Lauren Russell,
Springfield, MO.
Words my babysitter told me when I was 7 years old. I remember–she sat me down one day, studied me for a moment and then spoke cold and low, “I found out about your real father and I know he isn’t white. You should be ashamed of yourself and ashamed of your mother.” And then she wrinkled up her face in disgust and told me to go outside. I remember how it made my stomach hurt.
She barely spoke to me after that, and any words she did utter were said with contempt. I didn’t tell my mother until years later.
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