only 35,
and our maternal grandmother was 75. The ages of the siblings in our
large family ranged in age from 9 months to 19 years, and we were
well taught to look after each other.
I must confess that before today I never once gave thought to the subject
of hair which was a family matter that our precious mother had to contend with day after day, year after year. Indeed, her hands were filled with hair.
We were aware of wigs, but there was never a sign of wigs in our house.
On the other hand, we boys kept busy watering and feeding our father's pigs. We had a cow, a goat, a pet rabbit, and lots of chickens, but there was no sign of wigs. There was a hot plate, hot comb, straighting combs, and curling combs, but honestly, there was never a sign of wigs.
Anyway, I'm delighted to share with you that our household did have an
affair with hair. Both our parents and our maternal grandmother who lived
with us had black hair. Two brothers had black hair, and two brothers had
brown hair. Five sisters had brown hair, and three sisters had black hair.
Our mother was also a beautician, and the 8 girls always had lovely heads
of hair that would very often command a stare. I tell you, my beautiful
sisters never gave wigs a care. I share this matter of wigs with you because
I wish to clear the air that my mother, grandmother, and 8 sisters simply
did not need a wig.
We all learned early in life that there were lots of things that just were
not fair. And yes, our mother had a lot of burden to contend with and to
bare. But there is no doubt that she spent a lot of her time and effort
taking care of the hair of my 8 sisters and grandmother. But again,
there was never a sign of wigs.
Copyright © Curtis Johnson | Year Posted 2025
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